Authors

jessica moor yasmine mohammed pete jordi wood andrew hill louise hare gina miller ilan kelman rose tremain ordnance survey (os) mette mcleod rachel reeves william goldsmith murad ahmed nicola skinner samuel j. halpin cat jarman chris langdon nik gowing erica brown james carson lucinda smyth irina georgescu prof. andy wood prof. marc david baer gabrielle walker skye mcalpine sophie walker james wolff lynn bushell amari koryang jamie susskind emma rosen edna adan ismail kate nicholls edmund richardson iggy kelly pietrangeli judith summers james delargy wilfred emmanuel-jones judith eagle sherry rankin professor iain mccalman mandy hickson andy stewart mackay noble rot james close eddie hall prof. catherine wilson tom boyd lord richard rogers mike fairclough adele geras david whiteman debora robertson katie hickman the financial times orlando weeks arthur mcbain marcel somerville caroline goode carolyne faulkner claire harcup ruth rogers tara sherman prof. martyn rady charli howard elaine bedell alba arikha frank tuohy rebecca o’connor camila batmangheldijh will pearson chidera eggerue paul mckenna carys jones sabina brennan richard davies life kitchen sweetpea slight alex bertie dr joanne paul martin davidson nigel reed g. j. minett dawn harris robert marshall scarlett sangster susannah constantine monique charlesworth patrick flood cath weeks edna o’brien susannah stapleton lynn brittney naomi devlin sarah langford olivia williams grace timothy natalie livingstone saul david lesley pearse katherine cooper gchq erling kagge vicky newham andrew zurcher will francis jean g goodhind katja ivar shaun usher june sarpong mbe dame fiona reynolds jack lowe magdalena duke heidi perks peter jukes stephen mcgann miriam gonzález durántez rob atkinson ceylan scott sian williams anthony warner sara collins natasha bell tom rhys williams shelby tucker torvill and dean colin taylor rupert shortt robert sellers robbie savage katy salter ami rao punch tommy penton jo pavey david papineau chris paling declan murphy beezy marsh rhodri marsden kellie maloney hayley long rob jovanovic james hogg johnny herbert tony hannan jonathan gornall lizzie lane hattie garlick caroline fleming jon dunn bruce dessau kimberley chambers leland carlson whitney brown alex brown kevin brennan brian blessed tom blass iain ballantyne kenny macaskill e. latimer lisa lueddecke jing-jing lee rachel sargeant carolyn t. hughes ruby wax marsha rowe sue lloyd-roberts jessica fellowes onjali q. raúf lisa thompson simon booker min kym cate haste mark thompson michael elias lee robinson jacob rees-mogg, mp joeli brearley paul gambaccini charles eugster neil woods juliana moura lydia ripper victoria stevens josh martin max mosley mavis cheek casey bourne tom wilkinson tony juniper david linley louise johncox jamie bartlett ed burstell catherine fisher sir sherard cowper-coles david blakeley jacqueline yallop janice hadlow graham masterton martin dorey annie gray jesse norman anthony storr susan greenfield gus casely-hayford alex salmond beth underdown helen donohoe david young james macmanus niki rein ross welford n.d. gomes sam norman deana puccio and allison havey abigail marsh lisa eldridge deeyah khan elizabeth peyton-jones elizabeth day e r black barney campbell rebecca thornton clare penate j sheekey cook book steve heaney, mc james bannon caroline lea mark vanhoenacker emily elgar ayisha malik elizabeth fullerton jason morgan s.e moorhead jeremy hackett janet todd natasha garnett sarah vincent kate bevan dr helen rappaport vanessa manko richard maher adam white edward young jake and victor maymudes spela strukelj daniel stevens selina mills gaylene gould beryl kingston maxine clark revd richard coles buffalo pictures (doc martin) dr. elizabeth foyster bryony gordon iman verjee robert elms poppy campbell cecilia ekbäck brian cathcart the gentle author peter hain simon schama georgie thompson paula weideger daisy goodwin paul conroy neal street productions aoife walsh michael winner kishwar desai maria anderson amanda prowse sheena byrom obe hanna jameson michael heppell harriet sergeant carnival films (downton abbey) sir alistair horne silvena rowe richard foreman patricia leroy peter hall jonathan zittrain samantha scott-jeffries derry moore niall williams wade davis david loyn kaushy patel richard charlton glenn haybittle lorraine gamman ebony mckenna mary quant karen dolby mike dowling sean ryan harry benson mark dawson lucy lord phil campion jeanette winterson mark rice-oxley john lahutsky peter moore joan smith norman stone john sweeney laura santtini silver river productions helen slavin william sitwell sarah raven john rendall geoffrey robertson robert sackville-west roger scruton jill shaw ruddock james shepherd-barron james palumbo allison pearson k.a.s quinn sandy nairne patrick tilley barney white-spunner deborah mattinson simon kelner shireen jilla karl miller simon king david mclellan russell miller nicholas mosley philip norman chris patten christine webber tim rice robert skidelsky sunny jacobs and peter pringle tony lewis fiona maccarthy douglas hurd hammer films henry kamen harriet harvey-wood angela huth peter florence lynda gratton philip hook sandra howard tony fitzjohn max hastings denis healey michael heseltine david fraser david gentleman ffion hague william hague christopher duffy david faber m.r.d. foot christopher bellamy terry coleman roland vernon e b peirse mark diacono charlie ellingworth neal ascherson paddy ashdown leander deeny maureen lindley david davies xanthe clay matthew d’ancona francis cottam hugh cornwell glyn prysor alec russell nick weston paul burke jonathan franklin brian moynahan george obama pauline prescott evgenia citkowitz lord (sebastian) coe adrian fort pattie boyd rosie boycott emma calder caroline charles peter bowles jimmy burns patrick bishop bear grylls alan philps marius brill

