Ami Rao's short novel Boundary Road (2023) is set on a London Bus & relates the multicultural interactions of London through the journey (and inner reflections) of two passengers. It brings the two narratives together in a pay off that while (sort of predictable) remains a reflection of what London has become. As an ex-Londoner this struck me very much as a London novel of our time, showing both the good & bad of the city!
…and here’s Charmaine and the RNIB in the news talking about many London local authorities failing to offer rehabilitation services within the 28 day deadline for support #blind#Ddeafblind#PartiallySighted#London@disability | “she had to wait five months for "vision rehabilitation", a service provided by local authorities to help people rebuild their lives after sight loss.
Ms Ashpole said that following the programme she was able to go out with a white cane, navigate public transport and utilise braille, which was "an absolute game changer".
"If I'd had to wait longer I think then you're wondering who is supporting you, who cares?
"So then you've got a whole host of mental health ramifications coming on top of the grief of having lost your eyesight which is just a terrible place for any person to be in,"” https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-68621922
The Hidden Library of St. Paul's Cathedral in London will be available for its first overnight guests on March 15. Two lucky people will be able to peruse its 22,000-book collection and climb the dome of the cathedral, led by the Dean of St. Paul's, before settling down for the night. They'll also receive signed advance copies of books including Holly Jackson’s "The Reappearance of Rachel Price," John Grisham’s "Camino Ghosts," and Kevin Kwan’s "Lies and Weddings." The stay costs just £7 (about $9) and includes breakfast, dinner and activities. Here's more from @thrillist including a link to book, which will go live on March 12 at 10 a.m. GMT.
I used to write poetry while in London, in an area that had some pretty run-down parts. I gave up since I'm not good at poetry, but I thought this one was slightly better than the rest. What do you think? 😅
piri-piri and p*ss
stain the paper sheets
of everyday-value men
their hands grow
out of London planes
to pray; or serve curry
and whether or not
they lose their bet,
a party takes place
‘AM I LESS BRITISH?’ Racism, belonging, and the children of refugees and immigrants in North London by Doğuş Şimşek (2024) #UCLPress#OpenAccess#Book
"Am I Less British?’ focuses on the children of refugees and immigrants in North London, whose parents migrated from Turkey.
Providing a rich ethnography of the lives of the children, the book studies their sense of identity, belonging and their transnational experiences. It aims to understand how the children position themselves within a range of locations (London, North London and Turkey), where they face class hierarchy, racism and discrimination, and explores how they think about their sense of belonging within the contemporary political context in Britain and Turkey."
London-based literature lovers are in for a treat with the Southbank Centre's Spring Literature Season. At the festival, held from March to June, Salman Rushdie will discuss his new memoir, "Knife," Kazuo Ishiguro and jazz singer Stacey Kent will team up for an interview and live performance. Other stars appearing include RuPaul, twice Booker-shortlisted novelist Chigozie Obioma, writer and filmmaker Miranda July, and author Sheila Heti. Here's more from the Bookseller (story may be paywalled). Tickets are on sale now.
"The British Museum’s Decisive Year: A 2023 Filled with a Lot of Scandal, and Not Enough Change" by Karen K. Ho (ARTNews).
"For now, the British Museum can no longer assert it is the safest, best place for millions of artifacts from around the world. Hundreds of items are still missing and its primary suspect is not cooperating with the police investigation.
The British Museum could turn this moment into an opportunity to rebuild relationships with other countries and institutions it has long alienated and antagonized. But based on its history and the statements of its current leadership, it would require a significant shift in foresight and humility to make this happen".
Amy Levy's lat C19th photo-#feminist (?) novel, The Romance of a Shop (1888/2021) offers a story of the struggle of #women to stay independent in Victorian #London. While perhaps this has a touch of Zola in its telling, the four sisters' #photography business, an interesting plot element, sadly gets subsumed into the more general social tale of courtship in the middle-classes. Its a breezy, short read but ultimatley disappoints a little @bookstodon
Happy Monday! We'll be sharing a weekly photograph of George Lansbury from the archives.
Here is George with his daughter Daisy Postage. As well as working as her father's secretary, Daisy was an activist and was involved in the suffragette movement. She famously dressed up as Sylvia Pankhurst to help the real Sylvia Pankhurst evade capture from the police.
Israel’s #hasbara has officially gone into overdrive, or possibly becoming more desperate. This simulation of a terrorist attack in #London (guess it has nothing to do with London seeing the biggest demonstrations in support of #Palestine) on #Xmas day is supposed to “make Brits feel what it’s like to be ‘in our shoes’ for a minute or two,” according to one of the producers.
——-
London.
Christmas Day.
Your home and dear ones.
What if it were you?
Once a week, I pull a lateral move and go for a walk without notice cancelling close-back headphones, and, when taken in in small doses, the sonic assault of the urban cacophony can be almost enjoyed for its complexity, like a pinball for mindfulness.
In #earlymodern London, 29 October (the day after the feast of Saints Simon and Jude) was the day of the Lord Mayor's Triumph.
Late as I walked through Cheapside, an early #17thCentury ballad from Ms Drexel 4257 describes the sights and sounds of the day.
Details include the Lord Mayor's procession through the streets of London, accompanied by civic dignitaries, liverymen, whifflers, and more; horses, wild men and noisy fireworks; and pageants with boy and girl actors.
From the Gamble Commonplace Book, Ms Drexel 4257
Richard de Winter: tenor
Robin Jeffrey: lute
Alison Kinder: bass viol
Tamsin Lewis: violin
Am #Welttierschutztag ein Hinweis auf #WerkstattGeschichte 56/2011 "#tiere", hg. v. @DocRoscher & André Krebber; Beiträge v. Bernhard Gißibl über Mensch-Tier-Beziehungen im kolonialen Ostafrika, Brett Mizelle zu "Grizzly" Adams und die Genese des Bildes vom Grizzly Bären im 19. Jh. sowie v. Anna-Katharina Wöbse & M. Roscher zu #Zoo-Tieren in #Berlin & #London im #2WW
> A project mapping medieval England's known murder cases has now added Oxford and York to its street plan of London's 14th century slayings, and found that Oxford's student population was by far the most lethally violent of all social or professional groups in any of the three cities.
Repeated throughout the book, the assertion 'Since the one thing that can solve our problems in dancing' shapes Caleb Azumah Nelson's shortish Anglo-Ghanian novel Small Worlds (2023). Its a wryly told story of love, migration, frustrated hopes & redemption all mainly set in 1980s/90s South #London. Evoking a similar feeling to Steve McQueen's Small Axe/Silly Games, the novel is both insightful & a very satisfying piece of modern fiction. @bookstodon