Hydra in the 60s, the muse's curse and writing lyrics with Polly Samson

This was such a fun conversation. After becoming fascinated by an old photo taken on the island of Hydra in Greece, Polly Samson set about researching the lives of the musicians, writers and artists who settled there in the 1960s, from Marianne Ihlen and Leonard Cohen to the writers Charmian Clift and George Johnston. Her novel, A Theatre For Dreamers, is a lush fictionalised account of their lives, and a look at the problematic role of an artist's muse. I loved hearing about how and why she wrote it, her experience writing lyrics - she has written dozens for her husband David Gilmour of Pink Floyd - and her glamorous-sounding career in publishing in the 90s. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Buy the book: https://www.waterstones.com/book/a-theatre-for-dreamers/polly-samson/9781526600592

Edited by Chelsey Moore