Tag: reviews

‘Stop saying words, my sister whispered back. I want to hear the story’. This is a blog  on Ali Smith (2024) ‘Gliff ‘.

August 28, 2026

‘Stop saying words, my sister whispered back. I want to hear the story’.[1] The paradox may be that we express our identity in words and names not in the process of telling and hearing our stories. I think Ali Smith thinks that may be true of the configuration of sex/gender too. This is a blog  … More ‘Stop saying words, my sister whispered back. I want to hear the story’. This is a blog  on Ali Smith (2024) ‘Gliff ‘.

‘Are we no all trying to get through our day without crying, or dying, or just fucking falling down and giving up?’ Seeing Alan Bissett as himself, Billy Connolly and a heart-breaking Alasdair Gray. Edinburgh Day one

August 16, 2026

So here I am at the age of fifty unemployable. Two weans. Nae savings. Nae pernsion. Shiteing myself. / So it does make you question some of your life choices. / But is that not what we are all doing? Are we no all questioning some of our choices? Are we no all worrying about … More ‘Are we no all trying to get through our day without crying, or dying, or just fucking falling down and giving up?’ Seeing Alan Bissett as himself, Billy Connolly and a heart-breaking Alasdair Gray. Edinburgh Day one

No wonder I felt tears watching Jakob M. Erwa’s 2016 film, ‘Die Mitte der Welt’ (‘Centre of My World’) based on the 1998 best-selling novel ‘The Centre of the World’ by Andreas Steinhöfel (with a note on Rachel Mason’s ‘The Circus of Books’).

August 14, 2026

‘Stell dir dein Leben vor wie ein großes Haus mit vielen Zimmern, Phil. … Manche sind groß und voller Licht und wieder andere sind dunkel, sie verbergen Schrecken und Kummer. Und ab und zu – nur ab und zu, hörst du ? – öffnet sich zu einem dieser schrecklichen Zimmer und du musst hineinsehen, ob … More No wonder I felt tears watching Jakob M. Erwa’s 2016 film, ‘Die Mitte der Welt’ (‘Centre of My World’) based on the 1998 best-selling novel ‘The Centre of the World’ by Andreas Steinhöfel (with a note on Rachel Mason’s ‘The Circus of Books’).

“If love be rough with you, be rough with love. / Prick love for pricking, and you beat love down.—”. A quotation is a thing used again to make it live, not a thing to save and favour in secret. This blog in honour of Sisu Theatre’s production of ‘Mabel’, a dark feminist fantasy on sex/gender and the death of Mercutio.

August 2, 2026

“If love be rough with you, be rough with love. / Prick love for pricking, and you beat love down.—”. A quotation is a thing used again to make it live, not a thing to save and favour in secret. This blog in honour of Sisu Theatre’s production of ‘Mabel’, a dark feminist fantasy on … More “If love be rough with you, be rough with love. / Prick love for pricking, and you beat love down.—”. A quotation is a thing used again to make it live, not a thing to save and favour in secret. This blog in honour of Sisu Theatre’s production of ‘Mabel’, a dark feminist fantasy on sex/gender and the death of Mercutio.

Changing the ending? The issue is not with ‘books’, so to speak, but with stories, where changed endings are only one form of a work, which must exist through history as ‘translations, versions, or adaptations of works’ that involve ‘a conversation with an earlier writer’. Let’s choose, then, as so many have already done, a story where conversations with the original are ‘an encounter … across the span of two-and-a-half millennia’. Part Two of an examination of three versions of ‘The Oresteia’ before Simon Stone’s brilliant version: the Family Romancing of White Power in ‘The Oresteia’ of Eugene O’Neill, ‘Mourning Becomes Electra’.

