People
Having wri sought fictional solace in the past. Allan Radcliffe finds him thriving on life research.
power
en about
t's almost ten years since ('lii/(ln'n (MAI/unit R()l'(’l‘.\'.
that compendium of contemporary short fiction
assembled by Rebel Inc to deliver a much needed boot tip the jacksie to Scottish literature. In the intervening years the collection has proved something of a golden springboard for its six featured authors. While Irvine Welsh has continued to piss off the literary establishment with his uncompromising liction. Alan Warner. Laura Ilird. Paul Reekie and Gordon Legge have all carved out careers in their own rights.
Meanwhile the quiet sixth child. James Meek. has spent the last decade alternating between his day job as an award-winning newspaper journalist - a gig that saw him residing in the former Soviet Union during the ()lls ’— and producing equally intriguing fiction. which includes the novel .I’It'l'ur/unc Bur/v rlu' Sm and the stunningly eclectic. woefully underrated short story collection The Museum of Doubt. The Dundee-raised author‘s new novel The People's AN 0/ [.()l'(' will doubtless prove a hit with readers craving a compelling yarn. elegantly told.
Set in Siberia in l‘)l‘). the novel deals with the impact of a ruthless stranger‘s arrival in a tiny community located next to a beleaguered company of ('zech soldiers. While simple. Meek’s tale is imaginative and provocative. rendered in beautiful. spare language with a story that grips from the outset. ‘The image that came first was the man travelling in the wilderness taking someone to eat on the way.‘ reveals the author. ‘I got that image from a man I was working with in Moscow. It‘s a situation that provokes the creation of a certain type of character. someone who is persuasive.
30 THE LIST I’Ti l r .i. 25:3-3
‘I PREF ER THINGS YOU OBSERVE OUT OF THE CORNER OF YOUR EYE'
ad and Guantanamo Bay for the papers, JAMES MEEK has
manipulative and charismatic.‘
It is arguably the central character of Samarin by turns cruel and merciless. though capable of tender feelings and humane actions that is the most fascinating element of the novel. Indeed. the vivid characterisations are never eclipsed by meticulous historical detail in this timeless fable. 'I think research is a menace. If you try to build a fiction on research it will fail. because the facts you report cart restrict your imagination; you don't need to go to the British Library to discover that people didn‘t use mobile phones in 191‘). I prefer life research; the kinds of things you observe out of the corner of your eye. Because I was living in Russia for eight years I picked tip certain ways of acting and speaking as well as the smells. the way the weather changes and insights such as the mood of a small town.‘
I wonder if Meek relishes the balance in his working life between the imaginative world of fiction and the factual reporting that recently won him several international awards for his astute writings on Iraq and (iuantanamo Bay"? "I‘hat has changed and is still changing. I did take some time out and became totally immersed in this book. I never thought I would benefit from it: in fact. I thought I would go mad. But being alone with your work for hours and hours allows you to think on another level. to realise the bigger picture of what you're trying to create. in a way that a few snatched hours between new spaper pieces can‘t.’
The People’s Act of Love is published by Canongate on Thu 7 Jul.
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THE BEST BOOKS, COMICS & EVENTS
* James Meek Hot-blooded cannibalism, religious fervour and freezing temperatures are the order of the day with the London-born, Dundeesbred writer‘s new novel, The People’s Act of Love, set in early 20th century Siberia. See preview. left. Canongate.
* Mick Jackson With Ten Sorry Tales. Jacko proves himself to be in the solid tradition of Dahl and Gorey as he brings us stories of beach hermits and junior Rip Van Winkles. See review. page 31. Faber.
=l= John Aberdeln It starts with a death and ends with a funeral. But fear not. Amande's Bed is more than a torrent of grief as the author wastes not a word. See review, page 31. Thirsty Books.
Mal-lane Satrapl The political and the personal are sewn together superbly in the lranian comic writer’s latest work, Embroideries. See review. page 32. Jonathan Cape.
Jim Woodrlng An often amusing and at times dark and monstrous collection of gorgeous charcoal and oil drawings which imply either a misspent youth or a highly productive adulthood. Or both. See review, page 32. Fantagraphics.
>i< Louise Welsh Two novels into her career and Ms Welsh (pictured) has more than proved herself to be one of our finest scribes in any genre she feels like turning her hand to. Crime fiction or historical drama: it’s all the same to her. Tambur/aine Must Die is the work she'll be entertaining us with here. See Events. page 32. Borders Books, Edinburgh, Thu 30 Jun. Badge Glass Yet another writer is churned out from that very popular creative scribbling course at Glasgow Uni as we get No Fireworks. an ambitious and potentially explosive debut. See Events. page 32. Ottakar's Bookstore, Thu 7 Jul.