Wednesday, 28 January 2009

Culture vulture



Some random discoveries this week......

The Guardian ran an appreciative article last weekend about the late Chilean writer Roberto Bolano, author of such novels as The Savage Detectives, and 2666. My friend in Sweden, the mysterious DS, has recommended the poetry of another South American author, one Julio Cortazar. Me, I’m still hooked on Fernando Pessoa.

JM Le Clezio, the French Nobel prize winner, has a new novel published, entitled Wandering Star. Although I prefer his early experimental works – La Guerre or Les Geants. Many of these have recently seen the light of day over here, due no doubt to his belated recognition.

David tells me that he once knew the photographer Angela Gorgas. She has an exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery - previously unseen photos from the late 1970’s, of people like Martin Amis [whom she was once engaged to, I believe].

Mention of the NPG reminds me of the iconic photo taken by Patrick Lichfield, of the beautiful starlet Talitha Pol, in Morocco. The Dutch beauty was once associated with the late YSL, whose art collection goes on auction next month at Christie’s in Paris. The estimated value is £300 million!

From The Observer comes another interesting article – this time about the provocative film maker Virginie Despentes, who has just published a book entitled King Kong Theory. Might be an interesting read is her films are anything to go by – she directed the controversial Baise Moi, among others.

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