A new version of my magic realism novel is coming soon! (19th April) What do you most need when facing the complete disintegration of the life you have been leading? Where does the loss of your job and the betrayal of your wife lead you? Well, in Neville’s case to a small tea shop at … Continue reading “The Big Frog Theory”
“The City and its Uncertain Walls”
Having read just about everything he's written, it's fair to say that I'm a huge fan of Haruki Murakami. On that basis, I started reading "The City and its Uncertain Walls" with a degree of relish. However, whilst in many respects "City" is typical Murakami, there are a couple of things that bother me about … Continue reading “The City and its Uncertain Walls”
“Less” – coming soon, a new book!
I have a new collection of poetry out on the 1st April: Less. The blurb: Less (adv.) a smaller amount (of) In this, Ian Gouge’s eleventh collection of poetry, “less” is characterised by absence: of love, of money, of understanding, and of life. We are exposed — on occasion brutally — to an experience of the … Continue reading “Less” – coming soon, a new book!
“An Arbitrary Light Bulb”
There is a challenge in reading poetry which is intrinsically personal to the poet. Often, in order to get the most from a piece, you need to know the people concerned or the places described or the events which happened. Without this, striving for interpretation can feel a little like reading with one metaphorical hand … Continue reading “An Arbitrary Light Bulb”
February’s best Substack posts
"when you see anything of mine that you don’t like remember that I’m sincere in doing it and that I’m working toward something." - Ernest Hemingway A selection of links to recent posts from my Substack site. "Writing until the light goes out" "Writing until the light goes out"
Grimsby Docks – a trailer
“Constructing a Witch”
One of the many dangers in putting together a largely single-themed collection of poetry is that the poet may find themselves working with a restricted suite of words - this in addition to running the risk of 'sameness' or good poems/lines simply getting 'lost'. Painters do something similar of course (think Rothko or Picasso's 'periods'), … Continue reading “Constructing a Witch”
17 Alma Road – a trailer
“Held”
Given Anne Michaels is also a poet, it is unsurprising to find there is something lyrical and musical about her prose. "Held" is filled with splendidly musical writing. Indeed, many of her phrases and sentences would not be out of place in a poem. This characteristic is undoubtedly one of the reasons I found "Held" … Continue reading “Held”
“Orbital”
I can see why Samantha Harvey's "Orbital" won the 2024 Booker Prize: it's a sustained piece of bravura writing. However... ... too soon it started to feel like a travelog, a geography lesson. I stopped caring about whether the spacecraft was orbiting over Kazakstan, Alaska, or Milton Keynes; the places and countries - and the … Continue reading “Orbital”
Ian Gouge - Writer 