{"title":"Stephen Downes","description":"\u003cp\u003eStephen Downes is a multifaceted author known for his profound contributions to both \u003cem\u003eBiography \u0026amp; Memoir\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eGeneral Fiction\u003c\/em\u003e. His works often invite readers into captivating narratives that weave the complexities of human life with intricate detail and insightful exploration.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn his compelling biography, \u003cem\u003eGustav Mahler\u003c\/em\u003e, Downes delves into the life of the renowned composer, offering a nuanced portrait that captures Mahler's artistic genius and personal struggles. This book is a testament to Downes' meticulous research and ability to bring historical figures to life with vivid storytelling.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOn the fiction front, \u003cem\u003eMural\u003c\/em\u003e showcases Downes' narrative prowess through its rich storytelling and imaginative plotlines. This work is a perfect example of his talent for blending creativity with thought-provoking themes, leaving readers both entertained and contemplative.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eStephen Downes' books are perfect for those who appreciate deeply-researched biographies and imaginative fiction that resonates on a personal level. Explore his collection to discover the compelling worlds he creates through his exceptional writing.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"mural-by-stephen-downes-9781923023185","title":"Mural","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eMural\u003c\/i\u003e is a haunting 'confession' by a psychopath known only as D. Held in a secure facility, he has been asked by his psychiatrist to write down his thoughts, admissions, anxieties, and uncertainties. They are at first revealed through the stories of other people's lives and obsessions.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSpecifically, D is preoccupied with a British man who spent his early years as a schoolteacher in Australia before becoming a renowned sexologist. D is also consumed by Australia's most prolific public artist, a man whose highly erotic watercolours are at odds with his stained-glass church windows. D writes of his meeting with a boyhood friend. He recounts the true tale of a Frenchman who went mad because he believed prehistoric stones in Brittany were shifting.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDownes navigates the real and the imagined, traversing fact and fiction. \u003ci\u003eMural\u003c\/i\u003e is daring, acknowledging the influences of European writers such as Thomas Bernhard and WG Sebald while moving into new and original territory. It is both provocative and tender, a highly explosive fable about sexuality, religion, art, and obsession.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMural\u003c\/i\u003e is an engrossing read! A fascinating, lively voiced protagonist with a strange tale to tell; I was really engaged from the start.\" – Dr Gwen Adshead, consultant forensic psychiatrist and psychotherapist who has worked for many years with prisoners, including in Britain's renowned high-security psychiatric hospital Broadmoor. Co-author of \u003ci\u003eThe Devil You Know: Encounters in Forensic Psychiatry\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Stephen Downes takes us inside the mind of a deranged and violent criminal. We don't know or need to know or perhaps even want to know what 'D' has done. But the insight into his thinking and psychopathy, thanks to Downes's elegant, taut, and compelling storytelling, ensures that this short, powerful novel will shadow its readers long after the final page.\" – Paul Daley, author of \u003ci\u003eJesustown\u003c\/i\u003e and writer for \u003ci\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"A gripping interior account of an unhinged and violent mind. The narrator, D, institutionalised and guilty of unnamed atrocities, directs an extended monologue to his psychiatrist that is in turn reflective, cultured, and misanthropic. D is a memorable character, vividly painted: a sharp-edged combination of erudition and paranoia. Downes skilfully creates a growing sense of menace as D's thoughts twist and turn around his varied tics and fixations. This is a viscerally compelling portrait of derangement that will appeal to readers of quality fiction.\" – Nick Haslam, Professor of Psychology, University of Melbourne and co-author of \u003ci\u003eTroubled Minds: Understanding and treating mental illness\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Stephen Downes has written a captivating novel, if not to say a one-person drama. \u003ci\u003eMural\u003c\/i\u003e traverses mental and psychological landscapes, interspersed with haunting illustrations that recall the melancholic doom of W. G. Sebald.\" – Uwe Schötte, academic, author, and leading Sebald scholar\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46712930894060,"sku":"9781923023185","price":37.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/11e1e09d4eb5037b489ae243b2540987.jpg?v=1754344220"},{"product_id":"gustav-mahler-by-stephen-downes-9781836390305","title":"Gustav Mahler","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eGustav Mahler\u003c\/em\u003e's status as an icon of fin-de-siècle Viennese music is assured, with his works now staples of the concert repertoire. His life story has been told in numerous biographies, films, and novels, yet he remains an ambiguous, provocative figure.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eMahler was a composer who challenged musical form and style but identified with German Enlightenment and Romantic culture, disliking many contemporary artistic trends. He was a Jewish conductor who reached the pinnacle of his profession in antisemitic Vienna.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSupposedly haunted by death and trapped in a torrid marriage, his brief meeting with Freud has spurred posthumous psychoanalytical speculations. This book, reflecting the latest research, constructs a fresh interpretation of Mahler's music in relation to his life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"NewSouth Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47072552648940,"sku":"9781836390305","price":34.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/22973663482841.jpg?v=1765116578"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.pro\/collections\/stephen-downes.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}