skip to main |
skip to sidebar
While England Sleeps by David Leavitt.
After reading the reviews of this book, and how gut-wrenching the ending was I thought I'd give it a go. I'd just re-read Forster's Maurice and was wanting a bit of a gay period story. Oh dear.
I know that it's possible to have a hateful protagonist, and for that to add to a book; but even horrible people need to grow, or at least go on some journey and be different at the end (even if they are still horrible). Brian Botsford does go on a journey, a literal one, and comes back the same. I was disappointed by the story. Upper-middle class writer briefly lives with a working class boy, treats him terribly, awfully, then realises he loves him. Kind of. Well, actually, no, "it would be twenty years until I even contemplated marriage between two men".
Part of why I didn't like it is the picture it paints of gay men. All gay men cheat, it seems to say; all gay men go cottaging, desperately. I'm gay and I do neither of those things. Alec Scudder didn't do those things, neither did Edward Phelan. What is Leavitt trying to say then? Upper class gays do? The story was a non-story, the main character didn't change all the way through.
I agree with other reviewers who say it's perfectly acceptable to have a villain as the protagonist, and to be able to enjoy that book or story - but I can't condone the way Brian treated Edward, his cowardice or lying, and worst of all: he learned nothing from his behaviour and its consequences, not even regret.
Read the book if you want to, there's lots of beautiful description in there, and there's no denying Leavitt is a good writer. Having read this, I doubt his storytelling abilities though. Every chapter ends with a wistful, forced image; much like a hollywood blockbuster: "I stopped being young", "Then the letter came", "As if it mattered. As if he weren't watching my every move".
The characters talk of Oscar Wilde, E.M. Forster, and it seems that Leavitt wanted this book to be a sort of Maurice or Wildean tale; it falls far short. It lacks the wit, tenderness and story that Forster or Wilde's works do.
I wish it had been great, I wish Brian Botsford hadn't been such a lazy, cowardly cheat; but it wasn't, and he was.
Questions from Annekata (go and look at her lovely, lovely blog)
1. If you could have a dinner with a famous person (alive or dead) who would you choose?
There are so many people both dead and alive that I would love to answer for this question! Alan Turing. He's the father of computer science, and sadly he killed himself because society was so against homosexuals at the time. A great man, and we share the same birthday.
2. Where would you have that dinner?
There's a lovely little restaurant on the Rue de L'Eglise in St Généreux. It hasn't got a name, or a menu - you just get whatever they decide to make that day. Six courses of good French country cooking, vin compris. C'est magnifique!
3. What book written (in the last 300 years) had a real influence on your life?
There are many books that have influenced my life. Here are a few, in no particular order:
Folk Music by Sheenagh Pugh, and
Kirstie's Witnesses by Sheenagh Pugh
Berta La Larga by Cuca Canals
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling (yes, really)
1984 by George Orwell
The Poems of Max Ehrmann
The Lord of the Rings by Tolkien
Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs (it was after reading this, and all his other novels in quick succession, that I decided to concentrate on being a writer)
4. If you could live anywhere, in any time, what place and time would that be?
I like living now, and where I am, is that weird? I'd like to visit loads of different times, I'd love to be a hunter-gatherer living in Wales in the Neolithic (is that when hunter-gatherers lived?); I'd also like to go and visit the 1700s, just so I could wear some fantastic clothes! There are also so many turning points in gay history that I'd like to visit - being a young man paired with a strong Roman warrior as my teacher; learning Polari and visiting underground gay clubs when gay culture was still being created, also seeing it being decriminalised would be amazing; I'd also love to go back to June 28th 1969 to be part of the Stonewall riots.
5. What season would reflect you best?
Autumn. Cold, sunny days made for scarf-wearing, long walks, fruit-picking, blankets, knitting, making dens, hot tea, baking cakes, warming stews, game pie, blackberries, gloves, Halloween/Samhain, fires, fireworks, lots of soup and reading stories. That's me.
6. What do you wear when you don't want to think about what you wear?
Boring. Jeans, t-shirt, sneakers.
7. What does craft/making mean to you?
Literally everything. All the creative stuff I do, whether that be writing, sewing, painting, pyrography, knitting, crochet, sculpting, soldering, drawing, folding, sticking, is a part of who I am. I make, therefore I am. Lolz.
8. If you project yourself into the future. Is there anything you would like to achieve in the next 2 to 5 years?
I want to get one of my novels published. I'm over halfway writing one, and about a fifth of the way through the other.
My experiment to write a novel in 30 days has come a cropper. There's 6 days left and I'm only halfway through. I've finally stopped beating myself up about it though. I totally chose the wrong month to write a novel: work is busy at the moment and I'm buying a house!
I am very pleased with what I've done so far, but I'm still upset with myself for having to change the terms of the contract. I'm now going to try and write (at least) a thousand words every day until it is finished. I've made sure I've written all the major parts of the story, and I'm now drawing everything together, filling in the gaps, and starting to arrange the chapters.
