“Greatness and gentleness are possible.”
In 2007, writer Katie Ward was 28 years old and had submitted her debut work of fiction and been rejected 44 times. This was when publishers only entertained physical copies of unsolicited submissions—meaning she had to send printed copies of a preview of her manuscript 44 times by post. Then, a colleague put her in touch with a “published novelist” who was a friend. That novelist was none other than Hilary Mantel whom Ward befriended and considered a mentor for the next fifteen years. Sunday, 22 September was the autumnal equinox and the second anniversary of Mantel’s death. Here’s Ward on the advice Hilary Mantel so generously imparted over the years.
Chain of Light
Christmas came early for those of us familiar with the legend that was Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. On 20 September, more than thirty years after it was first recorded, Chain of Light, a posthumous album of NFAK’s music was released by (former frontman of Genesis) Peter Gabriel’s Real World Records. Four tracks, forty odd minutes, an absolute heavenly gift to hear new music in his peerless voice. Oh, and [would you believe it] there’s new, previously unheard music by a teenage Mozart dropping soon, too. So, say it with me: long live libraries and archives!
Nothing but good things buzzing around the film adaptation of Claire Keegan’s bestselling book, Small Things Like These, starring Cillian Murphy. It’s a short book and bound to multiply viewing pleasure, so read before watching?
A Ballad that We Do Not Perish