July 24, 2026

Changing the ending? The issue is not with ‘books’, so to speak, but with stories, where changed endings are only one form of a work, which must exist through history as ‘translations, versions, or adaptations of works’ that involve ‘a conversation with an earlier writer’. Let’s choose, then, as so many have already done, a … More Changing the ending? The issue is not with ‘books’, so to speak, but with stories, where changed endings are only one form of a work, which must exist through history as ‘translations, versions, or adaptations of works’ that involve ‘a conversation with an earlier writer’. Let’s choose, then, as so many have already done, a story where conversations with the original are ‘an encounter … across the span of two-and-a-half millennia’. Part Two of an examination of three versions of ‘The Oresteia’ before Simon Stone’s brilliant version: the Family Romancing of White Power in ‘The Oresteia’ of Eugene O’Neill, ‘Mourning Becomes Electra’.

This blog contains all I have to say of the experience of David Hare’s ‘Grace Pervades’ playing at the Haymarket Theatre (seen by me on 9th July at 14.30) and all I have to say about the experience of Simon Stone’s ‘The Oresteia’ playing at the Bridge Theatre (seen by me on 8th July at 19.00) at the moment at least with regard to the last named: for about the latter there will be more. The excuse it addresses is this one: “that since theatre is the basis of theatrical art, no drama in it could ever be anything more nor less than ‘theatrical'”.

July 14, 2026

This blog contains all I have to say of the experience of David Hare’s ‘Grace Pervades’ playing at the Haymarket Theatre (seen by me on 9th July at 14.30) and all I have to say about the experience of Simon Stone’s ‘The Oresteia’ playing at the Bridge Theatre (seen by me on 8th July at … More This blog contains all I have to say of the experience of David Hare’s ‘Grace Pervades’ playing at the Haymarket Theatre (seen by me on 9th July at 14.30) and all I have to say about the experience of Simon Stone’s ‘The Oresteia’ playing at the Bridge Theatre (seen by me on 8th July at 19.00) at the moment at least with regard to the last named: for about the latter there will be more. The excuse it addresses is this one: “that since theatre is the basis of theatrical art, no drama in it could ever be anything more nor less than ‘theatrical'”.

This blog uses Elizabeth Strout (2026) ‘The Things We Never Say’ as a test case for a thesis based on the difficulty of erasing trends from history. In it, the narrator says that Artie Dam, thinks his despair at the ‘state of the world’ relates to the hopeless hope that a dangerous right-wing demagogue does not win an American election fought(and won by the wrong person)  in the background of the narrative yet influential within it. However: ‘because he had studied history. He was aware that in all human existence there had never been a time where people were not killing one another, and why he had not been affected by this as strongly throughout his life as he was these days he could not understand’. As he gets home and removes his sailing boots he suddenly understands that his despair had another more primary cause: ‘It was an accretion of loneliness; …’.

July 12, 2026

This blog uses Elizabeth Strout (2026) The Things We Never Say London, Viking / Penguin as a test case for a thesis based on the difficulty of erasing trends from history. In it, the narrator says that Artie Dam, thinks his despair at the ‘state of the world’ relates to the hopeless hope that a … More This blog uses Elizabeth Strout (2026) ‘The Things We Never Say’ as a test case for a thesis based on the difficulty of erasing trends from history. In it, the narrator says that Artie Dam, thinks his despair at the ‘state of the world’ relates to the hopeless hope that a dangerous right-wing demagogue does not win an American election fought(and won by the wrong person)  in the background of the narrative yet influential within it. However: ‘because he had studied history. He was aware that in all human existence there had never been a time where people were not killing one another, and why he had not been affected by this as strongly throughout his life as he was these days he could not understand’. As he gets home and removes his sailing boots he suddenly understands that his despair had another more primary cause: ‘It was an accretion of loneliness; …’.

I’d tell him: everybody thinks each day full of nothing in particular, but you can construct your day differently! This is a blog on Ira Sach’s Peter Hujar’s Day.

