Richard Smyth: 'We all need an Otherland'
Last week we heard from Linda Mannheim, who told us that the only way she can go back to the neighbourhood where she grew up is in fiction. This time we welcome Richard Smyth and his short story Karóly Bálint's Metaphor.
Smyth explains how his story isn’t exactly set in Budapest and reflects on how the bleakness of the steppe echoes the stereotypical grimness of the north of England.
Writing in the third person can feel "restrictive", he continues, because he wants "to see inside", while the first person is "just more fun".
"Talking in a new voice is such an absolute delight," he says. "I…
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