Joshua Idehen's "Songbook" is a difficult collection to categorise - which is perhaps a reflection on the source of the material: mainly musical collaborations / rap. Many of the poems contain QR links to Spotify tracks, and these further demonstrate the variety of the work: from the melodic to what seems to me at least … Continue reading “Songbook”
Category: Reading
“The Four Books”
It is difficult to know whether Carlos Rojas' translation of Yan Lianke's The Four Books is as long as it is because of the size of the original text. Or maybe there's a tradition in Chinese literature which embraces repetition. Perhaps it's unavoidable. For my taste however, The Four Books is about 50% longer than … Continue reading “The Four Books”
“Agimat”
There is an awful lot to admire in Romalyn Ante's collection Agimat: some beautiful images, wonderful use of language, effective communication of emotion. She seems to treat all her subjects - even the difficult ones (and there are a few!) - with a kind of even-handed respect. And there is a haunting, lyrical quality about … Continue reading “Agimat”
“Even the Dogs”
I am a big fan of Jon McGregor's work, and even though it may take a little while to adapt to the style of Even the Dogs, the effort in doing so is rewarded. Even the Dogs offers a bleak insight into the world of drug addiction and poverty. McGregor pulls no punches here, yet … Continue reading “Even the Dogs”
“Signs, Music”
When unsure about a volume of poetry, I have now adopted the process of putting it aside for a while (1 or 2 months) and then go back to it. This is paying dividends, and Raymond Antrobus's Signs, Music is a case in point. Second time through I really liked it. The collection is full … Continue reading “Signs, Music”
“Bluff”
The beginning of Danez Smith's "anti poetica" in Bluff starts "who cares how long i've spent with my poems" - and frankly, I don't. Many of these pieces are pure gimmickry; 'anti poetica' indeed. There is clearly a lot of rage and anger in Smith's work - and quite justifiably so - but when poets … Continue reading “Bluff”
“Baumgartner”
It strikes me that, were a creative writing tutor to use Paul Auster's Baumgartner as a sample text, they might tell you that it was a good example of how not to write a novel. The reasons? Firstly, masses of 'telling' rather than 'showing'; and secondly, enormously long sentences - sometimes half a page - … Continue reading “Baumgartner”
“The Keelie Hawk”
On one level, Kathleen Jamie's The Keelie Hawk is impossible to read - that is unless you happen to be fluent in Scots. Luckily on every verso page is an English 'translation' of the Scots poem, all of which meant I could only read the translations and not the original poems. Given the musicality of … Continue reading “The Keelie Hawk”
“North Woods”
I really like Daniel Mason's work; The Winter Soldier is one of the best novels I've read in a long while. Consequently, I was looking forward to reading North Woods... But I'm afraid it wasn't in the same league. This wasn't down to the quality of the writing (far from it!) but rather the nature … Continue reading “North Woods”
“Petersburg Tales”
I suspect that, based on prevailing theory and practice, many would regard Nikolai Gogol's Petersburg Tales (written nearly 200 years ago) as an example of how not to write short stories. And with some justification. There are four in the collection, each of them surreal and comic in equal measure, and - given modern sensibilities … Continue reading “Petersburg Tales”
Ian Gouge - Writer 