Richard Owain Roberts

Richard Owain Roberts (born 1982) is a Welsh author. His first book, All The Places We Lived, was published by Parthian Books in 2015.[1] Roberts' short stories and non fiction have been published in VICE,[2] The Quietus,[3] 3:AM Magazine, Plastik magazine,[4] For Every Year, Word Riot, The Guardian,[5] New Welsh Review.[6]

All The Places We Lived

All The Places We Lived was published by Parthian Books in May 2015.[1]

Wales Arts Review selected it as one of their summer reads for 2015, João Morais stating that, "Read it if you like the understated satirical style of Bret Easton Ellis, or read it if you understand how Frank and April Wheeler can feel both alone yet together in Richard Yates’ Revolutionary Road. But more than anything, read it if you like great fiction."[7]

Bridey Heing, writing for Sabotage Reviews, stated that, "For the author, being human means a very particular brand of self-sabotage and misanthropy... he is more of an observer, documenting each interaction and each movement without commentary. His prose balances starkness with a unique lyricism borne of repetition, a flowing sort of growth from sentence to sentence. The writing is lean, with no extra filler to soften its harsh edges."[8]

Cult book review website Workshy Fop stated that, "Roberts creates strange, disjointed narratives; his prose features lists, brutally short sentences, social media updates and offbeat pop-culture references. The vignettes presented in All The Places We Lived reflect the influence of social media and marketing on our perception of the world and the people around us, with a darkly comic humour."[9]

The Serbian translation of All The Places We Lived was released in November 2017 by Serbian publishing house Partizanska Knjiga. In his foreword, an essay titled 'Kim is Offline', the novelist and critic Srđan Srdić describes Richard Owain Roberts as a natural successor to David Foster Wallace and 'authentic interpreter of contemporary hipster hell'. [10] The forthcoming documentary, CONCRETE ULTRAS, filmed and produced by the novelist and conceptual artist Adam Christopher Smith, is set to cover Roberts' time in Serbia promoting the translation.

Wales Arts Review controversy

Despite receiving positive reviews from Wales Arts Review, and also being selected as a summer read for 2015, Roberts courted controversy during a May 2015 interview when his evasive and truculent approach to answering questions resulted in the interviewer comparing him to Joffrey Baratheon from the Game of Thrones television series. In the interview Roberts also expressed his admiration for Richard Brautigan and a desire to work in the Welsh language in the future.[11]

References

  1. 1 2 "All The Places We Lived - Parthian Books". parthianbooks.com.
  2. ↑ https://www.vice.com/en_uk/contributor/Richard-Owain-Roberts?per_page=12
  3. ↑ "The Quietus - Features - Tome On The Range - Short Fiction By: Richard Owain Roberts". The Quietus.
  4. ↑ "Crooble by Richard Owain Roberts". Plastik Magazine.
  5. ↑ Hannah Waldram. "Q&A: Chris Killen on blogging, books and the Bird Room". the Guardian.
  6. ↑ https://www.newwelshreview.com/article.php?id=141
  7. ↑ "Our Summer Reads". Wales Arts Review.
  8. ↑ "All The Places We Lived by Richard Owain Roberts". Sabotage.
  9. ↑ "Workshy Fop: All the Places We Lived - Richard Owain Roberts". workshyfop.blogspot.co.uk.
  10. ↑ http://www.partizanskaknjiga.com/knjige/sva-mesta-na-kojima-smo-ziveli-ricard-ovejn-roberts
  11. ↑ "So, Who is Richard Owain Roberts?". Wales Arts Review.
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