‘The water was cold but it soon warms up when the boys are made of sunshine.[1]  How queer is the love of heterosexual boys?: Andrew O’Hagan (2020) Mayflies London, Faber. Mayflies falls into two parts, the first set in Summer 1986 and the second in Autumn 2017. It tells the story of an interrupted relationship … More ‘The water was cold but it soon warms up when the boys are made of sunshine’. How queer is the love of heterosexual boys?: Andrew O’Hagan (2020) ‘Mayflies’.

‘What people see shapes how they treat you, Ma said again and again’.[1] ‘Sister, one is named, and the other, Brother. Sam swings in, then out, of the trading post’.[2]   Booker 2020 Longlist Selection no. 4: C. Pam Zhang (2020) How Much of These Hills Is Gold London, Virago. It is difficult to write … More ‘What people see shapes how they treat you, Ma said again and again’. Booker 2020 Longlist Selection no. 4: C. Pam Zhang (2020) ‘How Much of These Hills Is Gold’ London, Virago.

Do see this great film! Reflecting on Jane Austen’s Emma after seeing a recent magnificent screen version of Jane Austen’s novel: A film directed by Autumn de Wilde with screenplay by Eleanor Catton. I studied Jane Austen’s novel, published in 1815/16, Emma for A level in the 1960s. It opened my eyes to the link … More Do see this great film! Reflecting on Jane Austen’s ‘Emma’ after seeing a recent magnificent screen version of Jane Austen’s novel.

‘The taxi took the boy through the busy heart of Glasgow, … . They passed the Victorian train station, and he saw lost-looking boys his own age standing in bubble-shaped anoraks and tight denims, loitering around the arcades and amusements that clustered nearby’.[1]   Booker 2020 Longlist Selection no. 3: Douglas Stuart (2020) Shuggie Bain … More BOOKER WINNER: “lost-looking boys his own age standing in bubble-shaped anoraks and tight denims, loitering” Booker 2020 Longlist Selection no. 3: Douglas Stuart (2020) ‘Shuggie Bain’.

Queer ethics and re-reading Vikram Seth’s (1986) The Golden Gate: A Novel New York, Random House & London, Faber and Faber. ‘Ed frowns: “ I can still strive for purity / Of heart – “ “… While in its sweet maturity / Your lovely body dries unused? / Ed, if that’s so, you’ll have abused … More Queer ethics and re-reading Vikram Seth’s (1986) ‘The Golden Gate: A Novel’ New York, Random House.

2020 Booker Shortlist & Longlist below. – The Books I read this year. FINAL update – 16th Sept. (history: 24th Aug, 1st Sept., 2nd Sept, 9th Sept (x 2.), 15th Sept (SHORTLIST DAY). Publication material in italics if NOT on shortlist I’m aiming to keep these lower (perhaps very low) – certainly than the full … More 2020 Booker Shortlist – The Books I read this year. winner IS SHUGGIE BAIN. Yay!

‘… folded up into this language that robs the world of all its honesty. … this oblique shadow-speak’.[1]  Booker 2020 Longlist Selection no. 2: Brandon Taylor (2020) Real Life London, Daunt Book Originals. Brandon Taylor is a black queer writer who feels that some books, like his book, answer a need for black queer men … More ‘… folded up into this language that robs the world of all its honesty. … this oblique shadow-speak’.[1] Booker 2020 Longlist Selection no. 2: Brandon Taylor (2020) Real Life

Queering the plot of the romantic novel: The role of the Rajkumar and other queer doings in Vikram Seth’s (1993) A Suitable Boy (with some reference to the 2020 BBC adaptation). When vast novels like A Suitable Boy are televised we expect cuts, and perhaps compensatory minimal additions, that have an effect on the plot … More Queering the romantic novel: The Rajkumar and other queer doings in Vikram Seth’s (1993) ‘A Suitable Boy’ (with little references to the BBC).

Sense and Nonsense, Determined or Free: Making sense of a subjective project that is the making of Paola Igliori’s (1992) Entrails, Heads & Tails: Photographic essays and conversations on the everyday with contemporary artists New York, Rizzoli International Publications This book could be seen as a map that indicates some extreme point of entrance to … More Sense and Nonsense, Determined or Free: Making sense of a subjective project that is the making of Paola Igliori’s (1992) ‘Entrails, Heads & Tails’.

‘”… we overload summer most out of all the seasons, I mean with our expectations of it.” “… Summers can take it. That’s why they’re called summers.”’ Reflecting on Ali Smith’s (2020) Summer London, Hamish Hamilton How long have we hoped for and expected the arrival of Summer? Since, at least, the Autumn of four … More “… Summers can take it. That’s why they’re called summers.”’ Reflecting on Ali Smith’s (2020) ‘Summer’ London, Hamish Hamilton

The ‘literary event’ and David Mitchell’s (2020) Utopia Avenue London, Sceptre Books, Hodder & Stoughton On the 14th July 2020, on the day of publication of Utopia Avenue , David Mitchell appeared with Claire Armistead, the latter moderating on behalf of The Guardian, in an online literary launch under the then Covid-19 conditions. David Mitchell … More The ‘literary event’ and David Mitchell’s (2020) ‘Utopia Avenue’

‘On borrowed time always, …. but every moment ae it pure electricity’.[1] A ‘heavy gay’ look at redeeming time in Graeme Armstrong’s (2020) The Young Team London, Picador. This is a difficult novel to talk about appropriately. My own training, which I often regret, in the reading and teaching of the tradition of the novel … More ‘On borrowed time always, …. but every moment ae it pure electricity’. A ‘heavy gay’ look at redeeming time in Graeme Armstrong’s (2020) ‘The Young Team’