Well, a lovely weekend in Paris – visiting friends, hanging out in the 6e, and once again failing to get to the Sainte Chapelle, one of the finest pieces of Late Gothic architecture in Europe. Hey ho, one day I’ll get there, tho’ I’ll be cursing Dan Brown as I do so. He mentions itContinue reading “Spontaneously effusing”
Category Archives: Fantasy
HD and Modernism
So – Hal Duncan and Modernism. Well, his writing (particularly ‘Vellum’, as I’ve still got to sit down properly with ‘Ink’) is profoundly modernist in structure, relying on fractured narratives, parallels between individual sub-narratives, broad, deep allusiveness and massive stylistic experimentation to communicate meaning. But it avoids the worst excesses of High Modernist mandarin-ism throughContinue reading “HD and Modernism”
Pounding system
Well, I’ve come down from the weekend a little more but in the aftershock I have put my back out! So now I am hobbling round my flat like a little old lady – but as well as a lovely evening with H watching Venture Brothers et al, memories of the weekend are buoying meContinue reading “Pounding system”
After the party
Well, a very hectic weekend at Fantasycon. Some fascinating panels; some wonderful speeches; some great bookshoppping; and, most importantly, meeting lots of fascinating people and having increasingly *merry* conversations into the night. As a result, last night when I got home I was so tired I could hardly sleep – a combination of complete physicalContinue reading “After the party”
Conventions of Stella
Well, a short entry today as I’m off to the BFS Fantasycon in Nottingham – should be a fun weekend. If you’re there, say hi! – I should be easy to spot, as I’ll probably be looking something like this for most of the weekend, tho’ minus the blue and white shirt and Zali, whichContinue reading “Conventions of Stella”
Becoming Norma Desmond
Out and about on Wednesday night (at an event run by the estimable Poet in the City, which everyone should know about – they do fantastic poetry events round the City of London), and, as it does in pubs, the conversation turned to fantasy and sf. As it also does when you’re around people-whose-genre-is-literary, someoneContinue reading “Becoming Norma Desmond”
(Un)Real city
Just been reading over yesterday’s post about Zola, and I realised that there’s an unstated assumption about the actual process of writing underlying it. I don’t think that any writer pulls something from nothing. Rather, I think that the act of writing is an act of interpretation. Details of the world are pulled into fictionContinue reading “(Un)Real city”
Reality’s a fantasy
Just finished Zola’s ‘L’Assomoir’ (‘The Drinking Den’), and once again been pondering the fantasy / reality gap. Zola saw himself as a Realist; closely allied with the Impressionists, he sought to create a prose equivalent to their vivid, journalistic depictions of everyday Parisian life. Zola and the Impressionists broke cultural and aesthetic taboos, and bothContinue reading “Reality’s a fantasy”
Dreaming nations
Well, a fascinating couple of days at the conference, not least for some very interesting insights into the sometimes wildly fantasised views that the American and British political classes have about their respective countries, and their place in the world. First of all, the US. Advertising maven Keith Reinhardt works in various ways with theContinue reading “Dreaming nations”
Tiger city
Well, a short one today as I was dining at the conference last night (in the Stationer’s Hall, with some Ethiopian diplomats and the bloke who’s job it is to make sure that Parma Ham is really Parma Ham – fascinating evening after a fascinating day!) and now have an early start to get toContinue reading “Tiger city”