An evening with Jon McGregor

The Herman Servottelezing puts a spotlight on contemporary English-language authors. We previously welcomed Nadine Gordimer, Derek Walcott, James Kelman and Jennifer Egan. Jon McGregor, who won acclaim for books such as Reservoir 13, will without a doubt add a memorable new edition to this list.

With his distilled and minimalist prose, Jon McGregor has found his place in the Premier League of contemporary British literature. In 2002, he became the Booker Prize's youngest nominee when his first novel was longlisted. His second novel was also nominated for the Booker Prize and his third novel won the prestigious International Dublin Literary Award.

Yet his breakthrough among the general public came in 2017 with his fourth novel, Reservoir 13, which also made it to the Booker Prize's longlist. It was a haunting chronicle of the disappearance of a young girl on holiday in rural England as well as the fading memory of this disappearance.

McGregor’s most recent novel, Lean Fall Stand (2021), also starts from a tragic event: a scientific expedition to Antarctica turns into a nightmare. Contrary to Reservoir 13, this book relates the shocking details in the form of an exciting story. However, the whole picture never becomes completely clear, because the aftermath is more important to McGregor. The expedition guide suffers a stroke and loses the ability to communicate. This novel thus revolves around the curse of speechlessness for the patient and the people around him.

Music by Loverman

Loverman is the solo project of Leuven-resident James de Graef, keyboardist and bass player of Shht and one-half of the electro duo Partners. Last year, Gent Jazz invited him for an opening concert and he also played several support gigs for Sylvie Kreusch. His name also appeared on the influential blog Disco Naïveté.

This spring, he launched his debut single Into The Night on the PIAS label, an instant bull's eye. With his deep voice and poetic lyrics, De Graef enters in the footsteps of the likes of Leonard Cohen and Nick Cave. Tim Buckley (father of Jeff), Scott Walker and even Jacques Brel are never far away. It is obvious that Loverman is a unique artist, capable of reaching timelessness in an uncomplicated way.

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in collaboration with KU Leuven Faculty of Arts