My latest novel, "On Parliament Hill", is published next Friday, the 21st! Her voice is a trigger; a voice which forces Neil to relive the crises and failures of his past - one which offers him the possibility of a positive new future. But before he can decide on what he wants the life ahead … Continue reading New novel, out next week!
Category: Literature
“Apierogon”
The irony was inescapable, concluding the reading of Colum McCann's tremendously inventive novel "Apierogon" just as Arab-Israeli violence and tensions escalate to what is perhaps another inevitable war. The irony is that in "Apierogon" McCann presents us with a sliver of hope as two men - one Palestinian, the other Israeli - work together to … Continue reading “Apierogon”
Conrad’s “The…Narcissus”
When I was contemplating this entry, it is surely telling that my primary concern was whether or not I should use the full title of Conrad's novella. My instinct was to do so, but recognising that in these sensitive times certain words can be highly offensive and inflammatory, I have settled on an abridged version. … Continue reading Conrad’s “The…Narcissus”
The downside of looking back too far…
It seemed like a good idea. I mean, I had some free time on my hands after all. Not for right now you understand, but for some point in the future - just in case 'posterity' might ever need it... Over the years I have written (thus far) a number of volumes of poetry, and … Continue reading The downside of looking back too far…
“Flights”
Whatever you do, don't start reading Olga Tokarczuk's "Flights" expecting to encounter a conventional novel - because you won't. It is a fragmented, meandering creation with dozens of vignette's nestling against each other, sometimes in a logical progression - but mostly not. Some of these are as long as twelve or more pages, the majority … Continue reading “Flights”
Published today! “The Homelessness of a Child”
My sixth collection of poetry - "The Homelessness of a Child" - is published today, 1st April. Perhaps long overdue, a fair proportion is an exploration of the hardships and repercussions of my difficult childhood. As the intro says: "By the time Ian Gouge went to university he had already lived in seventeen different places … Continue reading Published today! “The Homelessness of a Child”
Self-Publishing: a Double-edged Sword?
Over twenty years ago, a self-publishing company - BookSurge - was born in the US. Five years later the company was acquired by Amazon and came to trade as Create Space (now superseded by Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP)). According to Wikipedia, by the end of 2018 over 1.4 million titles from tens of thousands of … Continue reading Self-Publishing: a Double-edged Sword?
Not The National Poetry Competition
Imagine the scene. The knock at the door. The delivery man. In his hands, an A4-sized box, the kind that contains those four-pack reams of paper you get for your inkjet printer. He smiles and hands you the box. "I'll go and get the other eight"... Once you have closed the front door, you turn … Continue reading Not The National Poetry Competition
“A Month in Siena”
Part-travelogue, part-art history, part-personal reflection, Hisham Matar's "A Month in Siena" could easily be seen as something of an antidote if you have been reading too much fiction and are seeking something different just to break things up. Indeed, in a way that is how Matar sees his trip to Italy; an opportunity to fill-in … Continue reading “A Month in Siena”
“Ravelstein”
There is something about Bellow's first person narrator / observer which draws you into "Ravelstein"; it seems to me that you are both 'inside' and 'outside' simultaneously. This elongated pen-picture of Ravelstein, laid out by his close friend Chick, is undoubtedly all sorts of things: colourful, expansive, amusing, ironic, submissive... Indeed, the list of adjectives … Continue reading “Ravelstein”
Ian Gouge - Writer 