A bookish appeal. Dedalus Books, the independent UK purveyor of esoteric international literature for 25 years, is in danger of losing its Arts Council funding. It would be a real shame if the publisher went under.
Please take a moment to join Ali Smith, Tibor Fischer et al in signing this online petition:
http://www.gopetition.co.uk/online/16111.html
Another way to support Dedalus is to buy something from its unique back catalogue, sooner rather than later, before it’s too late. I’ve just put together an Amazon List of my own recommended Dedalus titles, including their splendid Finnish Fantasy anthology.
More details in the Guardian here.
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Recent adventures: met with Laurence Hughes and visited the Millais show at the Tate Britain. Quite a rollercoaster selection, from the fascinating to the overly familiar, to the commissioned portraits and shamelessly commercial (the Pears Soap advert), to his lesser known intricate drawings and sensitive landscapes. Didn’t realise Millais had such varying styles in his Pre-Raphaelite prettiness, what with those famous depictions of ladies in wistful Bronte-esque poses, equating loneliness with long tousled hairdos.
And then there’s his contribution to the era’s fashion for outrageously idealised portraits of children, the so-called Fancy Pictures. As an unkind friend of mine once described, ‘They’re called Fancy Pictures because if you see enough at one time, you fancy you’ll be sick.’
There’s only of a few of those though, mercifully, and the exhibition succeeds in contrasting the works Millais did purely for money, with the ones he considered his real works of art. And the good stuff – not least the gorgeous Highland snow scenes and vibrant colours of the coats and dresses in his portraits – makes you want to burst into spontaneous applause.
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Fosca mail:
From: Stephen, Alexandria, United States
Message: It’s a forlorn hope I realise, but it would be wonderful to see Fosca here in the US. I’m sure the band would be welcomed in New York, DC, Boston, San Francisco etc? Would you even consider a visit to the US if it were at all possible?
If it were possible, definitely. But Fosca would need backing from major labels or publishers to fund US touring. I’m happy to go touring if the practicalities are accounted for. Which is the case in Sweden, where the label But Is It Art Records is booking us a small tour.
The Stockholm date has already been announced:
Wednesday 26th March: Stockholm Landet, LM Ericssons väg 27.
With Friday Bridge.
Here’s the rather nice flyer:
And here’s the kind of email that reminds me why I bother:
Fosca has meant so much to me since I first heard ‘The Agony Without the Ecstasy’ live [at Sweden’s Benno festival] in 2001… I went straight to the Pet Sounds record store the day after the gig, bought On Earth to Make the Numbers Up, and went to the nearby café. There I sat with my discman and a cup of tea… It is one of the best experiences of discovering new music I have ever had.
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Thanks to all those who sent me Christmas cards. Particularly those whose contact details I’ve managed to lose somewhere amid the changing of computers and my general hopelessness. So if you’re reading this, Johnny Johnson, and Jason & Sam, please get in touch…
