And find out what’s behind it

Cross-posted from ¡Vivan las Caenas!, where a series of retrospective posts is currently under way. This one is essentially ‘my life as a mature student’, and features what I didn’t realise then was the beginning of my interest in the law. “The best thing for being sad,” replied Merlyn, beginning to puff and blow, “is […]

And come to dust

The Belgian radical surrealist journal Les lèvres nues once featured a slogan which I found simultaneously funny, heartbreaking and intensely inspiring: SAVE LIEBKNECHT For someone with my kind of politics, “Remember Liebknecht” would be a great slogan, one to bring a tear to the eye and a clench to the fist; “Avenge Liebknecht”, even. But […]

To stun an ox

I’ve written a book. The MS has just gone off to the publisher; it’s still got to be checked, copy-edited, re-checked, typeset, proof-read and probably several other stages I’ve forgotten about, and it probably won’t be out much before Christmas. But it’s a book, and it’s been written. By me. It’s called ‘More work! Less […]

Up to my eyes

Rob has tagged me. I’ve had this particular meme once before, but I’m going to try it anyway and see if I come up with anything different. Total number of books owned About 1500, although my wife has just pointed out that many of them aren’t actually mine as such. (I had a big clearout […]

Your fortuitous role

I’ll get back to Brian Wilson in a while; right now I’ve been tagged. (Cheers, Donald. I’ll do the same for you, if I get the chance.) Seven Things To Do Before I Die: 1. Record a CD 2. Publish a book. Well, two books (some short stories and something political). Maybe some poetry as […]

Meme I

Pearsall has handed me the book stick. Thanks, Pearsall (how do you pronounce that, by the way?) 1) Total number of books I’ve owned About 2000. Certainly there are at least 2000 books in the house at the moment. Several hundred of those belong to my wife; our children have got at least a hundred […]