Koushik Banerjea (Animal Nightlife) in conversation with Andi Thomas

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Vikram, Ravi and Sean, childhood friends from south London, seem to be the only ones who have noticed that they have wings. As adults and ‘multiples’ – their hybrid human/animal forms – they are all now dealing with the personal and political fallout of what is turning out to be an unexpectedly turbulent present in which ‘singulars’ – narrow-minded, non-syncretic - are the ones making the weather.

It feels like a dangerous time for anyone deemed an outsider. Human society has rarely been this reckless or rapacious, and the fragile ecosystem holding together all the unlikely alliances of ‘animal nightlife’ has been placed in mortal danger. Consumerism, greed, violence, and prejudice of every kind are ranged against the brave souls taking a stand by lining the telegraph wires as a final showdown draws ever closer.

The second prize winner of the 2023 Novel London Literary Competition, Animal Nightlife (Conduit Books, 2026), is 'A rapturous, kaleidoscopic portrait of contemporary Britain and the myriad immigrant experiences that informed it.' Join Koushik Banerjea and Andi Thomas for a conversation around the inspirations and sonic landscape of this striking novel.

Koushik Banerjea is a London-based writer and novelist. His debut novel, Another Kind of Concrete, was published in 2020 by Jacaranda Books. The follow-up, Category Unknown, was published by London Books in 2022. His latest Animal Nightlife won 2nd Prize in the 2023 Novel London Literary Competition, and is out now with Conduit Books. His short stories and poetry have appeared in multiple magazines and small presses including Minor Literatures, Tangerine Press, Renard Press, Writers Resist and Aeos, and have been finalists for the London Independent Story Prize 2025, the REIGN Prize 2025 and the Jerry Jazz Musician Short Fiction Contest 2024. He has been a guest on the Robert Elms BBC Radio London show, and usually has plenty to say away from the mic too. He was a youth worker, academic, journalist and DJ before embarking upon his first two novels, both written while he was the sole carer for his late mother.

Andi Thomas writes about football and other things. His work has appeared in the Guardian, on ESPN, SBNation and Football365, and in Glory magazine. His book Underground, Overground: The fault lines of football, on AFC Wimbledon, Milton Keynes and all that unpleasantness, was published by Halcyon in 2019. He also manages Sydenham Library.

Location details

Manor House Library, 34 Old Road, Lee, London SE13 5SY (London Borough of Lewisham).

Ten minutes' walk from Hither Green Station, fourteen minutes from Blackheath Station. The DLR runs to Lewisham, approximately 20 minutes' walk away, and is serviced well by taxis and numerous bus routes to within less than 400 yards of the venue.

Manor House Library is an eighteenth-century Grade II* listed building set in the award-winning Manor House Gardens park. We have level entrance access throughout, with ample toilet facilities. We will be operating a pay bar throughout the day serving a selection of wines, beers and soft drinks. The event spaces where talks are held and the bar operates are air conditioned, and the ornate ceilings in the library itself sit alongside works of twenty-first century art from the Calico Collection and paintings of the Baring family, who once occupied the house and were known as "the sixth great European power," facilitating the Louisiana Purchase. A library for over a hundred years, Manor House now attracts over 250,000 visits a year.

There is a car park to the front of the library, but spaces are limited. Parking on the roads around Manor House and the park is free of charge on Sundays.

Calico Projects operates four libraries in Lewisham and numerous other arts and community venues. It is a registered charity (number 1180229).