November 24, 2009
My editor Mike Flamini kindly forwarded me the proofs of the Thai cover for Time Was Soft There and I am delighted. Writing books might not lead to untold riches or a secure family life, but it does offer the joy of creation and unpredictable bursts of pride such as the one I am now enjoying ...
August 7 , 2009
Tarrafa Literária - Sept. 4 to 7
I will be appearing at the Tarrafa Literária festival in Santos, Brazil, from September 4th to 7th. The festival, in honour of the seminal Brazilian author Euclides da Cunha, is being touted as a "reunion of readers and authors to talk about literature, journalism, philosophy, history, soccer and whatever comes to the mind." And all this at a superb ocean-side venue.
Clearly, I am thrilled to be going to Brazil. If you happen to be in or around Santos (or nearby São Paulo, come on by.)
More about the festival *here*
And, the Brazilian edition :
June 26, 2009
As readers of this site might recall, one of my new summer traditions is the Défi Monte Cristo, the 5-kilometer swim from Château d'If, a former prison island off the coast of Marseille, to a popular beach in the south end of the city. The swim, as the name suggests, is inspired by Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo and the magnificent escape from the Chateau d'If prison by the book's protagonist Edmond Dantès.
The first year I competed, in 2007, I was just happy to be there and euphoric to finish. Then, last year, the nasty little competitive bug got into my head and I hoped to improve my standing and cut a few minutes off my time. Instead, I swam slower, both in real time and, more tellingly, as a factor of the winner's time. (Real times mean quite little in the Défi Monte Cristo because each year the conditions change so one's time is significantly affected by current, wind, water temperature, etc.) I was incredibly depressed by this failing, and wondered if my slothful training regime was responsible, and whether this same sloth carried over to other areas of my life and resulted in underwhelming books as well as underwhelming swim times. (You can read my entire melancholy essay on this phenomenon here .)
So, this year was to be a pivotal existential test, a chance to prove I could meet my goals and perform to the best of my ability. I would show the proper discipline and stick to a training regime and cut 20 minutes off my time. If I could accomplish this, I told myself, then surely I could do the same with my writing and produce a notably better book next time out. That being the plan, in January I bought off-road shoes and began running in the hills behind my house. In April, once the sea was warm enough, I began my weekly training swim. Most importantly, I eschewed my beloved breaststroke for the more efficient front crawl. This was a true sacrifice: I love swimming breaststroke as it allows me to keep my head out of the water and watch the birds, the beach crowds, the boaters. But for to have a minimum of hydrodynamic drag in your front crawl, you need to be staring into the blue void just below the water's surface, meaning I couldn't even admire the fish and rock formations below me. Visual stimulation annihilated, pleasure gone.
I'd like to report I was a titan of self-discipline. But no. I have a baby now, my joy Santoline, and between the fatigue of parenting and the fact that I often chose to spend my time playing with my baby in the waves rather than ploughing through a 3.5 km training swim, my regime was severely compromised. Sure my goal was no unreachable, in the days leading up to the swim I fell into a depression, deciding I despised swimming and was destined for a life of regret and failure.
And then, a few days ago, June 28, it was the swim. Let's look at the results. For context, this is a semi-elite swim event, an official leg of the Coupe de France open water swim season with 3,000 euros in prize money for the winners. Simply put, there are no Sunday swimmers here. Overall, there are two broad categories of competitors: those who swim without flippers and those who swim with flippers. A purist, I swim without flippers but I still note my position in both my category and the overall standings.
2009 Swim
My Time : 1h57m09s
Winner's Time : 57m13s
My time as factor of winner's : 2.047
Position : 252 out of 305 in no flippers category (394 of 451 overall.)
2008 Swim
My Time : 2h13m44s
Winner's Time : 55h16s
My time as factor of winner's : 2.419
Position : 260 out of 289 in no flippers category (389 of 427 overall.)
2007 Swim
My Time : 1h48m48s
Winner's Time : 50h56s
My time as factor of winner's : 2.136
Position : 202 out of 226 in no flippers category (339 of 370 overall.)
Well, I didn't cut 20 minutes off my best time, I cut 16 and some off my 2008 time and was slower than in 2007, although that year had exceptionally good swimming conditions. But, by the most telling measurement, factor of the winner's time, this was my best swim ever. And, I take this as a victory, and a superb omen for my upcoming book.
And you want to know what was even sweeter than this chronometrical victory? Arriving at the finish line to this:
May 21, 2009
Remember that scene from the The Wizard of Oz when Toto parts the drapes and instead of an all-powerful wizard we find a pathetic, manipulative old man? This is the exact moment we’re at with the international economy.
