Thomas McMullan’s Shelf Life
Thomas McMullan's debut novel, The Last Good Man, won the 2021 Betty Trask Prize. His second novel, Groundwater, will be published by Bloomsbury in July 2025. His short fiction and poetry have been published in Granta, 3:AM Magazine and Best British Short Stories, and his journalistic work has appeared in publications including the Guardian, Times Literary Supplement, frieze, ArtReview and BBC News.
How and where are you?
Bar Polski, in an alley behind Holborn station. I’d recommend the pierogi.
What are you reading right now?
Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico, for review. I’m also reading Things: A Story of the Sixties by Georges Perec, as it’s a big reference for Latronico’s book. Finally, I’ve been slowly working my way through a collection of Anton Chekhov’s late short stories. I’ve just finished ‘In the Ravine’. The good doctor knew what he was doing.
And, of course, watching or listening to, or otherwise consuming?
The last film I saw was The Beast by Bertrand Bonello, which I admired for its knotty ambition. It stars Léa Seydoux and George MacKay, who encounter each other across three different time periods, although it's not as clear-cut as that description makes it sound. In terms of music, I’ve been on Cindy Lee’s Diamond Jubilee and Tyler, the Creator’s new one. Art-wise, I liked a recent exhibition of Jack O'Brien’s work at the Camden Arts Centre. He tends to work with ready-made objects, binding them together with industrial polythene or what look like enormous stockings. There’s a lot written about the erotics of his sculptures, which I get, but they make me think more about faded memories.
What did you read as a child?
Funny Bones, Peepo!, Willy the Wimp, Avocado Baby… I’m reading a lot at the moment to my son, who is three, and I’m finding a new appreciation for the role of children’s writers in shaping those early edges of the imagination. It’s a lot of responsibility. For the later bits of childhood, I’m probably not the first person to mention Terry Pratchett. I’d lie flat in bed and read a Discworld novel on my side. I started with the Rincewind books then made my way to the City Watch ones, which I ended up liking the best. I still lie on my side when I’m reading, sometimes. It’s not the most comfortable way to read but I associate it with being little and pouring myself into a book.
Which books and/or writers have inspired and influenced you, and what have you learnt from them?
Samuel Beckett was a guiding light in my twenties, in particular, and he’s continued to represent a way of writing I aim towards. The humanity, in spite of it all. I could make a long list of other writers but honestly I think influences depend on the project. With Groundwater, as that’s freshest in my mind, I’d triangulate it somewhere between Beckett, Virginia Woolf, Gwendoline Riley, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Clarice Lispector, and Carson McCullers. As I get older, I find strength in writers who made work while struggling with money, raising children, juggling jobs and roles.
What’s the worst review you’ve ever received?
There was a short play I wrote while I was studying at Goldsmiths. I was something like 19. I thought it went well. Afterwards, a critic said to my face that it was the “worst piece of shit he’d ever seen”. Wait until he sees my other stuff!
Tell us a little about your creative process.
Lately I tend to write longhand into a notebook, then decant into a Google Doc. I find it easier that way to follow a thought without interrupting it, although this works better for some things than others. With dialogue, for example, I prefer being able to tweak and reshape as I’m going, so a computer makes sense. It’s interesting how the rhythms of tools influence the rhythms of thought.
How has your experience of the publishing industry been?
I’m lucky to have worked with people who are enthusiastic about writing, and it’s a gift to have intelligent, thoughtful editors or agents spend time with your work. At the same time, it has to be said that the state of income for UK writers is awful. It's a similar state for musicians, or artists, with a recent Design and Artists Copyright Society report stating that earnings for visual artists have plunged by a massive 40% since 2010. Artists unable to fund their activities fall away, while those that come from family wealth, or other forms of privilege, remain. This is toxic for a culture that professes to be democratic. And it doesn’t need to be like this. Countries like the Netherlands, Sweden, Germany and France are way ahead of the UK in terms of arts funding. In July The Observer reported that while Britain has cut back its total culture budget by 6% since 2010, Germany, France and Finland have each increased their spending by up to 70%. Decisions like this are ideological.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
When life feels too much, just say to yourself: ‘That’s showbiz, baby’. It weirdly helps.
What are you working on right now?
My new novel, Groundwater, is out of my hands, aside from a few proofing tweaks. I’m early days into a new novel, where I’m playing with a structure of one half of the text consuming the other. I’m having fun with that. I’ve also got an original screenplay on the go, which I’m currently shopping around.