Following the release of her debut novel, Clarice, Imogen Radwan shares the top 10 things that her readers should know about her:
Imogen Radwan
I’m 21 and I live in Brighton, where I am currently in my final year at the University of Sussex, studying philosophy and literature. The three years I have spent here have been incredible, and I am so lucky to have met such lovely people along the way.
I also spent a year of my degree living in Amsterdam as an exchange student. This is where I met my current housemates, began writing my second novel (which is partially set in Amsterdam), and lived a dream life which consisted mostly of visiting art galleries, clubbing and drinking coffee in various European cities. Whenever I’m having a bad day, I remind myself that I did this for an entire year.
Speaking of bad days, it is no secret to those closest to me that I’ve had depression for as long as I can remember. This is not to say I’m a pessimistic or unhappy person, but for me happiness does not come easily, which makes it all the more sweeter when it is there. One of the principle things I try to convey through my writing is that human suffering is complex and unavoidable, but perspective is everything; life, more often than not, is beautiful.
I’m a fashion victim. Whether we’ll admit it or not, people who buy the majority of their clothes from Urban Outfitters or Depop, have a unique Instagram name, and caption their photos with semi-obscure phrases are probably trying to project a certain image of themselves onto the world. Don’t ever think that someone is born on-trend, they were probably embarrassingly lame at school. Sad.
And speaking of sad (depending on how you look at it), my best friend is my neighbour’s cat. They recently put a collar on him I think to mark their territory. But that doesn’t stop me from letting Boy into the house.
My cultural heritage is really mixed, so people are always asking where I’m from. I’m a quarter Egyptian, a quarter Indian, a quarter Irish and a quarter English.
My dad fronted one of the UK’s first punk bands, Eater, in the 1970s. Having been brought up in a strict Muslim household, he rebelled by changing his name to ‘Andy Blade,’ and kicked around a pig’s head on stage.
I’ve been on so many Tinder dates I could write a book about it (I won’t). In my experience, I can confidently say that dating is totally a game of luck and timing.
I know T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land like I know my own face. I’ve had to study it literally four times since my A levels.
I had my heart set on being a musician until I was sixteen. Then I started writing
Clarice, and before I knew it I was going to university, where I knew if I brought my keyboard or guitar with me I would most likely fail my degree. I still sing when I’m alone in the house, though.
Clarice is a psychedelic coming-of-age novel and it’s available from bookguild.co.uk, Amazon and all good bookshops.