A. M. Bakalar’s first novel Madame Mephisto (Stork Press, 2012) was a reader nomination for the 2012 Guardian First Book Award. Her work has appeared in the Guardian, The International New York Times, Words Without Borders, Wasafiri, BBC Radio 4 among others. Her second novel is Children of Our Age (Jantar Publishing, 2017). She lives in London. (Photo by Mariusz Smiejek.)