Jenni Fagan is one of the most interesting figures in Scottish and probably world literature right now. She was already an award-winning poet when her debut novel, The Panopticon, came out in 2013 and established her reputation. It’s the narrative of a teenage girl, Anais, who has grown up in care. At the start of … Continue reading 21st century Scotland’s answer to J.G. Ballard
Category: on books
In praise of Edwin Morgan
It's a tough ask, but If I had to name my favourite poet, it would be Edwin Morgan. I love the playfulness of his language and the way he experimented with so many different forms: sonnets, concrete poetry, epics... he tried them all. Morgan's poetry is impossible to separate from his native city of Glasgow, … Continue reading In praise of Edwin Morgan
Book Review: A Gentleman in Moscow
If Marco Roth is right and we’re currently living in the age of the ‘neuronovel’, then Amor Towles’ A Gentleman in Moscow, published last year in the UK, might be considered the antithesis of that trend. With his aristocratic protagonist (reduced to waitering in the hotel where he used to reside as a gentleman of leisure), … Continue reading Book Review: A Gentleman in Moscow
Book sumo: narrowing the field
Sometimes it can feel as if there are too many books out there and not enough time to read a fraction of them. This is especially true when you discover a new writer. Are you going to invest the time in reading more of their books, or will you turn away from them like a … Continue reading Book sumo: narrowing the field
In search of narratives
At the risk of stating the obvious, we live in uncertain times. Whether any times can be described as certain is a moot point, but if uncertainty, like autism, is a spectrum, then these days we seem to be pretty far along it. What marks us out for a particularly high dose of uncertainty is … Continue reading In search of narratives
New Ragged Trousers
My parents are both leftists, and so it was only natural that our book case contained a dog-eared copy of The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists. The spine was cracking, its antiquity proven by the sale price in shillings and pence. But strangely - because I at least attempted most of the books in those shelves - … Continue reading New Ragged Trousers
Review: Captain Abdul’s Pirate School
My daughter recently turned four, and things piratical had already been on her radar, but since we read Colin McNaughton's Captain Abdul's Pirate School they have become an obsession. This is all good with me. Pirates are a change from Elsa and Anna, and McNaughton's story with illustrations is a belter. "My Dad says he wanted to … Continue reading Review: Captain Abdul’s Pirate School
