WARNING! THE CONTENT OF THIS BLOG MAY CAUSE DISTRESS and I apologise for any hurt caused by previous failures to provide trigger warnings.
Actually, I had no idea what trigger warnings were until I read some responses to an article in a literary journal, which alerted me to the fact that some modern readers feel they should be warned of any content that might distress them. My own preference would be to make an informed decision based on the blurb, then close the book and/or hurl it across the room if I found the contents displeasing. But of course we all have different requirements, although I do rather wonder where one would draw the line: 'This novel contains scenes of sex/ violence/ gluttony/ shocking behaviour in church' etc, etc? Perhaps publishers should just stick with 'This novel contains scenes from Life'?Anyway, I'm afraid this blog does contain shameless self-marketing because my recent novel 'Life Study #2' has been reissued with a greatly improved cover. (See above.) I have also, for the first time in my life - and I take it as a great compliment - acquired Irish Writer status. At least, I have in The Secret Bookshelf in Carrickfergus. (The book can also be bought from Amazon, and from Stewart Miller's in Holywood and Books, Paper, Scissors in Belfast.)
The reason I'm so happy about this status is that although I have Irish family, and have lived here on and off for more than 30 years, I was born in South Africa, where my novel begins; and even though I grew up there (and later spent 18 years in Zimbabwe) I doubt that anyone thinks of me as an African writer. Of course, literary history is full of expatriate writers - and there's a great difference between choosing exile and being exiled - but there are times when we'd all like to feel we belong.In my Irish Pages Literary Diary - bought from the Linen Hall Library because it fell open at an excerpt from Kilclief, a book of essays by an old friend, Patricia Craig. One of the quotes is from Deirdre Mask (Fitting In) in which she writes about this struggle to belong that newcomers to Ireland so often face. Mind you, there are degrees of outsider-hood: in Northern Ireland, the Irish, English, Welsh and Scots count as more or less extended family. Americans and Antipodeans are distant relatives (and there are times when we're all grateful for the distance) but by and large the rest of us are Foreign. (Although paler, English-speaking types are less foreign than others.) Anyway, the diary is beautifully produced, with well-chosen literary excerpts opposite each page of entries, just enough room to record essentials, and a few pages for Notes at the end.To emulate Pepys, you'll need something different: a notebook or a journal, but if you're planning to bare your soul, just bear in mind who is likely to read your diaries when you're dead. Not all family members will be as brave as Nigel Nicolson. His Portrait of a Marriage, the story of his mother Vita Sackville-West's marriage and affairs is the subject of an article by Ariane Banks in the latest edition of Slightly Foxed. (My favourite literary quarterly, now in its third decade, and long may it continue.)
Keeping a diary, or journal, is still popular, unlike letter-writing. I sometimes think I'm one of the last people on the planet to write actual paper letters and post them. (I also have a passion for stationery: for postcards, origami-inspired letters and - my new favourite - Japanese Haiku note cards.) The incomparable Edward Gorey didn't just write letters, he sent them in illustrated envelopes: 'From Ted to Tom' is a wonderful record of these glorious creations, although how they a) actually made it to the right address and b) weren't stolen en route is a mystery.Other books I've read lately include Elisabeth de Waal's memorable 'The Exiles Return', an autobiographical novel (in a beautiful Persephone edition) about exile and a postwar return to Vienna. 'Guilty by Definition' is entirely different: an enjoyable mix of crime and language set in Oxford, by Susie Dent, and Antoine Laurain's 'An Astronomer in Love' was bought for my astronomer husband's Christmas stocking and was liked by us both. I'd also recommend Giorgio Bassani's The Gold-Rimmed Spectacles - a powerful novella about a forbidden relationship between a Jewish student and an older doctor in Fascist Italy. Lastly, I'm enjoying Ian McEwan's entertaining Sweet Tooth, as well as a collection of stories with a common theme by a variety of well-known authors: 'Ovid Metamorphosed', edited by Philip Terry, who was himself born in Belfast.Christmas is now a distant memory, St Patrick's day has just passed and Spring is in the air. Incidentally, St Patrick's falls on the same day as that of St Gertude, the patron saint of cats. But oh no, how thoughtless of me! I've probably triggered panic attacks in half a dozen ailurophobes out there. I do apologise. And if you're thinking of buying my book, I should warn you there are multiple triggers: love, life, loss, art, food, frequent references to nudity, and a journey through changing times. You might want to read something safer.