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ERLEND LOE Naive. Super Canor‘gate :' 3' 7:”:
Reminiscent of a defunct yuppie catchphrase or ‘darling' line from Ab Fab. the conceited wording of the t:tle has strangely little to no with Erlend Loe's unpretentious central character. In his debut novel. Loe ~- originally a Children's fiction .‘Jt‘llt-Br frOm Norway. tells of an unnamed narrator who. after a complete breakdown. decides to erase his past. drop out of univerSity and start his life from scratch.
Think 'lgnorance. Bliss”. for a better handle on what this beautifully crafted slog really deals WlllT. lntintatt-le confessional and deeply mOVing. this is the poignant and often comical stOry of a man rediscovering a child's sense of innocence and faSCination while making a brave attempt to figure Out the truly important things in a convoluted world. Loe's sense of tranquil patience and Simple. optimistic affection for humanity make this a mesmeriSing and unforgettable piece of philosophical fiction. Naive. Nope. Super? Pretty close. lOlly Lassmani
EXPERIMENTAL NICHOLAS BLINCOE 8. MATT THORNE (EDS)
The New Puritans lFOurth Estate €6.99) 0.
This anthology of new writing is framed by a ten-point manifesto. A post-Puritan resp0nds: ll Narrative is the dominant form, yes. so why not test it to breaking bomt’? 2‘ Good prose is poetry. 3i The best writing transcends genre. -1l Direct though it
- .1, thenew puitans
may be. 'textual siiisplicity' can be dull. It certainly [S in this r:oilection.
:3» Let's leave temporal linearity to the speaking clock. 6i Grammatical purity was a lessen beaten into pupils in the 19508 land |'|l damn well use parentheses if l pleasei. Tl Imagination. history and the present need not be factors exclusive to one another.
8; And what are ‘faithful representations of the present' exactly? Derrida said: Beyond the touchlihe. there is nothing'. He was wrong. 9i 'We are moralists. so all texts feature a recognisable ethical reality'. How very. very dreary. lO) ‘lntegrity of expreSSion' is fOr the Plain English Campaign. Writing can and sh0u|d be an art in itself. (Rodger Evans)
SUPEPNATURAL H.M. FLEMING Scottish Witches And Wizards (Goblinshead €5.95) .00
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The recent furore SurrOunding Harry Potter for uSing his brOOmstick the wrong way round on cellul0id makes it clear there‘s continuing interest in witchCraft. Eschewing any traces of sensationalism Scott/Sh l’l/llCheS And Wizards is a well-researched little book which presents true life aCCOuntS without bias or Judgement.
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turning into to catis ng te'r‘oests. Fleming casts some opinion on the coliticaE and social forces at work. but this book is mainly factual. And it'll make anyOne with a birthn‘ark glad they've been born in the 20th rather than the i7th century. iLouisa Pearsoni
SHORT sroeies LEILA ABOULELA
Coloured Lights iPolygon £8.99‘ 0...
Just as boxmg upstart HaSim Pahmad brought Lennox Letvis crashing to the ropes for the last time. occaSionally an unasSIiming wee book knocks the shots off its bloated. over-hyped c0unterpans. So it was with Leila Ahoulela's novel The Translator. which appeared from out of nowhere to worry established writers on last year's prize shortlists.
Coloured Lights is Aboulela's first short stery colleCtion which like The Translator. highlights the experiences of Muslim men and women living in Britain, Two British Muslims find love in a kebab shoo. a Sudanese woman risks an Outing With a Scottish student. a y0ung Wife struggles to accept her husband’s zealous embracing of Western culture; these everyday situatiOns are elevated by AbOuIela's eye fOr detail and auiet hurn0ur. her deep understanding of inter- Cultural suspiCion.
Also striking is her versatility: some tales are rendered in why authorial voice. others are harrOViJingly Sublect've. Original and immediate. Abouleia's writing stands apart trons the backwards-looking bores 0‘ recent years. iAllan Padc'ifiei
Books
EVENTS AT BORDERS
THURSDAY 19TH JULY 7PM
MUNROS CDROM DEMONSTRATION
Ian White demonstrates this easy way to master Scotland’s famous hills. With features that aid navigating, help with accommodation and what to do in a crisis.
SATURDAY 218T JULY 7PM
KENNY McCOLL
Join poet Kenny McColl for an evening of performance poetry, storytelling, comedy and music with Des Clarke and Ernie Seevy.
SATURDAY 18TH AUGUST 7PM
PERFORMANCE POETRY
WITH RICHARD ALLEN
The wiry, Liverpudlian comedian is ioined by special guest Sapphire, who has taken America by storm with her alarming and inspiring raw lyrics.
THURSDAY 30TH AUGUST 7PM
CROFT No FIVE
Fiddle, whistle and accordion combine with guitar,
bass, drums and samples to create an eXhilarating
high energy dance and funk groove. An up to the minute approach to traditional Scottish music.
TUESDAY I 1TH SEPTEMBERISPM
JAMIE OLIVER
The cooking phenomenon signs copies of his new bOOk, Happy Days With The Naked Chet. Tasty, easy sociable food with the minimum. of fuss. Pukka!
BORDERS“
98 BUCHANAN STREET, GLASGOW GI 38A TEL: 014] 222 7700
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, .~I< 5‘ x: THE LIST 101