Sunday, 16 February 2025

Digital Papyrus - Novel




 I have completed my new novel, 'Digital Papyrus.' This is my second novel and my seventh book. (They're all slim little volumes.)


I find it hard to gauge the quality of my writing. I have no idea if this is a masterpiece or a pile of garbage (or something in between). When some people tell me that they enjoy my books, I can't tell if it's genuine or they're being polite.


I'm printing twenty copies of this. I toyed with the idea of charging for this, as I don't have much money, but I'm still not sure many people would be willing to pay for this, so I'm still giving them away. There are still five copies available.


SYNOPSIS: Paul Harloe is a classicist at Oxford, specialising in ancient Greek political history and philosophy. His friend Edward Mackintosh, a computer scientist, has invented a groundbreaking device aimed exclusively for him...


Cover illustrated by Sofia Lindgren.


Email simonking19965@gmail.com if you would like a copy.

Tuesday, 14 January 2025

Johnson

 Winamop has published my short story about American blues musician Blind Willie Johnson. This is the description on the website: 'Simon King looks into the lives of well-known figures from the past. This time it's blues man Blind Willie Johnson who met a sad demise... as so many did. Read Johnson.'


http://www.winamop.com/sk2500.htm


Part eight from a forthcoming book called Fifteen Characters: Volume Two.

Friday, 15 November 2024

Balzac

 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.

Sunday, 10 November 2024

Ahoy Facebook #23

 

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. 👍

One t-shirt: A Melvins-themed t-shirt.

One CD: Seances by Trevor Dunn's Trio-Convulsant avec Folie a Quatre.

I went to a concert by Melvins' guitarist Buzz Osbourne and Mr. Bungle's bassist Trevor Dunn in Leeds yesterday. It was a great gig. Osbourne played acoustic guitar and sang whilst Dunn played upright bass. Anyway, whilst I was there I bought some of the merchandise. I bought this Melvins-themed t-shirt, which I'll be able to show off next summer. I also bought a CD by Trevor Dunn's group, which mixes free jazz with heavy metal.



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.


Thursday, 19 September 2024

Dostoyevsky

 Winamop has published my short story about the Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky. This is the description on the website: 'Simon King looks at the lives of famous people from the past and this time it's Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Here we find him at a pivotal moment in his life.'


www.winamop.com/sk2403.htm

Part six from a forthcoming book called Fifteen Characters: Volume Two.

Friday, 16 August 2024

Sibelius

 Winamop has published my short story about Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. This is the description on the website: 'Simon King's subject this time is the famed Finnish composer Sibelius. We meet him in his later years with a long and successful career to look back upon.'


http://www.winamop.com/sk2402.htm

Part five from a forthcoming book called Fifteen Characters: Volume Two.

Monday, 27 May 2024

Bartok

 Winamop has published my short story about Hungarian composer Bela Bartok. This is the description on the website: 'Simon King takes a new foray into the life of a notable figure from the past. This time it's the composer Bela Bartok. Who, it turns out, was an early adopter of some cutting-edge technology.'

Part four from a forthcoming book called Fifteen Characters: Volume Two.


http://www.winamop.com/sk2401.htm