Reading “The Unconsoled” by Kazuo Ishiguro Have you ever had one of those dreams where you are trying to get somewhere but things keep going wrong? You get on the wrong train, get off…
Reading “The Anatomy of Prose” by Marjorie Boulton This is a rigorous 1950s analysis of prose, seeking to classify different elements of prose as you would classify insects or flowers.…
Reading Still reading… Despite appearances, I have not been promoting myself 24 hours a day 🙂 I finished The Enchantress of Florence by Salman Rushdie…
On the Holloway Road Radio interview I was interviewed by Jo Thoenes on BBC Oxford yesterday. I had done radio and TV a few times when I was…
On the Holloway Road Sheer egoism Yes, I went around bookshops looking for my book on the shelves. And I started taking photos of it... OK, so it's…
On the Holloway Road Launch! I realised I haven’t written anything here for a week. The official reason is that I was busy – the unofficial reason is that I was in a…
Literary events On not knowing very much about anything Even Tolstoy and Goethe and Proust must have had the odd moment when they wondered if they really knew what they were…
Thinking Post-racial America Please, somebody give me a non-racist explanation for this cartoon. Please.
Reading “Amsterdam” by Ian McEwan This was a good, quick read. An interesting story that explores several moral issues such as euthanasia and privacy rights. Another theme…