Will Self Book Launch & Live Conversation With Andy Owen

WILL SELF IN CONVERSATION WITH ANDY OWEN

The Gulf War Did Take Place… The Gulf War Is Taking Place… The Gulf War Will Always Be Taking Place…

Please join us for an evening with the novelist and cultural commentator Will Self, celebrating the publication of his new book, The Gulf War Did Take Place… The Gulf War Is Taking Place… The Gulf War Will Always Be Taking Place…

Published in a limited edition of just 1,500 copies by The Will Tower, Will Self's new publishing project, the work its title from Jean Baudrillard's famous essay The Gulf War Did Not Take Place. 

Moving between philosophy, literature, film criticism and autobiography, Self draws unexpected connections between the remote, bird-haunted island of St Kilda, the wars in Ukraine and Iran, high-frequency trading, mass surveillance and the ever-changing technological systems that shape our lives.

At the heart of it all is the drone, at once a symbol of the displacement of human agency in autonomous weaponry and a practical embodiment of the state of endless warfare into which humankind is drifting.

The book is a wide-ranging, provocative and humorous meditation on the contemporary human condition. Death and mortality loom large, but rather than dwelling on our inevitable end, Self offers a subversive and often startling account of the world we inhabit.

One of Britain's most distinctive and uncompromising literary voices, Will Self has spent his career challenging received wisdom and exploring the stranger, darker contradictions of modern life. His acclaimed novels include Umbrella, Shark, Phone and The Book of Dave and most recently The Quanity Theory of Morality, alongside an extensive body of essays, journalism and cultural criticism.

For this event, Will Self will be in conversation with former intelligence officer and writer Andy Owen, the author of Land of the Blind, discussing the ideas and inspiration behind the book.

The conversation will be followed by an audience Q&A, with the opportunity to take home a signed copy of the inaugural publication from Will Self’s new publishing venture, The Will Tower.

When: Thursday 26 November 2026

Where: Arch 156, Shepherd's Bush Market, London W12 8DF (entrance via Uxbridge Road)

Tickets: £20 — includes a signed copy of the limited-edition book.