Telling the Truth Must Stop!

First the Wikileaks, telling us mostly what we already knew or what was utterly plausible and now Lib Dem politicians speaking the unvarnished truth that everyone also knows: Murdoch must be resisted in his bid for global media power, Osborne is a fatuous and out of touch toff, politicians in a coalition disagree with each other about one or two things,  etc etc.  Behind the synthetic outrage of the Daily Telegraph lies an assumption that politicians are not meant to be frank and truthful but to put up a deceitful show.

Prepare for shock revelations on Christmas Eve that snow on one's boots melts when they are put in front of the fire.

Joyeux Nöel, comrades.

No Books of the Year?

Once again the "Books of the Year" features are upon us and soon we will have the "Books to Come in 2011" on their heels.  I did my best and supplied my choices for the P.E.N. newsletter but, in truth, once again I spent more time this year in the company of the illustrious dead than with the dazzling talents of the books pages.  Perhaps next year will be different...

Meanwhile I am about to disappear into the snowy hills of Wales.  So adieu and Season's Greetings to one and all.

Real Bloomsbury

This week sees the publication of my latest book, Real Bloomsbury, from Seren Books.  It's the newest in a series edited by Peter Finch that began in Wales with his pioneering Real Cardiff and the idea is that writers respond to a place in a very personal or offbeat way.  It was great fun to research and write and I hope you will enjoy it.  The Bloomsbury Group (Virginia et al.) obviously figure though I try to stop them hogging the stage and there's plenty of other interest, associations, present day diversions to fill a book even without them.