Stories in this edition of Three Monkeys Online
Inner Workings: Literary Essays 2000 - 2005 by J.M.Coetzee
A collection of literary criticism from J.M.Coetzee, the South African author of novels including Disgrace, and The life and times of Michael.K.
By Rory Dufficy
An attempt at taxonomy may appropriate to begin with: There are writer-critics, and writers who also write criticism. There is a small, but important, distinction between the two; the former are unfailing proselytisers for their own vision. Their view of literature may change, but it will invariably be narrow, a select tradition that culminates in the writer-critic. The latter, however refined their own work may be, will operate on a sort of writerly receptiveness, patient and generous to visions of art alien to their own. Over a lengthy per...
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The Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall
Mark Haddon describes it as "the bastard love child of The Matrix, Jaws and The DaVinci Code", and Nicole Kidman was supposedly so taken by it that she asked the author to consider changing the protagonist's gender for a film version.
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The Angel of History by Bruno Arpaia
An award-winning reimagining of Walter Benjamin's final days during World War II, by Italian author Bruno Arpaia
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Lion's Honey: The Myth of Samson by David Grossman
Prize winning Israeli novelist and author gets to grips with the story of Samson, as part of the ongoing Myths series.
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The Curtain - an essay in seven parts by Milan Kundera
Milan Kundera's latest published work is a collection of essays exploring the history and art of the novel, which reads like a Milan Kundera novel.
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Ghosts of Spain: Travels Through a Country's Hidden Past by Giles Tremlett
The Guardian's Spanish correspondent, Giles Tremlett, gives a panoramic view of Spain.
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Inner Workings: Literary Essays 2000 - 2005 by J.M.Coetzee
A collection of literary criticism from J.M.Coetzee, the South African author of novels including Disgrace, and The life and times of Michael.K.
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The Tesseract by Alex Garland
Deeply impressive, though overshadowed, second novel by Alex Garland, author of The Beach. A thriller, set in Manila, that mixes atomic philosophy with street kids and gangsters.
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Tarantula by Thierry Jonquet
English translation of stylish French pot-boiler, currently being adapted for the screen by Pedro Almodovar.
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Pornocopia – Porn, Sex, Technology and Desire - by Laurence O'Toole
A spirited and well-researched defense of pornography focussing on legal constraints that curtail the 'industry'.
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The Possibility of An Island by Michel Houellebecq
Clones, misogyny and acidic nihilism. Business as usual for IMPAC prize winning French writer Michel Houellebecq, author of Atomised, and Platform.
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The People's Act of Love by James Meek
Man Booker prize nominated novel set in civil war Russia, with a cast of Czech soldiers, religiously inspired castrates, and communists.
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Ludmila's Broken English by DBC PIerre
Latest novel from DBC Pierre, Booker prize winning author of Vernon God Little.
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Vroom with a view – In search of Italy’s Dolce Vita on a ’61 Vespa by Peter Moore
Veteran travel writer Peter Moore travels the Italian tourist trail on a 'cool' '61 Vespa.
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Chronicles: Volume One by Bob Dylan
The first volume of Bob Dylan's long anticipated autobiography.
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Love, Poverty, and War: Journeys and Essays - Christopher Hitchens
Collected essays from the celebrated and controversial Hitchens, ranging from responses to September 11th, through to literary criticism.
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Arthur & George - Julian Barnes
Man Booker Prize 2005 shortlisted (and bookie's favourite) novel from the author of Flaubert's Parrot and A history of the world in 10chapters .
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Islam and Modernity by Iftikhar H. Malik
Historian Iftikhar H. Malik offers a wealth of case studies ranging from Muslim Spain and the Ottoman Empire to the present day, to examine what it is like to be a Muslim in the West today.
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American Desert - by Percival Everett
Fourteenth novel from American academic and satirist, Percival Everett. Originally entitled Making Jesus, apparently.
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To Err is Divine - by Ágota Bozai
A satirical look at Hungary's post Iron Curtain society. Anna Levay, a school teacher, finds herself blessed/cursed with a halo, in this European bestseller by Ágota Borzi
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Pomegranate Soup - by Marsha Mehran
First novel by Iranian born author Marsha Mehran. Three Iranian sisters arrive in the west of Ireland, bringing their exotic cuisine.
Articles from other 3monkeys sections
A set of moving paintings – Making The Bridge of San Luis Rey. An interview with Director Mary McGuckian.
The Bridge of San Luis Rey, is the eagerly awaited film adaptation of Thornton Wilder's 1927 Pulitzer prize winning novel. Tony Blair quoted it in the memorial for September 11th victims, and it has taken on a new resonance, but Irish Director Mary McGuckian has been fascinated by the book for over Ten years. She talks to Three Monkeys Online in an extensive interview.
