REVIEW BOOKS
V-PAPERBAOKS
I The lights Below Carl MacDougall (Minerva £5.99) Two portraits; one of a man. the other of a city. The man is Andy Paterson. free from prison after doing two years for a drugs crime he didn't commit. The city is modern Glasgow — ‘compressed as a poem, changeless and changing‘. MacDougall intertwines their past and their present realities. The man finds solace in love and culture. The city finds the culture, but loses track of love amidst the consumerism. Familiar, but enjoyable.
I The Language of the Genes Steve Jones (Flamingo £6.99) A readable addition to the small industry of publications that explain recent advances in molecular biology in layman‘s terms. The double helix of DNA is the icon of the 20th century. and Jones — fluent in anecdotal history — takes an optimistic view of the impact of genetics on our lives. Using the journey from Land‘s End to John O' Groats as a metaphor for the history of life. he contends that everywhere south of Birmingham is covered with primeval slime. No surprises there.
I The Psychological Moment Robert McCrum (Picador £5.99) If books were films. this one would be in the straight-to- video category. A conventional thriller about dirty dealings done by the British secret services to bring about a Tory
government in 1979. Seymour J. Gilchrist.
Anglo-American speech-writer to Jimmy Carter. gives us his blokey confessions about international affairs of the political and sexual variety. This loving recreation of 70s male posturing is a mite too convincing to be just a literary device.
I The Emperor and Shah of Shah: Ryszard Kapuscinski (Picador £6.99) The republication of these two remarkable books in one volume is a cause for celebration. Kapuscinski‘s descriptions of the death throes of Haile Selassie‘s regime in Ethiopia and the overthrow of the last Shah of Iran are unforgettable studies of tyranny in decay. He conjures compassion and political insight out of factual reports. interviews and reflections. Modern classics. (Justin McKenzie Smith)
HEEL:- BRAZIL um
I Brazil John Updike (Hamish Henderson £14.99) John Updike is for many the epitome of middle America. His distinct, fluent narratives of average lives in ordinary suburbs have entertained for almost forty years. Therefore, the appearance of Brazil - a sensual, extravagant novel steeped in magic realism — comes as a bit of a surprise.
Two young lovers struggle to protect the love that modern conventions would deny them. Tristao, black son of the favelas, and Isabel, white daughter of rich Rio, embark on a picaresque journey across the physical and historical interior of Brazil.
Encountering bandits, shamans, Indians and a troop of Portuguese conquistadors, their love transcends all hardship. It even enables them to exchange colour, return to the coast and gain the acceptance of urban normality. Of course, it is precisely this banality — ‘the brightly masked tedium of bourgeois life‘ — that is the ultimate threat to their love. and that finally defeats them.
A wry conclusion, well worthy of Updike. However, this new flamboyance never entirely convinces nor transcends his more familiar, urbane voice. Closing acknowledgements to history texts and travel books confirm the impression that Updike has never really left New England. (Justin McKenzie Smith)
ROUGH JUSTICE
I Scotland: The Rough Guide (Rough Guides £8.99) For those who travel independently abroad, the Rough Guides are indispensable. But how good are they really? The new guide to Scotland exposes the series’ whims and occasional failings.
Certainly, here is a no-nonsense glimpse of home which cuts through the glowing disinformation of your average tourist brochure. If a stately pile is crap. no euphemisms are employed in its description. The Highlands are portrayed with just
enough detail to get you round. but not so much that nerds will find all the best places and destroy them. But there is no mention of midges; the guides to Glasgow and Edinburgh nightlife are inadequate; the cities placed only 30 miles apart; and it is claimed taxis can‘t be hailed in an Edinburgh street.
One delight that makes this worth at least a browse. is the ‘as others see us‘ element. It is both rewarding and chastening to read of our idiosyncrasies and such debacles as our convoluted privatised bus network. Every council should buy a copy and take note. (Thom Dibdin)
SIX PACK
I Move Up John Fionn MacCoIla (Canongate £8.99) Appearing 50 years after its inception, these previously unpublished six ‘set-pieces‘ compose a novel ofquestionable unity. Set against the stormy backdrop of 16th century Scotland. MacColla has sought to unearth and analyse the foundations of the Reformation; questioning not only how this movement impinged upon the individual’s spiritual life but the long- term repercussions for a nation and its psyche. The fiery character of John Tod
is the author‘s ethical agent. sent into the ecclesiastical quagmire of Kirk, Scriptures and Heretics to mirror in microcosm the national revolution from priesthood to Protestantism. Certainly MacCoIla excels in those enlightened passages describing Tod‘s innner tumioil in the desire to reach a sense of seIfand freedom. However, his tendency to get bogged down in the less-aesthetically-pleasing religious dialectics detract from the narrative flow enormously. As editor. John Herdman acknowledges, ‘this is a work of fractured greatness'. (Ann Donald)
Glasgow
I Bea Campbell Mon 11. 8pm. Tron Theatre Victorian Bar, 63 Trongate. 552 4267. Sadly. this Engender talk on Danger and Disorder is sold out.
