As I worked on my review of Dušan Šarotar’s Panorama, I gathered quotations and I gathered reflections, and did my best to marry the two, one supporting the other. It took me back to my school days, my university days too, the point where writing feels more like brickwork than creativity, but generally an exercise where with a bit of thought and sweat you can produce something reasonably sturdy. Read the rest of this entry »
In 2013 a blog post appeared from two former students of the writer W.G. Sebald. They had returned to their notes and had gathered a list of remarks and tips from their teacher. Read the rest of this entry »
Eyeball Cards: The Art Of British CB Radio Culture by William Hogan and David Titlow offers a visual history of a particularly esoteric phenomenon, the production of “eyeball cards” CB radio enthusiasts shared with each other when they met in person.
I spend too much time looking at commons images. The images you can use and share without worrying about copyright or payment. They can improve a piece of writing and can sometimes offer an inspiration. They are generally one of the internet’s better rabbit holes, a glimpse into the past but also an alternate history, a motley collection of professional and amateur photography, strange illustrations from stranger books, carvings, engravings, lithographs, screengrabs. A world once there, a world gone, a world never known about.
There is a library I visit which is in the bowels of a big corporate building. You have to go down several flights of stairs, or take the lift, to enter. Libraries feel like an escape from the real world at the best of times. Heading underground makes that escape feel even more pronounced. Then there are the books to take you even further away. I’m sure the library sitting under a temple of commerce and capitalism says something too, but I wonder if it might be a little too trite or tidy to point that out too explicitly. We can all make our own conclusions there. Read the rest of this entry »
Wait until next year 