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A frustrating and then pleasing day. Some writing achieved, some reading done - though not as much as hoped - and I had to decide whether to go for a coffee or the pub before catching a bus to the Carbuncle. Since there were rumours of waistcoats in the YMCA I went there - only to find it's closed down. I popped into the Children's Society Shop, only to find a DVD with the film on that I'd ordered an hour earlier. At least the one I ordered was cheaper, but this had three more films on it. I would imagine them all turkeys. Then to Bux to work and read - and I ordered the wrong coffee. Still, good typing, another couple of books ordered, and some useful research. I went for the bus and missed the one I wanted by 30 seconds. More work in the cafe and then Bring Me Sunshine, a one man show about Eric Morecambe. Brilliant, funny and sad, with a ventriloquist's dummy as Ernie Wise.
LVII: E.L. Doctorow, Ragtime (1975)
What went on this year? Eighteen novels on the Nebula "shortlist" - and this surely stretches the definition of sf to breaking point, even fantasy. Among the cast are J.P. Morgan, Harry Houdini, Emma Goldman, Franz Ferdinand, Henry Ford - and fiction characters, including Coalhouse Walker. An interweaving story of various characters between about 1905 and 1917, mostly in or near New York, from impoverished blacks to billionaire financiers. It's a portrait of a society, with some handwaving about secret societies (Morgan) and society as system of interchangable parts (Ford). The novel really starts flying with the appearance of black pianist Coalhouse Walker, and a racist practical joke played upon him.
When I was reading the back of it yesterday I decided which chapter it would fit in before I read the book - and doing further research I realise that Jameson writes about it in relation to postmodernism, which is precisely what I need. I also see it has been accused of plagiarism of Heinrich von Kleist's Michael Kohlhaas, which I clearly need to read, although copies are expensive. Fortunately the Campus on the Hill has two editions in their library. I will have to sneak into work to retrieve my copy of Jameson's Bumper Book of Postmodern Fun.
I can't really see why it was nominated, but I'm glad I read it. I need to track down the movie and the musical in due course.
LVII: E.L. Doctorow, Ragtime (1975)
What went on this year? Eighteen novels on the Nebula "shortlist" - and this surely stretches the definition of sf to breaking point, even fantasy. Among the cast are J.P. Morgan, Harry Houdini, Emma Goldman, Franz Ferdinand, Henry Ford - and fiction characters, including Coalhouse Walker. An interweaving story of various characters between about 1905 and 1917, mostly in or near New York, from impoverished blacks to billionaire financiers. It's a portrait of a society, with some handwaving about secret societies (Morgan) and society as system of interchangable parts (Ford). The novel really starts flying with the appearance of black pianist Coalhouse Walker, and a racist practical joke played upon him.
When I was reading the back of it yesterday I decided which chapter it would fit in before I read the book - and doing further research I realise that Jameson writes about it in relation to postmodernism, which is precisely what I need. I also see it has been accused of plagiarism of Heinrich von Kleist's Michael Kohlhaas, which I clearly need to read, although copies are expensive. Fortunately the Campus on the Hill has two editions in their library. I will have to sneak into work to retrieve my copy of Jameson's Bumper Book of Postmodern Fun.
I can't really see why it was nominated, but I'm glad I read it. I need to track down the movie and the musical in due course.