The Globalisation of Football
Is nothing sacred? Globalisation has its effects on the world's favourite sport, as Bill Quigley investigates. Far ranging effects, from the changing of the style of national squads, through to the exorbitant wages and pay per view t.v.
Divine Comedy - Neil Hannon in interview
With the release of his latest album, Victory for the Comic Muse Neil Hannon, better known as the man behind The Divine Comedy, has closed a circle, or has he? Brendan Coffey spoke to Hannon for Three Monkeys Online.
Poland, The State of the Nation - Uklad, Horse-Trading, and the PiS
September 2005's Polish election followed a newly established pattern, the annihilation of the incumbent party. Robert Looby, casting a critical eye over the political landscape argues these devestating political changes are largely illusory. The party names change, but the faces remain the same.
Master and Commander. Peter Weir and the filming of Master and Commander, the far side of the world.
Australian Director Peter Weir recently opened the Cinema Ritrovato film festival, and took some time out to talk about the filming of his latest film Master and Commander.
U2 and Me. Neil McCormick in Interview.
Neil McCormick was always sure that fame and fortune awaited him. Possibly for his school mate, Paul Hewson, as well. In Bono's Doppelganger he tells the bittersweet story of having fame pass you by, while your mate becomes the biggest rock star on the planet. McCormick in interview with Berit Haugen Keyes.
Iraq Death Toll in Third Year of Occupation is Highest Yet
Three years on from the Invasion of Iraq, and the human cost of this war is still unclear. While information on civilian deaths is still unforthcoming from the US & UK governments, the Iraq Body Count provides important figures.
Every wave is made of tiny drops. Reflections on Stephen Hawking and the paradox of information loss.
At the 17th conference on General Relativity and Gravitation, Stephen Hawking announced that he had solved the paradox of information loss. While the mass media briefly fed us a diet of diagrams and soundbites, Three Monkeys Online asked a Physicist what the fuss was all about.
The Final Word: Fictional spaces, Death and Literature. Mervyn Peake and the Gormenghast trilogy
Death as a fictionalised experience allies itself harmoniously with literary fiction. Both are spaces of invention and both seek to fill what is essentially an ever-present void of abstraction. A perfect example of the marriage between death and literary fiction is the Gormenghast Trilogy by writer and illustrator Mervyn Peake.
The making of a monster - Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
Literary monsters are metaphors for our own deep fears. Little wonder, then, that one of literature's most famous monsters has been depicted differently throughout his illustrious career. Stephanie Lawless compares and contrasts representations of Shelley's monster from the page, stage, and film worlds.
Dantean Echoes - The influence of Dante on Samuel Beckett and Seamus Heaney
James Joyce was, and remains a domineering presence on the Irish literary landscape. Less acknowledged, though, is the influence of Dante Alighieri, despite echoes found in the works of Samuel Beckett, Seamus Heaney, and indeed Joyce.
Carry me down - M.J. Hyland in interview
The first person narrative of a troubled young Irish boy, told in M.J.Hyland's second novel Carry Me Down, captivated audiences and critics alike. It was nominated for last year's Man Booker prize, and described by novelist Monica Ali as "a work of discreet brilliance". Hyland spoke to Three Monkeys recently about her preference for the first person narrative, and about what distinguighes the great novel from the good.
Books by and an Interview with: Mary Midgley
Mary Midgley is one of Britain's leading philosophers. Highly critical both of religious fundamentalism, and at the same time blind faith in 'sociobiology', Midgley recently spoke to Three Monkeys Online. On the table for discussion were the role of philosophy, and the urgent need to change mankind's vision of the universe.
The Nuclear Option - Declan Lynch and The Rooms
Alcohol as a literary theme is an enduring one, despite the frowns of the politically correct. Irish journalist/novelist Declan Lynch places the 'demon drink' firmly, and unrepentantly at the centre of his debut novel The Rooms. In interview with Brendan Coffey he explains why...
A 'special' writer. Dacia Maraini in interview
Dacia Maraini is one of Italy's most succesful writers - translated into dozens of languages, she has written novels, essays, plays, and poems. Maraini talks to Vincenza Fanizza for Three Monkeys Online.
American Purgatorio
Employing diverse structures, including the seven deadly sins, dante, and the American coast-to-coast road-trip, John Haskell's debut novel has been described as 'wildly original' (by Geoff Dyer, no less) and 'remarkable'. Haskell spoke to TMO about American Purgatorio
Sparkle of crimes in their voices - Aziz Chouaki and The Star of Algiers
Aziz Chouaki was forced by threats to leave his native Algeria. His novel, The Star of Algiers, portrays a society collapsing, with his central character caught between the 'sirens of the North, and the roots of the South'. It's a novel that tells us as much about the urban Islam developing throughout Europe, as it does Algeria's tragic recent history.
