What can you say about Samuel Beckett? If you have ever seen "Waiting For Godot" performed live you'll know the genius of the man. Beckett is a supremely visual playwright, and so simply reading "Krapp's Last Tape and other shorter plays" was never going to be an excessively rewarding experience. But having a sense of … Continue reading “Krapp’s Last Tape and other shorter plays”
Category: Blog
The Lure of Time
Have you ever thought about how you navigate through Time? Because we do. Unlike a map however, which has references to the concrete and physical - those hills, that river - and which articulate means to get from one place to another - roads or railway lines, for example - Time has no such attributes, … Continue reading The Lure of Time
Writers’ Retreat – The Lake District, February
Jan and the team at Writers' Retreats UK have their next three-day event scheduled for the 11th February 2022 in the northern Lake District, not far from the Scottish border, and I am delighted to have been invited as a guest in order to run some workshops and offer a little ad-hoc mentoring as and … Continue reading Writers’ Retreat – The Lake District, February
“Jesus’ Son”
It was mere coincidence that saw me reading Denis Johnson's short story collection "Jesus' Son" immediately after Kevin Barry's "That Old Country Music" - but it was a coincidence which served to throw the two into sharp contrast. Where Barry's stories are softer, somewhat gentle, filled with 'Irishness', Johnson's are raw, hard, uncompromising, and paint … Continue reading “Jesus’ Son”
“That Old Country Music”
Kevin Barry's collection of short stories, "That Old Country Music" is, in its own way, a gem. Although the subjects of the stories are often serious and sombre (e.g. teenage pregnancy, abandonment, failed love), Barry handles his material with such subtlety that at times you perhaps can't help but wonder if the tone isn't a … Continue reading “That Old Country Music”
“Anxious People”
There is something of the fairy story about Fredrik Backman's "Anxious People" - which probably shouldn't be a surprise from the man who have us "A Man Called Ove". You might also argue that "Anxious People" is a rare novel these days: one which, in the flurry of positivity towards the end, manages to resolve … Continue reading “Anxious People”
New book out in January!
I am delighted to announce that I have a new book coming out in January. Neither fiction nor poetry, "Shrapnel from a Writing Life" isn't easily categorised. Here's an excerpt from the blurb: "Shrapnel from a Writing Life" is not a conventional book. It is neither fiction nor poetry, though it contains elements of both; … Continue reading New book out in January!
“Hot Stew”
Having loved Fiona Mozley's Booker-nominated debut "Elmet", I simply wasn't prepared for "Hot Stew". To my mind the two books are so 'chalk and cheese' that they could have been written by different people. Not that "Hot Stew" is a 'bad' book. It isn't. But it is remarkably different in subject matter, style and tone. … Continue reading “Hot Stew”
It will soon be 1984…
Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And the process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped.George Orwell, from "1984" Airbrushing history does not make the future any better. … Continue reading It will soon be 1984…
“The Cat and the City”
The premise behind Nick Bradley's "The Cat and the City" is sound enough: a series of short stories or vignettes that are linked together by a range of characters who variously flit in and out of each - and by the appearance of a calico cat in just about every one. The collection starts out … Continue reading “The Cat and the City”
Ian Gouge - Writer 