The obituary of Sue Townsend in the Independent describes how Richmal Crompton’s William became the inspiration for Adrian Mole.
All posts by Bob Fowke
Karl Ove Knausgaard
For anyone interested in memoir, there’s an excellent review by Paul Binding in the Spectator of the third volume of Karl Ove Knausgaard’s six-volume autobiographical trilogy, Boyhood Island. (Translation of the last three volumes into English is not yet complete.) Knausgaard’s Proustian take on the nature of memory holds a warning for anyone embarking on a memoir. It is: ‘pragmatic, sly and artful’.
Mussolini and the Pope
David Kertzer’s subtle book on the relationship between Catholicism and Fascism is well reviewed in this article in the Guardian by Lucy Hughes-Hallett. David Kertzer describes how two authoritarian systems were obliged to accomodate each other – and how the Pope’s anti-semitism was arrived at independently. The Pope and Mussolini: The Secret History of Pius XI and the Rise of Fascism in Europe provides us with a close, if uncomfortable, look at an odd period of Italian history.
Self-Publishing History
Bob Fowke kicked off a new series of YouCaxton Literary Lectures in Shrewsbury last night. His theme was ‘The History of Self-Publishing from the Ten Commandments to Kindle E-Books‘. Further lectures will include Paul Binding on Scandinavian crime fiction, Toby Green on the development of trans-Atlantic trade and cultural patterns, Adrian Bailey on Evolution and Christianity and Dr. Anthony Lempert on religion and medicine.
Birmingham’s Shakespeare
Birmingham Public Library owns a rare copy, one of only 228 copies in existence, of the First Folio of Shakepeare’s works, published 1623. The book will be on display – for the first time – in the Shakespeare Memorial Room at the library, on 5th April as part of an exhibition ‘Library of Cultures’ that will also include an edition of Audubon’s Birds of America, 39 by 26 inches and perhaps the most beautiful of all illustrated bird books.
First world war diaries go online
The National Archives have announced the availability of their first tranche of First-World-War diaries, there’s a piece in the Guardian. The National Archives have digitised around 1.5 million pages of war diaries and will be releasing them throughout this year as part of their First-World-War centenary programme. This first batch of ‘unit war diaries’ are from the first three cavalry (WO 95/1096 to WO 95/1156) and the first seven infantry divisions (WO 95/1227 to WO 95/1670), part of the first wave of British troops deployed in France and Flanders. The diaries cover the entire period of the units’ involvement in the war, from their arrival on the front to their departure at the end of the war.
Self-Publishing – Birmingham and West Midlands
YouCaxton will be starting a monthly book clinic in Birmingham from February 2014. This will provide local writers with the opportunity to discuss their projects in person with one of our editorial staff. We are particularly interested in hearing from writers of books with connections to the West Midlands Region.
Shropshire War Memorials
Peter Francis
Peter Francis launched Shropshire War Memorials at Shrewsbury Library on 27 October at a well-attended talk.