Dive into the world of British author James Cahill as he shares stories and insights in a conversation with Vanity Fair arts writer Patrick Monahan. Cahill's new novel THE VIOLET HOUR has been hailed “enthralling intricate” (The Guardian) and “a biting satire of art world’s glamor, pomp & greed” (The Daily Telegraph).
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Who is the real Thomas Haller? His oldest friend and former dealer, Lorna, might once have known – before Thomas traded their early intimacy for international fame. Between his ruthless new dealer and a property mogul obsessed with his work, the appetite for Thomas and his art is all-consuming.
On the eve of his latest show, the luminaries of the art world gather. But the sudden death of a young man has put everyone on edge, and a chain of events begins that will lead the friends back into the past, to confront who they have become.A story of deception, power play and longing, The Violet Hour exposes the unsettling underbelly of the art world, asking: who is granted admission to a world that only seems to glitter, what is sacrificed, and who is left outside, their faces pressed to the glass?
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“A tale told with thunder of an art world smitten with itself.” Jerry Saltz
“There’s something of F. Scott Fitzgerald about the way Cahill writes about the very rich … A heady story fraught with questions about money, value and the bleak side of fame.” Daily Mail
“Exquisite”. Times [of London]