Almudena Sánchez : Fármaco (Pharmakon)

The latest addition to my website is Almudena Sánchez‘ s Fármaco (Pharmakon). This is about Almudena Sánchez’s struggle with depression, which hit her in her early thirties. Unlike other novels/memoirs on depression, this is not a realist account of the depression. Rather it is a writer writing about her depression rather than a depressive giving … Read more

Angelos Terzakis: Ταξίδι με τον Έσπερο [Travelling with Hesperus]

The latest addition to my website is Angelos Terzakis‘ Ταξίδι με τον Έσπερο [Travelling with Hesperus]. It tells the story of Glaukos, a sixteen year old rGreek boy who has lost both his parents and lives with an aunt in Belgium. The pair are visiting the family estate in Greece. Initially Glaukos goes for walks … Read more

Daniele Mencarelli: Tutto chiede salvezza (Everything Calls For Salvation)

The latest addition to my website is Daniele Mencarelli‘s Tutto chiede salvezza (Everything Calls For Salvation). This is an autobiographical novel about seven days Mencarelli spent in a mental institution in 1994.He was bipolar and had a breakdown, smashing his house up and causing his father to collapse. We follow his seven days and that … Read more

Ahmed Taibaoui: اختفاء السيد لا أحد The Disappearance of Mr. Nobody)

The latest addition to my website is Ahmed Taibaoui‘s اختفاء السيد لا أحد The Disappearance of Mr. Nobody). Set in Algeria, the novel is divided into two linked parts. In the first apart, we meet the eponymous Mr Nobody. He had almost been executed as a teenager during the Algerian Civil War but had been … Read more

End of year review 2022

While we have been struggling with the various problems we face such as climate change, Putin and his nasty little war, supply chain issues, inflation, SCOTUS, Trump (possibly) resurgent and, here in the UK, the disaster of Brexit and having the worst prime minister in British history replaced by an even worse prime minister, spare … Read more

Jon Fosse: Naustet (Boathouse)

The latest addition to my website is Jon Fosse‘s Naustet (Boathouse). This is an early Fosse novel but still recognisable as part of his exploration of the dark Norwegian soul. Baard is in his thirties but still lives with his mother and has no job except occasionally playing guitar at weddings and dances. One day … Read more