“For the Glory. The Life of Eric Liddell” by Duncan Hamilton (published by Black Swan)
God, gold and goodness
“Chariots of Fire” won the 1981 Academy Award for Best Picture, putting excitement into athletics as it told the story of two runners who won gold medals for Britain in the 1924 Olympics in Paris. Surprisingly, perhaps, this occupies only the first third of ...
Péter Esterházy in the streets he called home
Photos, quotes celebrate a son of Óbuda
Forty posters displaying previously unpublished photos of celebrated Hungarian writer Péter Esterházy and popular quotes of his chosen by contemporary writers and poets have gone on public display in the streets of Óbuda, where the author lived all his life until his death aged ...
“Fall. The Mystery of Robert Maxwell” by John Preston (published by Viking)
Tycoon in too deep after years of profligacy
Did he fall, did he jump or was he pushed? Whichever – accident, suicide or murder – the fatal fall of notorious business tycoon and media magnate Robert Maxwell from his luxury yacht Lady Ghislaine in November 1991, left him floating bloated and naked ...
“Film Noir Style. The Killer 1940s” by Kimberly Truhler (published by GoodKnight Books)
Women to kill for, women to die for
It’s a shocking omission, says Kimberly Truhler, that the costumes and their designers are too often left out of the conversation when it turns to film noir, that genre which explores the dark side of human nature, particularly sins such as lust and greed ...
“The Ox. The Last of the Great Rock Stars” by Paul Rees (published by Constable)
A fully paid-up member of the ’hope I die before I get old’ generation
For The Who’s bass player, John Entwistle, “The Ox” was a nickname to wear as a badge of honour, celebrating the iron constitution that allowed him to live the rock ’n’ roll life to the extreme. The epithet was, says his biographer, an acknowledgement ...
“The Little Man from Archangel” by Georges Simenon (published by Penguin Books)
Wayward wife brings community prejudice to surface
At a time today when some Americans have been stirred into hatred of their “foreign” compatriots thanks to disparagement from on high about the “China virus” and “kung flu”, Simenon’s 1957 novel is prophetic in showing what can happen when an outsider who thinks ...
“The Lyrics of Syd Barrett” (published by Omnibus Press)
Caught on the crossfire of childhood and stardom
Syd. Bohemian Syd. Happy then mad sad Syd. Syd who swapped his Mini for a pink Pontiac Parisienne that he couldn’t drive. Syd the beautiful burnt-out pioneer of psychedelia. Catatonic Syd on stage detuning his guitar with ratty hair full of Mandrax and Brylcreem, ...
“The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present” by Paul McCartney
Songs from a man on the run
The time has never been right, according to 79-year-old former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney, to write an autobiography, so second-best will come later this year in the form of “The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present”, described as a self-portrait in 154 songs.
“When I Was Old” by Georges Simenon (published by Penguin Books)
Leafing through – some of – life’s back pages
In 1970 at age 66, Belgian author Georges Simenon published “Quand j’etais vieux” (When I Was Old), an autobiographical work. His preface said: "In 1960, 1961, and 1962, for personal reasons, or for reasons I don't know myself, I began feeling old, and I ...
Excerpt from ‘How to Avoid a Climate Disaster’
Bill Gates and his master plan to save Earth
For 20 years Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has been dedicated to saving the planet from mass extinction, studying the twin global afflictions of disease and poverty. These efforts led him to consider climate change and its worrying impact on civilisation. His latest book, “How ...
