'Collaboration is the raison d'etre for me': Max Porter on art, grief, and working with Cillian Murphy

Ahead of Sounds From A Safe Harbour, writer Max Porter discusses expanding his book's universe, Irish audiences welcoming his work, and how working with Cillian Murphy influences him

Max Porter

The act of writing is intrinsically solitary. But for Max Porter getting it down on the page is only the first step. The acclaimed English author loves to play around with his work, bringing it to life in many formats, and the more people joining him in his creative sandbox, the better.

Porter will give a multi-disciplinary and improvised performance of his most recent novel Shy at the Sounds from a Safe Harbour festival in Cork next month. It is a perfect fit for Porter in more ways than one. Like his work, the festival — curated by Mary Hickson, actor Cillian Murphy, writer Enda Walsh and Aaron and Bruce Dessner of The National — defies expected boundaries and nothing is off the table when it comes to collaborative experimentation.