My thoughts about books, writing, life and so many other things….Judy Leigh/ Elena Collins.
Tom Jones sang 'What's new, Pussycat?' in 1967. That was nearly fifty years ago and thank goodness attitudes to women have changed since then. He suggested his girlfriend: 'go and powder your cute little pussycat nose.' I'd tell him where to go! Current attitudes suggest that men and women play equal roles and make joint decisions …
I have always allied myself to the Labour party and I am not about to change. I must admit, I was a Millifan during the run up to the last election and I foolishly hoped that Ed would have what it would takes to become our Prime Minister. I saw Ed speak at a Fabian Society conference and I was …
Stuart: A Life Backwards: a review We've all had the discussion: is the film better than the book? Is the book more meaningful than the film? In the case of Alexander Masters's book, 'Stuart: A Life Backwards,' the answer is, absolutely, that both are equally impressive. Alexander Masters's book is an account of his unlikely …
'Korkoro' is one of my favourite films. Directed by Tony Gatlif, a French Algerian of Roma ethnicity, it came out in 2010 and is one of those World War Two films you may not have seen, but it is a real gem. It documents the rarely-mentioned topic of porajmos, the Romani holocaust. It is set …
Continue reading Korkoro: Come, let’s away to prison: We two alone will sing like birds i’ the cage
How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable Seem to me all the uses of this world! Fie on ’t, ah fie! 'Tis an unweeded garden That grows to seed. Things rank and gross in nature Possess it merely. That it should come to this. In actual fact, I am now on 81,000 words and coming to …
Continue reading When my novel is an unweeded garden that grows to seed
When Hamlet tells Polonius he is reading 'words, words, words,' I think he is implying that each page is the same, that the words written there have no relevant meaning and go on and on for the reader with no real impact or benefit. Sarah Winman's novel 'A Year of Marvellous Ways' is a delight of words. She is in …
On his way to England where he has been banished, Hamlet encounters a captain who tells him that the Norwegian army is riding to fight the Poles. Hamlet asks about the conflict, and he is told that both sides will fight over “a little patch of land / That hath in it no profit but the …
If I were to find myself in a position where I would write a thesis about someone who had a creative and intriguing life, a contender for my research and attention would be the priest and poet, Gerard Manley Hopkins, (1844-1889). He had a fascinating and tragic time on earth: his life was short and his experiences harsh, but …
Continue reading Hopkins’ poems: sprung rhythm and ‘unmanly grief’?
I am Judy, and I am a vegan. I try to keep it quiet, except in restaurants. Over the years I have developed the skill of asking for something I can eat, latterly even expecting it. I have had well over 20 years of practice. I am not a quiet vegan in my blogging, however. I blog …
Continue reading Vegans. Are they the paragon of animals or have they lost all their mirth?
Steven Gerrard is something of a Hamlet figure to me: he possesses the Danish prince's intelligence and wit, albeit in his feet. He has a fatal flaw - he will never achieve his full potential: remember the slip at Chelsea. He is a hero figure: the night in Istanbul and the dynamism of his leadership …
That quintessence of dust 