art and culture
Regency style in a warehouse loft setting
An eclectic but aligned mixture of styles sometimes just works...
Review of Piranesi - a novel by Susanna Clarke
This new novel by Susanna Clarke (author of Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell), references (in multiple ways) the work of the Italian artist and architect Giovanni Battista Piranesi known for his etchings of “fictitious and atmospheric prisons” (Le Carceri d’Invenzione). It is a ‘realist fantasy’ that conjures up both internal and external ‘otherworldliness’ in a lyrical and ultimately tender tale of loss, forgetting, and remembering.
Themes of finding truth through madness, caring for the dead and the lost, and devotion to place and the world (or worlds), are balanced with examinations of narcissism, ‘transgression’ and deep and enduring malicious manipulation.
It is all the more remarkable that this is told through a tale with initially only one character, and ultimately only a very small number of additional participants. It is a short read, for as the puzzle unfolds, the story draws you rapidly along until its ultimate and satisfying conclusion.
Highly recommended. 📚
Reviews and Links
Home Sweet Labyrinth: Susanna Clarke’s Mysterious ‘Piranesi’ Will Lock You In
The long-awaited followup to ’Jonathan Strange" is even more magically immersive
Thrilling to the magic inside the houses in ‘Piranesi’
Susanna Clarke’s infinitely clever ‘Piranesi’ is enough to make you appreciate life in quarantine
Piranesi Review: Susanna Clarke Turns to Modernist Magical Realism
Susanna Clarke's new novel - "Piranesi"
Fascinating new book 📚
Only just started reading it and it’s intriguing and delightful.
SaveTheExpanse
This is important #SaveTheExpanse
Update: [www.youtube.com/watch](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0u6El-kMgac)
Listening to Scars (Ilan Bluestone)
Listening to Scars - Ilan Bluestone. Especially enjoying ‘I Believe’ and ‘Let Me Know’.
LitCrawl Wellington’s on next weekend (10–12 November) - get into it! www.litcrawl.co.nz
Literary afternoon - Border by Kapka Kassabova with cheeseboard, prosciutto, dried figs etc. at Bedford Cheese Shop.
Torch Song
2 hour adaptation of Harvey Fierstein’s 3 play trilogy. At the Tony Kiser Theater: 305 West 43rd Street, NYC. “It’s 1979 in New York City and Arnold Beckoff is on a quest for love, purpose and family. He’s fierce in drag and fearless in crisis, and he won’t stop until he achieves the life he desires. Now, Arnold is back…and he’s here to sing you a torch song. The Tony Award®-winning play that forever changed the trajectory of Broadway returns for a new generation.”