I Glasgow Book Fair Fri 15. noon—7pm. Sat 16, 10am—5pm. James Moir Hall. Mitchell Library. 50p. Antiquarian and second-hand books. maps and prints on sale from over 27 different specialist exhibitors.
I Brian McCain and Graham Fulton Mon 18. 7.30pm. Castlemilk Library, 100 Castlemilk Drive. 634 2066. Free. These two Scottish writers will be reading from their work with members of the Castlemilk Writers Group. Fulton’s second collection of poems. Knights ofthe Lower Floors will shortly be published by Polygon.
I Tad Williams Tue 19. l—2pm. Forbidden Planet. 168 Buchanan Street, 331 1215. Free. 6pm. DiIIons. 174—176 Argyle Street. 248 4814. The hot fantasy writer of the moment will read from and sign his latest novel Siege (Legend £5.99) which forms the first part of the To Green Angel Tower sequence.
I Janice Galloway Thurs 21. 7pm. Waterstone's. 45—50 Princes Square. 221 9650. Free. The highly lauded Scottish author will be reading from and signing
her latest novel Foreign Parts (Jonathan Cape £ 14.99).
Edinburgh
I Centre 01 The Universe Fri 8. 8pm. The Pleasance Bar, The Pleasance. £3 (£2). Performance poet Barry Graham and Paul ‘Mouth of the Walk'. Rcekie, are joined by bands The Shrimptons and Rockville in this event billed as ‘more than a gig. more than a reading‘.
I Science Book Festival Mon 1 l—Fri 15. As part of the Edinburgh Science Festival (see separate preview). Heriot-Watt University are organising a series of events around the city. For full details pick up a copy of the programme or phone the Science Festival Box Office on 557 4296.
I Christopher Harvey Thurs 14. 7.30pm. Waterstone‘s. 83 George Street. 225 3436. Free. This leading Scottish political historian will discuss Scotland and Nationalism (Routledge £l2.99) which examines Scottish history from an academic viewpoint.
I Christine Marion Fraser Fri 15. 3pm. Waterstone's. 128 Princes Street. 226 2666. Free. Afternoon tea with the author of the popular Kings series who reads from and signs her latest novel Noble Beginnings (Harper Collins £14.99).
I William Balrymple Mon 18. 6.30pm. James Thin. 57 George Street, 225 4495. Free. The well known travel writer reads
from and signs his latest book ('in of Djinns: A Year In Del/ii (Harper Collins £6.99).
I Tad Williams Mon 18. 7pm. Waterstone‘s. l3 Princes Street. 556 3034. Free. The hot fantasy writer of the moment will read from and sign his latest novel Siege (Legend £5.99) which forms the first part of the 7%) Green Angel 'lim-er sequence.
I Christopher Awdrey Tue 19, 2pm. Waterstone's. l3 Princes Street. 556 3034. Free. Still dining out on his father‘s Thomas The Tank Engine series. Awdrey will read from and sign copies of the books.
I Hilary Marital Tue 19. 7.30pm. Waterstone‘s. 83 George Street. 225 3436. Free. Popular novelist talking about, reading from and signing her latest book A Change Oj‘Climate (Viking £15) which tells of a staunch missionary family's moral dilemmas in South Africa during the 50s.
I Janice Galloway Wed 20. 7.30pm. Waterstone‘s. 83 George Street, 225 3436. Free. The highly lauded Scottish author will be reading from and signing her latest novel Foreign Parts (Jonathan Cape £14.99).
I Sister Wendy Becket Thurs 21. 7.30pm Waterstone‘s. 83 George Street. 225 3436. Free. The art-loving nun finally makes it to Edinburgh to promote her latest book Sister Wendy's Grand Tour (BBC £19.99).
THE BAY TREE
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Mon - closed Tue-Fri - 11am-9pm Sat - 10am-9pm Sun — 11am-9pm 10% Student discount Tuesday - Thursday
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The List 8-21 April 1994 71