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It is Something to Have Been
James Hawes, author of Speak for England, My Little Armalite, etc: “Carly Schabowski's extraordinary range of empathies straddles generations and continents; her tone modulates boldly across models from Greene to Carver to Faulks; but she's always led by a distinctive feel for the strange, dangerous yearnings which really drive our lives. We will hear more of her."
“I write, because, my dearest, what else do I have?”
Our mistakes are our own; our private lives private; but what if they weren’t?
What if someone was watching, their pen at the ready? Harry Winter is a writer whose life is anything but simple. Starting in World War II, he lives through those he meets and those he watches. Bit by bit, lives are intertwined, his losses become theirs, their secrets become his, until no one, least of all Harry, is sure of what is real and what is not.
It Is Something To Have Been explores themes of love, loss and redemption, and the creative process itself.
“I write, because, my dearest, what else do I have?”
Our mistakes are our own; our private lives private; but what if they weren’t?
What if someone was watching, their pen at the ready? Harry Winter is a writer whose life is anything but simple. Starting in World War II, he lives through those he meets and those he watches. Bit by bit, lives are intertwined, his losses become theirs, their secrets become his, until no one, least of all Harry, is sure of what is real and what is not.
It Is Something To Have Been explores themes of love, loss and redemption, and the creative process itself.
Paperback
Published January 1, 1804
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About the author
Carly Schabowski
15 books188 followersCarly Schabowski worked as a journalist in both North Cyprus and Australia before returning to Oxford, where she studied for an MA and then a PhD in creative writing at Oxford Brookes University.
Carly now teaches at Oxford Brookes University as an associate lecturer in Creative Writing for first and second-year English literature students.
The Ringmaster’s Daughter is Carly’s debut novel and will be published by Bookouture in July 2020, with her second novel, The Watchmaker of Dachau coming out later that year. These texts are both true, epic, moving historical novels centred around survival, human suffering, and the finding of love within the backdrop of the desperate and uncertain times of 1940s Europe
Carly now teaches at Oxford Brookes University as an associate lecturer in Creative Writing for first and second-year English literature students.
The Ringmaster’s Daughter is Carly’s debut novel and will be published by Bookouture in July 2020, with her second novel, The Watchmaker of Dachau coming out later that year. These texts are both true, epic, moving historical novels centred around survival, human suffering, and the finding of love within the backdrop of the desperate and uncertain times of 1940s Europe
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 6, 2019
Intriguing, story full of unspoken mystery
March 15, 2017
An exciting first novella from a talented new author. Gripping story line and intriguing narrative format. Can't recommend this gem enough!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews