Salman Rushdie, Martin Amis and freedom of speech
I went to see Salman Rushdie in conversation with Lisa Appignanesi at the Southbank Centre last night. I have never been a particular Rushdie fan, so was pleasantly…
Edward Said – On Late Style
It’s good that Edward Said got far enough with the writing of this book to allow it to be published posthumously. It’s…
“The Undiscovered Self” by Carl Jung
Writing in 1957, Jung is very concerned with the Cold War, Communism and the threat of nuclear disaster. However, his points seem…
“Intimacy” by Hanif Kureishi
This was a strange book: all the reviews say how honest and uncompromising it is, and yet in the end I didn’t…
Short story publication
My short story “Postcards from a Previous Life” is now available to buy. It is being published by Leaf Books as part…
The Shock Doctrine
New Left Review 48 carries an interesting review by Michael Hardt (co-author of “Empire”) of Naomi Klein’s new book The Shock Doctrine. Makes me want to read the…
Marxism 2007: Day Five (Monday)
OK, Day Five has been hanging over me throughout a very busy week, so rather than waiting for the right time I’m…
Marxism 2007: Day Four (Sunday)
“Cuba after Castro” was a great talk, with one small problem: it wasn’t about Cuba after Castro. The speaker, Mike Gonzalez, focused…