The book I am currently reading
Iâm in the rereading phase of my life. Just finished Shirley Hazzardâs
The Transit of Venus for the third time. Quite something, to be freshly overwhelmed by the greatness of a book youâve read twice before: every page, every paragraph, every sentence.
The book that changed my life
A play in the form of a book in the form of a record, to be precise: Shakespeareâs
Richard III. We were doing it for O-level. A woman my mum worked with at my old junior school liked Shakespeare and had an LP of an edited version of the play with one of those Hammer horror actors, Peter Cushing or Christopher Lee (I forget which), as Richard. She lent it to me and that, combined with the lessons by a wonderful teacher at grammar school, led to my becoming swallowed up in the currents and eddies of language. I still know huge chunks of the play off by heart. The nice thing about this story is that my mum and her friend werenât
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What happened before? Itâs a perennial question that curious readers have put to authors, almost as frequently as, what happened after? And it has given rise to that increasingly popular genre, the prequel.
Sometimes, the author writes it. Alice Hoffman, V.C. Andrews and Irvine Walsh have all given us prequels to their notable novels: Walshâs
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Nick Carraway, as played by Tobey Maguire in Baz Lurhmannâs âThe Great Gatsbyâ, gets new life in Michael Farris Smithâs prequel to F. Scott Fitzgeraldâs novel.
Why cities emptied by COVID-19 are perfect for modern flaneurs
Copying the approach of Baudelaire’s quizzical stroller can help us escape lockdown even if he needs a little updating
By Chris Moss / The Guardian
Charles Baudelaire, whose 200th birthday yesterday was celebrated with stamp issues, new editions of his poetry and virtual events, is arguably more famous for his concept of the flaneur an aimless stroller or ambler than for his writing. That’s partly because reading his volumes Les Fleurs du Mal or Le Spleen de Paris requires a degree of application, but also because the idea of an individual moving through the city streets and finding aesthetic pleasure in the teeming crowds, appeals to us and continues to chime. At least, it did until spring last year, when the crowds were told to stay at home.
Problem parents: My Phantoms, by Gwendoline Riley, reviewed spectator.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from spectator.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.