Back in October, I caved in to temptation and read A.A. Gill’s review of this book. It concluded: This is a book that cries out like one of [Morrissey’s] maudlin ditties to be edited. But were an editor to start, there would be no stopping. It is a heavy tome, utterly devoid of insight, warmth, Read More
Recreating one of the most ancient and well-known works of world literature is a significant task. Historically, the Ramayana has acquired more importance than a mere piece of poetry. Regarded as one of the greatest epics in Hinduism, these words hold heavy religious significance. Reworking a text of this magnitude is quite a task, and Read More
George Szirtes is a well-established poet, editor, and Literary Fellow. Born in Budapest, he came to England as a refugee in 1956 and was brought up in London, where he studied Fine Art, before publishing his first poetry book in 1979 . His poems have been published by several houses, earning him a host of Read More
Moving away from the atmospheric and restrained I’m Not Scared (winner of the prestigious Italian Viareggio-Repaci Prize) towards the more humorous Steal You Away, Niccolò Ammaniti continues his foray into the comedic with the often ridiculous Let The Games Begin. Intended as a satiric mirror held up to the excesses and celebrity culture of modern Read More
Dannie Abse, poet and GP, read at Dundee University at least once, in the early 1980s. He was an imposing figure, and a fine reader. He exuded modest energy and drive, and quiet achievement. Now that he has entered upon his tenth decade and has suffered major losses, the keenest that of his beloved wife Read More
Many people go to the movies nowadays to get away from everyday life- they don’t want to be reminded of poverty, mundane routine and one’s own inevitable aging. This leads me to believe that not a lot of people will go to see Alexander Payne’s Nebraska as it is full of these themes, and yet, Read More
So here’s the rub: his salt, your skin. He flays you first, then kneads it in, (Wetsalter) Drysalter, a purveyor of powders, dyes, colours and cures, also puns providently on “Psalter”. There is considerable challenge in both aspects of the title. Perhaps curiously, Michael Roberts describes his poems forming as individual entities which later shape Read More
When dealing with the subject of young people there’s an awful temptation for filmmakers to produce a feature which is “cool”. The most up to date music coupled with some flashy visuals and hot young stars make an inviting prospect for audiences which normally wouldn’t have any interest in the film’s subject. Kill Your Darlings Read More
Lesley McDowell has exceeded all expectations with this sensitive, intelligent and thoroughly researched gothic novel: the story of Mary Shelley’s friend Isabella Baxter Booth and her husband David Booth as they come into contact with various forms of “madness” and the ruthless and ambitious Dr. Alexander Balfour. Although this is an intriguing tale of ghosts Read More
Sugar coated and wrapped up in fluff, Saving Mr Banks is a wonderful portrayal of the magic of Walt Disney and of the determination necessary to fulfil the promise of Disney to his daughters that he would adapt P.L. Travers’ Mary Poppins for the screen. Mrs Travers, a formidable woman who refused for twenty years Read More