Supporting Act

Hackney Libraries

Join Swedish author Agnes Lidbeck and translator Nichola Smalley in conversation with Helen Charman on Lidbeck's new novel Supporting Act

Hackney Central Library

Join Swedish author Agnes Lidbeck and translator Nichola Smalley in conversation with Helen Charman about Lidbeck's new novel Supporting Act, a compelling exploration of the complexities of motherhood, identity, and patriarchal expectations. The social contract is non-negotiable. The woman must be a mother. The woman must be desirable. The woman must be a caregiver.When Anna gives birth, she surrenders completely to motherhood, reshaping her body, identity and purpose, shielding herself from the burden of her own desires. But as her marriage crumbles and her children grow independent, she needs a new role. An affair with an ageing writer, Ivan, offers her a new narrative, a way to rewrite herself. But no role lasts forever, and sooner or later Anna must confront the woman beneath the performance. After the conversation there will be an opportunity to ask questions, buy books and have them signed.Part of Stories From Sweden, supported by the Swedish Arts Council in collaboration with the Swedish Embassy, UK. Agnes LidbeckAgnes Lidbeck is one of Sweden’s most prominent and versatile contemporary writers. She made her literary debut with Supporting Act in 2017, which was shortlisted for the Svenska Dagbladet Prize and won the Borås Tidning Debut Novel Prize. She went on to write Förlåten (‘Forgiven’, 2018), Gå förlorad (‘Get Lost’, 2019), Nikes bok (‘Nike's Book’, 2021) and All min kärlek (‘All my Love’, 2023). Lidbeck also writes for the stage and is known for her sharp, minimalist style. Nichola SmalleyNichola Smalley is a translator of Swedish and Norwegian literature. Her translation of Andrzej Tichý’s Wretchedness won the 2021 Oxford-Weidenfeld Prize and was shortlisted for the Bernard Shaw and International Booker Prizes. Her translation of A System So Magnificent It Is Blinding by Amanda Svensson was longlisted for the International Booker Prize 2023. Helen CharmanHelen Charman’s first book, Mother State: A Political History of Motherhood, came out with Penguin/Allen Lane in 2024. She teaches English at the University of Cambridge. Endorsements of Supporting Act: ‘A powerhouse novel about the construction and execution of female identity. In its pages, motherhood, marriage and the very notion of care are meticulously deconstructed. What a writer Agnes Lidbeck is – bold, blisteringly intelligent, deliciously playful.’ Katie Kitamura, author of Audition and Intimacies 'Taut, restrained, fiercely frank, Agnes Lidbeck's SUPPORTING ACT is a feminist tour de force.’ Claire Messud, author of This Strange Eventful History ‘Perfectly captures the feminised dream-state of caring – and living – for others.’Stephanie Sy-Quia, author of A Private Man and Amnion

Agenda

Doors

Discussion and public Q&A

Book signing and mingling

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Supporting Act

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Supporting Act

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