Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Anonymous History: larger-than-life persona


“The only true voyage of discovery is not to go to new places, but to have other eyes.”

- Marcel Proust

Tributes to the fabulous Doris Lessing come pouring in:
… from novelist Justin Cartwright in (The Telegraph)
… from Margaret Atwood in (The Guardian)
… and from James Lasdun on discovering her work later in life. (The New Yorker)
Are hotels the new literary havens? New parliamentary libraries in action

Cindy Wolfe Boynton on Amanda Lindhout and Sara Corbett’s A House in the Sky: “Its examination of evil and goodness asks readers to not just consider the contents of others’ hearts but, perhaps more important, the contents of their own.” (Doing Nothing


Simon Callow on Michael Blakemore’s Stage Blood: “A most unusual book indeed; one whose scope goes far beyond the theatre, though it is a landmark in writing about the life of the stage.” (Making a difference tell it as it is


And what of the anonymous author? Vulnerable words

Angelica Huston has stories aplenty to tell in her new memoir. With writers like this who needs cemeteries?

Scott Onak on Fiona McFarlane’s The Night Guest: ” a confident and engaging debut that poignantly depicts the final act of a life, the memories and loves that can (and can’t) be regained, and the mysterious visitor that we all become, eventually, to ourselves.” (Deep Down


Serial killer, Joseph Paul Franklin, cites the impact of Hilter’s MEIN KAMPF as instrumental in his rampage in what will likely be his final interview before lethal injection. And what of serial killers?