“Pandora in the Congo” by Albert Sanchez Pinol
I got this as a reviewing freebie from LibraryThing, which was good because with its title and retro cover of cartoonish man emerging from jungle, I would probably…
“Miracles” by C.S. Lewis
C.S. Lewis sets out to prove by logical argument that miracles are possible. The clear-headed writing style helps to draw you in,…
Ngugi wa Thiong’o and Alexis Wright at Southbank Centre
I took a long time to write about it, but a week ago I went to see Ngugi wa Thiong’o in conversation…
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…
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 very salient in 2008 as well.…
“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.…