What are you writing?

you

Well-known member
I haven't been very productive lately.

Did manage to finish this, long ruminated, piece about a bloke called Ted.
 

luka

Well-known member
Edmund was really raving about these the other day, I've never seen him so animated so I'll have to read them soon
 

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
Edmund was really raving about these the other day, I've never seen him so animated so I'll have to read them soon

That's good to know. He's been proof-reading them and kindly sending me these intermittent facebook messages about where I've made a typo or if he's spotted a clumsy usage, which is great because I don't really have time to proof them properly myself. I probably could if all I was doing was writing but it's been a bit of a strain on my time to do it while not neglecting job/girlfriend/social life. I mean, I posted the last one at about 6 am having spent the evening before dancing myself into exhaustion at an Arab wedding in Amman.

Edit: whoah, 13,000th post.
 
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Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
Actually I have been neglecting my job a bit but that's sort of by-the-bye as I've got to look for a new one next year anyway because I don't want to work on a missile guidance system.
 

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
The Hoary Hosts of Hoggoth are hardly featured at all.

I should warn you that I disgusted even myself a little with the last one.
 

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
#20: Ghost story in 115 words

Edit: might as well just put it here -

The séance party links hands and the lights are dimmed. “We seek the shade of the late Mr Gibbons”, intones the medium. Mrs Gibbons looks uncertainly from the medium to her adult son and daughter and back again. The table starts to wobble and there is an unearthly groan. “I sense the presence of a spirit – is that you, Mr Gibbons?”

The widow can contain herself no longer. “Is there something you want to tell us, Derek? You left us so suddenly.”

A ghastly rattle, the candle flames shiver, and then an uncanny voice:

“You lot bored me silly while I was alive, and I’m damned if I have anything to say to you now.”​
 
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Corpsey

bandz ahoy

I've enjoyed reading this, albeit very quickly at my work-desk. I certainly find McEwan's books fundamentally unsatisfying, but I wonder if you somewhat gloss over their appeal to readers by restricting discussion to his 'sandblasted' prose (excellent description, btw). Is it purely middle-class self-regard that makes them bestsellers?

Personally I've found what little I've read of his work undeniably gripping and tense. He's really good at ratcheting up a sense of dread at the incursion of violence into the cloistered middle-class world he evokes. Perhaps that's what you mean by comparing him to 'airport fiction', with added pretensions.

As you say, though, he sort of does your thinking for you, the way he writes is so nakedly cerebral that perhaps he flatters readers sense of their own cognitive abilities?

I remember finding Saturday pretty gripping and interesting to read but the climax was utterly ridiculous (the daughter reading the poetry aloud, stopping the illiterate thug in his tracks) and there is a sense of cold, surgical precision to it all which relates to that sandblasted prose. It's all too neat, too clever, etc.

There was a fantastic review of McEwan in Private Eye which labelled him something like ''British literature's Gollum''. Maybe I can find it online?

Anyway, interesting and thought provoking post. Thanks!
 

Corpsey

bandz ahoy
also worth noting (if you didn't) that both McEWan and Ishiguro are products of UEA's creative writing course... Perhaps accounting for the slick professionalism of their writing (although I am a fan of Ishiguro's ''Remains of the Day'' and ''Artist of a Floating World''.
 

Corpsey

bandz ahoy
I think I agree with Jenks in that I find his books extraordinarily readable, but they don't really stick with you afterwards. The set-ups are often better than the pay-offs.

Saying that I've only read 'Saturday', 'On Chesil Beach' and 'Enduring Love'. Of those three, 'Enduring Love' was the best. I have the impression that ''Atonement'' is the most widely praised.

Which reminds me: this James Wood piece on McEwan from the LRB is worth a read, and another potent critique. (NOTE: Spoiler alert for 'Atonement')
 

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
It's funny, I remember a looong time ago here I said something about quite liking McEwan and then felt like I was being investigated by the House Committee on Un-Dissensian Activities. Having said that, from what I've read of jenks' piece so far (got distracted by other things but will go back to it, as I enjoyed what I read) I would agree with the criticisms of his more 'recent' (I guess late '90s onwards) books and also with the verdict that there is still a lot of good stuff in his earlier works. I remember Black Dogs being very affecting in particular and Amsterdam was bleakly amusing.

Edit: actually I thought all the stuff in Atonement about the treachery of memories and how we construct our own idiosyncratic versions of past events to suit our own purposes was really good, too.
 
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benjybars

village elder.
c'mon McEwan is great.. his first 6 or 7 books especially..

The Child in Time is probably his best.

But yeah, the ending to Saturday was incredibly far-fetched. Shame, cos it was really good up until then (I particularly enjoyed the writing about Fitzrovia, one of my favourite parts of central London)

Having said all that, didn't Laura Bush (George W's missus) say he was her favourite author? He definitely loses points for that..

Tea - your stories have been a real source of pleasure for these past couple of weeks. Big up your authorial chest!
 

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
Tea - your stories have been a real source of pleasure for these past couple of weeks. Big up your authorial chest!

Sweet! Thanks for saying so, Benjy. I've just been reading out a few of them at a launch night organized by the man known to some as Bangpuss. Nearly finished "today's" (just noticed it's gone midnight already, dammit), watch this spaaaace....
 
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