~ from the author of ‘The President’: a personal newsletter and public notebook ~

Hello! I'm Xander Beattie, a novelist, artist publisher and swimmer.

a swimming pool library is the online home for my monthly-ish dispatches (also sent to subscribers' inboxes), as well as conversations, field notes and the occasional poem. It's an opportunity to slow down and savour immersions in my favourite things — including printed matter, the creative process, nature (esp. water!), and cafe culture.

The title is lovingly borrowed from The Swimming-Pool Library, Alan Hollinghurst’s glorious debut novel (which by sheer, fabulous happenstance was first published in 1988, the year I was born). I can’t think of a phrase that more aptly evokes my love of swimming, reading, writing, libraries and (of course) exquisitely written gay novels.

~

I started out my media career in London as an assistant to MONOCLE’s editor-in-chief, Tyler Brûlé, and later served as the magazine’s Southern Africa correspondent for several years. Running the gamut of politics, culture, the environment and travel, my other bylines have included the BBC, Mail & Guardian and Business Day. I’ve written widely for the press, corporate clients and non-profits, though fiction is my first (and most enduring!) love.

I live with my husband, two cats and hundreds of books in a remote offgrid cabin in Northern California.

~

Lest you feel short-changed and would actually like to see a (virtual) library full of swimming spots, visit my tumblr of the same name.