Free Banville book taster online

Banville won the Booker Prize in 2005

Fans of Booker Prize-winning author John Banville can read the first chapter of his forthcoming novel free of charge.

The extract of The Sinking City has been made available on a new online literary journal launched by the University of Manchester.

The novel is the Irish writer's first literary fiction since The Sea, which won the Man Booker Prize in 2005.

The first issue will also feature work by writers Ali Smith and MJ Hyland.

New issues of the Manchester Review will appear each spring and autumn offering a mix of new music, public debate, visual art and video as well as fiction and poetry.

'Proactive promotion'

The journal is published by the University's Centre for New Writing, home to Professor of Creative Writing Martin Amis.

John McAuliffe, Centre for New Writing co-director, said: "The Manchester Review takes its cue from their proactive promotion of new writing, but uses online media to show and sponsor the interplay of poetry, fiction, music, visual art and essays by new and established practitioners.

"We hope that it will find new readers and audiences for exciting and innovative creative work, which is steeped in traditional virtues.

"This will be accompanied by the Review's lively critical blog, which will take the temperature of - and maybe sometimes set the agenda for - the contemporary arts in the UK and beyond."

Banville was among a number of leading writers who visited the university this year to hold Q&As with students on its MA in Creating Writing course.