Buddy Reading Nights at the Circus
Roll up for the Cockney Venus
Off we go again! Our next buddy read is Angela Carter’s incredible 1984 novel, Nights at the Circus, winner of the James Tait Black Memorial Prize (and the Best of the James Tait Black award), one of David Bowie’s 100 must-reads, and a gorgeous, postmodern lead into the fairy tale course I promise is coming before the end of the year.
Nights at the Circus sees young journalist Jack Walser captivated by circus trapeze artist Sophie Fevvers, a 6’2 curvy blonde who may or may not have been hatched from an egg. Entranced by her, and eager for the story that might make his career, Walser runs away with the circus, keen to discover the truth about this strange winged woman.
Join us for fortune telling pigs, dancing tigers, and sword-wielding brothel madams as we figure out together whether Fevvers is fact or fiction.
We’re going to read Nights at the Circus together over six weeks, with discussion of each of the three sections - London, St Petersburg, and Siberia - every other Friday, here on Substack. Each fortnight there’ll be some links you can go away to read, watch, or listen to, and comments will be open for discussion on the sections we’re reading.
We’ll start on Friday 19th July with some notes to start you off on a discussion of Part One. See you at the Circus!
Schedule:
Friday 19th July — Part one, London
Friday 2nd August — Part two, St Petersburg
Friday 16th August — Part three, Siberia
Content warnings: sexual assault, violence, animal abuse
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