Philip Hoare

In 2009, Philip Hoare won the Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-fiction for Leviathan or, The Whale. This extraordinary book is in parts a memoir, a history, a meditation on Moby Dick, a biology lesson, a plea for protection, a travelogue and a chronicle of one man's obsession - which includes a deep sea ... (more)swim in the Azores. Like Melville's account, Hoare's is both a whaler's dictionary and unlike any book that came before it. Hoare's signature style is a powerful, entrancing approach that leads his reader on journeys that occasionally veer off into glorious excursions which both reflect back upon and add real colour and texture to his chosen subject. In addition to whales, Hoare has written biographies of Noel Coward and the aesthete, Stephen Tennant; a history of the military hospital at Spike Island; and an extraordinary history of Victorian utopian sects. Hoare's Leviathan has also been filmed as a documentary for the BBC. Join him in conversation with Kim Hill.

The expression ‘creative non-fiction' is one of those elusive terms intended to cover many different kinds of writing. At best, the term describes writers who explore what is possible in a way that eludes traditional genres. Geoff Dyer has used non-fiction to explore his love of jazz (But Beautiful), ... (more)his frustration with trying to write about D.H. Lawrence (Out of Sheer Rage), and to create an utterly unique take on travel (Yoga for People Who Can't be Bothered to Do It). For Philip Hoare, creative non-fiction has lead to a ‘biography' of a military hospital (Spike Island: The Memory of a Military Hospital) and books on Stephen Tennant and Oscar Wilde. Most recently, and magnificently, Hoare has written a treatise on whales (Leviathan or, The Whale). No matter its guise, creative non-fiction is producing some of the most exciting writing done today. Join two of its best practitioners in conversation with Harry Ricketts.

Philip Hoare’s THE WHALE: In Search of the Giants of the Sea (Ecco Books, February 2010, ISBN 9780061976216, $27.99), winner of the 2009 BBC Samuel Johnson Prize for nonfiction, is an extraordinary journey into the world of this fascinating animal. Hoare visits the historic whale-hunting towns of New ... (more)Bedford, Nantucket and the Azores, wanders the streets of London and Liverpool in search of Melville’s whaling inspiration, and swims with the sperm whales themselves in the middle of the Atlantic. Along the way he explores the troubled history of man and whale; traces the whale’s cultural history from Moby-Dick to Free Willy; and seeks to discover why these strange and beautiful animals still exert such a powerful grip on our imagination. Please join us in welcoming Philip Hoare to Salem, and don’t miss his engaging, informative presentation!

Fuller's presents Philip Hoare, author of "Leviathan: Or the Whale". Along with a screening of the accompanying documentary, "The Hunt for Moby Dick".