#ian mcguire

[k-wame]

THE NORTH WATER S1·EP3 | dir. Andrew Haigh

[brokehorrorfan]

A24 has released The Lighthouse screenplay book for $60. It’s the 11th installment in the studio’s series of 8x11 hardcover editions. An e-book version is also available for $20.

In addition to Robert & Max Eggers' original script, the 216-page tome includes an introduction by actor Willem Dafoe, essays by authors Lauren Groff (Fates and Furies) and Ian McGuire (The North Water), full-page stills, and excerpts from a 1881 lighthouse keeper’s guide.

[leiathejules]

Águas do Norte, de Ian McGuire

Em "Águas do Norte", um médico irlandês, Sumner, embarca em um navio baleeiro que partirá ao gélido norte em busca de caça para fornecimento de gordura de baleia e outros produtos, apesar de já reconhecerem que há uma perceptível decadência econômica na atividade frente a novas tecnologias – como as lamparinas a querosene.

Sabem também que Brownlee, o capitão do navio, não deveria estar capitaneando aquele navio, pois em sua última jornada ao Ártico perdera sua embarcação e parte de seus homens para o mar e o frio, e que nenhum proprietário de navios no mundo daria uma nova chance a alguém marcado com o estigma de azarado.

Mas Baxter, o proprietário do navio encarrega Brownlee dessa nova expedição, com uma equipe não muito digna de confiança.

Há um contraste enorme entre Sumner e seus colegas de embarcação. Os baleeiros são grosseiros, rudes, despreocupados e supersticiosos, e Sumner acha difícil o convívio, apesar de que aquela é sua única chance de recomeçar a vida. Por isso, enquanto não está trabalhando, ele prefere se recolher a sua cabine, e, enquanto os outros acham que eles está lendo seu Homero ou rezando, na verdade ele está viajando na inconsciência para ele prazerosa do láudano.

Dos tripulantes, conhecemos logo cedo Drax, e suas características animalescas, suas atitudes impensadas e que dispensam explicações chocam o leitor pela simplicidade com a qual ele lida com elas: ele faz o que tem que fazer, no momento que precisa fazer. Não há nada pessoal em seus atos que não diga exclusivamente respeito a si mesmo e sua sobrevivência.

Essa falta de uma moral coletiva o transforma em um animal selvagem, perigoso, desconfiado e que terá uma papel importante na maneira como os fatos se desencadearão.

Percebe que a mentira sai fácil, como esperado. Palavras não passam de ruídos em determinada ordem, pode usá-las como bem entender. Os porcos roncam, os patos grasnam e os homens mentem: costuma ser assim.

Em contrapartida, Otto é um sueco de pensamento filosófico e intrincado saber teológico com quem Sumner consegue conversar mais a fundo, apesar de não ser um crente e achar que a maioria das coisas que Otto diz não passa de superstição alienadora. Mas ter Otto para conversar é uma fonte de alívio para Sumner em meio a tanta – ele considera – bestialidade.

Sumner carrega consigo um segredo que é desvendado logo na primeira metade do livro. Foi médico do exército imperial em uma revolução na Índia colonizada, e saíra de lá com um ferimento a bala que o deixara mancando e viciado em opioides.

Insinuou que o trabalho de um médico num navio baleeiro era um detalhe da legislação, uma exigência a ser cumprida, mas na prática não havia porcaria nenhuma a fazer - daí a remuneração ridícula, é claro.

Poucas pessoas entendem a presença dele em um navio daquele, pois o cargo de médico de bordo geralmente é ocupado por estudantes desesperados por dinheiro ou profissionais com um passado sombrio e poucas alternativas, e o irlandês misterioso e bem apessoado simplesmente não se encaixa.

O ambiente vil da embarcação é muito bem descrito pelo autor, McGuire, que não perde tempo em gastar seu francês e ser bem franco quanto aos cheiros, objetos e ocupantes.

Este é o segundo livro do autor britânico Ian McGuire e meu primeiro contato com sua prosa, que me agradou por não ser cheia de rodeios, dedos ou bem-me-queres: as coisas acontecem em um ritmo acelerado e entorpecido de álcool e láudano.