As it turns out, most of the accepted economic theory from the past half-century – wizardry such as supply-side economics, trickle down theory, homo economicus, and the rest – is based upon slanderous half-truths peddled by ideologues such as Ayn Rand, Milton Freidman, and Alan Greenspan. These distorted theories have created a cycle of corruption where economic students learn that base greed and self interest are both human nature and best for society, and then these students go on to become the economists who organize our financial sector. It is a recipe for disaster and, not surprisingly, we’re now all sitting at the table with a hot steaming plate of economic disaster before us.
Read my entire feature essay on this travesty in the latest issue of Ode Magazine *here*.
April 24, 2009
This June, the Dutch edition of Time Was Soft There (Books, Baguettes & Bedbugs in the U.K.) is being released by Atlas Books. We now have a first glimpse of its cover:
Impressions? As for the title, I am guessing it means 'A Bed Among The Books.' But that is a guess. If any Dutch speaker could clarify this for me I would be deeply grateful. (And if said Dutch speaker wants to learn more about the book, they can do so *here*
April 1, 2009
A very clever idea: Take the best and most beloved books about a city, sift through them for the pithiest excerpts, and then compile it all into a single volume for literary-minded tourists. This is what the good folks at Oxygen Books in London have done with their city-Lit series. Thus far, they have editions for Dublin, London, and Paris. And, along with Hans Christian Anderson, Gertrude Stein, and dear dear Sparkle Hayter, my work (Time Was Soft There / Books, Baguettes, & Bedbugs) was selected. Proud I am, and hopeful their endeavour is a success.
More about the city-Lit series *here*. . .
March 28, 2009
Sensational news: Abolition : One Man's Battle Against the Death Penalty has been nominated for the prestigious Florence Gould Foundation prize for translation. The prize is organized by the French-American Foundation and recognizes the best fiction and non-fiction translations that appear in America each year. There is a generous financial award, which my weeping pockets would heartily embrace, but, more importantly, a victory would draw the American spotlight to Robert Badinter and his vital work. The awards ceremony is in Manhattan in May. All digits are crossed ...
More on the Abolition translation *here* ...
March 22, 2009
When the Guillotine Fell in The New York Times:
“Public executions temporarily sate the public outrage at the criminal,” Mr. Mercer said by telephone from Marseille, France. “But they lead to spirals of violence in society, an unending demand for more public executions, and an ugly escalation in the ways the criminal is shamed or tortured before the execution.”
Read the full article *here*. . .
March 12, 2009
All those who have spent time at George Whitman's Shakespeare and Company in Paris know the store can be a den of eccentrics, book fetishists, idealists, and stained Lotharios. But art thieves?
This is the conceit in The Good Thief's Guide To Paris, the second book in Chris Ewan's mystery series. How do I know this? Well, Chris used Time Was Soft There / Books, Baguettes & Bedbugs as the inspiration for the bookshop in his novel, and was generous enough to praise my book ("terrific memoir") in his acknowledgements and send me copies of his novels. Though not a mystery fan, I have to say I happily read both The Good Thief's Guide to Amsterdam and The Good Thief's Guide to Paris. And, I am astoundingly impressed by Chris' premise: a mystery author who moonlights as a thief in great cities around the world. Talk about tantalizing research.
Visit Chris Ewan's website *here* ...
February 4, 2009
This is a stunning book by good friend and talented impressario Craig Walzer. Oral history / oral biography has always been one of my favourite journalistic techniques, and Craig executes it to perfection in Out of Exile. He travelled across the Middle East, Europe and North America to meet members of the Sudanese diaspora and then shaped the interviews into highly compelling and personal stories. The result is both a great read and a vital historical document. A sublime added touch are the line drawings of each of the subjects ... Félicitations Craig.
Learn more about Out of Exile *here* ...
January 19, 2009
The Chinese Dream is a truly impressive coffee table book if your coffee table is sturdy enough. That was a joke, sort of. At nearly 800 pages, the book is osmium heavy but well worth the back ache with a fusion of art, graphics, and analysis that is truly exhilarating. It is the mindchild of architect Neville Mars and author Adrian Hornsby. I was lucky enough to see the birth of the project five years ago in Beijing and I admit to being utterley awestruck by the end result. You fellas should be proud poppas. And you reading this should really buy this book as it will seriously impress friends, neighbours, and visiting handypeople. You do so *here*.
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