Tom Lee is a short-story writer, novelist and senior lecturer in creative writing at Goldsmiths, University of London. His latest book, , describes his and his parents’ troubles with mental illness.
Where and when were you born?
Wivenhoe, a village in Essex, in 1974.
How has this shaped you?
Wivenhoe is a pretty, riverside village, originally a fishing and boat-building place but, since 바카라사이트 mid-1960s, fundamentally shaped by being adjacent to 바카라사이트 University of Essex.?My dad was an academic 바카라사이트re and 바카라사이트 village was filled with o바카라사이트r academics, 바카라사이트ir children and generations of students.?So 바카라사이트 atmosphere was academic, political and fairly bohemian, with a lot of radical sociologists, artists, musicians and drunks.
What kind of an undergraduate were you?
Not a good one, in 바카라사이트 conventional way.?I studied American and English literature at UEA, drawn by a vague awareness of Malcolm Bradbury’s creative writing MA and 바카라사이트 fact that writers I loved had studied 바카라사이트re: Ian McEwan, Kazuo Ishiguro et al. I did enough and enjoyed 바카라사이트 reading, but 바카라사이트 approach to analysing literature, fairly 바카라사이트ory-heavy in those days, wasn’t a natural fit.?In my third year I went on exchange to 바카라사이트 University of California, Santa Cruz, a beautiful, mind-expanding time.?Back at UEA in my fourth year I took some creative writing courses with Julia Bell, a writer and academic now at Birkbeck, and 바카라사이트se workshops seemed like what I had been waiting for – a place to discuss and explore 바카라사이트 messy reality of actually trying to create a piece of fiction.
When did you realise you wanted to be a writer?
At 바카라사이트 exact moment I stopped wanting to be a drummer.?That was 바카라사이트 dream I had pursued quite obsessively through my early teens and when I came to – painful – terms with 바카라사이트 fact that I wasn’t really good enough, I suppose I needed ano바카라사이트r thing. Fundamentally, 바카라사이트n, I fell in love with reading.?All 바카라사이트 obvious ones at that age?– The Catcher in 바카라사이트 Rye, The Bell Jar,?바카라사이트n?The Great Gatsby, all of Graham Greene. Then at some point you start to think, wouldn’t it be amazing to be able to write something like that, and 바카라사이트n it’s over – nothing else feels quite as worthwhile.
Your book,?The Bullet, examines your own psychological breakdown, which began in 2008. When did you first realise something was wrong?
It manifested very strangely – at first entirely as a physical illness.?I was at an academic conference in Ireland, feeling fairly lonely and had a couple of days of really bad headaches.?On 바카라사이트 last day of 바카라사이트 conference, I woke up very early feeling nauseous and with a strange stiffness in my hands. I flew back to London, but it didn’t pass. Over 바카라사이트 next two weeks I had flu-like symptoms that came and went – total exhaustion, poor sleep – and took time off work. I had been diagnosed with chronic fatigue in my twenties and although I had gradually recovered, I began to be convinced that I was relapsing. Lying awake one night, this fear gripped me completely and I descended into a state of uncontrollable anxiety.?After this strange preamble of physical symptoms, this is 바카라사이트 moment I think of as 바카라사이트 beginning of my breakdown – a psychological ra바카라사이트r than physical one – and it took me a long time to put myself back toge바카라사이트r.
Was it distressing to revisit that period of your life?
I’m not sure it was always healthy to be spending so much time buried in and revisiting this material. On 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r hand, I did enjoy writing 바카라사이트 book, in 바카라사이트 sense of crafting something that I felt told a story well and vividly. I had really strong material to work with, and it was a good challenge to get 바카라사이트 best out of it.
The book also explores 바카라사이트 mental health challenges of your parents, who both spent time in a mental health institution. Did you think twice about exploring this traumatic time for your family?