Ele não perdoa ninguém de suas descrições despidas de pudor e quando faz uso delas através dos diálogos dos marinheiros elas se tornam ainda mais pungentes e certeiras.

A narrativa se desenvolve de forma competente e envolvente. Há no clima um cheiro de maquinação e traição que vai se tornando palpável e não demora muito até que entendemos que aquela viagem não foi organizada para terminar bem; e os desdobramentos que vão se desenrolando a cada página são um lembrete constante de como a crueldade humana pode ter tons tão escuros.

O livro foi adaptado para minissérie de mesmo nome, com Colin Farrell e Jack O’Connell, e está disponível no Globoplay.

★★★★☆

Ficha Técnica: Águas do Norte Ian McGuire Editora Todavia 304 páginas Título Original: The North Water Tradução de Daniel Galera

Compre o livro a Amazon*

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[reterritorialisation]

The others will talk and plan and make oaths and promises, but there are precious few fuckers who will do.

― Ian McGuire, The North Water

[eroticwound]

i really enjoyed the emphasis on the sensory in the north water book. ian mcguire writes things so sensually, so of-the-body. like emotions described via their bodily sensations, or the emphasis on smell? it was delicious, even (especially) when it was gross <3

[babeltrip]

Az ágyék közelében ejti meg az első bemetszést, majd végigvágja a has puha húsát a szegycsontig. Addig fűrészeli a csontot, míg el nem éri a torkot. Átvágja a légcsövet, aztán csizmája sarkával keményen rátapos a szétvágott bordák egyik felére, a másik felét két kézzel megragadja és széttöri. Érzi a medve belső szerveinek hirtelen konyhamelegét, a belőlük kicsapó mámorító, érzéki büdösséget. A kést a hóra ejti, és mindkét kezét beledugja a halott medve gőzölgő belei közé. Fagyott ujjai mintha szét akarnának durranni a melegtől. A fogát csikorgatva még mélyebbre nyomja a kezét. Amikor a fájdalom csökken, kihúzza a kezét, és az arról csöpögő forró vért az arcára és a szakállára keni, majd megint fogja a kést, nekilát kivágni és kivenni a medve belsőségeit. Kicibálja a szívet és a tüdőket, a májat, beleket és gyomrot. A keletkező mély üreg félig van gőzölgő forró fekete lével: vér, vizelet, epe. Sumner előrehajol és iszik belőle, két kézzel meri a szájába. Ahogy iszik, és ahogy a medve melege úgy hatol belé, akár egy elixír – le a torkán, be az üres gyomrába, és onnan szerteszét –, elkezd remegni, majd rángani. Egy perc elteltével megállíthatatlanul vonaglik, még a szeme is befordul, és sötétség nyeli el.

Északi vizeken (Ian McGuire)

[beeesworld]

Ian: No.

Mickey: I didn't say anything.

Ian: You didn't need to. We're not having sex.

Mickey: But we're gay!

Ian: It's not a club! There aren't rules.

[jesslovesboats]

Hello friends, I am back with more reading recommendations for your agonies! Next up we have the long awaited and much requested Sad Boat Fiction list. As with all of my lists, this is NOT exhaustive and there WILL be great books left off, and also you may or may not like these books! I only rec things that I've personally enjoyed or that come highly recommended by trusted friends, but taste in books is incredibly subjective, especially with fiction. If I missed your favorite, please add it in the comments or drop it in my DMs!

Now that I'm feeling more settled in my new job, I will hopefully have a lot more time to make book lists and do more virtual Readers' Advisory. I have lists in the works for women in polar exploration and companion reads for the HBO War series, but if there's something else you would love to see, please send me a message!

Classics of the Genre

At the Mountains of Madness by H.P. Lovecraft

The Terror by Dan Simmons

Moby Dick by Herman Melville

Dark Matter by Michelle Paver

Media Tie-Ins

Who Goes There? (Filmed as The Thing) by John W. Campbell, Jr.

