Tuesday, 18 October 2011

English Language Bookshops in Paris - 1

As my French is, well, fairly rudimentary and my need for the spoken word is huge, it is a great surprise to find that Paris has so many English language bookshops. I suppose the most famous of these is Shakespeare and Company on the Left Bank (just opposite Notre Dame). http://shakespeareandcompany.com/



Not only is it packed floor to ceiling with an excellent stock of new and some quality second hand books, at not too bad a mark up on UK prices, but it also holds author readings almost every Monday and a writers' workshop on Saturdays in the late afternoon/early evening.

In the last few days I have heard Edward St Aubyn reading from his latest novel - the finale to a five book series (At Last) that I was not familiar with, and attended the writer's workshop where we are a rather strange tourist attraction. I have never been part of a group where work-shopping is a random spectator sport for book browsers before! I imagine I will get used to it.

Saturday, 15 October 2011

Graffiti Project - latest



Official project work next to the Pompidiou Centre


Wednesday, 5 October 2011

Graffiti Project - latest


Guess so - Rue de Renard, Paris

Sunday, 2 October 2011

Graffiti Project - new location

A new city, a whole new ball park when it comes to photographing graffiti and street art. There's too, too much to take pictures of, so I will try to limit myself to posting the very best ones I find, like this gargoyle on the Quai de Montebello (left bank of the Seine right opposite Notre Dame) - a little obvious I know, but worth it for all that.

Saturday, 27 August 2011

Graffiti Project - latest


Totally wicked. Lothian Road, Edinburgh..

Paul Muldoon - Edinburgh Book Festival

Paul Muldoon is indeed one of our greatest poets: challenging and playful, as he showed last Saturday evening. It was good to hear him read a full set of poems, especially the Wayside Shrine sequence from Maggot. He was relaxed and entertaining in the process, even having his son on stage to read a chorus to one poem, Lovely.

 http://www.paulmuldoon.net/ to check him out.


Friday, 26 August 2011

Graffiti Project - latest


Another cracker from Lothian Road, Edinburgh. Note falling brick that hasn't moved.