Walt Whitman
Whitman was an American poet, essayist and journalist, and among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse.
Monday, 9 October 2017
Reading Queer: Walker Library Exhibition
Throughout the Thinking Queer festival, the library is running a display of books by gay authors, including:
Walt Whitman
Whitman was an American poet, essayist and journalist, and among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse.
Walt Whitman
Whitman was an American poet, essayist and journalist, and among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse.
Friday, 6 October 2017
Wednesday, 4 October 2017
Reading Queer: Terence Rattigan
Dr Hudson
Eminent theatre director, Sir Trevor Nunn, writes that Terence Rattigan was, during the middle years of the 20th century, ‘the most famous and successful, daring and original English playwright of the age’ alongside Noël Coward.
From 1936, when his light comedy, French Without Tears, became the biggest theatrical hit of the decade, to his death in 1977, there were few years in which a play by Rattigan was not playing in the West End.
Eminent theatre director, Sir Trevor Nunn, writes that Terence Rattigan was, during the middle years of the 20th century, ‘the most famous and successful, daring and original English playwright of the age’ alongside Noël Coward.
From 1936, when his light comedy, French Without Tears, became the biggest theatrical hit of the decade, to his death in 1977, there were few years in which a play by Rattigan was not playing in the West End.
Tuesday, 3 October 2017
Reading Queer: Maurice by E M Forster
An abridged extract from John Venning's lecture on E M Forster, as part of the 'Queer Art Lectures' programme.
Forster had not wished his sexuality to be revealed in his lifetime. It was only in 2008, however, that restricted material, including his ‘Locked Diary’ were made available to scholars by King’s College who inherited his literary estate. We all owe a great debt to Professor Wendy Moffatt who published a new biography of Forster in 2010, written using this new material. As Christopher Isherwood said after he received a parcel of unpublished writings after Forster’s death: ‘Unless you start with the fact that he was homosexual, nothing’s any good at all.’
Forster had not wished his sexuality to be revealed in his lifetime. It was only in 2008, however, that restricted material, including his ‘Locked Diary’ were made available to scholars by King’s College who inherited his literary estate. We all owe a great debt to Professor Wendy Moffatt who published a new biography of Forster in 2010, written using this new material. As Christopher Isherwood said after he received a parcel of unpublished writings after Forster’s death: ‘Unless you start with the fact that he was homosexual, nothing’s any good at all.’
Monday, 2 October 2017
Reading Queer: Sarah Waters
For the next couple of weeks, as part of the school's Thinking Queer season, the book blog will be running posts focussing on LGBT books and writers. Today, Miss McLaren recommends the novels of Sarah Waters.
Friday, 29 September 2017
Lessons in Love from Jane Austen
Miss McLaughlin
It is a truth universally acknowledged that Jane Austen is one of the greatest - and best loved - writers in the literary canon. In the year which marks the bicentenary of her death, this month sees the introduction of the new plastic £10 note with Jane Austen replacing Charles Darwin after 17 years on our legal tender. Collectors are on the look out for low serial numbered notes (the first three presented to the Queen, Prince Philip and Teresa May respectively) and other significant Austen dates. So, before you hand over your tenner, make sure you take a glance to check if you have Jane Austen’s birthday, 16 12 1775, or her death 18 07 1817.
The picture of Austen is accompanied by the line 'I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading!' Although the sentiment on face value seems fitting, those amongst you who are familiar with the novel might question its suitability given that Miss Bingley, having just made this declaration, promptly ‘yawned’ and ‘threw aside her book’. Perhaps, you might suggest, her attraction is more to the wealth which would have been necessary to possess the desired ‘excellent library’ than for the wealth to be found within the books themselves. And didn’t Darcy have a very wonderful library…?
TEN ways to get a girl by Mr Knightley, Mr Bingley and Mr Darcy
plus
FIVE ways to lose one, by Mr Willoughby, Mr Wickham, Mr Crawford, Mr Collins and Mr Darcy
It is a truth universally acknowledged that Jane Austen is one of the greatest - and best loved - writers in the literary canon. In the year which marks the bicentenary of her death, this month sees the introduction of the new plastic £10 note with Jane Austen replacing Charles Darwin after 17 years on our legal tender. Collectors are on the look out for low serial numbered notes (the first three presented to the Queen, Prince Philip and Teresa May respectively) and other significant Austen dates. So, before you hand over your tenner, make sure you take a glance to check if you have Jane Austen’s birthday, 16 12 1775, or her death 18 07 1817.
The picture of Austen is accompanied by the line 'I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading!' Although the sentiment on face value seems fitting, those amongst you who are familiar with the novel might question its suitability given that Miss Bingley, having just made this declaration, promptly ‘yawned’ and ‘threw aside her book’. Perhaps, you might suggest, her attraction is more to the wealth which would have been necessary to possess the desired ‘excellent library’ than for the wealth to be found within the books themselves. And didn’t Darcy have a very wonderful library…?
Tuesday, 26 September 2017
Book of the Week
Post Office by Charles Bukowski
Recommended by Rufus Law
If you were to merely scratch the surface of this novel it would be hard to criticise you for thinking it was a shallow story of an even shallower man.
It’s a bitterly amusing tale of a particularly hedonistic character as he goes through the ups and downs of life, wealth and poverty and countless encounters with the fairer sex, meanwhile managing to maintain a varying state of intoxication. But underneath the meaningless sex and constant boozing is a depressing sadness and loneliness as the reader watches the antihero, Henry Chinaski, pass years of his life without making any meaningful relationships, while falling deeper and deeper into a destructive partnership with alcohol.
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