Borges marathon, part 1: The Cruel Redeemer Lazarus Morell
So I had this great idea to write a separate review for every short story every written by the master of short stories (or short fictions as they’re…
“Collected Fictions” by Jorge Luis Borges
With this book, I have to admit defeat, or at least a change of plan. I wanted to review every book I…
“The Writer as Migrant” by Ha Jin
These are three essays on the notion of migration for the writer, mostly explained through other writers such as Nabokov, Conrad, Kundera…
Monday morning inspiration
If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway. If you are honest, people may cheat you.…
Art at the Barbican
I went to the Barbican recently for two exhibitions – Radical Nature and the Free Art Fair. I liked the first more…
Congratulations, Ruth Dugdall!
Last year I won the Luke Bitmead Writer’s Bursary, an event that changed my life and led to the publication of On the Holloway Road. This year it…
Biological debt
Saw this interesting take on the body’s energy levels. At the moment I am working nights to supplement my writing income, so…
“The Death of Ivan Ilyich” by Leo Tolstoy
A man dies slowly and in great agony. He ponders the meaning of life, and this increases his anguish: even worse than…