I was first introduced to Albert Camus in 2009 when a work colleague lent me The Myth of Sisyphus, when we both had a common interest in books and writing. I’d not heard of him, and such was my French at the time, I couldn’t even pronounce the name properly (Albɛʁ Kæˈmu / or Alber … Continue reading Albert Camus: The French Kafka
Tag: fiction
Men Without Women: My Thoughts on Haruki Murakami
I recently read Murakami’s latest short story collection, Men Without Women. Like all of Murakami’s books, Men Without Women appeared in Japanese first. This one in 2014 and was released in English in 2017. They read in the same mesmerising, I-Novel style, traditional to Japanese writers, which is pretty much the first-person narrative. Exposing the … Continue reading Men Without Women: My Thoughts on Haruki Murakami
How Writers Write Dialogue in Fiction
Every time I write a short story, I almost always end up with at least two characters talking to each other. I do it in longer pieces of fiction, too. It’s one of my favourite things to write because it’s interesting how you can differentiate two people without describing them, only through what they say. … Continue reading How Writers Write Dialogue in Fiction
Four Novels that Deal with Mental Illness
From the 8th – 14th May 2017, it is Mental Health Awareness Week. As someone who has experienced a variety of mental health problems in different people, I’ve come to understand people better and to learn to be more aware of their mental health. It’s not something that affects a minority. It affects us all, … Continue reading Four Novels that Deal with Mental Illness
20 Books That Inspired Me As A Writer
This is a list of 20 books that have had some sort of major impact on me as a writer. 20. The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood I read The Handmaid’s Tale when I was about 16 or 17. I was in school and back then I wasn’t much of a reader. I was drawn … Continue reading 20 Books That Inspired Me As A Writer
Never Let Me Go – One Of The Most Beautiful Novels Ever Written?
I read Never Let Me Go several years ago when I saw it in a bookshop and just decided to get it. I’d heard of it, it must have been around the time the film came out in 2010 so it was one of those books people were talking about. I was on my Masters … Continue reading Never Let Me Go – One Of The Most Beautiful Novels Ever Written?
Jesus’ Son – Denis Johnson’s American Emotion
I read Jesus’ Son last month while sitting on a train from Liverpool to Manchester. My friend, James Rice, had bought it for me for my birthday, as he’d mentioned it when we were in university. It’s a collection of 11 short stories, which all are quite short and which touch upon drug addiction, alcoholism … Continue reading Jesus’ Son – Denis Johnson’s American Emotion
Breaking The Fourth Wall – How and Why It’s Used
The fourth wall comes from the traditional, three-walled box set stage production where there are three walls on stage – two walls at either side and one at the back – and the fourth is the front of the box, or the invisible wall through which the audience can see. I’ve been watching House of … Continue reading Breaking The Fourth Wall – How and Why It’s Used