The Latest Literary Books for Christmas 2011
We have selected some of the best, each one a cornucopia of imaginative ideas, radical thought and great literary beauty. .
Gifts of lasting value indeed!
New Collected Poems
by Tomas Transtromer (Bloodaxe Books £12.00) WINNER OF 2011 NOBEL PRIZE FOR LITERATURE
Bloodaxe Books, a Northumberland-based publisher, brings the collected works of Nobel Laureate Tomas Transtromer to poetry lovers in Britain. An excellent Christmas gift, conferring intellectualism on the recipient and savant status on the giver—you can’t go wrong.
The poems are contemporary and complex, very accessible, expressing arresting new angles on familiar subjects. They are interspersed with a few exquisite short essays. Even the Philistine lurking in our midst would enjoy dipping into this volume in front of the festive hearth.
Bloodaxe, to their credit, have also published Sparrow Tree by Gwyneth Lewis, Wales’ First National Poet. Gwyneth’s superb Meat Tree (SerenBooks) was reviewed in this column in November 2010.
Ragnarok The End of the Gods
by A.S.Byatt (Canongate £14.99)
This unusual novel is a brilliant retelling of Norse myth by the erudite AS Byatt, Booker winner and author of the dazzling ‘The Children’s Book.’
Ragnarok-The End of the Gods is the Norse Goetterdaemmerung - an era that sees the death of the gods - as narrated in the book of Norse legend, Asgard and the Gods. The stories, remembered in war-time Britain by ‘the thin child,’ are brutal, powerful and tragic in their content and differ enormously from the gentler Hellenic myths. Perfect for long, dark winter afternoons
Canongate’s excellent mythological imprint is similar to Seren’s stunning series of retellings of the Mabinogion – they would all make treasured Christmas gifts
Wild Abandon
by Joe Dunthorpe (Hamish Hamilton £12.99)
Imagine a commune in Gower’s beautiful Llanmadoc populated by a dwindling group of neo-hippies. Meet the disappointed father, the disillusioned daughter, the creepy son and their companions, some determined to make this latter-day ‘good life’ succeed, others equally determined to escape. This is an extraordinary story told with sophistication and restraint by the stellar poet and novelist, Swansea’s very own Joe Dunthorne.
Faber and Faber, Britain’s most distinguished publishing house, have concurrently issued a booklet of Dunthorne’s striking and compelling new poems. Every Swansea citizen must have both these volumes
Did you miss seeing Joe reading from his poems on Sky Arts’ Book Show in October? Look out for a repeat—he is a delight.
The Lovers of Pound Hill
by Mavis Cheek (Hutchinson £12.99)
Mavis Cheek is one of the finest and most entertaining of contemporary British novelists.
The Lovers of Pound Hill is a canvas for her comedic capability, dealing as it does with an embarrassingly well-endowed image of a giant gnome etched on the hillside near the prim English village of Lufferton Boney. Couples hoping for children, tourists, archaeologists, and villagers alike take an unseemly interest in the priapic promise of the Gnome with quite hilarious results. A cheery Christmas gift.
Civil to Strangers
by Barbara Pym (Virago £8.99)
This accomplished novelist, noted for her dry wit and acute observation of middle-class Britain, was shortlisted for the Booker prize in 1977and published nine quintessentially English novels before she died in 1980. She left a large number of unpublished works (including Civil to Strangers) in her estate, many of which have been published posthumously.
If you are not already familiar with her charming and distinctive style, you will find Civil to Strangers a beguiling introduction to the works of this highly respected novelist.
The Forgotten Affairs of Youth
by Alexander McCall Smith (Little Brown £17.99)
Philosopher Isabel Dalhousie is back in the latest from Alexander McCall Smith’s Sunday Philosophy Club series.
For most of the world, Smith is best known as the creator of Botswana’s famous lady detective Mma Precious Ramotswe. But his wonderful Edinburgh novels featuring the host of unforgettable characters who inhabit No 44 Scotland Street and the detective stories featuring philosopher Isabel Dalhousie are equally enchanting and thought provoking.
Is Isabel Dalhousie a white version of Precious Ramotswe? Both women share the same gentleness, the same understanding of human foibles, the same ruthless honesty with themselves and the same perspicacity in unravelling the crimes of those around them.
Alexander McCall Smith has a central position among contemporary novelists. If you haven’t read him yet, repair the omission now. Any of his books would be enthusiastically received this Christmas
Best of Booker
From the Booker longlist we strongly recommend these titles as enduring Christmas gifts:
Julian Barnes - The Sense of an Ending
(Jonathan Cape - Random House) £12.99
WINNER BOOKER 2011
Sebastian Barry - On Canaan's Side
(Faber) £16.99
Patrick McGuinness - The Last Hundred Days
(Seren Books) £8.99
Alan Hollinghurst - The Stranger's Child
(Picador - Pan Macmillan) £20.00
Patrick deWitt - The Sisters Brothers
(Granta) £12.99
Carol Birch - Jamrach's Menagerie
(Canongate Books) £12.99
Yvvette Edwards - A Cupboard Full of Coats (Oneworld) £12.99
You will find full reviews of these novels in TheBAY Magazine Sept 2011
