Different Journeys

Maggie's back from olive-picking in the scorching heat (for her adventures and impressions of life on the West Bank, you'll need to read her own detailed and excellent blog, http://magssjournal.blogspot.com/, it's much more interesting than mine, and convinces me I must go out there with her next time, next year.

While she was away I did catch up with quite a bit of reading, though, and can particularly recommend Hans Fallada's wonderful novel Little Man, What Now? This dates from 1932, and is a chilling and quite fascinating account of an ordinary young couple's struggles to survive in Germany with the deutschmark worth almost nothing and Nazism on the rise. Fallada (1893-1947) was a great social realist writer with terrific storytelling ability. The other 2 novels of his that I'd previously read, still more gripping – and even better translated, by the redoubtable John Willett and Michael Hofmann respectively – are The Drinker and Alone In Berlin. Quite extreme and extraordinary, like 'Fallada's' own life! I'd eagerly read anything else available in English by this German author, which means for me he's in the class of Joseph Roth, Brecht and B.Traven…

Picked up a mint and clearly unread copy for 50p in a local charity shop, of Michel Houellebecq's The Possibility Of An Island, his latest, longest and most savagely satirical novel. I think he's my favourite contemporary French novelist: this is no letdown and pulls no punches. It's sharp and funny and scathing about the world and all of us in it. I think he hates and despises religion and bogus belief-systems (including the media and consumer society) as much as I do, so I could even forgive him a couple of passing swipes at 2 of my heroes, Joyce and Nabokov! Houellebecq clearly loves causing offence and tackling the most potentially painful and/or universally sensitive issues, such as sex, aging and death, and good luck to him, for he'll need it if he carries on as grimly, hilariously and outrageously as this, and doesn't drink himself into oblivion first.

As for film, Peter Strickland's exciting debut Katalin Varga is simply unmissable. The best new British indie work in years, made on a shoestring (a thirty thousand quid legacy), subtitled (it's in Romanian and Hungarian), and beautifully shot and acted in some of the most stunning areas of Transylvania. It's the cinematic equivalent of a page-turner like those mentioned above, and is guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat. Thanks, Mr Strickland, you're quite an auteur, and I hope you can get funding to make more movies: those pupils of yours at your Reading school are lucky indeed to have a teacher like you, but everyone who's seen your film will also be hoping that you don't have to stay there for too much longer.

A Religious Rant

I'm looking forward to Maggie's return tomorrow and to hearing in detail about her trip helping Palestinian farmers with their olive harvest: the aggressive Zionist settlers and the IDF bully and brutalize their victims daily to an almost incredible level of hostility, a murderous fanaticism. Ah if only we could simply do away with religion, all religions, and just behave towards each other like decent human beings and partners on this earth – sharing it and caring for it, not stealing and destroying it! 

But hey, all's OK in the UK, for C of E parson-persons can now turn RC and happily bow down to His Holiness the Blessed Krautpope Ben Ratzinger: it seems the absurd and bumbling Rowan The Beard, Archbish of Cant, was unprepared for this recent slippery-popery manoeuvre. Maybe St Tony, with his uncanny gift for following the real power and money, guilt-free at that – he himself a man who managed the conversion bit (or crossover bid) a while back – might have tipped Williams the wink? So much for current Christian 'unity': yet nearly all the other cults and sects, the heresies and -isms and schisms, are as ridiculous and/or abhorrent. Such silly gibberish, promoted by 57 different varieties of men in skirts, does at least advance the world's necessary move towards a rational and humane atheism: let's hope common sense prevails soonest.

For the last few days I've been a 'grass widower'. Odd term, that, which the Rev Ebenezer Brewer will doubtless clear up for me when I look it up in his amazing Dictionary Of Phrase And Fable. (I tend not to google such things but prefer to look em up in my own more than adeqate library, inveterate bookman that I am…)

So, left to my own devices, I've been getting round finally to reading various books piled up on my shelves, including J. G. Ballard's last fiction, Kingdom Come. I'm two thirds of the way through, and it seems to me he remained on absolutely cracking form. (The very last book, his poignant memoir, Miracles Of Life, is a quite superb swansong.) I've read almost all Jim's books now, in the order they appeared, more or less, and consider him a true original, one of the most readable and significant English language authors of the 20th and 21st centuries. 

