We are excited to be hosting an event with Niven Govinden to celebrate the publication of Diary of a Film.

An auteur, together with his lead actors, is at a prestigious European festival to premiere his latest film. Alone one morning at a backstreet cafe, he strikes up a conversation with a local woman who takes him on a walk to uncover the city’s secrets, historic and personal. As the walk unwinds, a story of love and tragedy emerges, and he begins to see the chance meeting as fate. He is entranced, wholly clear in his mind: her story must surely form the basis for his next film.

This is a novel about cinema, flaneurs, and queer love – it is about the sometimes troubled, sometimes ecstatic creative process, and the toll it takes on its makers. But it is also a novel about stories, and the ongoing question of who has the right to tell them.

Niven Govinden, author of six novels (including Diary of a Film) and short stories, is an outstanding voice in British literature. His previous novel, This Brutal House, was shortlisted for the Gordon Burn and the Polari prizes, and longlisted for the Jhalak Prize.

The author will be in conversation with Roland Gulliver, Director of the Toronto International Festival of Authors. The event will take place online with both Govinden and Gulliver joining us from their homes via Crowdcast.

The ticket price includes a signed bookplate edition of Diary of a Film, which will be posted out following the event.

Diary of a Film by Niven Govinden