In a rare UK appearance, master of surreal humour, wit and invention, Juan Pablo Villalobos, is joining us to discuss his superb novel, The Past Pursues Us Like Detectives, Debt Collectors, Thieves, in conversation with the poet, translator and academic, Rebecca Kosick.

Translated by Daniel Hahn, the novel follows JP on his return to Mexico to care for his increasingly frail mother. His plan is upended when he becomes the prime suspect in a murder enquiry following an altercation with a childhood 'friend'. The result is a very witty, humane and darkly engrossing novel that further enhances Villlalobos' reputation as a wonderfully singular writer and makes this an event not to be missed!

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Juan Pablo Villalobos was born in Mexico in 1973. He's the author of the novels Down the Rabbit Hole (shortlisted for The Guardian First Book Award), Quesadillas, I'll Sell You a Dog, I Won't Expect Anyone to Believe Me and The Invasion of the Spirit People, and of the non-fiction book The Other Side: Stories of Central American Teens Who Dream of Crossing the Border. His books have been translated into more than 15 languages. Down the Rabbit Hole and I Won't Expect Anyone to Believe Me were adapted for film and premiered on Netflix. He lives in Barcelona, where he teaches writing.

Rebecca Kosick is a poet, translator, and Associate Professor of Comparative Poetry and Poetics at the University of Bristol, where she also codirects the Bristol Poetry Institute. She has published four books, most recently Dispatches from the Avant-Garage: The Alternative Press.

'A rambunctious picaresque of contemporary Mexican life, rendered into English by [Daniel] Hahn with appropriate energy.'
— Kit Maude, Times Literary Supplement

'Juan Pablo Villalobos ... demonstrates his classic wit and penchant for the absurd, blurring the lines of genre and protagonist with its author.'
— Andrés Ordorica, The Skinny

'The Past Pursues Us is a masterful example of how to push autobiography to the extremes of fiction, allowing the imagination to explore themes rooted in the author's life. Themes that, when taken to their limits, reveal a sharp glimpse of an inexorable truth.'
— Nicolás Giacobone, screenwriter of Birdman

We are thrilled to say that we will be joined by artist, curator and writer, Paul Coldwell, who will be discussing his fascinating new book, Ink Paper Chisel Grain: A Remarkable History of Woodcuts.

In the book, Paul examines centuries of art, ideas and creativity generated by what is one of the history's most enduring and adaptable artistic tools. He discusses the work of numerous artists, printers and curators; he visits a host of studios, museums and galleries to present a stunning record of what the woodcut has inspired and enabled.

Here's more on the book from its publisher - Penguin imprint, Michael Joseph:

'Ink Paper Chisel Grain is a book about why the woodcut matters and why its power to shock, thrill and inspire has never diminished. From third-century China through to the present day, celebrated printmaker Paul Coldwell explores how we have used the medium to visualise ideas, capture key moments in history and help shape the society around us, telling the story of the art form itself in all its historical and intellectual significance.

'Beautifully illustrated throughout, Ink Paper Chisel Grain is an ode to craft and care, conveying the marvel and excitement of seeing a woodcut for the first time � and what makes these encounters so unforgettable.'

'A fascinating account of the hidden history of the humble woodcut.'
— Sunday Times

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One of this autumn's non-fiction highlights is Beno�t Loiseau's groundbreaking cultural history/memoir crossover, The Death of the Clinic:Radical Experiments in the Art of Medicine. Beno�t will be discussing the book with fellow author, Claire Carroll.

The Death of the Clinic recounts the development of five experimental medical establishments. These include a post Second World War institute of psychiatry and medical philosophy in a French ch�teau; a feminist health centre born from the women�s liberation movement in Geneva; and a grassroots research initiative featuring clinical trials run by and for people with AIDS in 1980s�90s New York.

The book sets out, in a very personal way, to honour the individuals who dared to reimagine how humans might care for one another. Beno�t also describes his own related experiences and the huge influence of his mother, a dedicated health worker, with several moving 'epistles' written directly to her.

'Divergent and elaborate in the pursuit of its enthusiasms, balancing the personal and the intellectual, The Death of the Clinic is a book of hope and affirmation as well as of pain and grief.'
— Gavin Francis, author of The Unfragile Mind

'Intimate and erudite, breathtaking in its historical analysis and philosophical range, The Death of the Clinic illuminates bold experiments in non-hierarchical medicine, offering expansive possibilities for solidarity, self-determination and communal care.'
— Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore, author of Terry Dactyl