Way back during the paperback boom of the 1960s we were both published by the wonderful Panther Books, and had several convivial meetings, thanks to a couple of editors there. He signed my copy of his 1967 book The Disaster Area thus: Alexis, From one disaster area to another, Jim. A friendly and humorous man whose work had both style and substance. I wish we'd met again and/or corresponded more than very occasionally over the years. But I was pleased to have introduced Jim, via my first book about her, to the work of Jean Rhys, whom he said he intended to read 'Pronto'. This was nine years ago now. A few weeks back, I heard his quietly ironic, slightly drawling voice again – extracts from various old radio interviews: it only served to remind one what a fine and prescient writer we'd lost.

Haikus launched

I'm never quite sure about the plural, should it be haikai? But that word does look a bit too unfamiliar if not over-pedantic for English readers! At any rate, the book was launched very successfully. Exeter Picturehouse bar is an ideal and friendly venue, PA system and all, and through the evening about 60 people turned up (lovely to see all you excellent people, the cream of Exe intelligentsia?!) Lots of books sold, and I was particularly pleased to see the fine photographer Ed Hughes, who provided that great monochrome cover image. We'd never met previously, just corresponded via email. Ed's photo, taken looking out of a ruined house in Balaclava, Crimea, is stunning and perfect for the book: much appreciated, while the whole production seems to have found favour generally. We plan to repeat the gig at a different Devon venue in early December. Watch this space!

Checking Out The Daily Mail!

Eh? Ken Clay might raise an eyebrow here, the DM's not my usual read, but its front pages (10 Oct) covered the 'Iraq Service of Remembrance 2003-9', starring our gracious Monarch and the Archbish of Cant.  Stealing the show though was St Tony – raddled-looking in closeup. He was rightly rebuffed by Paul Brierley, one irate bereaved father he'd thoughtlessly offered to shake hands with. Blah was told angrily that he had blood on his hands. The somewhat bewildered war criminal is an outstandingly thickskinned creature, but Bliar's insensitivity and vanity know no bounds, it seems. He'd even autographed the Form of Service, as if it were some Mourner's Menu or Celeb Carte du Jour. Some crass christianity in action here. The EU if it's 'headed up' by Blare will surely lose global goodwill and credibility.

My own rants in Unholy Empires re this sanctimonious crook were justifiably satirical, I thought, but as for Phony Tony, murderous millionaire and purveyor of Middle East peace, this unimpeachable truthteller and man of Phaith has now ascended beyond mere satire and into the sublime reaches of Celestial Surreality.

plug for Trevor!

Went to Trevor Hamilton's book launch at Topsham yesterday. He's written an interesting book on FWH Myers, yet another Victorian oddball, wealthy eccentric, explorer of the paranormal, spiritualism etc. Myers was also in his day a well-regarded poet and philosopher. Trevor has done some amazing research and writes well so I'm looking forward to reading this (beautifully produced and illustrated) book, Immortal Longings. It's definitely the sort of thing Fortean Times devotees would enjoy.

Haiku book launch - stills and moving images

new collection, Haiku Of Five Decades, is being launched at Exeter Picturehouse on Monday evening 12 Oct from 7-9. I'll be doing a short reading at about 8. if you haven't already received your invitation, please come! and a big thank you to Ed Hughes for his superb black and white photographic image which he's let us use for the book cover.

talking of Exeter Picturehouse, yesterday saw there Andrea Arnold's terrific new film, Fish Tank. she's quite a talent and a young one at that. anyone who hasn't seen her first prizewinning film Red Road should catch up with it soonest - it's on DVD.