A collection of inspiring essays by Joanna Kavenna, Benjamin Markovits, Gabriel Josipivici, Partou Zia and Anakana Schofield, introduced by Iain Sinclair.

Works of art, novels, films are frequently bolstered by reference to the autobiography of the creator, or to underlying 'fact'. Where does that leave the imagination? Are fictions no longer relevant in our age of scientific materialism? Must we all 'get real' and become 'realistic'? Notting Hill Editions has commissioned five authors and artists to consider these questions as they relate to their own work, and to the work of those who have influenced and insptired them. They ask how life events - momentous or humdrum - process themselves inwardly and come out transformed into writing or art or music.