Free Articles (Free subscription) | 06/01/2009
THE Belgian writer Amelie Nothomb’s latest autobiographical novel, “Tokyo Fiancee,” isn’t a love story; it’s a tale about koi - a term used in Japan for a sexual relationship free of the melodramatic trappings of love, founded on camaraderie rather than romance. As the novel’s narrator, also named Amelie, explains, love is serious and intense, [...]
Marginal Revolution (Free subscription) | 23/12/2008
What is your favourite form of procrastination ? I'm unable to procrastinate. I’m unable to think about tomorrow.That answer is from Amelie Nothomb.
the Literary Saloon (Free subscription) | 22/12/2008
In the Financial Times Anna Metcalfe has a Q and A with local favourite (but admittedly oddball) Amelie Nothomb. Fans will not be surprised to learn that for her: "Becoming a teenager was not a nice experience."
In Spring It Is the Dawn (Free subscription) | 27/11/2008
by Amélie Nothomb (Original title: Robert Des Noms Propres ) Translated from the French by Shaun Whiteside Fiction, 2002 (French), 2004 (English translation) Faber and Faber, trade pb, 117 p. The Book of Proper Names is the story of the hapless orphan girl, Plectrude. Raised by her aunt, and unaware of the dark secret behind her past, she is a troubled but dreamy child who is both blessed and cursed...
In Spring It Is the Dawn (Free subscription) | 25/11/2008
You may remember that last week I wasn't sure where to go next: France, Sweden, or China. Well I ended up going to ballet school in Paris for a while and boy was it strict ( The Book of Proper Names by Amélie Nothomb)! After that, I spent some time with my favourite vampire family, and some non-vampires too, in Forks, Washington, with a quick trip to Italy ( New Moon by Stephenie Meyer). Now I'm back...
In Spring It Is the Dawn (Free subscription) | 18/11/2008
I've been in and around Vancouver lately ( Lighting the Dark Side by Willam R. Potter) but now I'm in limbo wondering where to go next. Should I go to ballet school in Paris ( The Book of Proper Names by Amélie Nothomb), or should I go to Sweden, and later Latvia on the trail of criminals ( The Dogs of Riga by Henning Mankell) or should I go to China ( Mr. Muo's Travelling Couch by Dai Sijie)? Decisions....
The Spanking Writers (Free subscription) | 09/11/2008
Sometimes my imagination wanders into very dark places indeed. I developed a reality TV show concept in my sleep a few weeks ago, for example, and have been toying ever since with whether or not to blog it. The sort of thing I’ve shared with Haron, and a couple of friends, all of whom have [...]
Reading matters (Free subscription) | 27/09/2008
Thanks to everyone who entered my competition to win a copy of Amélie Nothomb's Sulphuric Acid.I used an online random number generator to select the winner.That means the lucky winner was the 6th person to leave a comment... So congratulations to jeniwren. I'll contact you shortly to find out your postal address.
Reading matters (Free subscription) | 22/09/2008
Fancy winning a book? Then I have some good news for you.I have a copy of Amélie Nothomb's Sulphuric Acid -- a dystopian novel that looks at our obsession with reality television -- to give away to one lucky reader. It's a rather slim volume but deals with very weighty -- and occasionally distressing -- subjects, so may not be to everyone's taste. You can find out more by reading my review.To be in...
Reading matters (Free subscription) | 21/09/2008
Fiction - paperback; Faber and Faber; 127 pages; 2008. (Translated from the French by Shaun Whiteside.) When it comes to satire and parody, reality television seems ripe for the picking. I'm not a fan of Ben Elton but I read his very funny and clever send-up of Big Brother, entitled Dead Famous, back in 2002 when the genre was rather new and exciting, if a little tasteless. But now, six years down...
Reading matters (Free subscription) | 20/09/2008
My poor postman must be cursing my addiction to books. Every day this week he had to deliver something hefty to my address.I've now got a shiny new pile of tomes to add to my ever-expanding collection of yet-to-be-read books. Most of these have been acquired via BookMooch or from the author direct.From the top down: My Sony Reader (see this post for an explanation as to how I got hold of this) 50 Walks...
Travelblog (Free subscription) | 30/07/2008
Well I dare say that It hadnot happened for quite a long time. I have been cannibalized by a book.Unable to get my hand off of it like if glued by an unkown corruption.Unable to close my eyes as the words forged by the author burned my counsciousness.Under Hypnose face humanity and smash your intellect and more far much more.This guy knows something about mankind and tells you something about ma
Slog (Free subscription) | 17/06/2008
The Literary Saloon has a link to a Guardian profile of Amélie Nothomb, the Belgian novelist who writes semiautobiographical fiction. Two of her books, The Character of Rain and Fear and Trembling , have been published over here, and they're both lovely little novels. She writes more than gets published over here, though. A lot more : Sixteen published novels represent only a fraction of her prodigious...
the Literary Saloon (Free subscription) | 17/06/2008
In The outsider, in The Guardian, Richard Lea profiles local favourite Amelie Nothomb -- despite having trouble recognising her .....
Obscene Desserts (Free subscription) | 16/06/2008
A passage from a Guardian article about the Belgian author Amélie Nothomb struck a chord: She's always considered herself to be an outsider, though less so since publication. "Before I had this feeling everywhere, with everybody," she says, "I felt marginalised by the whole world. Whereas since I've been published, at least I'm not marginalised by my readers, and since I have a lot of readers that...