The North Water by Ian McGuire

Cold Skin by Alfred Sánchez Piñol

The Terror by Dan Simmons

Graphic Novels

Whiteout by Greg Rucka

How to Survive in the North by Luke Healy

The Worst Journey in the World- The Graphic Novel Volume 1: Making Our Easting Down adapted by Sarah Airriess from the book by Apsley Cherry-Garrard*

*this is only fiction in the broadest possible sense of the term, but there is a shiny new American version of this book coming out with a gorgeous new cover and you should pre-order it immediately

Science Fiction

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin

Antarctica by Kim Stanley Robinson

Romance

Under a Pole Star by Stef Penney

The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

My Last Continent by Midge Raymond

Inspired by the Terra Nova Expedition

The Worst Journey in the World- The Graphic Novel Volume 1: Making Our Easting Down adapted by Sarah Airriess from the book by Apsley Cherry-Garrard*

The Birthday Boys by Beryl Bainbridge

Terra Nova: A Play by Ted Tally

Antarctic Navigation by Elizabeth Arthur

*this is only fiction in the broadest possible sense of the term, but there is a shiny new American version of this book coming out with a gorgeous new cover and you should pre-order it immediately

Inspired by the Franklin Expedition

The Rifles by William T. Vollmann

Minds of Winter by Ed O'Loughlin

Solomon Gursky Was Here by Mordecai Richler

On the Proper Use of Stars by Dominique Fortier

Literary Fiction

The Voyage of the Narwhal by Andrea Barrett

Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy

We, The Drowned by Carsten Jensen

Inspired by the Classics

The Route of Ice and Salt by José Luis Zárate

Ahab's Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund

Modern Day Antarctica

How the Penguins Saved Veronica by Hazel Prior

South Pole Station by Ashley Shelby

Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

Polar and Nautical Horror

Where the Dead Wait by Ally Wilkes

Dark Matter by Michelle Paver

Cold Earth by Sarah Moss

The Deep by Nick Cutter

All the White Spaces by Ally Wilkes

Dark Water by Elizabeth Lowry

The Deep by Alma Katsu

Happy reading!

[quirkycatsfatstacks]

Review: Ghost-Spider #10 (Marvel)

There’s Only So Much Room For Heroes in Ghost-Spider #10 Gwen Stacy is back; from the looks of it, she’s about to get into more trouble than ever in Ghost-Spider #10. This is a young woman who has seen it all, from the death of her best friend to a multidimensional war. Now? Now she’s got a whole different problem to deal with. The reappearance of two famous siblings in her world has been a…

[cover-art-showdown]

Round One, Match XCVII

Dans les Eaux du Grand Nord / The North Water (Ian McGuire), 10/18 2018. Artist unknown.

The Weight of Feathers (Anna-Marie McLemore), Thomas Dunne 2015. Cover by Kathryn Parise.

[wilderspookymind]

“It is not a sin, he tells himself, there is no sin left now, there is only the blood and the water and the ice; there is only life and death and the gray-green spaces in between. He will not die, he tells himself, not now, not ever. When he is thirsty, he will drink his own blood; when he is hungry, he will eat his own flesh. He will grow enormous from the feasting, he will expand to fill the empty sky.” ― Ian McGuire, The North Water

[k-wame]

THE NORTH WATER S1·EP5 | dir. Andrew Haigh

[writingquestionsanswered]

Motivated by Reader Connection

Anonymous asked: I recently did some reflecting and figured that I want to write because i want to be in conversation with readers who connect with my work, not because of the process of writing, but I worry this is a bad motivation to get into professional writing. Currently I am writing fanfiction and in fandom it's quite normal to be in the same communities with readers, but my professional writer friends tell me this is not the case for folks who publish their work. In fact, it seems like being in the same community with readers is more damaging to the writer than it is inspiring. I'm rambling, but my main question is... is it wrong to want connection with the audience as motivation for writing professionally?

Is it wrong to be motivated by wanting to connect with your readers? Absolutely not. In fact, I would say that's a pretty typical motivation for publishing in the first place. It's just that how you define that connection can vary, and it doesn't always require a literal conversation with the reader.

