Archives for March 2008
Gordon Burn: Born Yesterday
Having had the experience of reading Gordon Burn’s fiction – Fullalove, a novel about a hack journalist intruding on the bereaved to get a story – and his non-fiction – Best And Edwards, a literary account of the lightning quick… continue reading »
Philip Roth: Goodbye, Columbus
Here begins my Roth odyssey. And where better to start than the beginning? So, with that obvious logic in mind, the first in an oeuvre spanning twenty-eight books (a mix of fiction and non-ficton; of standalone and series novels) is… continue reading »
Alain Elkann: Envy
Alain Elkann has, in the last thirty years, published over twenty books spanning essays, biography, and fiction. Envy (2006) is the first, as far as I’m aware, of his works to be translated into English and given that much of… continue reading »
Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction 2008
It’s that time of year again. No, not Easter, but for the announcement of the UK’s least interesting literary prizes. With the Man Booker there’s the sense that publishers are submitting the best of the best (if never to see… continue reading »
James Meek: We Are Now Beginning Our Descent
When it comes to writing a novel, there are two approaches: doing it for the art and doing it for the money. In James Meek’s novel, We Are Now Beginning Our Descent (2008), Adam Kellas is doing it for the… continue reading »
Martin Amis: Night Train
Love him or hate him for his outspoken views on this, that, and the other, you can’t deny that Martin Amis has a way with words. And I say this having read very little of his work, namely Time’s Arrow… continue reading »
Dedalus Books Announce New Sponsorship
You may remember back in January that a petition was created to help save Dedalus Books form losing its Arts Council funding. Despite almost 2,000 signatories the funding, which amounted to £24,958 a year, was pulled and the small publisher… continue reading »
Ismail Kadare: Agamemnon’s Daughter
When it comes to reputations, Ismail Kadare’s is one that certainly precedes him. Having come from nowhere (well, I hadn’t heard of him, at least) to scoop the inaugural MAN Booker International Prize in 2005, his works have steadily appeared… continue reading »