Okay, it's my own fault. I should have read it at University nearly forty years ago when I was supposed to. But I thought "Hey, more chance of understanding it now". "Dreams" is from the Vintage 'mini' series and contains two of Freud's most famous essays: "On Dreams" (1901) and "Typical Dreams" (from The Interpretation … Continue reading “Dreams”
Category: Reading
“Amsterdam”
Normally I would argue that a Booker Prize winning novel (or even finalist) would be a pretty decent yardstick for the oeuvre of an author, a good place to start. But having read "On Chesil Beach" and "Black Dogs", I have to say Ian McEwan's "Amsterdam" is far from that. Indeed, had I read "Amsterdam" … Continue reading “Amsterdam”
“Black Dogs”
Whether some elements of the central post-war event re-told at the end of Ian McEwan's "Black Dogs" have any basis in reality is potentially irrelevant - and if you've read the book, you'll probably have a good idea of the specific element I'm talking about! True or false, it doesn't diminish the power of the … Continue reading “Black Dogs”
“Here We Are”
Ever since I read Graham Swift's wonderful "Waterland" I've been completely hooked; his writing is something I can always reliably turn to. There are a few authors in that bracket for me - Murakami certainly, Julian Barnes, Donna Tartt, Swift himself - with a few others 'coming up on the rails': Ishiguro, Ali Smith, McEwan. … Continue reading “Here We Are”
Free e-book this week – last chance!
This week - Monday 30th March to Friday 3rd April - Amazon are giving away free Kindle copies of my collection of short stories, "Secrets & Wisdom". So today's the last day! Recently I read one of the stories from this volume, "Welshman" (see the link below). Now you have the chance to get the … Continue reading Free e-book this week – last chance!
“Tangling with the Epic”
Kwame Dawes and John Kinsella's "Tangling with the Epic" is probably, above all, 'clever'. It is a dialogue between the two comprised entirely of Spenserian stanzas, batted backwards and forwards across a literary net. It is clever in the sense of its formulaic execution, of sticking to the brief. But for me it is also … Continue reading “Tangling with the Epic”
Free e-book this week!
This week - Monday 30th March to Friday 3rd April - Amazon are giving away free Kindle copies of my collection of short stories, "Secrets & Wisdom". Recently I read one of the stories from this volume, "Welshman" (see the link below). Now you have the chance to get the whole collection absolutely free! Partly … Continue reading Free e-book this week!
“On Chesil Beach”
There is a particular skill in taking a relatively small narrative episode and weaving an entire novel from it. In "On Chesil Beach" Ian McEwan displays such talents. The incident of the title - short, climactic, tense, complex, emotional - is perhaps the natural outcome of the story as it is laid before us. How … Continue reading “On Chesil Beach”
“Paris Echo”
Considering all that he's written, I find it somewhat remarkable that "Paris Echo" is the first Sebastian Faulks I have ever read. Was that a good place to start? I suspect I'll never know. Without doubt, there is much about the book to admire, but the question I'm wrestling with at the end of it … Continue reading “Paris Echo”
Welshman – a reading
I have always wanted to read my short story "Welshman". Written a while ago, it was published in 2017 in my collection of short stories "Secrets & Wisdom". I hope you like it.
Ian Gouge - Writer 