Winamop has published my short story about French novelist Honored De Balzac. This is the description on the website: read this!
'Simon King takes a peek into the life of Honore de Balzac, one of France's most prolific novelists (and coffee drinkers). It's called Balzac of course..'
http://www.winamop.com/sk2404.htm
Part seven from a forthcoming book called Fifteen Characters: Volume Two.
New acquisitions. 😊
Six books: Goebbels by Peter Longerich, Lenin by Robert Service, Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Champion of Freedom by Conrad Black, Macmillan: 1957-1986 by Alistair Horne, Adenauer: The Father of the New Germany by Charles Williams and Stockhausen: A Biography by Michael Kurtz.
I bought a whole load of biographies (mainly political ones).
The first two are biographies of two tyrants. Goebbels was quite a cultured man (many of the Nazis were) who wrote a couple of unsuccessful novels and completed a doctorate in the humanities. Of course, he later became propaganda minister under the Nazi regime and his most loyal understudy. He was, unsurprisingly, vain and self-obsessed. Lenin, of course, established the Soviet Union, a one-party state, ramped up political repression and killed many of his acolytes.
Then there are three decent statesmen. FDR brought the USA out of the Great Depression by creating social programs. He was also an effective war-time leader. He is often ranked as one of the best American presidents, alongside Lincoln. Macmillan was prime minister of the UK in the late 50s when the country was becoming more prosperous and claimed that ‘you’ve never had it so good.’ Adenauer was chancellor of Germany after WWII. He was a Christian Democrat and was untainted by Nazi associations during the war. He presided over high economic growth after WWII, which has been called an ‘economic miracle.’
Stockhausen was an eccentric man who wrote eccentric pieces of music which often baffled audiences (hence why I find him appealing).
New acquisitions. 🙂
Six CDs: A Set of Pieces By Charles Ives/Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Up Above my Head by Sister Rosetta Tharpe,The Legend of Blind Joe Death by John Fahey, In the Court of the Crimson King by King Crimson, Aguirre by Popol Vuh and In Praise of Learning by Henry Cow.
New acquisition. 🙂
One book: Julian: Rome's Last Pagan Emperor by Phillip Freeman.
I bought this book about the Roman emperor Julian. His uncle Constantine had made Christianity the official religion. Julian grew up reading the greek and Latin classics and he was an introverted scholar. He thought that the empire had lost its way by embracing Christianity and that it should return to its pagan roots. Once his cousin Constantius II died, Julian seized power. He attempted to revoke Christianity and reinstate paganism, but he failed as Christianity was too entrenched. He ruled for two years and died in the battlefield against Persia.
New acquisitions. 🙂
Six CDs: Wanderer-Fantasie and Fantasie by Franz Schubert/Robert Schumann/Maurizio Pollini, Violin Concerto/Lyric Suite and Three Orchestral Pieces by Alban Berg/Rebecca Hirsch/Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra/Eri Klas, Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima/Cancticum Canticorum Salomonis/De Natura Sonoris Nos. 1 and 2 by Krzysztof Penderecki/Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra/London Symphony Orchestra, Symphony No. 9 'From the New World'/The Firebird Suite by Kazuito Yamashita/Antonin Dvorak/Igor Stravinsky, Larks' Tongues in Aspic by King Crimson and King for a Day, Fool for a Lifetime by Faith No More.
New acquisitions. 🙂
Three CDs: Ballads by Stan Getz, Berkeley 1979 by Tony Williams Lifetime and We Live Here by Pat Metheny.
New acquisitions. 👍
Four coasters: A Hot Rats-themed coaster, A Weasels Ripped my Flesh-themed coaster, a Waka/Jawaka-themed coaster and a Grand Wazoo-themed coaster.
I had a coaster of 'Weasels Ripped my Flesh,' but I spilled that much red wine on it that it ruined it. However, I realised that I could purchase more Frank Zappa-themed coasters, so this is precisely what I did. These are all largely his jazzy albums (Zappa's jazzy albums are generally my favourite albums by him).
Sofia Lindgren has kindly illustrated the cover for my forthcoming novel, 'Digital Papyrus.'
New acquisitions. 👍
Three CDs: 1935-1939 by Django Reinhardt, Fiesta Caliente: Live 76 by Gato Barbieri and Live at the Rainbow Gallery 79 by Anthony Braxton.
New acquisition. 👍
A Prussian helmet.
I like to have artefacts which represent some of my interests. I read some books on European history, so I bought this Prussian helmet.
New acquisitions.
Three CDs: Mirror Man by Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band, At Home by Screaming Jay Hawkins and Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys.
New acquisitions. 🙂
Ten DVDs: Election by Alexander Payne, The Holdovers by Alexander Payne, Scanners by David Cronenberg, The Dead Zone by David Cronenberg, Dead Ringers by David Cronenberg, Crash by David Cronenberg, eXistenZ by David Cronenberg, Spider by David Cronenberg, A History of Violence by David Cronenberg and Cosmopolis by David Cronenberg.
New acquisitions. 🙂
Three books: La historia oculta del régimen militar: Memoria de una época, 1973-1988 by Ascanio Cavallo, Manuel Salazar and Oscar Sepúlveda, La historia oculta de la transición: Memoria de una epoca, 1990-1998 by Ascanio Cavallo and Momentos estelares de la humanidad by Stefan Zweig.
This is a history book about the military dictatorship in Chile. There were terrible human rights abuses during this period and thousands of people were killed and tortured.
The second book is about the return to democracy in the 90s. This was a great decade for Chile, as the economy grew on average by 7% a year, wages rose, poverty was significantly reduced and civil liberties were restored following the demise of the dictatorship. I was there at the time but, being an infant, I wasn't really aware of these things.
My uncle was reading this book when my dad was in Chile. He told him that it was quite similar to the short stories that I write about historical figures, so my uncle let me have it. Plus, I've been aware of Zweig for a long time, but I've never read him, so that's also good.
New acquisitions. 🙂
Three DVDs: Miller's Crossing by Coen Brothers, O Brother, Where Art Thou by Coen Brothers and A Serious Man by Coen Brothers.
New acquisitions. 🙂
Six books: Decline and Fall by Evelyn Waugh, Scoop by Evelyn Waugh, Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh, Alexander the Great by Philip Freeman, Julius Caesar by Philip Freeman and Hannibal: Rome's Greatest Enemy by Philip Freeman.
Waugh always struck me as a bit stodgy when I was younger, but I want to read him now. He was a non-conformist (I like non-conformists), he wrote classics (classics are often venerated for a reason) and he wrote scathing satires (satire is good).
I like reading about antiquity, so I bought biographies about three of the most iconic figures from antiquity - Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar and Hannibal.
