Interviews: December 2011

Ellen Hallsworth talks to Mexican author Juan Pablo Villalobos about his novel, Down the Rabbit Hole, narrowly winning the Guardian First Book Award and his relationship with his translator.

One of the country's most cherished and lauded authors, Sarah Hall has recently released her debut collection of short stories, The Beautiful Indifference. Seven stories of female strength and sexuality, the collection is a powerful piece of work. We sat down with Sarah to talk about short stories, the advent of the digital and her own work.

Over a Skype call while Hurricane Irene waged outside, Nikesh Shukla spoke to Hari Kunzru and this is what they said to each other. He wrote Gods Without Men, a series of fragments, stories, tableaus of life in the Mojave desert, of the search for a connection, of the search for self, to fill the empty void, a series of interconnecting systems all vying for supremacy. It's a startlingly brilliant piece of work - one of the year's best.