It's gone off in a lot of different directions, and surprised me in many ways too: one character who was alwasy going to die, didn't. I ended up really liking the character and found it easy to write him - and I want to write about him again, but I wouldn't be able to if I knew he'd end up dead. Also a new character appeared, and I don't know where she came from. She's going to stick around too.
I wish ìt could all have been done in the 30 days, but this month hasn't allowed - but I have the bare bones, and a lot to work with. I should be thankful for that.
Isn't it typical, the first day of my novel project and I can't write. I had been planning to write during my lunch hour in work, and then for a few hours at home. Yesterday I was in a staff away day at a hotel, and then I had yoga in the night. I would normally have had time after yoga, but I was tired and hungover after seeing The School and The Hidden Cameras on Monday night (links in my sidebar). Had a great night. It included getting lost, giving piggybacks, and way too much beer. I danced all night.
So, back to reality. I'm starting writing properly today. Lucky I gave myself those three 'get out of jail' cards!
Here’s a bit from the certificate:
I will write 1,650 words every day for 30 days.
I will check my email only once every day, during work time only.
I will update my blog once a week only.
I will update Facebook via my blog and Twitter only.
I will update Twitter no more than once every day.
I will close my Folksy shop for the 30 days.
I will only watch one television programme per week during the 30 days.
I will not watch DVDs during the 30 days.
I will not play Xbox or Nintendo during the 30 days.
I will not miss out on sleep during the 30 days.
I will only listen to one playlist of pre-chosen songs during the 30 days.
The 30 days will start on Tuesday 23rd March, and end on Thursday 22nd April.
A night off may be ‘banked’ by writing that night’s 1,650 words the day before. This means writing 3,300 words.
Situations may arise whereby I cannot complete the allotted words; therefore I am allowed to pass on writing three times only. If a day is ‘passed’, then the end date of the 30 days shall finish as follows: 1 day passed = end date Friday 24th March; 2 days passed = end date Saturday 25th March; 3 days passed = end date Sunday 26th March.
I had to give myself some leeway: I’m still allowed to watch Glee; I’m still allowed to do Folksy Fridays; I’m allowed to listen to some music – I’ve made a playlist of songs that either put me in the mood to be creative, or directly inspire the story.
To make it all official, I’ve printed the Certificate out, and have sealed it in an inspirational book (Kirstie’s Witnesses by Sheenagh Pugh), then wrapped it in pages from a Dead Poet’s book (Tennyson) and tied it with blue cotton rope. It’s almost like a magick spell. As I was tying the knots, I tied in my intentions and loads of good energy. It’s now hanging on the wall where I will see it every morning when I wake up, and every night before I go to sleep.
So (apart from Folksy Fridays, and maybe the odd sneaky update) I will be offline until April 22nd. Wish me luck.
Seren have commissioned a series of books from Welsh writers, the first two being White Ravens by Owen Sheers and The Ninth Wave by Russell Celyn Jones. I'm elated, obsessed with the Mabinogion as I am, but also frustrated.
Seren should have commissioned me to write my version of Blodeuwedd. It's contemporary, gay, urban; everything Welsh Publishing houses seem to like at the moment. I've got any amount of short stories, poems, experimental fiction and plays - all of which I've been told are too experimental, too urban to be published. No one wants to take risks. The one lead I have is an editor said he wanted to read a novel based on Geraint and Nathalie, after reading a few short stories about them. They are my favourite characters to write about; I've been writing about them for so long that they wrote their own stories now, it's like I just write down the exploits of two friends that I'm growing older with. Great though they are, and fun as they are to write - they are the stories most rooted in the real world. I wish it was the 50s and I was a beat writer. I wish the editor had asked to read about Nathalie and Geraint living in Antiville, my bleak near-future Welsh city. I wish I had more time to write the Geraint novel, or that someone would publish a collection of stories if I promised to write the Geraint novel afterwards. Get me and my angst. It's like being fifteen again.
I read contemporary fiction, and a lot of it frustrates and depresses me. How the hell did that get published? And conversely, why did no one buy this book?
I'm setting myself some deadlines. I want to write the Geraint novel by end of March 2010. Parthian are calling for submissions. I need a binding contract, something spiritual I can use. I will write my testament and seal it inside a beloved book and only open it when I have finished writing my novel. Which book to use?
Off at a tangent again. I love the idea of a New Mabinogion, I absolutely love it - but I am worried that the Blodeuwedd story will be ruined. It won't be as good as mine.
Getting a fantastic job
Getting a poem published
Buying into volunteering
Being good at my job
Learning new stitches
Having a serious relationship
Learning sign language
Not taking myself so seriously
Talking on the radio
Losing weight
More piercings
Starting my new novel
Being crazy in love
