Hidden Gems III – Pheobe (1909) by Mel Bonis
Quite rightfully, the work of composers such as Lili Boulanger (1893-1918) are being rediscovered with enthusiasm. Written a year before her death at just 24, Vieille prière bouddhique is a … Continue reading
Rough around the edges
Roughing It – Mark Twain. Penguin Classics. 1982 In the years before he settled down to write about Huck Finn, Mr Clemens vagabonded around for a while, travelling from Missouri … Continue reading
Lincoln in the Bardo
Lincoln in the Bardo – George Saunders. Random House. Part-Beckett, Part-Brautigan (in places it even reminded me of Mervyn Peake) George Saunders’ first novel is set in the Bardo – … Continue reading
Too many cooks, and other hobbies
Shakespeare wrote King Lear in Quarantine, and Isaac Newton invented Calculus, so what have you been doing lately? In order to fend off psychological implosion, the masses have taken to … Continue reading
Hidden Gems II: Ramblin’ on my Mind
Whether you’re in the Mississippi Delta, or a poorly air conditioned cupboard room in the Scottish capital, good music hits home. Sadness is universal, and music makes that sadness sing. … Continue reading
Absolutely on Music
Absolutely on Music: Conversations with Seiji Ozawa – Haruki Murakami, Seiji Ozawa. tr. Jay Rubin. Harvill Secker. Any mention of Glenn Gould is usually enough to make me consider buying a … Continue reading
In Praise of Shadows
In Praise of Shadows – Jun’ichirō Tanizaki, tr. Harper and Seidensticker. Vintage. Tanizaki’s classic essay on Japanese aesthetics is beautiful and at times bewildering. From toilets to theatre … Continue reading
A Young Doctor’s Notebook
A Young Doctor’s Notebook – Mikhail Bulgakov; tr. Hugh Alpin. Alma Books. 1917 – The Tsar has abdicated, Lenin has published his April Theses, and there is chaos in Petrograd. … Continue reading
The everyday and the mini ecosphere
Stuck indoors, staring at spoons and ceilings, the massive, psychological fallout from our curtailed liberties remains to be seen. In the meantime, we’re urged to surfeit ourselves on … Continue reading
A Country in Romance
A New World Begins: A History of the French Revolution – Jeremy Popkin. Basic Books. In barroom debate, it comes as a surprise to many who are often the … Continue reading
Rhapsody of Rags 