Tuesday, 8 September 2009
Sarah Waters on Booker shortlist
Sarah Waters is Booker-shortlisted for her latest novel, The Little Stranger, which is reviewed in depth by Lucie Armitt in the current issue of New Welsh Review.
Friday, 4 September 2009
Tuesday, 1 September 2009
When is a biography not a biography?
Answer: when it’s a metabiography.
I’ve been thinking about how to write a biography of a woman whose major claim to fame (or, in her case, infamy) is that she was briefly married to a man who has, at my last count, generated fifty-seven different biographies, one autobiography and countless newspaper inches and television documentaries. Typing his name into ebay reveals one thousand and forty-five items currently up for grabs. That’s forty odd pages of talking birthday cards, T shirts, thimbles, mousemats, cuff links and fully poseable action figures (with ‘real-like heads’) – never mind the ubiquitous DVDs, posters and photographs. The man isn’t an actor, he's a manufacturing business like no other!
I wondered about who in Wales might be metabiographical material. Richard Burton and Dylan Thomas, of course, spring to mind, but the ebay test disappointingly throws up only six hundred and eleven items for Burton (some of which are actually for the other Richard Burton – translator of The Kama Sutra) and four hundred and twenty for Thomas. There are no thimbles or mousemats and certainly no fully poseable action figures with ‘real-like heads’ – definitely a gap in the market there. In fact, the items are almost all DVDs (Burton) or books (Thomas). Of course – one was an actor, the other a writer. Yet although entire, industrial-sized, myths have also grown up around these two, this is not reflected in wider popular culture – as in the case of the man who was once married to the woman I’m writing about.
My final, deeply scientific, bit of research was checking out the Brontës on ebay. This is largely because the current trend of metabiographies includes the acclaimed The Brontë Myth by Lucasta Miller (as well as The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe by Sarah Churchwell. Marilyn on ebay – don’t even go there. A whopping five thousand and twenty seven items including ballpoint pens and pillow cases. I myself bought a pair of Marilyn flip-flops from a charity shop in Newmarket last weekend which, come to think of it, I could now sell on ebay thereby upping the count to five thousand and twenty eight.). Back to the Brontës. For all that they are now collectively known as a phenomenon, they could only rise to one hundred and seventy six items. Interestingly, these were largely books about them rather than by them – meat and drink for the metabiographer of course, with multiple representations galore!
So, how am I to write the biography – meta or otherwise? ‘Why?’ is the most useful starting point: the career is small and the books about her add up to one, unreliable, autobiography. Yet the legacy is lasting and notorious – why? Because the fifty-seven biographies and miles of column inches about her erstwhile husband continue to peddle myths and rumours about her as ‘the indisputable truth’. And because it’s a great story.
Sarah Broughton
I’ve been thinking about how to write a biography of a woman whose major claim to fame (or, in her case, infamy) is that she was briefly married to a man who has, at my last count, generated fifty-seven different biographies, one autobiography and countless newspaper inches and television documentaries. Typing his name into ebay reveals one thousand and forty-five items currently up for grabs. That’s forty odd pages of talking birthday cards, T shirts, thimbles, mousemats, cuff links and fully poseable action figures (with ‘real-like heads’) – never mind the ubiquitous DVDs, posters and photographs. The man isn’t an actor, he's a manufacturing business like no other!
I wondered about who in Wales might be metabiographical material. Richard Burton and Dylan Thomas, of course, spring to mind, but the ebay test disappointingly throws up only six hundred and eleven items for Burton (some of which are actually for the other Richard Burton – translator of The Kama Sutra) and four hundred and twenty for Thomas. There are no thimbles or mousemats and certainly no fully poseable action figures with ‘real-like heads’ – definitely a gap in the market there. In fact, the items are almost all DVDs (Burton) or books (Thomas). Of course – one was an actor, the other a writer. Yet although entire, industrial-sized, myths have also grown up around these two, this is not reflected in wider popular culture – as in the case of the man who was once married to the woman I’m writing about.
