What strikes me most about James Attlee's chronology of Picasso's "Guernica" is the sense of how the painting seemed to have a life of its own, independent of the artist. And how it was never displayed in Spain - indeed, never in the country - until well after Franco's death, so four decades after it … Continue reading “Guernica”
Category: Reading
“The Hot Gates”
While some of the pieces may not have travelled that well through time, William Golding's collection of short non-fiction - "The Hot Gates" - remains a delight. The breadth on Golding's menu is extraordinary: Ancient Greece, the English Channel, Stratford-upon-Avon, a kind of critique of "War and Peace" - as well as his own "Lord … Continue reading “The Hot Gates”
“Crow”
I'll keep this one simple. Because I felt ashamed that I had never read Crow in its entirety, I decided I should. Simple as that. But I just couldn't. I really tried, but had to give up. I daresay it was ground-breaking at the time it was written, but now? Isn't it just too dull, … Continue reading “Crow”
“Coming Through Slaughter”
Michael Ondaatje's "Coming Through Slaughter" is a real jigsaw puzzle of a book, the narrative split into fragmented passages, different third and first person voices, a blend of fiction and fact. Often you are never really sure exactly where the boundaries lay between the two. Look-up Buddy Bolden on the internet and you will find … Continue reading “Coming Through Slaughter”
“The Woman Who Rode Away”
If D.H.Lawrence were to submit some of the stories from this collection to a modern-day mentor or writing group, they might not go down too well. "All that repetition! Clumsy. Have you heard of editing? You could cut some of these down by twenty percent, then you might get to a decent short story..." Lawrence's … Continue reading “The Woman Who Rode Away”
“Thom Gunn”
Reading August Kleinzahler's selection of Thom Gunn's poetry (in Faber's 'Poet-to-Poet' series) I confessed I really struggled - not with the selection made, but with the source material. It wasn't just that I felt the poems hadn't travelled well across the years (the selection covers 1954-2000), nor perhaps any translation from California to the UK, … Continue reading “Thom Gunn”
“Monsieur”
I have just finished re-reading Lawrence Durrell's Monsieur - my first reading of the book being many years ago, not that long after finishing The Alexandria Quartet. I remember being spellbound by the latter, though I worry now that memory may only be a byproduct of a certain fondness for the rosy literary hue... This … Continue reading “Monsieur”
“Kid”
I don't think it would be inaccurate to say that I haven't quite made up my mind about Simon Armitage. Clearly his 1992 collection Kid isn't entirely representative of what he's writing now, so perhaps it is better to see it as a way-marker on his journey - it was thirty years ago after all! … Continue reading “Kid”
“To Hell on a Fast Horse”
In To Hell on a Fast Horse, Mark Lee Gardner's portrayal of both Billy the Kid and Pat Garrett just about manages to maintain a balance between fact and fiction, the romantic and the repellant. It also keeps a pretty decent handle on the reality of late nineteenth century New Mexico, Texas at al. This … Continue reading “To Hell on a Fast Horse”
“Stories and Texts for Nothing”
The most remarkable thing about Samuel Beckett's Stories and Texts for Nothing is the percentage of the short 'nothing texts' which prefigure or overlap Waiting for Godot. Even to the extent of remarkably similar - if not repeated - phrases. Not surprising really given that they were all written around the same time, 1945-1950. There … Continue reading “Stories and Texts for Nothing”
Ian Gouge - Writer 