Posts Tagged: Uncategorized

The English Disease

Weekly book reviews and literary criticism from the Times Literary SupplementThe last time I mentioned Theodore Dalrymple in this blog, I received an angry comment from a reader in which Dalrymple was labelled a fascist. I replied, mildly, that although I could see that Dalrymple was certainly conservative (and maybe Conservative) that didn’t mean he… Continue reading The English Disease

Famous portrait ‘not Shakespeare’

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Arts | Famous portrait ‘not Shakespeare’This is hardly a shock. Actually, if you google for the Grafton portrait, the first hit is the Norton site claiming it’s Marlowe. This is another example of the way that Shakespeare gets romanticised. We seem to want to possess him, and an authentic portrait… Continue reading Famous portrait ‘not Shakespeare’

Malayan pantoums

Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | Stephen Fry’s Malayan pantoumsI agree with McMillan about Fry – he does seem, damn him, the complete renaissance man. McMillan is a lively and interesting poet, who has written much whimsical and humorous stuff, but who has a serious side too. I like “The Er Barnsley Seascapes” for their… Continue reading Malayan pantoums

Leeds Backlash

Here’s a turn up for the books – after days of no doubt frenzied discussions, Marketing Leeds have responded. My correspondent is Duncan (we are apparently already on first name terms) who tells me that “as you will no doubt be aware, it is impossible to copyright a placename, or indeed any standard English word.… Continue reading Leeds Backlash

Leeds 0, Hong Kong 3 (Chan, hat trick)

Predictably, the dynamic folks at Marketing Leeds maintained a dignified silence in response to my e-mail, and after all, who could blame them? How were they to know that Hong Kong had been running a major marketing campaign for two years using the very slogan they had come up with? It’s not as if Jackie… Continue reading Leeds 0, Hong Kong 3 (Chan, hat trick)

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