Stories in this edition of Three Monkeys Online
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.
By Three Monkeys
Thus far the Myths series published by, amongst others, Canongate has presented mythical stories retold by famous contemporary writers - Margaret Atwood's compelling retelling of Ulysses (The Penelopiad), Jeanette Winterson's version of the Hercules myth (The Weight), and so on. Into this mix comes prize-winning Israeli author David Grossman's Lion's Honey, with two important differences. First, it tells the story of Samson, whom many Israeli's (not to mention Christian fundamentalists) today will see as anything ...
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The Power and the Glory - David Yallop
David Yallop's book on the pontificate of John Paul II is subtitled 'Inside the dark heart of John Paul II's Vatican'.
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The Spare Room - Helen Garner
Helen Garner's first novel in fifteen years concerns itself with a truly universal theme - death.
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Gomorrah by Roberto Saviano
Roberto Saviano's non-fiction novel on the Camorra has earned him a death sentence and armed escort in Italy.
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Adam Smith in Beijing by Giovanni Arrighi
Giovanni Arrighi, Professor of Sociology at Johns Hopkins University, compares western capitalism and the 'industrious revolution' of China - providing a useful insight into the history of world's most populated country in the process.
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You don't love me yet - Jonathan Lethem
Jonathan Lethem follows up his acclaimed novel the Fortress of Solitude with an unexpected rock n'roll love story. A story which carries weighty themes under its scarce frame.
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Once Upon a Time in England by Helen Walsh
The story of a mixed-race family searching for identity in Northern England, told with spirit and skill by award-winning novelist Helen Walsh.
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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.
Articles from other 3monkeys sections
Riding Against the Lizard - On the need for anger now.
Towards a poetics of anger
At no time in the recent past have writers been so integrated into the fabric of power and at the same time strikingly powerless as they are now. The contemporary novel is dominated by the elegant, safe, and nostalgic, but now, argues novelist William Wall, is not the time for the poetics of nostalgia, but for a poetics of anger.
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.
Crossing the Usumacinta - Travels in Mexico and Guatemala
In the first of a series of articles, Francesca Cellauro travels through the Yucatan and Guatemala, facing Mayan Pyramids, Armed escorts, and the everyday dilemmas of the yuppie backpacker!
Tales of torture, and so on - Jon Ronson, author of The men who stare at goats, in interview
It may well be a sign of the times, that a humorist is left with the responsibility of informing the public about torture. In his book The Men who stare at goats Jon Ronson presents human portraits of some of the US Military, whose ideas have in part inspired events in Abu-Ghraib, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay. In interview he discusses the tension between humour, journalism and social commentary in his work.
The View from Dublin - There's no smoke without...
After much heated debate and polemics, the workplace smoking ban which includes bars and restauraunts has finally come into place in Ireland. Three Monkeys went out on the town to check the atmosphere in Dublin's smoke free Pubs.
The Leopard and the Fox - Tariq Ali and the BBC
The year was 1986, the subject Pakistan and its military coup of 1977, and the outcome a thoroughly British case of cold war sponsored censorship by the BBC. Tariq Ali discusses with Three Monkeys Online the circumstances behind the censoring of his drama The Leopard and the Fox, the dramatic rules for 'faction', and the current state of the BBC.
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.
Out of the Ashes - The search for Jewish identity in the Twenty-First century
Out of the ashes, Professor Marc H. Ellis's latest book, is subtitled the search for Jewish identity in the twenty-first century. In interview with Three Monkeys, he discusses crucial questions on the subject of the Israel/Palestine conflict
The Larger Conversation - Steven Galloway talks about The Cellist of Sarajevo
Steven Galloway stridently defends his right, as a Canadian novelist, to write about the bloodiest chapter in recent European history. He discusses his best-selling novel, The Cellist of Sarajevo with TMO.
John Wray, author of Lowboy, in interview
Already tipped by many to be the novel of 2009, Lowboy by American author John Wray tells the story of a young schizophrenic fugitive. Wray, singled out by Granta as one of the most promising young American novelists talks to TMO about the novel, and the challenges of writing about mental illness.
Bridging the 'two cultures' - Premio Strega winning novelist Paolo Giordano in interview
Paolo Giordano, the youngest novelist to win the prestigious Italian literary prize the Premio Strega. Giordano talks to TMO about his debut novel (now available in English) The Solitude of Prime Numbers
Writers and politics: Can we make something happen?
Viewing Ireland, the world's second wealthiest nation in 2007, through the prism of Charles Dickens' Hard Times, novelist William Wall - in an article based on his recent speech at the Kate O'Brien Weekend - asks his fellow writers to leave their ivory towers.
Riding Against the Lizard - On the need for anger now.
Towards a poetics of anger
At no time in the recent past have writers been so integrated into the fabric of power and at the same time strikingly powerless as they are now. The contemporary novel is dominated by the elegant, safe, and nostalgic, but now, argues novelist William Wall, is not the time for the poetics of nostalgia, but for a poetics of anger.
Books hold no passport - Carlos Ruiz Zafón discusses The Shadow of the Wind
One of the most exciting and popular European authors to achieve wide success in translation is Spain's Carlos Ruiz Zafon, whose 'The Shadow of the Wind' has become a publishing phenomena. 'Books hold no passports' Zafon insists to TMO interviewer Steve Porter, while they discuss, amongst other things, why his Barcelona is so dark and foggy.
Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits - Laila Lalami interview
Laila Lalami's debut novel Hope and other dangerous pursuits puts a human face on the issue of illegal immigration from North Africa to Europe. Without indulging in sentimentality or false optimism, Lalami has written a moving and deeply political novel. In interview with TMO she talks about the choices she made in the novel.
Zugzwang, or ‘what do the just do in times of injustice?’ - Ronan Bennett in interview
A novelist whose work is insistently political, Ronan Bennett is the author of The Catastrophist, Havoc in its Third Year, and most recently Zugzwang. In interview with TMO he talks about the relationship between politics and art, and whether movies will outlast the novel.
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.
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