Archive for December, 2011
Podcast recording of Jake Wallis Simons at Blacks
December 21st, 2011
On 28th November 2011, Jake Wallis Simons spoke about his work at the Soho club, Blacks. He also read from The English German Girl, as well as a work-in-progress. A recording of the session can be heard here.
Review: Out of It, By Selma Dabbagh (from the Independent on Sunday)
December 3rd, 2011
At first glance, Out Of It, a debut novel by the short story writer Selma Dabbagh, seems – stylistically – more easy reading than literary fiction. It is set aside, however, by the weight of the material: the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (Or rather, the Palestinian side of it.)
The story centres around a pair of twentysomething boy-and-girl twins, Iman and Rashid. We first meet them in Gaza in the midst of an Israeli barrage (although the precise details of place and political context are curiously obscured). Rashid is excited that he has won a scholarship to London, giving him the opportunity to finally get “out of it”. Iman, meanwhile, traumatised by the death of a friend, resolves to take a more active role in the hostilities. Read more on the Independent website
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