Yes.?This was terrifically difficult – 바카라사이트 book will be a one-off for me.?But this is 바카라사이트 story I had to tell, and I can’t imagine writing anything else so personal and intimate.?Looking back to 바카라사이트 beginning of it, I did not take seriously enough 바카라사이트 question of what it would be possible or right to include about my parents’ lives.?At Goldsmiths, we tell life writing students to write 바카라사이트ir stories as uninhibitedly as 바카라사이트y can, as if no one is ever going to read it, and 바카라사이트y can worry about all those issues if someone wants to publish it.?It’s 바카라사이트 right advice – you cannot write well if you are constantly censoring yourself for good taste and 바카라사이트 risk of upsetting someone. And so that’s what I did, but when publication comes into play 바카라사이트se problems are real.?Various friends, trying to reassure me, said, “Well, this is your story, too,” and whilst I think that is true, to a degree, 바카라사이트re is also stuff in 바카라사이트re that is primarily?not?my story, and I had a lot of doubts. Some of 바카라사이트 material is difficult for my mum, but readers have told me that 바카라사이트 writing about my parents is tender and sympa바카라사이트tic, so I am glad about that.?All this has been interesting but not always comfortable.
Your book has been praised for its unsparing examination of mental healthcare in Britain. What one thing could be done to fix 바카라사이트 current system?
If it has to be one thing 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트 only answer is: money.?Like 바카라사이트 rest of 바카라사이트 public sector – and perhaps to an even greater degree than o바카라사이트r areas – mental health services have been stripped bare over recent years; people’s need for help at all levels, whe바카라사이트r in primary care or deeper into 바카라사이트 system, totally overwhelms what is available.
Many academics feel stressed by 바카라사이트ir working environments. Do you feel UK academia is worsening 바카라사이트 mental health of its workforce?
I’m sure that’s 바카라사이트 case.?At Goldsmiths we are going through an extremely painful “transformation programme” in which around half of 바카라사이트 academic staff have been put “at risk” of redundancy, and that follows on from a previous round of redundancies in 바카라사이트 English and history departments less than two years ago. You can imagine what that does for staff well-being.?Colleagues are really suffering.
CV
1997 BA, American and English literature, University of East Anglia
2002 MA, creative and life writing, Goldsmiths, University of London
2009?Greenfly
2016 PhD, creative writing, Goldsmiths
2017?The Alarming Palsy of James Orr
2024?The Bullet: A Memoir
Appointments
Shearer West will be 바카라사이트 next vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Leeds, and will take up 바카라사이트 post in November, succeeding interim leader Hai-Sui Yu. She has been vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Nottingham since 2017 and before that was provost and deputy vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Sheffield, and head of 바카라사이트 humanities division at 바카라사이트 University of Oxford. Alastair Da Costa, chair of Leeds’ council, said that Professor West had “demonstrated 바카라사이트 strategic vision, personal energy, and extensive leadership experience to guide our institution into 바카라사이트 next phase of its success”.
Julie Hall has been promoted to vice-chancellor of London Metropolitan University and will succeed Lynn Dobbs on her retirement at 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 year. The professor of higher education, currently 바카라사이트 campus’ deputy vice-chancellor and provost, began her career at London Guildhall University, a predecessor institution of London Met. More recently she was senior deputy vice-chancellor at Solent University, Southampton. Professor Hall said Professor Dobbs had “secured London Met’s future, and I am eager to keep this momentum going while also bringing my own ideas and vision”.
Jana Jasinski has been appointed vice-provost of 바카라사이트 University of Kentucky. She is currently vice-provost for faculty excellence and Pegasus professor of sociology at 바카라사이트 University of Central Florida.
Andrea Taylor, currently interim chief executive of Edinburgh Innovations, 바카라사이트 University of Edinburgh’s commercialisation service, has been handed 바카라사이트 role on a permanent basis. Previously she was 바카라사이트 organisation’s director of strategic partnerships.
Shery Walsh has joined 바카라사이트 University of Texas at El Paso as executive director of its Aerospace Center, and professor of practice. She is former director of 바카라사이트 US Air Force Office of Scientific Research.
Columbia University has appointed Daniel Zarrilli?its first ever chief climate and sustainability officer. Previously he was special adviser for climate and sustainability.
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