Tolstoy was always the moralist disguised as a storyteller. He couldn’t so much as describe a hayfield without planting in it a parable, and How Much Land Does a Man Need? is among his most ruthless little lessons. At its heart, it’s an absurdly simple tale: a peasant named Pahom believes that with just a … Continue reading How Much Land Does a Man Need? – Tolstoy’s Six-Foot Sermon
Tag: Writing
We: A Sermon in Glass and Giggles
f you ever wake up in the morning and think, 'Life would be so much better if everyone behaved exactly the same,' then I recommend you either take a cold shower, or read Yevgeny Zamyatin’s We. For here's a book that takes the notion of a perfectly ordered society and runs it to its logical conclusion … Continue reading We: A Sermon in Glass and Giggles
Anno Dracula: Empire of the Undead
What if the monster had won? It’s the forbidden question behind so much of Gothic literature. We tidy our novels with the crucifix triumphant and the stake neatly driven home, as if evil may always be dispatched with a mallet and a bit of ash. Yet Kim Newman, that merry necromancer of the imagination, dared … Continue reading Anno Dracula: Empire of the Undead
The Book of Catweazle
Being a Remembrance of his Misnamings, Quirks, and Misadventures Set forth in his own crack’d tongue, with a Preface from our world ‘For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face.’ — 1 Corinthians 13:12 When I was a youngster, Catweazle was one of my favourite programmes - part comedy, part … Continue reading The Book of Catweazle
From Knock to Knell: An Autumnal Double Act
Today I was struck by three acorns! Nature has a peculiar way of tapping us on the head when she wants to remind us of something. If it were a meteor, we’d call it apocalyptic. If it were a coin, we’d call it providence. But an acorn - that comic nut of destiny - is … Continue reading From Knock to Knell: An Autumnal Double Act
Wording 