‘The Victorian Chaise-Longue’ re-imagined by Max Porter

Marganita Laski's classic novel of subtle psychological and social terror is brought to life for a one-off evening of music and storytelling.

Max Porter and Alula Down present a hauntological audio performance of this ‘disturbing and compulsive’ (Penelope Lively) book blending live performance, recorded and found sounds, with a special abridgement of Laski's text.

The Victorian Chaise-Longue is about a young married woman who lies down on a chaise-longue and wakes to find herself imprisoned in the body of another woman ninety years before. PD James called it a ‘skilfully told and terrifying short novel’.

Max Porter and Alula Down have performed scored and improvised readings together since 2019. Sit back, close your eyes, and be transported to another time and place.

Max Porter is the multi-award winning author of four novels. He first worked with Alula Down on semi-improvised performances of his Booker-longlisted novel Lanny. His work has been translated into 30 languages.

Alula Down are Herefordshire duo Mark Waters & Kate Gathercole who explore stories of people and landscape through folk song and self written work, field recordings, sound collage, semi-improvisation and textures created by drone and repetition. song and self written work, field recordings, sound collage, semi-improvisation and textures created by drone and repetition.