Speakers

Broadcasters

ilan kelman cat jarman chris langdon nik gowing gabrielle walker iggy gemma milne andy stewart mackay caroline goode chidera eggerue sabina brennan martin davidson katherine cooper will francis shaun usher jack lowe caroline fleming iain ballantyne ruby wax matthew lorenzo hannah critchlow david linley steven lamb tom wilkinson tony juniper jamie bartlett ed burstell sir sherard cowper-coles martin dorey twiggy lawson ronnie murray dr ayan panja valentine warner carla buzasi janet reibstein susie orbach susan greenfield dr. harry cliff tim atkin gus casely-hayford deana puccio and allison havey lisa eldridge dr helen rappaport revd richard coles jeanette winterson phil campion peter moore william sitwell allison pearson john rendall max hastings sandra howard philip hook paddy ashdown mark diacono nick weston

Journalists

ilan kelman murad ahmed rossalyn warren scarlett sangster susannah constantine naomi devlin olivia williams erling kagge will francis peter jukes stephen mcgann miriam gonzález durántez rob atkinson sian williams anthony warner tom rhys williams colin taylor rupert shortt robert sellers katy salter david papineau chris paling beezy marsh hayley long tony hannan jonathan gornall hattie garlick caroline fleming jon dunn bruce dessau alex brown kevin brennan brian blessed tom blass iain ballantyne jessica fellowes onjali q. raúf min kym lee robinson neil woods tony juniper jacqueline yallop martin dorey annie gray tim atkin helen donohoe james macmanus deeyah khan elizabeth peyton-jones barney campbell steve heaney, mc elizabeth fullerton jason morgan jeremy hackett revd richard coles buffalo pictures (doc martin) brian cathcart paul conroy simon schama neal street productions harriet sergeant michael heppell carnival films (downton abbey) richard foreman patricia leroy kaushy patel richard charlton david loyn glenn haybittle karen dolby mike dowling sean ryan lucy lord mark dawson harry benson phil campion mark rice-oxley john lahutsky peter moore e b peirse roland vernon mark diacono brian moynahan alec russell george obama jonathan franklin nick weston pauline prescott glyn prysor adrian fort patrick bishop jimmy burns alan philps

Estates

josephine hart desiree hamersley/meyler helen macinnes molly lefebure richard hull sue lloyd-roberts georgina howell h. m. tomlinson george bellairs gabriel fielding josephine johnson anthony masters eric ambler michael innes john creasey r.c. hutchinson john b. sanford lettice cooper denis mackail mazo de la roche georges simenon leonard gribble alistair mair raymond postgate jean saunders dennis wheatley nicolas freeling ann bridge martin armstrong kenneth allsop clement freud nora barlow w. bridges adams robin jenkins hammond innes v. s. pritchett jane aiken hodge clifford bax margery allingham phyllis bentley edmund crispin marcel boulestin margaret irwin margery sharp marie vassiltchikov edith sitwell mervyn peake eric linklater monica dickens evelyn prentis rebecca west frank o’connor gavin lyall hilaire belloc ivy compton-burnett e. m. forster bernice rubens c. day lewis/nicholas blake colin clark catherine storr arthur koestler h. r. f. keating c. s. forester

Books

Agents

giulia bernabè laura mcneill elizabeth sheinkman kate evans tessa david rebecca wearmouth jon fowler tim bates camilla shestopal jonathan sissons nelle andrew alexandra cliff adam gauntlett fiona petheram annabel merullo silvia molteni caroline michel marilia savvides

Home » Authors » Alba Arikha

Alba Arikha

Alba Arikha is the author of four books: Muse and Walking on Ice, published by Macmillan in 1998 and 2000. Her memoir, Major/Minor, about her adolescence in Paris, was published by Quartet Books, shortlisted for the Spear’s awards and selected among the best books of 2012 by the New Yorker. Her last book, a narrative poem, Soon, was set to music and performed as an opera at the Riverside Studios, London. Her new novel, Where To Find Me, will be published by Alma Books in 2018.