June 16, 2026

I’d tell him: everybody thinks each day full of nothing in particular, but you can construct your day differenly! This is a blog on Ira Sach’s Peter Hujar’s Day The sub-title to Peter Bradshaw’s review in The Guardian of Ira Sach’s masterpiece Peter Hujar’s Day is: ‘Whishaw is not tested by this verbatim retelling of … More I’d tell him: everybody thinks each day full of nothing in particular, but you can construct your day differently! This is a blog on Ira Sach’s Peter Hujar’s Day.

In ‘Grace Pervades’, the character named Henry Irving, based on the great actor-manager says to Ellen Terry, ‘I await eagerly to see what you will do next. It’s always different’. She replies ‘Then how can it always be perfect?’ The answer to that might be the answer to the question: ‘If you could instantly master any skill, what would it be?’

June 14, 2026

In Grace Pervades, the character named Henry Irving, based on the great actor-manager says to Ellen Terry, ‘I await eagerly to see what you will do next. It’s always different’. She replies ‘Then how can it always be perfect?’ The answer to that might be the answer to the question: ‘If you could instantly master … More In ‘Grace Pervades’, the character named Henry Irving, based on the great actor-manager says to Ellen Terry, ‘I await eagerly to see what you will do next. It’s always different’. She replies ‘Then how can it always be perfect?’ The answer to that might be the answer to the question: ‘If you could instantly master any skill, what would it be?’

The French novel always went further than the English novel did, until the latter did it in ‘daring’ pastiche of the French in another art-form. This blog is my preparation to see the National Theatre live- streaming of Christopher Hampton’s ‘Les Liaisons Dangereuse’, adapted from the novel by Choderlos de Laclos written in 1782.

June 6, 2026

The French novel always went further than the English novel did, until the latter did it in ‘daring’ pastiche of the French in another art-form. This blog is my preparation to see the National Theatre live- streaming of Christopher Hampton’s ‘Les Liaisons Dangereuse‘, adapted from the novel by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos written in 1782. … More The French novel always went further than the English novel did, until the latter did it in ‘daring’ pastiche of the French in another art-form. This blog is my preparation to see the National Theatre live- streaming of Christopher Hampton’s ‘Les Liaisons Dangereuse’, adapted from the novel by Choderlos de Laclos written in 1782.

Relieving a man’s ‘urgent need’ on ‘Love Lane’:  This is a blog about that ‘surprising book’ by Patrick Gale (2026) ‘Love Lane’ London, Tinder Press.

May 8, 2026

Relieving a man’s ‘urgent need’ on ‘Love Lane’:  This is a blog about that ‘surprising book’ by Patrick Gale (2026) Love Lane London, Tinder Press. I have long been a reader and fan of Patrick Gale, though I have only written a blog on one of his novels, Mother’s Boy, a fictional biography of Charles … More Relieving a man’s ‘urgent need’ on ‘Love Lane’:  This is a blog about that ‘surprising book’ by Patrick Gale (2026) ‘Love Lane’ London, Tinder Press.

Making you the man of nerve or nerves you are: from hard resilience to soft and fearful retreat. A case study based on Nicholas Boggs (2026) ‘Baldwin: A  Love Story’ and the import he detects in Baldwin’s role as director of ‘Düşenin Dostu’ (‘Friend of the Fallen’ in English), the Turkish version of John Herbert’s ‘Fortune and Men’s Eyes’ in Istanbul.

April 21, 2026

Making you the man of nerve you are: from hard resilience to soft retreat. A case study based on Nicholas Boggs (2026) Baldwin: A  Love Story and the import he detects in Baldwin’s role as director of Düşenin Dostu (Friend of the Fallen in English), the Turkish version with its tellingly moralistic new Turkish title, of … More Making you the man of nerve or nerves you are: from hard resilience to soft and fearful retreat. A case study based on Nicholas Boggs (2026) ‘Baldwin: A  Love Story’ and the import he detects in Baldwin’s role as director of ‘Düşenin Dostu’ (‘Friend of the Fallen’ in English), the Turkish version of John Herbert’s ‘Fortune and Men’s Eyes’ in Istanbul.