Dec 30, 2012 | Latest
Santa was very good to me this year again. I got the following books: Battle Cry of Freedom by James M. McPherson (about the American Civil War); The Horologicon by Mark Forsyth (about the lost words of the English language); Life Times by Nadine Gordimer (six...
Nov 29, 2012 | Latest
My new novel, renamed ‘Rudi – In the Shadow of Knulp’ – is being published in Germany and launched in Belfast as part of ‘Feile an Phobail 25’ (a series of events in the run-up to the silver jubilee of the festival next August). My...
Nov 26, 2012 | Latest
My friend and German translator Jörg W. Rademacher has collaborated with the French poet Yves Broussard from Marseille and artist Oliver Soskice to produce a bestiary-calendar for 2013. It’s in three languages: French-German the recto, French-English the verso with...
Oct 31, 2012 | Latest
Interviewed by Martina Purdy on ‘the art of the political speech’ for tomorrow night’s BBC magazine programme (1st November), ‘The View’, which replaced ‘Hearts & Minds’ but is not as good. Asked my opinion on the best speech I ever heard I cited Martin Luther...
Oct 20, 2012 | Latest
Finished ‘Fear and Loathing at Rolling Stone – The Essential Writing of Hunter S. Thompson’. Hilarious and informative writing from the man who invented ‘Gonzo’ journalism, that genre comprising a mix of irreverent, trenchant journalism with literary (or fictional!)...
Aug 22, 2012 | Latest
Am re-reading Chekhov, the greatest short story writer ever. Within two sentences you are there – be it the steppes of Russia or down below in a ship’s sick-bay as the ‘Wind plays in the rigging, the screw thuds, waves thrash, bunks creak.’ One of my favourite...