In addition to her books, Alba is also a singer-songwriter, has performed in London and Paris and recorded two CD’s.

- Contact -

Agent: Caroline Michel (cmichel@pfd.co.uk)

Senior Assistant: Laurie Robertson (lrobertson@pfd.co.uk)

0207 344 1084

Assistant: Lucy Irvine (lirvine@pfd.co.uk)

0207 344 1028

Websites

https://www.albaarikha.com

Publications

Buy it here.

Hannah Karalis, a teenager living with her family in 1980s Notting Hill, becomes fascinated by her neighbour, Flora Dobbs, an enigmatic elderly woman who has clearly had an interesting past – but the improbable friendship that the two strike up is abruptly cut short by Flora’s sudden departure from the neighbourhood. Eighteen years later, Hannah is astonished to receive a black notebook, which sets her on a quest to discover the truth and to confront the ghosts of an unresolved past. A gripping and poignant tale of chance encounters, tangled lies and painful discoveries, Where to Find Me is an inspiring account of how to face and overcome the effects of loss and tragedy in our daily lives.

Reviews

“The looping structure and urgent storytelling of Where To Find Me pull the reader into the strange mechanics of our lives, by which historical cataclysms, dumb accident, momentary whims, and inexplicable desires act to bring us together or keep us apart.” – Siri Hustvedt

PUBLISHER: Alma Books Ltd.

PUBLICATION DATE: 20th September 2018

Buy it here.

Art critic Laura Miller is fascinated by the life and work of Dante Omega. Commissioned to write a monograph on him, she is grateful for the chance, for the challenge it presents and as a panacea to her recent divorce. While interviewing him she stumbles upon some disturbing lithographs and a terrible truth emerges.

Reviews

“The pace is steady and the characters well-observed.” –– The Times

“A gripping yarn.” — The Daily Express

Buy it here.

Composed of 11 vignettes hung on the realisation that a relationship, a marriage or a casual affair has run its course, Walking On Ice is deeply pessimistic cycle of short stories. From a birthday party at which a six-year-old discovers that her mother is having an affair, to a honeymoon couple’s encounter with a fortune teller in Jerusalem, Branca dissects unsettling epiphanies and exposes the fragility of sexual desire and the misplaced expectation of compatibility. Although the descriptions of the glamour, professional fulfillment and material prosperity of her female characters is sometimes clumsy, Branca is brutally honest in her exposure of the myth that love and sex can be managed rationally.

Reviews

“Branca shows her versatility in this fine collection of stories. As hinted in the title, the recurring theme of the book is emotional precariousness. A six year old child overhears people gossiping that her mother has a lover. A bride experiences the first flickerings of doubt. Branca shows a keen understanding of those moments on which whole lives pivot.” — The Daily Telegraph

“Branca is brutally honest in her exposure of the myth that love and sex can be managed rationally.” — The Guardian

Buy it here.

A vivid and haunting coming-of-age memoir set in Paris in the 1980s. The apartment, where Alba and her sister grew up, was a hub of literary and artistic achievement, which still reverberates today. Alba’s tale is played out against the family memories of war and exile and the ever-present echoes of the European holocaust.

Reviews

“This is a fiercely honest and compelling account of what it is to grow up in an artistic household, and of the joys and miseries involved in the forging of an independent spirit.” – John Banville

“An unusually affecting book about the rage and rebellion of a stormy adolescence. Written in terse, pointillistic sentences – as if each sentence were a dab of paint – the accumulation of these tiny strokes creates a rich, fully realised portrait of a young woman’s inner life. I read it straight through in a single sitting – unable to stop.” – Paul Auster

Buy it here.

An hour outside Paris. a train comes to an unscheduled stop. As the other passengers bicker,confide, flirt, the narrator remembers – lovers, disappointments, childhood, marriage. She talks with Chopin and models for Modigliani. The boundaries of self are dissolved by imagination and memory, until the journey resumes and another life ends.

Reviews

“One hopes, one hunts, for a book that resembles nothing one has read before. Alba Arikha’s Soon is not only a true original, it’s beautiful, moving, and, yes, profound. Which makes it a rare creature indeed.” – Michael Cunningham

“Soon has the freshness of an eye-witness report and yet travels in many directions – in time and space, by train and by memory, by image and by imagination. A beautiful achievement.” – Adam Zagajewski