About this Event
Sophie Calon was born and raised in Cardiff. State-educated, Sophie studied Classics at Oxford University then trained as a journalist in her hometown. Her writing has been published in The Guardian, The TLS, Literary Review, and the anthology Tales of Two Londons. Her story 'Cantlos' was runner-up for the 2021 Wild Writing Prize and published by Short Fiction. Sophie lives with her husband, daughter, cats, and cows on a hilltop near Hay-on-Wye, where they are returning nature to their surroundings.
At 50, Sophie Calon’s father was a high-flying lawyer. At 55, he was found dead in Cardiff city centre at Christmas. Meanwhile he had pinballed between tents, homeless shelters, and Pr*son cells. His story is a lesson in how alcoholism can consume a person – and a family.
Long Going is a powerful, unflinching memoir that sings with Calon’s love for her eccentric, witty father while recounting his drink-fuelled disintegration. In telling his story, Calon explores her family’s instability and pain as well as her own survival.
“A moving and thought-provoking account of an impossible situation.”
Louis de Bernières, author of Captain Corelli's Mandolin
“Sophie Calon’s heartbreaking portrait of her alcoholic father combines a clarity about the selfishness of addiction with a deeply loving portrait of a generous, energetic and joyful person. It’s also a vivid portrait of growing up in Cardiff. This portrait pulls no punches but is, at the same time, profoundly life-affirming. Everyone who has an alcoholic in the family should read this book for its compassionate awareness of the damage and chaos caused by addiction, while never forgetting the humanity of the person caught in that trap. A wonderful book.”
Gwyneth Lewis, inaugural National Poet of Wales and author of three non-fiction books
“Searing and poetic, Sophie Calon's prose sparkles in this elegiac, gripping memoir. By piecing together fragments of his writing, Calon poignantly charts her father's gradual slip into homelessness. This painfully personal tale explores the complex, knotty truths of loving someone drowning in addiction. Long Going draws you in and takes you on a journey. Calon is an immensely readable writer to watch.”
Maeve McClenaghan, award-winning investigative journalist and author of No Fixed Abode: Life and Death Among the UK's Forgotten Homeless
“Sophie Calon’s writing is deeply real and moving - she is a talent to watch.”
Jessica Andrews, author of Saltwater and Milk Teeth
“Hugely impacting and searingly honest, Sophie Calon's work is a powerful piece of memoir: bold, bruising and yet beautiful. A delight.”
Dr James Canton, author and Director of Wild Writing at the University of Essex
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Grinning Soul Records, 7 White Swan Court, Monmouth, United Kingdom
USD 0.00
