Of course I'd forgotten about the hosepipe ban. There I was happily watering all the cabbages and turnips, and some strange Italian green vegetable whose name I don't know but tastes very nice, when I was promptly reminded of the water shortage - thought it was only a problem in the South-East? And if there is a drought can someone explain to me why our back garden is still like a swamp?
All of a sudden the books have dried up. We've had no books for about ten days now, and I'm beginning to feel a bit bereft each morning when I pick up the post. It won't last long of course - soon we'll be drowning under the weight of books sent to us for each writer we have programmed. However, to keep me sane until the office book drought ends the lovely people at Transmission have sent me a copy of their latest issue, which I had a quick flick through this morning, and am looking forward to taking home with me tonight. If you haven't had a chance to read this magazine yet, buy one immediately.
Having seen it praised so much in various places, particularly Bookworld, when I saw a copy of Pinkerton's Sister by Peter Rushforth, looking lonely in Waterstone's one day I decided to liberate it. I began reading it last night, and am enjoying it - although I've only read five pages so that could all change!
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Sunday, June 11, 2006
Science for the Everyman
So here we are, the final day of the Cheltenham Science Festival. Its been a bit of a departure for me - an interesting one nonetheless. So far I've learnt that the temperature of liquid Nitrogen is -196 degrees C; that stress does not exist, partly because the guy who named it got his words in a muddle when he stole it from the engineering bunch, it should have been strain; that caterers will go to extraordinary lengths to be classified as truly awful; that it is possible to get heat stroke without going anywhere near the sun - cue very bad things happening to me yesterday.
The transfer of my attentions from literature to science got off to a bad start: Zadie Smith winning the Orange Prize (if you still haven't got a copy of Everyman's Rules for Scientific Living, why not?), however, working on the Science Festival has meant that I have been able to ignore that, and one event in particular restored my faith in good literature. A project in New Zealand involving a group of physicists and a group of writers has resulted in a book called Are Angels Ok? I don't know if its available anywhere in the UK yet - except Ottakar's in Cheltenham - but it is well worth buying.
I overheard someone yesterday saying that the festival was more for people already interested in science than for bringing science to those who are not. But for me all the festivals here are about bringing their subject to the everyman; yes we are here for those who already have an interest, but we are also here to provide an interest. Personally my interest in science has decreased over the years and ended in my failing A Level biology: this week I've been reminded that I did once have an interest in a range of scientific subjects and I might even have developed interests in a few more.
The transfer of my attentions from literature to science got off to a bad start: Zadie Smith winning the Orange Prize (if you still haven't got a copy of Everyman's Rules for Scientific Living, why not?), however, working on the Science Festival has meant that I have been able to ignore that, and one event in particular restored my faith in good literature. A project in New Zealand involving a group of physicists and a group of writers has resulted in a book called Are Angels Ok? I don't know if its available anywhere in the UK yet - except Ottakar's in Cheltenham - but it is well worth buying.
I overheard someone yesterday saying that the festival was more for people already interested in science than for bringing science to those who are not. But for me all the festivals here are about bringing their subject to the everyman; yes we are here for those who already have an interest, but we are also here to provide an interest. Personally my interest in science has decreased over the years and ended in my failing A Level biology: this week I've been reminded that I did once have an interest in a range of scientific subjects and I might even have developed interests in a few more.
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Orange Squash
I'm taking a brief moment to escape the insanities which come with the 'get-in' of a festival. This week its Cheltenham Science Festival (7th-11th June), and I have to say from what I can see from my office it looks rather fun. I'll be making a temporary switch from literature to science for the next few days while I work on the Science Festival, and may even get round to reading a few scientific type books (I'm rather pleased that one of the events I'll be working on is with Gavin Pretor-Pinney the author of the Cloudspotter's Guide - I like the idea of cloudspotting, it sounds faintly therapeutic for want of a better word.)
In the meantime we've been discussing the Orange Prize for Fiction. According to the Observer Zadie Smith (On Beauty) is the favorite to win, but I've yet to find anyone who liked it, better to go away and read Howard's End instead; I've read the Ali Smith (The Accidental), and although a very fine novel I'm not sure if I think it a little too clever for its own good, but the prose is wonderful and the voice of twelve year old Astrid is outstanding; then there's Sarah Waters (The Night Watch) no denying its a good and popular book, I like the structure, and there are some exceptionally beautiful moments, but, but ... does it have the edge? Of the other three I've heard very good things about Hilary Mantel's Beyond Black and the book is currently staring at me rather intently from the shelf to my left, just catching my eye whenever I answer the phone: when we first discussed the shortlist a month ago it was this book which I said would win, I've no idea why. My ability to comment on the The History of Love by Nicole Krauss is rated at zero since I've very little idea what it is about and I've never read anything she's written. Then there is Carrie Tiffany with Everyman's Rules for Scientific Living - if there were a prize for best title this would win it - which I read over the weekend, a wonderful book in everyway, a brilliantly pitched underlying humour, an understanding of the complexities of failure - however minor and of whatever type -if you haven't got a copy, why not?.
