Taking a novel set mainly in Paris on a trip to Edinburgh was not as perverse as it might seem, since its provenance was The Linen Press, a small indie publisher based in that fair city. It’s sometimes suggested we should buy from publishers like this simply because they are ‘a good thing’ and by doing … Continue reading Travelling Companion
Last Saturday is a long time ago for a blogger – except for me, that is, who hasn’t blogged in yonks. But it was last Saturday that I was reading an excellent piece in the Telegraph by John Lanchester called ‘When Fiction Breaks Down’ in which he argues that ‘the world is full of interesting things that … Continue reading What’s the likelihood?
So what is it with Twitter? Friends shake their heads in disbelief that I’m straying into such questionable territory and offspring couldn’t care less (too busy Facebooking). I guess quite a few readers of this blog are similarly disengaged. I can only say, don’t knock it until you have tried it. It’s quick, it’s easy, it’s fun. … Continue reading Win-Win Situation
These writing obsessions take us to strange places. I thought I’d missed my chance ever to see Sun Worshippers, shown on BBC Scotland in 2002, but in a moment of enthusiasm I contacted Caledonia films who still had it in their vaults and were able to send me a copy. I watched it last night. … Continue reading Fun in the Sun
I would never deny that A New History of Love is timeless, but I am suprised to find it prophetic. How? The ‘Oxford Language Teaching Archive’, which I made up to suit the plot (you can read about it in chapter 1) is now a reality. So even if the archive doesn’t contain anything relating to De Scudery (too much to … Continue reading Reality bites