What I mean is this: storytelling, quite often, is about exploring the human condition through theme, thematic statement, symbolism, cautionary messaging, and even illustrating a belief or opinion. In and of itself, that's "having a conversation with the reader," it's just that your involvement in the actual back and forth of the conversation is passive. As in any conversation, you make a statement and support it in various ways, and the reader responds with an understanding, a question, or a rebuttal. The only difference is you're not in receipt of that response... it stays in the reader's head, so part of your job as a writer is to anticipate what their understanding, question, or rebuttal will be so that you can respond right in the story. So, for example, let's say you've written a story where your message is something like "we are the masters of our own fate." You're going to illustrate that message through the events of the story and the things the protagonist goes through. Each time something happens where you add to this message, the reader comes away with something--you anticipate what that will be, then address it in a later thing that happens. So, in that way, it's still very much like having a conversation, even if it's not a two-way conversation in the moment.

Also, a lot of writers interact with readers in other places... book signings, readings, workshops, and other events.

Even outside of that, though, it's not true at all it's not normal for "professional writers" to be in the same communities with their readers. It certainly depends on who you are, what you write, and how you define community. For example, I can't imagine literary beacons like Kazuo Ishiguro or Ian McEwan probably spend a lot of time engaging with their readers on social media, but there are plenty of writers who do. Neil Gaiman, Margaret Atwood, John Green, Brandon Sanderson, Diana Gabaldon, Seanan McGuire, George R.R. Martin, Jenn Bennett... these are just a handful of published (and well known) authors who regularly interact with their readers on social media. And, those are just big name authors... when you start getting into the ranks of authors who don't have movies or TV shows based on their novels, you'll see interaction become more and more common.

As an indie author, my social media community is split between my readers and my author friends. And, sometimes my author friends become readers, and my readers become author friends. It can be whatever you want it to be. You can choose the type of interaction you want and the level. Some writers choose not to interact at all, but by no means does that mean it's "not normal" to interact or that interaction makes them inferior in any way.

So, I definitely wouldn't say that wanting to interact with--and have both literal and figurative conversations with--your readers is bad motivation. In fact, I strongly suspect more writers are motivated by that or some aspect of it than they are by the writing process itself. I can honestly say I don't know a lot of writers who are in it only because they love to write. Writers who are in it only because they enjoy the process usually aren't publishing their work.

I hope that reassures you!

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

♦ Questions that violate my ask policies will be deleted! ♦ Please see my master list of top posts before asking ♦ Learn more about WQA here

[idlesuperstar]

TV/Film versions of 19th Century Fictional Male Characters I Would Bang Into The 20th Century (In No Particular Order)

#9 Patrick Sumner [The North Water, Ian McGuire] - Jack O'Connell edition (amc, 2021)

[mapleymood]

Finished ten books total this month, which I'm pretty sure is more than I finished in the first six months of 2024. Also split nearly evenly between comics and everything else, which was cool! In reading order (vs. stackability):

A Grief Observed - C.S. Lewis

The Trip to Echo Spring: On Writers and Drinking - Olivia Laing

A Heart That Works - Rob Delaney

Batman: Wayne Family Adventures, Vol. 1 - CRC Payne and Starbite

Slow Horses - Mick Herron (reread)

Batman and Robin: Book One - Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleason

Batman & Robin: Batman Reborn - Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely, and Philip Tan

The North Water - Ian McGuire

Batman & Robin: Batman vs. Robin - Grant Morrison, Cameron Stewart, and Andy Clarke

The Emperor's Winding Sheet - Jill Paton Walsh

[embossross]

2024 in books: fiction edition

literary fiction published 2014-2024

Nefando by Monica Ojeda (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐) - book of the year but warning it is the most triggering book i've ever read. i sobbed and could barely function for a full day. it's so painful. csa tw

Hurricane Season by Fernanda Melchor (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Tentacle by Rita Indiana (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Toño the Infallible by Evelio Rosero (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

The Maniac by Benjamin Labatut (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

If an Egyptian Cannot Speak English by Noor Naga (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Outline by Rachel Cusk (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

La Bastarda by Trifonia Melibea Obono (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Scattered All Over the Earth by Yoko Tawada (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Afterparties by Anthony Veasna So (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

A Passage North by Anuk Arudpragasam (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders (⭐⭐⭐⭐) - rating this was the biggest challenge of the year because the highs are extraordinary but the lows are miserable. i literally hated it while reading it but then returned to it more than almost any other book this year.

