Andrew Blackman, literary fiction writer, traveller, book reviewer and essayist

Reading

Borges Marathon, Part 13: The Circular Ruins

What happens when one man tries to dream another into existence? Jorge Luis Borges imagines this scenario in this thought-provoking story.

Reading

October Reading Roundup

My reading for October 2023 was dominated by the climate crisis and the horrific situation in Gaza.

Reading Australia

A roundup of my reading of Australian literature during a long road trip around the country.

Reading

Best Books I’ve Read So Far This Year

At the halfway point of 2023, here are the highlights of my reading year so far, including a Saudi Arabian novel, a history of Algeria and an Australian masterpiece.

Reading

Shadows on the Tundra: A Lithuanian Tale of Gulag Survival

I've read gulag memoirs before, but Shadows on the Tundra affected me even more deeply than the others—perhaps because of the age of the narrator, or perhaps the Lithuanian history…

Reading

The Social Life of DNA

We all know about the physical properties of DNA and its contributions to medical and scientific research. But what interests sociologist Alondra Nelson is the social life of DNA.

Reading

Dominoes by Phoebe McIntosh

Dominoes by Phobe McIntosh explores important issues of race and identity, while through its heart runs a classic tale of star-crossed lovers.

Reading

Borges Marathon, Part 12: Pierre Menard, Author of the Quixote

In “Pierre Menard, Author of the Quixote”, Borges plays with ideas of authorship and originality by inventing a French Symbolist poet who embarks on the impossible task of composing Don Quixote.

Reading

Danny Boy by Barry Walsh

My review of Danny Boy by Barry Walsh, a novel of beautifully drawn relationships and the sometimes funny, sometimes painful experience of growing up on a council estate in 1960s…

Reading

Fire Rush by Jacqueline Crooks

My review of Fire Rush by Jacqueline Crooks, a fast-paced piece of literary fiction set among the Caribbean diaspora in 1970s London.

Reading

Manhattan Transfer by John Dos Passos

When I moved to New York City as a 22-year-old, I immediately loved the chaotic, frenetic energy of the place. I’d grown up in London, another big city, but this…

Reading

November 2022 Reading Roundup

It was an all-fiction month for me in November, involving a 17-year-old sex worker in the US, a novelist seeing her stolen manuscript come to life, a young woman fleeing…

Reading

Borges Marathon, Part 11: The Approach to Al-Mu’tasim

Only Borges could get away with writing a book review of a book that doesn't exist.

Thinking

It’s Just a Few Bad Apples

Welcome to another of my occasional rants about the use and misuse of the English language. Previous entries have included people who talk about their bandwidth and the irritating habit…

Andrew Blackman

Andrew Blackman

Andrew Blackman