Category Archives: Uncategorized

The Elegance of the Hedgehog

Posted on May 15, 2013 by

Trip Fiction is a brilliantly conceived site that puts together two of my passions: books and travel. Its strap line is “See a location through an author’s eyes”, and it works like this. You click on a city and up pops a list … Continue reading →

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The Slave House

Posted on May 6, 2013 by

In 1978, I moved to Portugal to work as a teacher of English for a private language school in a coastal town south of Lisbon called Setúbal. It wasn’t an easy time for me. I was 24, single, unqualified apart … Continue reading →

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News, but not yet

Posted on February 27, 2013 by

The year so far has been full of unexpected – and gratifying – surprises. Unfortunately, I can’t talk about them yet. But, believe me, I will…I will…

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Luciano Barca

Posted on November 11, 2012 by

Friday began with a funeral and ended with a suicide. The funeral was that of a friend’s father, and of a friend’s father-in-law, but also, and more simply, of a friend. His name was Luciano Barca. I first met him … Continue reading →

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An episode

Posted on October 29, 2012 by

I was editing an urgent report when the date on the toolbar caught my eye: 24/10/2012. The day after my birthday. That’s odd, I thought, we must have forgotten to celebrate. But how could that be? I went through to the … Continue reading →

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Hackescher Markt, Berlin

Posted on October 17, 2012 by

It’s just started to rain and we’re looking for somewhere to eat. The place we chose earlier is full and the fall-back place has a large TV above the only available table so we head back to Hackescher Markt to see what … Continue reading →

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Short Fiction 2012

Posted on October 2, 2012 by

The new issue of this splendid, and beautifully illustrated, literary journal is now out and, if you look closely (or click on the image), you’ll see that it contains not only new work by a host of exciting writers but also a … Continue reading →

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Andrés Neuman, Traveller of the Century

Posted on July 25, 2012 by

I first came across the name of Andrés Neuman a few months ago, when I got round to reading the number of Granta dedicated to young Spanish-language novelists.  Ostensibly about grief, his story – “After Helena” – is a brightly … Continue reading →

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Willesden Herald, New Short Stories 6

Posted on April 15, 2012 by

I’m delighted to be able to say that a story of mine, Curtains, was chosen as one of the two runners-up in this year’s Willesden Herald Short Story Competition, organised by Steve Moran and judged by Roddy Doyle. Extracts from some … Continue reading →

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Vanessa Gebbie, The Coward’s Tale

Posted on April 11, 2012 by

I’m delighted to be hosting Vanessa Gebbie on my blog today. Her visit is part of a whirlwind tour of the blogosphere to coincide with the paperback publication of her extraordinary first novel, The Coward’s Tale (details of the complete … Continue reading →

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