My final, deeply scientific, bit of research was checking out the Brontës on ebay. This is largely because the current trend of metabiographies includes the acclaimed The Brontë Myth by Lucasta Miller (as well as The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe by Sarah Churchwell. Marilyn on ebay – don’t even go there. A whopping five thousand and twenty seven items including ballpoint pens and pillow cases. I myself bought a pair of Marilyn flip-flops from a charity shop in Newmarket last weekend which, come to think of it, I could now sell on ebay thereby upping the count to five thousand and twenty eight.). Back to the Brontës. For all that they are now collectively known as a phenomenon, they could only rise to one hundred and seventy six items. Interestingly, these were largely books about them rather than by them – meat and drink for the metabiographer of course, with multiple representations galore!
So, how am I to write the biography – meta or otherwise? ‘Why?’ is the most useful starting point: the career is small and the books about her add up to one, unreliable, autobiography. Yet the legacy is lasting and notorious – why? Because the fifty-seven biographies and miles of column inches about her erstwhile husband continue to peddle myths and rumours about her as ‘the indisputable truth’. And because it’s a great story.
Sarah Broughton
Guest blogger – Sarah Broughton
Over the next three months, Sarah Broughton will be joining us with guest posts. Sarah is an acclaimed documentary filmmaker and her excellent debut novel, Other Useful Numbers, was published by Parthian in 2008. Sarah will be dropping in to contribute news and views.
This marks the start of a series of guest bloggers on the NWR blog. Enjoy.
This marks the start of a series of guest bloggers on the NWR blog. Enjoy.
Wednesday, 26 August 2009
New Welsh Review Prize Draw
To celebrate our 21st anniversary we are offering the chance to win a complete set of New Welsh Review, from issue 1 to 84. The set is a fascinating collection of Welsh writing in English from 1988 to the present day, mapping tradition and innovation in the Welsh literary landscape, and beyond – from PD James to Terry Eagleton, from Gillian Clarke to Dannie Abse, from Owen Sheers to Rachel Trezise.
The draw is open to all our current subscribers. For a chance to win, subscribers should write, phone or email admin@newelshreview.com before 31st August. Good luck!
If you're not yet a subscriber, you can subscribe online now and save the price of your subscription by this time next year. You can also enjoy the very best new writing from celebrated authors in Wales and the wider world delivered directly to your door. Click here for details.
The draw is open to all our current subscribers. For a chance to win, subscribers should write, phone or email admin@newelshreview.com before 31st August. Good luck!
If you're not yet a subscriber, you can subscribe online now and save the price of your subscription by this time next year. You can also enjoy the very best new writing from celebrated authors in Wales and the wider world delivered directly to your door. Click here for details.
New Welsh Review at the Dylan Thomas Festival 2009
I'll be in conversation with celebrated Swansea-based novelist Stevie Davies on 29th October at the Dylan Thomas Festival as part of our ongoing 21st anniversary celebrations. We'll be discussing Stevie's life and work, and looking ahead to her forthcoming novel, Into Suez. Stevie will also read from her work. We hope to see you there. More details will follow shortly.
Friday, 14 August 2009
Keeping it new
If it seems I've been quiet... Forgive me. This is the summer hiatus... More posts will be on their way very soon.
In the meantime, a few little updates.
Issue 85 of NWR published within the next few weeks, packed with the best of new writing from Wales and beyond, from authors including Byron Rogers, Pascale Petit, Claire Crowther, Kelly Grovier, Jasmine Donahaye, Nigel Jenkins, Meirion Jordan, Robert Minhinnick, Tyler Keevil and many more.
And we've been busy with our plans for our website, too, which will be undergoing a little sprucing and some enhancement (some nice surprises in store for our readers, both current and future, I hope).
At the beginning of September, our first guest blogger will be joining us: brilliant writer and documentary filmmaker Sarah Broughton. So stay tuned, as those who know are apt to say.
In the meantime, a few little updates.
Issue 85 of NWR published within the next few weeks, packed with the best of new writing from Wales and beyond, from authors including Byron Rogers, Pascale Petit, Claire Crowther, Kelly Grovier, Jasmine Donahaye, Nigel Jenkins, Meirion Jordan, Robert Minhinnick, Tyler Keevil and many more.
And we've been busy with our plans for our website, too, which will be undergoing a little sprucing and some enhancement (some nice surprises in store for our readers, both current and future, I hope).
At the beginning of September, our first guest blogger will be joining us: brilliant writer and documentary filmmaker Sarah Broughton. So stay tuned, as those who know are apt to say.
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