2nd May 2008

Recently, I've read four fantastic books -

"The Private Lives of Pippa Lee" - Rebecca Miller

A strange, unputdownable debut, beautifully and bleakly written with a twist in the closing pages that made me want to weep with frustration but at the same time was absolutely fitting with the rest of the novel - read it and you'll see what I mean. Wonderful.

"The Cutting Room" - Louise Welsh

I bought this on a whim after seeing the word "Rilke" on the back cover (impulsive, moi?!), but am thoroughly glad that I did so. I hadn't read anything like it before and, to be honest, in theory it's not my kind of thing - a crime novel, set in Glasgow. However, I loved its gritty realism, its beautifully human (and, by association, flawed) protagonist and cast of characters that are great because they aren't conventionally -good- characters, if that makes any sense. The plot is a trifle convoluted and there's an awkward sex scene or two, but it's a thoroughly enjoyable read and one I plan to reread in the future. Her novella "Tamburlaine Must Die" is also well worth a look.

"Gawain And The Green Knight" - Simon Armitage
"Tyrannosaurus Rex vs The Corduroy Kid" - Simon Armitage

I'm going to stand up and admit it. I love Simon Armitage. You may scoff. You may show me his cliches, his difficult turns of phrase, you can mutter darkly about his inclusion on the -horror of horrors- GCSE syllabus...and I won't care. I think that the way that he uses words is nothing short of masterful, and I know it's cliched and I know that all the reviewers have said it, but his translation (if that's the correct term to use - it's not a straight academic translation by any means, as Armitage is at pains to point out in his very interesting prologue) really does breathe new life into the original. Just look at this -

And the wars were one thing, but winter was worse:
clouds shed their cargo of crystallised rain
which froze as it fell to the frost-glazed earth.
With nerves frozen numb he napped in his armour,
biouvacked in the blackness among bare rocks
where melt-water streamed from the snow-capped summits
and high overhead hung chandeliers of ice.

I've read several translations of "Gawain", but Armitage's stands apart - he preserves the ring, the thumping cadence of the original and even the alliteration. Highly recommended.

"Tyrannosaurus Rex..." is an interesting collection. It addresses the requisite political issues (KX) but there's also more of a focus on the emotional side of Armitage's poetry that we've previously seen in the 1993 collection "Book Of Matches" - and, personally, the side that I value most. Some of these poems are really moving, especially "The Spelling" and "Fisherwood" in which Armitage discusses his grief over his father's death and the lack of communication between them -

And I am all grief, staring through black space
to meet his eyes, trying to read his face.
(The Spelling)

I'll sit for a while and I'll weep;

under my eyelids, northern lights
and solar flares shimmer and rage
(Fisherwood)

- a lack of communication previously explored in "My Father Thought It Bloody Queer.." As a final note, included in the collection is an extract from Armitage's translation of "The Odyssey" which is very good indeed...and is currently sitting on the shelf in the bookshop, just screaming for me to buy it. Must curb insatiable book-buying habit! And just to further expand upon my deep and somewhat disturbing desire for aforementioned Simon A, I bought a ticket for Latitude festival earlier, at which he is reading. Hurrah!

What I'm Reading At The Moment

The Bullet Trick - Louise Welsh

A little too-self conscious, and disappointing thus far. Hmm.

Any Human Heart - William Boyd

I'm enjoying this! I'm a huge Evelyn Waugh fan, and I love the way that Boyd skillfully weaves real authors and artists in and out of the fictional Logan Mounstuart's life, and the way that Logan is so believable as a character. I look forward to reading more.