To Hell with... is a nascent literary empire. To Hell with Publishing is a London-based - yes - publisher doing fiction and a journal, To Hell with Prizes is an award for the best unpublished novel and To Hell with Books is their shop, currently on the move to Cecil Court. So it's only natural that their offshoot night of author readings would be To Hell with the Lighthouse.
Organised by Emma Young in the basement Peter Parker's Rock n Roll Club on Denmark Street (site of the former Regent Sound studios), THwtL hosts three or four authors reading from their work to a backdrop of old Popeye cartoons (note: cartoons may vary from visit to visit). Previous guests include Ruth Padel, Andrew O'Hagan, Laura Dockrill, Paul Murray and Adam Thirlwell. That's an impressive line-up.
We went along this week to hear deliciously amusing works-in-progress from Marie Phillips and Jean Hannah Edelstein (who themselves run the Lit nights Firestation Book Swap and Let Me Tell You About Me) which left us counting the months until publication. Anjali Joseph read a couple of more thoughtful pieces from her, actually available to buy, novel Saraswati Park. With each reading lasting no more than 10 minutes and a bar break between each author, this is a highly enjoyable way to experience new work without feeling overwhelmed by literariness. Just make sure you check it out soon - in January they'll be featured on The Culture Show, and people will be fighting down Charing Cross Road to get in.
To Hell with the Lighthouse takes place the second Monday each month at Peter Parker's Rock n Roll Club, 4 Denmark Street WC2H 8LP, 7.30pm, free.
