The Common Press is proud To Be Hosting Inkandescent launch of their new edition of The Disappearance Boy by Neil Bartlett, which includes an afterword with mentalist Derren Brown. There will be a reading and signings, wine & showwoman Marisa Carnesky. Join us on 2nd November from 6:30 pM - 8:30 pM.
‘Seductive, dark, theatrical and fascinating—Bartlett’s writing is spellbinding.’—RUSSELL TOVEY
The Disappearance Boy:
1953. The backstreets of Brighton are buzzing with preparations for the celebrations of the Coronation of Elizabeth II and, at the Grand Theatre, illusionist Teddy Brookes is plotting something crowd-pleasing to crown
the occasion—with some assistance from glamorous Soho showgirl Pamela Rose. What the audience can never see is that, hidden behind the smoke and mirrors of his act, there is a whole world of secrets and lies…
And a disappearance boy.
In his acclaimed fourth novel, Neil Bartlett once again performs his trademark trick of slipping into the hidden spaces of queer history and bringing them vividly to life.
‘Bartlett is a seductive narrator. He’s particularly good at evoking the faded glamour of the theatre and the
brittle egos that compete offstage... An entertaining routine and he pulls it off with aplomb.’—INDEPENDENT
About Neil Barlett
Neil Bartlett’s novels include Ready To Catch Him Should He Fall, Mr Clive and Mr Page and Skin Lane; they’ve been nominated for the Whitbread Prize, the Costa Award and the Polari Prize. Address Book was published by Inkandescent and was an Observer Book of the Year 2021. Neil also makes theatre, and wrote the script for Orlando, which opened in the West End in 2022, starring Emma Corrin.
‘One of England’s finest writers’—Edmund White
About Inkandescent
Inkandescent were founded in 2016 by Justin David and Nathan Evans to shine a light on writers
underrepresented in mainstream publishing. Their Mainstream anthology of diverse stories featured writers
including Kit de Waal. They were a finalist for Small Press of the Year in the British Book Awards 2022.
- Doors will be open from 6:30 p.m. via the bookshop. The event will start at 7 pm.
- The event will be held downstairs which is sadly not wheelchair accessible.
There are a limited number of free tickets available for this event - if you cannot afford the minimum pay-what-you-can ticket type, please email us at books@commonpress.co.uk for free entry.