R. Mutt in Hoxton
Ars longa, vita brevis — this is the tragedy at the novel’s heart. It should be underlined that the best art really does last for a very long time. We are still living with the art and through the art that the Hoxton and Shoreditch scene gave birth to. Over the past three decades it’s been one of the most prominent cultural influences on London, and it has risen to become a formidable driving force behind huge amounts of global art and culture. Who would have thought that could have emerged from all that poverty and craziness enacted in those crumbling old warehouses back then?
Peter Carty on his debut novel, Art.
Negative Degradation
They had nothing on him now, those evil fuckers outside. Let them malign him as much as they wanted with their slimy serpent tongues, he was out of here, hallucinating or not. He put everything else back in his pockets; that took a while but it was quicker than taking it all out — it reminded him of re-packing his bags at the end of a holiday and how much easier that was than the packing before setting off. Then he unlocked the door and walked out, striding boldly towards the wash basins.
The lavatory was empty except for a fair-haired youth in a striped T-shirt of blue and white hoops. He turned from washing his hands to stare at Billy, and then into the cubicle he had left.
Read an exclusive extract from Peter Carty‘s debut novel, Art.