This issue, perhaps unseasonably for midsummer,we have two stories that are, as a friend of one of the writers put it, ?quite gritty?.
?Oh, I like grit? I said in reply. ?In fact, I am all about the grit.? For whatever reason I am comfortable with the idea that life throws us tricky or unpleasant curve balls at random intervals. Stories that explore this, of the failures that force us to grow, and those watershed moments that make us truly adult, fascinate me.
A Bit of Blip, and I Killed a Swan, deal respectively with recovering from alcoholism and loss of childhood innocence. Both writers have presented the editorial team with a dilemma as to whether they are fiction or diaries, or, as Capote would have it ?non-fiction? fiction. Perhaps we need a new section. No matter, I can tell you that both stories are rooted in plenty of truth. So much so, that the writers, whom I know personally, impress me with their courage in being prepared to recount such truthful stories so eloquently. Few people would publicly admit to having either incident lurking in their past, although I suspect after a bit of introspection many of us would find that we do.
More light heartedly, in music Oliver Dinsmore reviews the Isle of Wight festival, and we profile hot new producer Shux. Henning Hegland considers the relationship between politics and art on one hand, and the evocativeness of smell and a first youthful sighting of sex on the other. Meanwhile Godfrey Oyeniran gets perspective on the UK?s obsessions with the dramas and perspectives of the recently departed world cup.
Continuing our non fiction and fiction theme, Chema Arraiza explores the complexities of love, and Gordon Comstock embarks on the first part of a three part story, ?first love?.
Plenty of beach reading then, should you have internet access on a beach near you. Enjoy the summer.
