Zoo in the head

Gold digging

I probably ought to mention that I'm one of the participants in a book seminar over at CrookedTimber, an honour I owe to the remarkable Maria Farrell. We're responding to Glen David Gold's Sunnyside, a book about which I had mixed, or rather chaotic, feelings: it takes in, among other things, American intervention in the Russian civil war, the birth and puppyhood of Rin-Tin-Tin, and Charlie Chaplin's rise to global celebrity. No argument about the brilliance of the parts; it's the whole I have my reservations about. My piece concentrated on Chaplin, a phenomenon who these days seems to be almost always underestimated and condescended to; Glen has understood more about his place in modern culture than most critics have. This was months ago, by the way: now, after almost a year with my whippet, I'd probably have more to say on the many dogs the book contains.

After all this time I'm unsure how well my bit stands up: I'm darn certain that the response to my turmoil Glen has written is more thoughtful and graceful than it merited. My fellow participants (seminarians?) are Stuart Evers and Adam McGovern, with CrookedTimber's John Holbo butting in unofficially: Maria introduces it all here. It might be helpful to look at Chaplin's film Sunnyside - one of his strangest and best - starting here; while you're at it, you may as well try A Dog's Life.

Talking the talk

A swift survey of the pages that refer people to this blog shows that pokemon images are down, dead zebras and zoo porn are holding steady, and I've had one visit from someone using the search term "ex journalist zoo in head status anxious zoo failure robert hanks talks the talk but can't". Can't what? So tantalising. Or perhaps whoever it was didn't feel the need to specify what I can't - there's just so much. Clearly, this was someone who knows me very well: my wife?

Searcher, if you return: get in touch. I think you have a lot to tell me about myself.

Setting modesty aside...

...the latest issue of the London Review of Books includes my piece on Dennis Wheatley. Unfortunately, it is behind a subscription paywall, which means that non-subscribers have to go out and buy a copy.

Wild in the city

Should have mentioned this a few days ago: I have some thoughts on urban nature posted over at the LRB blog. While you're there, read Christopher Tayler on his father's death, memory, film and Google Street View (read everything else, of course: but read that first).

Me me me, part 92

My review of Yann (Life of Pi) Martel's new novel Beatrice and Virgil was in yesterday's New York Times Book Review.

Short version: Holocaust, tricksy, not nearly as clever as it thinks it is, avoid.

Must read

My reviews of all 13 of this week's new releases are to be found by trawling around the Independent website; but they were written in a kind of order, and will make slightly more sense if you read them in print, in the newly re-designed paper.

Abridged version, to help you sort out your Friday night: Dogtooth - very grim, very clever Greek comedy; Date Night - Tina Fey, Steve Carell, slick commercial fun; The Joneses - slick commercial-but-would-like-to-be-satirical fun; Life During Wartime - Todd Solondz; La Danse - lengthy, absorbing ballet documentary. Everything else: varying degrees of ouch.

Casting modesty aside...

...or possibly caution, I ought to point out that I'm presenting tonight's Archive on 4 on BBC Radio 4, on the theme of pubs and literature, produced by the gifted and fragrant Tim Dee. You should listen, if only to hear W. B. Yeats, little leprechaun of a man that he is (after that you can switch off).

8pm GMT, shortened repeat Monday, 3pm GMT (and I've an uncomfortable feeling the 45-minute version will be pithier and more effective); and of course, you can always listen again via the BBC iPlayer.

UPDATE: Now on iPlayer. As I write, the programme is the top-trending new subject on the Radio 4 messageboard, but it turns out that you only need three messages to do that. Still, two of the messages are quite nice; the other one points out that we didn't include any Hardy, which is true. We did think quite long and hard about putting in the pub scene from Jude the Obscure (in which Jude gets roaring drunk and recites the creed in Latin), and maybe we should have. But my impression is that Hardy's interest is not in pubs qua pubs but in drunkenness. 

UPDATE UPDATED: Another complimentary message on the messageboard, containing this enigmatic sentence:

"For some reason I’d always suspected that I’d detect an element of BSA Bantam (175cc) within Mr. Hanks’s voice; quite the opposite and rather pleasant and generous."

"Pleasant and generous" I'll snap up with glee. But what is "an element of BSA Bantam"? And why the 175cc? Wikipedia lists these differences from earlier 150cc models: "The spark plug sits in line with the cylinder head, front forks are stronger (as they are from the larger capacity C15), slightly lower compression ratio at 9.5, separate headlight with high-beam warning, exposed rear shock springs, strengthened kickstart shaft, revised fixing on crankshaft compression disc plates." I'm glad none of that applies to me.

FINAL UPDATE: I am told by other members of the household that my "self-obsession" is nauseating. I'll shut up now.

Bummer

The Book Design Review is "going on hiatus". Bastard. I don't share his tastes, but it was a thoughtful and well-written blog; he shouldn't do this to us.

Footnote: In his penultimate post, Joseph Sullivan links to a Guardian blogpost by Stuart Evers about the necessity of awful literature, because it makes you appreciate the good stuff. As an instance of awfulness, Evers mentions Low Alcohol by Charles Kennedy Scott. Until now I'd managed to blot that dreadful book from my memory, but it turns out that my review - a bit smart-arsed, I now think, but essentially correct - is preserved for posterity. Nothing now can ever be forgotten.

Why I am, in spite of everything, so cheerful

 I am married to this person:

Heart growing fonder yet?

Apologies to anybody who takes any notice of this blog for the recent lack of posts - the main reason being that I spent several days reviewing films for the Independent. You can read my thoughts on Away We Go here; and my necessarily truncated reviews of the week's nine - nine - other releases can be tracked down here if you're really interested.