How I Left The National Grid

The novel was written as part of a PhD in Creative Writing at Northumbria University. Undertaking research for it the author ‘landed meetings with bands and artists including Savages and Gazelle Twin'.^[2] Mankowski ‘sent a tweet to Jehnny Beth from Savages and was immediately invited to meet up with her’, which ‘opened up doors to meet with other artists too'.^[2] Their conversation was later published by Jehnny Beth, on her blog.^[3] According to Mankowski, 'The novel was hard to write, and went through two publishers and three agents before finding a home.' He added, 'these negotiations led to me write about thirty drafts of the novel and to often despair over whether the novel was worth anyone's time.'^[4]

After publication it was noted that there were ‘echoes of Richey Edwards and Ian Curtis of Joy Division, in the books main character’.^[2] Richey Edwards was co-lyricist of the Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers. Edwards suffered from depression, alcoholism, anorexia and self-harm and he disappeared on 1 February 1995. In a review of the book The Huffington Post recalled Edwards’ disappearance, adding ‘perhaps this is the figure that Guy Mankowski had in mind when he began to pen his latest novel’.^[5]

In an interview between Mankowski and Kingsley Chapman, former singer of The Chapman Family, Chapman added to speculation by commenting: ‘When I read your book and I visualise the band, at least two of them look like members of the Manics.’ Mankowski replied; ‘I’ve been asked before if my main character is based on one of their members and I always duck the question. Richey Edwards was such a brilliant artist, so I’m adverse to the idea of portraying him [directly] in a novel. The danger is I’ll reduce someone complex who wasn’t simply a member of a band I loved, but who had a whole other life that I don’t have a right to trespass into.’^[6] In an interview with 3:AM Magazine in 2016 Mankowski confirmed 'Robert Wardner was a mix of influences – you rightly identify Richey Edwards and Ian Curtis, but I didn't want to fictionalize these people in a “straight” way as I didn't get to know them and felt it would be disrespectful, not to mention impossible, to portray such people. Mark E. Smith was also in the mix.' ^[7]

Pages of the notebooks Mankowski used to research the novel were published in the 2015 academic textbook Creative Writing: A NAWE Handbook For Teachers.^[8]

The book is ‘written from the alternating perspective of Robert Wardner, a recovering post-punk rockstar recalling the peak of his manic fame in the grimy early 80s, and an investigative journalist named Sam, tracked down by a publisher to capitalise upon the rock star’s rumoured re-emergence by writing a book telling the story of his disappearance in-between’.^[9] Damon Fairclough, for Louder Than War, commented that ‘the plot throws Forbes into a mission to track down one of the most enigmatic frontmen of the eighties…who apparently led his group from Top of the Pops to global success before vanishing from the face of the earth.’^[10]