Democracy with blood on its Hands: An Interview with Ariel Dorfman
According to Ariel Dorfman, the central dilemma of our times is "how to make sure that, when grievous harm has been done to us, we do not turn into the monster who has given us such pain". Dorfman, a playwrite, novelist, and essayist of international renown discusses this, in the context of Pinochet's Chile, and our current 'war on terror'.
"You kill them, if pressed" - Tim Winton
Tim Winton, Australian author of novels including Cloudstreet, The Riders, and Dirt Music, talks to Three Monkeys Online about his inspirations and fiction, and why the "novel that tries too hard starts to smell like a thesis".
Michael Longley: Entwining Strands of Love, Nature, War & Death.
Michael Longley has been labelled a nature poet, a war poet, and a love poet. In truth his large body of work contains elements of all these, and more. The Belfast poet discusses the nature of poetry with Tom Brace, for Three Monkeys Online, as part of our continuing series of articles on Irish poetry.
Memories, Fight and Fantasy at the Hand of the Great Superhero of the Spanish Narrative - Isabel Allende in interview
Isabel Allende is one of Latin America's most celebrated novelists - no mean feat considering the competition and the challenges faced writing as a woman in an implicity chauvinist society. Her work, now justifiably celebrated world wide, concerns itself with justice, memory, feminism, and magic. Her latest novel, Zorro was an easy choice of subject she reveals in a wide ranging interview with Three Monkeys Online.
Our man in Havana: introducing Leonardo Padura Fuentes and the quill of mystery
Cuban Leonardo Padura Fuentes, novelist, essayist, and critic is probably best known for his series of detective novels based around the character of Mario Conde in Havana. Three Monkeys met the author on a recent visit to London (he still lives in Cuba) to discuss detective fiction, politics, and how he was misled by Hemmingway.
Samuel Johnson is indignant - TMO meets Lydia Davis
Even the best writers, at times, need to waste some words to work their way into a story. Few have been as daring as American author Lydia Davis, whose stories, on occasion, have been no more than two lines. Davis, also a novelist and sought after translator, is almost unfashionably interested in the strength of words. Her latest collection, Samuel Johnson is indignant, recently gave Three Monkeys Online the perfect excuse to interview the innovative and entertaining Davis.
Making Love in Spanish - Carlos Fuentes and The Eagle's Throne
Carlos Fuentes, Mexico's most famous literary export, recently presented his latest novel, The Eagle's Throne, to the press and public in London. Ascen Arriazu and Abigail Schteinman met with Fuentes for Three Monkeys Online.
Bootleg Chomsky Meets the Big Societal Novel - Robert Newman talks about The Fountain at the Centre of the World
Robert Newman's third novel, The Fountain at the Centre of the World is set against a backdrop of globalisation, world trade, and political protest. Newman, a succesful stand up comic, answers questions on polemics, petrol, politics and Dickens, in this Three Monkeys Online interview.
Capturing the Moment: Geoff Dyer in Interview
Geoff Dyer's eclectic output -three novels and eight non-fiction books (on subjects as diverse as Jazz, Photography and John Berger) - has led to him being described as "quite possibly the best living writer in Britain" (Daily Telegraph). Alex Mitchell interviews Dyer, an 'intellectual nomad', for Three Monkeys Online.
Tragedy is an extreme form of desire - Ken Harvey interview
Ken Harvey's debut collection of short stories, If You Were With Me Everything Would Be All Right won the inaugural Violet Quill award for Gay/Lesbian fiction. In interview with Three Monkeys, American author Harvey discusses the inspiration for his stories, the role of autobiography, and the moment that he discovered a fiction that spoke to him of his own reality.
A Poet's Space - an interview with Brendan Kennelly
Lauded by Auden and Bono, Brendan Kennelly is one of Ireland's most succesful, and popular, poets. Kennelly, born in Ballylongford Kerry, is the author of , amongst others, The Book of Judas, Cromwell, and Poetry My Arse. Brendan Kennelly, in conversation with Tom Brace for Three Monkeys Online.
Spending imaginative capital - Michel Faber and The Fahrenheit Twins.
The Fahrenheit Twins, is the new collection of short stories by Michel Faber, author of the novels Under the Skin and The Crimson Petal and the White. In interview with Three Monkeys Online, Faber discusses the short story format, referencing pop culture, and how and why he likes to shock.
"Good writers do not write to flatter people’s good feelings" - Tomás Eloy Martínez in interview
Argentinean author Tomás Eloy Martínez was one of the 18 writers on the longlist for the inaugural Man Booker International Prize this year, along with Garcia Marquez, Ian McEwan, Milan Kundera, and Margaret Atwood. His novels Santa Evita and La Novela de Perón(The Perón Novel) have been translated from their original Spanish into numerous languages including English. He is the head of the Latin American Studies programme at Rutgers University, and a noted journalist. He spoke recently to Three Monkeys Online about fiction, history, and the lines between them.
