‘I projected myself into her and she became music.’ In August Blue, the latest novel by acclaimed author Deborah Levy, virtuoso pianist Elsa M. Anderson sees a woman in a flea market in Athens who she believes is her double. Following a catastrophic performance where she walked off stage, Elsa is on the run from her talent, men and history. Spending the summer moving across western Europe, the two women repeatedly cross paths, until they finally confront each other in a rainstorm in Paris.

One of our greatest contemporary novelists and a thoughtful and interesting speaker, Deborah engages in ideas about time, culture, identity. She is the author of the living autobiographies Things I Don’t Want to Know, The Cost of Living and Real Estate and several novels including the Booker Prize listed The Man Who Saw Everything, Hot Milk and Swimming Home.

Presented in partnership with the Centre for New Writing & Creative Manchester. Supported by Sofas & Stuff.