Alphonso: a fable for writers
There was a man who wanted to write – I don’t know his name. I think I’ll call him Alphonso (having just read A Letter from Casablanca by Antonio Tabucchi). … Continue reading
‘Toinette: a life without love
Parents’ visiting day at boarding school in the late ’20s. Vincent bought a hamper of gifts and has taken Edna boating, but doesn’t have much to say. Edna looks wistfully … Continue reading
The Second Simenon Omnibus
The Patience of Maigret was first published as La Patience de Maigret in 1965. It was translated into English by Alastair Hamilton. The story is about a 20 year series … Continue reading
Weird wired world
I have just returned from a walk around my local nature strip, a native plant reserve along the shores of Cremorne Point in Sydney Harbour. I couldn’t but notice how … Continue reading
The First Simenon Omnibus
Reading a novel of Georges Simenon’s is more like watching a film than reading a book. Simenon’s books are short, 120 pages or so, each of eight or nine chapters. … Continue reading
The underground explorer
I think of the nineteenth century in Europe as the age of the Industrial Revolution. It was much more than that, though. It was an age of exploration and of … Continue reading
A Thousand Songs and One Song
These are some songs popular at our place at the moment. They seem to be folk and folk rock songs, ending up in dance tempo tunes with a dash of … Continue reading