Break, Blow, Burn - Camille Paglia discusses poetry
Camille Paglia, since the publication of her first book Sexual Personae: Art and Decadence from Nefertiti to Emily Dickinson, has stood out as one of America's leading, and controversial, intellectuals. Her latest book, Break, Blow, Burn- Camille Paglia Reads Forty-Three of the World's Best Poems gives a fascinating guide to a vital but marginalized art form. Professor Paglia discusses the book in interview with Shane Barry.
The People's Act of Love - Author James Meek in interview
Longlisted for the Man Booker prize, The People's Act of Love is James Meek's third novel. Lauded for its language, originality, and narrative, the book has garnered acclaim from critics and fellow novelists. Meek, an accomplished journalist and writer discusses the novel with Three Monkeys Online.
A Long Long Way - Sebastian Barry in interview
Irish playwright, poet, and novelist, Sebastian Barry has long approached the obscured sides of Irish history in his work. With his latest novel, A Long Long Way, shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, he has confidently approached one of the great taboo topics of Irish history - the participation by Irish Catholics in the First World War. In interview with Mark Harkin, Barry talks about the interaction between history and fiction, the social responsibilities of writers, and, above all, the forgotten generation of Irish soldiers who fought in the British Army in Flanders.
Showing the Bones - Sean O'Reilly in Interview
Included by some as part of a group of young Irish writers chronicling life in a vastly changed Ireland, Sean O'Reilly's novels The Swing of Things and Watermark are set in contemporary Dublin. O'Reilly, though, as he tells Shane Barry in interview, is more interested in character than place.
Using Genre to Effect - Neil Gaiman
Anansi Boys is the latest novel from English writer Neil Gaiman. Gaiman, the author of the influential Sandman comic series, acclaimed novel American Gods, and a number of Film and TV scripts talks to Three Monkeys about genre hopping.
Guess what’s cooking for dinner? An interview with Marsha Mehran, author of Pomegranate Soup
Born in Iran, educated in Argentina, author Marsha Mehram found the inspiration for her first novel, Pomegranate Soupe in the west of Ireland. She talks about the novel, multiculturalism and the Celtic tiger with Three Monkeys Online. Just don't ask her about 'Food Lit'!
The Stupidity of Men - Women in the Plays of Seán O'Casey
Women had a profound effect on the life of Seán O'Casey. He was brought up by his mother, and educated at home by his schoolteacher sister. His plays, set against the turmoil of man-made conflict, contain a vision of pragmatic and realistic women, rare for the literature of the time. Tom Brace analyses O'Caseys treatment of women in two of his most famous plays, Juno and the Paycock and The Plough and the Stars
The Poetess of Naïveté – Interview with Syrian poet Maram Al-Massri.
Syrian poetess, Maram Al-Massri, author of A Red Cherry on a White-tiled Floor, talks to Three Monkeys Online about the themes in her poetry: liberty, sensuality, affection, diversity. And, above all else, the white innocence of existence.
The most irresponsible occupation. Liz Jensen, author of The Ninth life of Louis Drax talks about writing.
With The Ninth Life of Louis Drax, her fifth novel, Liz Jensen seems to be getting the recognition and profile that her varied and inventive work deserves. The book is currently in the process of being turned into a film by literary director Anthony Minghella. Three Monkeys Online discuss the book, the influence of cinema on novelists, and a host of other issues with Liz Jensen.
Seán O’Casey - Portrait of the Artist as an Outsider
Seán O’Casey, for many was the 'slum dramatist', not only because his classic trilogy of plays, Juno and the Paycock, Shadow of a Gunman, and The Plough and the Stars were set in Dublin's working class slums, but because O'Casey himself, it seemed, came from that background. But, in reality, much of this was an adopted persona. Tom Brace examines the historical context of O'Casey's and the relationship between an artist's persona and his work.
Writing Against Terror - Nadeem Aslam
In the wake of the London bombings, Nadeem Aslam's critically acclaimed novel Maps for Lost Lovers takes on a new relevance, set as it is in the Pakistani immigrant communities of the North of England. For Aslam, art and politics are not separate worlds, as he explains to Three Monkeys Online.
As clear as mirror glass. John Banville in interview
John Banville's latest novel, The Sea presents Max Morden, a recently widowed man, who returns to a sea-side resort to turn over fragments of his life. Banville discusses the work with Three Monkeys Online, alongside the wider topics of death, comedy, and book reviewing!
On the brink of believability. Rupert Thomson's Divided Kingdom
Divided Kingdom, the latest novel from Rupert Thomson, presents a dystopian view of an immaginary, but current day Britain. Three Monkeys Online interviews the author Jim Crace defined as 'a risk taker'.
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