It has been many years since I read any Peter Carey: Oscar and Lucinda, and I remember nothing of it. Perhaps because of that I was somewhat thrown by his Collected Stories. Not in the sense of how well-written they are, but rather the strange dystopian worlds many of them seem to inhabit. There is … Continue reading “Collected Stories” – Peter Carey
Category: Literature
“17 Alma Road” highlighted on Portobello Book Blog
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Words of wisdom? You decide…
Some recent posts from my Substack site: "Writing until the light goes out" "Writing until the light goes out"
Booking for Market Rasen ‘WordFest’ performances now open!
Booking is now open for events at the Market Rasen 'WordFest' literary day on Saturday 6th July. I have two limited-seating slots: a second performance of Crash, and a more casual 'pop-up' hour of readings and conversation. BOOK HERE. From the reviews of the 2023 Ripon Theatre Festival Performance: A very moving piece of performance … Continue reading Booking for Market Rasen ‘WordFest’ performances now open!
“Birnam Wood”
Eleanor Catton's Birnam Wood is a strange amalgam of a book. For the first two thirds it meanders slowly along without seeming to be getting anywhere particularly significant - and then, as if it has been injected with some illicit substance, suddenly speeds up and turns into 'a thriller' with an ending that has more … Continue reading “Birnam Wood”
The performance is now official!
From the reviews of the 2023 Ripon Theatre Festival Performance: A very moving piece of performance poetry that captivated the audience. Beautifully executed with fabulous imagery. Thought-provoking, soul-baring, and delivered with such poignancy and realism that it left a lasting impression. Crash is impressive solo story-telling, a dramatic homage to T.S. Eliot that counts down the last minutes … Continue reading The performance is now official!
Writing – and a kind of ‘Hollywood insight’…
Links to recent posts on my Substack site. Please come and join me there! Sometimes you find things that surprise you... When your other half knows better than you... Come out, come out, wherever you are! I coulda been a contender! Writing until the light goes out
Recent posts on “Writing until the light goes out”
Links to recent posts on my Substack site: Why writing is like peanut butter "Vinno" The lure of the blank page Is this what guilt feels like? "Anne" Let's talk about typos... Writing until the light goes out
“Getting Through”
There is a theme of regret and missed opportunity running through John McGahern's short story collection, Getting Through. Mainly these involve broken relationships, between man and woman, father and son: 'Sierra Leone', 'Along the Edges'. As with High Ground and other stories, McGahern's prose has a depth which belies the narrative somehow. They are incidents … Continue reading “Getting Through”
“Eleanor Among the Saints”
This will be short. Apologies, but I found Rachel Mann's collection Eleanor Among the Saints obtuse and impenetrable. Untouched, unmoved, disinterested, I gave up about 40% of the way through. Reading list
Ian Gouge - Writer 