Will Ashon – författare

An original and profound portrait of contemporary Britain told through the testimonies of its inhabitants.'A spectacularly enjoyable and compelling reading experience . . . funny, moving, surprising and thought-provoking. It humanises literature in this toxic moment.'MAX PORTER, author of Lanny'Seemingly simple yet so deeply profound, The Passengers is an absorbing insight into the lives and minds of so-called ordinary people: their hopes and fears and idiosyncrasies at a specific moment in time.'CLIO BARNARD, director of Ali & Ava and The Essex Serpent'A nation's psyche comes to the surface. The Passengers is not just an oral history of the contemporary moment but, drenched in mood and texture, renders the country itself as a sonic collage.'SUKHDEV SANDHU, GUARDIANBetween October 2018 and March 2021, Will Ashon collected voices - people talking about their lives, needs, dreams, loves, hopes and fears - all of them with some connection to the British Isles. He used a range of methods including letters sent to random addresses, hitchhiking, referrals from strangers and so on. He conducted the interviews in person, on the phone, over the internet or asked people to record themselves. Interview techniques ranged from asking people to tell him a secret to choosing an arbitrary question from a list.The resulting testimonies tell the collective story of what it feels like to be alive in a particular time and place - here and now. The Passengers is a book about how we give shape to our lives, find meaning in the chaos, acknowledge the fragility of our existence while alleviating this anxiety with moments of beauty, love, humour and solidarity.'A magical mystery tour of Britain . . . extraordinary.'DAILY TELEGRAPH'Ashon's gloriously polyphonic book scales the heights. A deeply felt and humane portrait of where we are.'NIVEN GOVINDEN, author of Diary of a Film'This book couldn't have come into my life at a better time. It's a guiding mate. It enters like a cat through a window, ready to take your attention and show you what it needs to.'TICE CIN, author of Keeping the House

An original and profound portrait of contemporary Britain told through the testimonies of its inhabitants.SHORTLISTED FOR THE RATHBONES FOLIO PRIZE 2023'A spectacularly enjoyable and compelling reading experience . . . funny, moving, surprising and thought-provoking. It humanises literature in this toxic moment.'MAX PORTER, author of Lanny'Seemingly simple yet so deeply profound, The Passengers is an absorbing insight into the lives and minds of so-called ordinary people: their hopes and fears and idiosyncrasies at a specific moment in time.'CLIO BARNARD, director of Ali & Ava and The Essex Serpent'A nation's psyche comes to the surface. The Passengers is not just an oral history of the contemporary moment but, drenched in mood and texture, renders the country itself as a sonic collage.'SUKHDEV SANDHU, GUARDIANBetween October 2018 and March 2021, Will Ashon collected voices - people talking about their lives, needs, dreams, loves, hopes and fears - all of them with some connection to the British Isles. He used a range of methods including letters sent to random addresses, hitchhiking, referrals from strangers and so on. He conducted the interviews in person, on the phone, over the internet or asked people to record themselves. Interview techniques ranged from asking people to tell him a secret to choosing an arbitrary question from a list.The resulting testimonies tell the collective story of what it feels like to be alive in a particular time and place - here and now. The Passengers is a book about how we give shape to our lives, find meaning in the chaos, acknowledge the fragility of our existence while alleviating this anxiety with moments of beauty, love, humour and solidarity.'A magical mystery tour of Britain . . . extraordinary.'DAILY TELEGRAPH'Ashon's gloriously polyphonic book scales the heights. A deeply felt and humane portrait of where we are.'NIVEN GOVINDEN, author of Diary of a Film'This book couldn't have come into my life at a better time. It's a guiding mate. It enters like a cat through a window, ready to take your attention and show you what it needs to.'TICE CIN, author of Keeping the House

In litter-strewn Epping Forest on the edge of London, might a writer find that magical moment of transcendence? He will certainly discover filthy graffiti and frightening dogs, as well as world-renowned artists and fading celebrities, robbers, lovers, ghosts and poets. But will he find himself? Or a version of himself he might learn something from?Strange Labyrinth is a quest narrative arguing that we shouldn't get lost in order to find ourselves, but solely to accept that we are lost in the first place. It is a singular blend of landscape writing, political indignation, cultural history and wit from a startling new voice in non-fiction.

'One of the most rewarding pieces of hip-hop criticism ever written' Jeff Chang'Brilliant' Giles Peterson'Will Ashon's dazzling study gets to the heart of hip hop, pop culture and the history of contemporary America. Essential' Matt Thorne'Each of these chambers contains wonders of history, destiny and mythology' Margo JeffersonWill Ashon tells, in 36 interlinked 'chambers', the story of Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) and how it changed the world. As unexpected and complex as the album itself, Chamber Music ranges from provocative essays to semi-comic skits, from deep scholarly analysis to satirical celebration, seeking to contextualise, reveal and honour this singularly composite work of art. From the FBI's war on drugs to the porn theatres of 42nd street, from the history of jazz to the future of politics, Chamber Music is an explosive and revelatory new way of writing about music and culture.

"What kind of story you want? Rough story or nice story?"A collaboration between author Will Ashon and Michal Novosad, Rafal''s Saga  presents a tale of homeless life in London: the difficulties, the despair, the endless problems, but also the humanity and humour and, most of all, the heartbreaking beauty of being alive.As William Morris pointed out, the most grinding poverty is a trifling evil compared with the inequality of classes and this inequality of class is crystallised in the decisions we make when we see someone begging. Michal tells the story of the death of his friend, Rafal, and in doing so forces us to confront what it means if and when we calculate whether someone is worthy of receiving our small change.