My thoughts about books, writing, life and so many other things….Judy Leigh/ Elena Collins.
When Franca Rame died in 2013, aged 84, the Italians at her funeral remembered her by wearing red clothes with red roses,as she had requested. She was a superstar, grieved in much the same way as recently departed cultural icons have been remembered after their deaths, surrounded by tributes and superlatives. In this country, Rame's husband and professional …
Continue reading Franca Rame: behind the great man there was a superstar
'The Dressmaker,' a novel by Rosalie Ham, was recommended to me by a writer who knows what she's about. It is out on film at the moment starring Kate Winslet and it really doesn't look like my thing. Set in Australia, the novel's strapline reads 'an unforgettable tale of love and hate and haute couture.' …
Continue reading Review: The Dressmaker – mischief and mayhem
I have two wonderful friends who both hate football. They hate it with a vengeance. They are both brilliant musicians - I am not sure if that is a relevant factor - as if, in some way, being a specific kind of underpaid genius is a fair reason which justifies their sustained disdain for all things football. Friend …
During Jeremy Corbyn's response to David Cameron setting out his position on Europe and the upcoming referendum yesterday, the leader of the opposition was prevented from delivering his opinion due to some lengthy heckling, including the interruption of 'Who are you?' implying that leaders of other socialist parties in Europe didn't know who he is. This came from the Tory …
Continue reading Punch and Judy politics? Send them to the naughty step!
I watched 'The Program', the biopic of Lance Armstrong's exploits, which deals with his fight against cancer and his decision to take performance enhancing drugs in order to become a Tour de France winner. The film relates the story of Armstrong, from his early days of being a competitive young rider, through his battle with cancer, …
Continue reading ‘The Program’ – blood bags, syringes and sleuth.
I used to blog about food: in particular, I used to blog vegan recipes. Apparently, veganism is a bit of a trend at the moment: Beyoncé has given it a whirl and famous full-time vegans include Joaquin Phoenix, Alec Baldwin and Prince, Natalie Portman, Grace Slick and Morrissey. I've been a vegan for years - …
I have just read David Mitchell's 'Slade House'. It took me a day and I didn't put it down. What a clever book! Again, no spoilers from me for anyone who hasn't read it yet, but there is a scarily weird place, Slade House, where things happen and have happened in the past, which the reader …
Continue reading Slade House – David Mitchell. Come in and feel the noise!
Everyone is talking about Europe at the moment and , in particular, the referendum in June (probably). We will all be asked to decide on whether we want to stay in the European Union or not, and there are many voices out there, in the media, telling us what we should think. Most of these …
Continue reading Europe – to be in or not to be in? That is the question.
I’ve never had Writer’s Block. Instead, a more sinister affliction has taken hold. I know many writers who claim to have had 'Writer's Block'. They sit at the computer and stare at the screen and mutter 'Oh, what can I write?' A day goes by and ideas don't arrive, and they go for a walk …
Continue reading Writer’s Block? No way! But is this even worse?
Picture this: there we all were, in the middle of a country in West Africa. It was the end of the day on a beach, a superb sunset and four of us looking for food. We were an Iraqi pleasure seeker, a ravenous omnivore, a Buddhist from Burma and, the difficult one, as always, me, the …