black moses by alain mabanckou (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

crooked plow by itamar vieira junior (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

behold the dreamers by imbolo mbue (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

the north water by ian mcguire (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

dr. no by percival everett (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

birth canal by dias novita wuri (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

transcendent kingdom by yaa gyasi (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

my year of rest and relaxation by ottessa moshfegh (⭐⭐⭐)

the gospel according to the new world by maryse condé (⭐⭐⭐)

manhattan beach by jennifer egan (⭐⭐⭐)

the archive of alternate endings by lindsey drager (⭐⭐⭐)

the inheritance games by jennifer lynn barnes

(⭐⭐⭐)

the aunt who wouldn't die by shirshendu mukhopadhyay (⭐⭐⭐)

deacon king kong by james mcbride (⭐⭐⭐)

four minutes by nataliya deleva (⭐⭐⭐)

blood red gy gabriela ponce padilla (⭐⭐⭐)

boulder by eva baltasar (⭐⭐⭐) - i appear to be the only person not dazzled by this book and feel left out of the party, but i just don't get it.

burnt sugar by avni doshi (⭐⭐)

you glow in the dark by liliana colanzi (⭐⭐)

the pisces by melissa broder (⭐⭐)

our wives under the sea by julia armfield (⭐⭐) - another beloved sapphic book that left me bored out of my mind. the writing about bodies felt very 2018 tumblr (non-complimentary)

the touch system by alejandara costamagna (⭐) - just pointless. one star is probably harsh though.

divided island by daniela tarazona (⭐) - i will admit i might be too dumb for this book

fiebre tropical by juli delgado lopera (⭐)

a door behind a door by yelena moskovich (⭐) - and the razzie goes to...!

literary fiction published 1971-2013

The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Kassandra and the Wolf by Margarita Karapanou (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolaño (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Ahab's Wife, or the Star-Gazer by Sena Jeter Naslund (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

In a Free State by V.S. Naipaul (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

If on a Winter's Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

My Tender Matador (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Happiness As Such by Natalia Ginzburg (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

All the Lovers in the Night by Mieko Kawakami (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Written on the Body by Jeanette Winterson (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

The Transmigration of Bodies by Yuri Herrera (⭐⭐⭐⭐) - the way he nails how people would react to the covid pandemic 7 years early is wild in an otherwise pulpy mob thriller

shalash the iraqi (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

the disaster tourist by yun ko-eun (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

mother to mother by sindiwe magona (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

the route of ice and salt by josé luis zárate (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

pussy, king of the pirates by kathy acker (⭐⭐⭐)

awake by harald voetmann (⭐⭐⭐)

the raven king by nora sakavic (⭐⭐⭐)

touch by adania shibli (⭐⭐⭐)

cold nights of childhood by tezer ozlu (⭐⭐⭐)

the foxhole court by nora sakavic (⭐⭐⭐)

akhenaten: dweller in truth by naguib mahfouz (⭐⭐⭐)

the rooftop by fernanda trías (⭐⭐⭐)

tell them of battles, kings and elephants by mathias enard (⭐⭐)

sea of lentils by antonio rojo benitez (⭐)

literary fiction published start of time-1970

The Ice Palace by Tarjei Vesaas (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Masks by Fumiko Enchi (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Girl Upon Heaven's Pier by Eeva-Liisa Manner (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Final Exam by Julio Cortázar (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Two Novels: J and Seventeen by Kenzaburö Ōe (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐) - J is an easy 5 star but Seventeen is more of a mixed bag

The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

night on the galactic railroad and other stores from ihatov by kenji miyazawa (⭐⭐⭐)

the wild geese by Ōgai mori (⭐⭐⭐)

the phantom of the opera (⭐⭐⭐) - despised this while reading but my god did it leave an impression. the phantom swimming around with his reed just lying in wait makes me burst out laughing once a quarter "do you choose the GRASSHOPPER, Christine???" he's so stupid

madame bovary by gustave flaubert (⭐⭐⭐)

orlando by virgnia woolf (⭐⭐⭐)

mr. president by miguel ángel asturias (⭐⭐)

four stories by h.p. lovecraft (⭐) - the racist stench is just emanating off these stories and they're boring too for good measure

the mysterious correspondent: new stories by marcel proust (⭐)