Long time since I came to my website. I have been working intensively on Paper in the Cracks, my novel set in England of the fifties and sixties, and then Jerusalem in June 1967 – the time of the Six Day War. One chapter was published as a short story, `The Saint on the Wall,` in Stand Magazine way back in the 1980`s. At the time I had to confirm that I would acknowledge this if it ever appeared in a novel. (Am I remembering this correctly?) I wrote most of the novel more than 20 years ago, took it out 6 months ago and was surprised to find how OK some of it seemed. Hence the months of work on it, since.
As if to challenge my brain, which rarely likes concentrating on one thing at a time (!) a compelling idea for a new short play woke me up yesterday morning….A horrendous confrontation over a book, between two women in their fifties.
Meanwhile, we saw The Price, with David Suchet, and enjoyed it hugely. We remembered seeing it years ago at Octagon Theatre, Bolton, with David Fleeshman, whose voice we heard this morning reading the abridged version of Tales of Love and Darkness – Amos Oz`s autobiographical masterpiece. I actually bought – online – Oz`s last book, Judas, but found I had ordered it in French, so am saving it to take to a French-speaking friend who has invited us for dinner.
Meanwhile, this evening, going to see The Aftermath, and wouldn`t have mentioned it if it wasn`t for the fact that…yes, here is one of my obsessions, and I marvel at how few people share it! It is yet another story which features a man in his late thirties or forties, whose…..wife has just died. The ubiquitousness of this plot-line fascinates me, and to be honest disappoints me again and again.
The writing group at Osidge Library has now had two meetings. It meets on the last Tuesday of the month, and will do so for the year. A great group of people from different parts of Barnet. I have suggested to the group that in their writing they should vaguely focus on the theme of `BARNET.` But of course, you can`t dictate to an individual what they should write about. Looking forward to next meeting. A couple of places still available, then we reach max numbers….
