Scandinavia

Why have the Scandinavian countries produced, in under twenty years, crime fiction that has mesmerised the world – Mankell’s Wallander, Nesbo’s Harry Hole novels and on T.V. The Killing and Borgen, watched by millions?

Paul Binding will be giving a short talk (around thirty minutes) in the YouCaxton shop in Bishop’s Castle on:

SCANDINAVIA AND ITS CRIME FICTION

6.30 pm Tuesday 14th August on:

It’s free and all are welcome. Wine will be available – with contributions gratefully accepted – or bring your won refreshment. Hope to see you there.

Grand Opening

The opening of the new shop in Bishop’s Castle was a went very well, attended by the intellectual cream of South Shropshire (those who made it and there were enough of them to down most of the wine).  We failed on the drumroll and the portrait of Caxton went AWOL but Steve was admirably wise and knowledgeable about matters technical and Bob was oracular about developments in publishing.

Grand Opening

Our new shop at 23 High Street Bishop’s Castle, Shropshire, will be officially opened at 6.30 pm on Tuesday 1oth July, wine will be sipped, caxton-biscuits nibbled and there will be a drum roll followed by a libation poured in honour of a portrait of William Caxton, Britain’s first self publisher (and printer of course). Bob will give a short  talk about changes in the publishing industry and new technologies and their impact on writers.

Book Launch

The launch of Richard Jopling’s book at Newport Grammar School last Tuesday went off without a hitch, about forty people attending. Bob Fowke and then Richard spoke briefly before Richard donated copies to people who had helped with this ambitious project – which started life almost ten years ago – after which wine and canopés were tucked into with gusto.

Ludlow Market – different day

We now changed our market stall to Wednesdays and have just completed the first Wednesday of the new arrangement. Mondays were interesting but Wednesday proved to be even more so. An astonishing range of writers visit Ludlow Market which has acquired some of the characteristics of a literary festival secreted among the fruit and veg, a tribute to the eccentric and varied interests of people from round about. We held conversations with, among others,  a writer who has completed the translation of a religious work into French, a writer who specialises in the diagnosis and treatment of M.E., a poet, a writer who has completed a parodical children’s book and a writer with an interest in things sportive. Not all the projects discussed will come to fruition, but it’s a great privilege to experience the democratisation of publishing at first hand in this way, and in beautiful Ludlow of all places.

 Ludlow Market

We have taken a stall at Ludlow Market for the summer months – Mondays only. It’s a delight to spend time in one of the most beautiful towns in England in the company of our wonderfully various fellow stall-holders. Writers of all sorts have called by for a chat, do come and join us if you’re in the area.

Interview with Nick Murray

The second of our series of interviews with writers is now available on our blog. Nicholas Murray is an author and journalist based in Wales and London. He will be leading the morning session of our Creative Non-Fiction Workshop on 28 April.  Nick is the author of several literary biographies including lives of Franz Kafka, Aldous Huxley, Bruce Chatwin, Andrew Marvell and Matthew Arnold, two collections of poems, and two novels.  His biography of Matthew Arnold was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year in 1997 and his biography of Aldous Huxley was shortlisted for the Marsh Biography Prize in 2003. His comments addressed to aspiring writers may be of particular inerest.

Elegant Variation

We come across a certain amount of elegant variation in texts which we are preparing for publication. Bob has written a short piece on it on our blog.