Nika Jazaee relishes the short stories of Anthony Anaxagoru.
As you walk into The Underbelly there is a large dining area – tonight it is crowded with drinks, food and people. I take to the stairs, down to the semi-secret venue in the basement. Through the glass door I can see it is already crowded here, too; full of the blurry noise of excited chatter and anticipation.
A wave of silence crosses the room as Anthony Anaxagoru jumps up on stage and slides into his seat next to interviewer Jolyon Rubinstein. Well known as a performance poet, playwright and educator, Anthony is here to introduce his first book of short stories, The Blink That Killed The Eye.
Partly based on the author’s personal experiences, the collection consists of nine stories spanning the stages of life.
Anthony crosses his legs and with a hand waving in the air, he tells us: ‘there is a close parallel between short stories and poems.’ Now 31, Anthony has been publishing poems since 2009, but short stories are a new venture for him and he struggled for 10 months to put this collection together.
‘People think of writing as something glamorous but it is not. It is hard. You write for hours when you get home, and at 3am you are still there trying to put life into your characters.’
He smiles as he speaks but he wants us to know that writing is a serious business.
It took Anthony nearly six months to find his voice as a short story writer. He only knew he wanted to use the short story as a way to address the theme of invisibility – and that was hard to identify.
He shares the first story with us, a piece full of vivid and metaphorical language, making his listeners hold their breath for 20 minutes.
As he reads, you can almost hear the audience hanging on his every word.
Everyone in the house is already a fan of Anthony’s. No one is disappointed, and afterwards the line to get your book signed is long and full of lively conversation.
Eventually it’s my turn; and then I’m walking out with my signed book under my arm, feeling thrilled and excited to go home and read.
The Blink That Killed The Eye: www.amazon.co.uk/Blink-That-Killed-Eye-The/dp/1909762040
More about Anthony Anaxagoru here: http://anthonyanaxagorou.com