This year's shortlist has been called one of the strongest in the prize's history. Its a bit of a squash of literary talent in there. You can see the prize ceremony via webcast between 6.30pm and 7.30pm tonight.
Oh and just in case you were wondering we're vying for Carrie Tiffany.
In the meantime we've been discussing the Orange Prize for Fiction. According to the Observer Zadie Smith (On Beauty) is the favorite to win, but I've yet to find anyone who liked it, better to go away and read Howard's End instead; I've read the Ali Smith (The Accidental), and although a very fine novel I'm not sure if I think it a little too clever for its own good, but the prose is wonderful and the voice of twelve year old Astrid is outstanding; then there's Sarah Waters (The Night Watch) no denying its a good and popular book, I like the structure, and there are some exceptionally beautiful moments, but, but ... does it have the edge? Of the other three I've heard very good things about Hilary Mantel's Beyond Black and the book is currently staring at me rather intently from the shelf to my left, just catching my eye whenever I answer the phone: when we first discussed the shortlist a month ago it was this book which I said would win, I've no idea why. My ability to comment on the The History of Love by Nicole Krauss is rated at zero since I've very little idea what it is about and I've never read anything she's written. Then there is Carrie Tiffany with Everyman's Rules for Scientific Living - if there were a prize for best title this would win it - which I read over the weekend, a wonderful book in everyway, a brilliantly pitched underlying humour, an understanding of the complexities of failure - however minor and of whatever type -if you haven't got a copy, why not?.
This year's shortlist has been called one of the strongest in the prize's history. Its a bit of a squash of literary talent in there. You can see the prize ceremony via webcast between 6.30pm and 7.30pm tonight.
Oh and just in case you were wondering we're vying for Carrie Tiffany.
Friday, June 02, 2006
Picador Shots
There I was complaining - again - about the lack of respect shown by publishers towards the short story, when one of our programming directors rang me to ask if I could get my hands on some copies of a new series of short stories published by Picador. I'm very fond of Picador - they have a good list, and have managed to maintain a good list for decades, and I like the fact that for a long time all their paperbacks had the same design on the spine - white with black writing - so there appeared to be some sort of unity on your bookshelf: even if in reality it was the opposite.
And now I like them even more because their new series - Picador Shots - is twleve short stories, each published in an individual book - which is small enough to fit in the back pocket of your jeans, but big enough to read - and the list of writers is good too: Jackie Kay, Colm Toibin, Aleksandar Hemon, Claire Messud, Nell Freudenberger, James Salter, Niall Williams, Craig Davidson, Shalom Auslander, Tim Winton, Bret Easton Ellis, and Matthew Kneale. The series is launched on the 16th June 2006 - in fact everything is happening on 16th June so its obviously a favorite date in the literary calendar.
And at £1 a book there is no excuse not to buy at least one book in the series (in some cases there are two stories in each book), so get out there in June and buy them, read them, leave them on a bus, train, park bench, in the staff room, for someone else to read after you. Use them to get your daily shot of short story in the same way you drink smoothies to get a dose of fruit. But most of all: love them for loving the short story form - and there is something oddly loveable about the little pastle coloured books which tumbled out of the post onto my desk this morning.
And now I like them even more because their new series - Picador Shots - is twleve short stories, each published in an individual book - which is small enough to fit in the back pocket of your jeans, but big enough to read - and the list of writers is good too: Jackie Kay, Colm Toibin, Aleksandar Hemon, Claire Messud, Nell Freudenberger, James Salter, Niall Williams, Craig Davidson, Shalom Auslander, Tim Winton, Bret Easton Ellis, and Matthew Kneale. The series is launched on the 16th June 2006 - in fact everything is happening on 16th June so its obviously a favorite date in the literary calendar.
And at £1 a book there is no excuse not to buy at least one book in the series (in some cases there are two stories in each book), so get out there in June and buy them, read them, leave them on a bus, train, park bench, in the staff room, for someone else to read after you. Use them to get your daily shot of short story in the same way you drink smoothies to get a dose of fruit. But most of all: love them for loving the short story form - and there is something oddly loveable about the little pastle coloured books which tumbled out of the post onto my desk this morning.
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