- The engineer hates i.
Posts Tagged ‘paul kavanagh’
Me and Stefan Themerson
Friday, February 24th, 2012I do not know why I am writing this because I have no answers. For the life of me I do not know why I am obsessed with Stefan Themerson. I do but it is mundane and I would have to stop writing after the word love.
When I first read Stefan Themerson I threw Stefan Themerson, not out of the window, not against the wall, not into the fire, we had no fire, when I was a kid we had a coal fire and my older brother thought it marvelous that objects, mainly my objects, toys and the like, melted on the hot coals and turned the flames from orange to blue, down and proclaimed loudly, shocking my wife, who at the time was my girlfriend, that for the life of me I have no idea what the hell that book was about. I had just finished Stefan Themerson’s The Mystery of the Sardine. The energy I had spent on Stefan Themerson’s The Mystery of the Sardine I could have used to climb a mountain. I have never climbed a mountain. I suffer acrophobia and also vertigo. (I stole this) “Vertigo is often used (incorrectly) to describe a fear of heights, but it is more accurately a spinning sensation that occurs when one is not actually spinning. It can be triggered by looking down from a high place, or by looking straight up at a high place or tall object, but this alone does not describe vertigo.” When I first went to Chicago I had to get on my hands and knees and crawl down Michigan Ave. I felt very silly and very sick. I had just consumed three slices of Chicago (pie) style pizza and my belly was sagging and dragging along the pavement. (more…)
Paul Kavanagh on Iceberg
Thursday, February 16th, 2012With the release of Iceberg, Paul Kavanagh’s second book, we thought we’d ask the great man a few more questions.
Iceberg is very different to The Killing of a Bank Manager…
Paul Kavanagh: I wanted Iceberg to be a fast and fun read. I wanted to use a conventional style, I didn’t want to tax the reader, I wanted the read itself to be pleasurable. My intention with The Killing of a Bank Manager was to make the read as onerous as the character’s journey. I wanted each footstep the character took on his journey to murder to be extremely difficult for the reader, the psychology of the character to be matched by the paragraphs, sentences, and those long, obscure words. I wanted the reader’s journey to mirror Henry’s journey. Iceberg is the antithesis to The Killing of a Bank Manager in style; nevertheless, I have my fun. (more…)
The Art of Iceberg
Thursday, February 9th, 2012If you’ve already bought a copy, you’ll know Honest’s latest book, Paul Kavanagh’s joyful Iceberg, isn’t only full of searing, brilliant writing, but that it also includes illustrations – an Honest first. These linocut gems (and the wonderful cover) are all by London-based artist Alex Chilvers. (more…)
Junk Trip
Saturday, January 14th, 2012The junky has to survive for the junky trip to succeed. And so the junk trip has to be short. The shorter the trip the more likely the junky will succeed. The junk trip is all about success, without success the junk trip is futile, a waste of time and effort. The junk trip should be no more than a day or two, a long weekend at the most. During this time the junky must keep a clear head and observe with Proustian fastidiousness the mechanics of the junk trip. It is advisable for the junky if he intends to succeed not to partake in junk. (more…)
Muses
Monday, November 21st, 2011This is a warning do not read this piece to your child to your dog to your cat if the child’s the dog’s the cat’s head explodes at the dénouement I will feel guilty. (more…)
I Love Technology
Monday, October 17th, 2011My grandfather died before the video. He would have loved the video. He was a dirty old man. (more…)
Anti-interview with David Rose
Tuesday, September 20th, 2011This is not an interview. I do not want to probe, or enter, to delve, to fathom; I do not want to see, or examine, I am not a surveyor. This is not an interview. Most interviews are boring, trite, an exercise in the ostentatious, the pavonine, an anthology of name dropping, sesquipedalianism, back-slapping, sycophantic saliva swapping. I have a few things that I want to share, this tête-à-tête is basically all about me, and to show me off in a wonderful, iridescent light I am going to employ not a light bulb but a great writer, and I mean a great writer, and hopefully some of the greatness will rub off on me. (more…)
Honest Publishing at Lodestar Festival
Saturday, August 13th, 2011Honest Publishing is proud to announce that we’ll be appearing at this year’s Lodestar festival, happening September 2nd – September 4th in the gloriously rural Cambridgeshire countryside. Here we shall be donning our Wellington boots and maybe (we are) having a book stall, where you can buy our range of independent literature.
Like alternative books? How about an alternative festival? Lodestar is an excellent choice for all those looking for a more chilled festival experience. Fed up with stomping for miles to find you missed your favourite band, or camping in the only space left (the toilets)? At Lodestar you’ll find a spacious, relaxed atmosphere, full of good people and great bands, and we’re thoroughly looking forward to it. (more…)
Exclusive ‘The Killing of a Bank Manager’ Excerpt
Thursday, August 11th, 2011We love The Killing of a Bank Manager. We think it’s so fresh it could wipe out any unpleasant pungent smell around (including mediocrity). So here is an exclusive excerpt. What do you think? Do let us know in the comments below. (more…)
