Monday, July 27, 2009

Bernard MacLaverty at The Big Tent North Fife

Bernard MacLaverty, novelist, short-storywriter and film director. I was too late to hear and participate in his stint in the Poetry tent hosted by Lapidus Scotland. An unknown to me, We met as he was leaving, I related and questioned him, do you have a brother called Peter? Yes. Does Peter have a friend called Peter Docherty? Yes. I sensed at this point he thought I was a dubious stalker, anyway a quick exchange resolved the moment. What hidden hand puts us where we wander, my connection with the two Peters happened 43 or so years ago, the upshot being that I travelled with them back to Belfast from Birmingham. I was an Art College student in Birmingham and they at Queens University Belfast. It was before the troubles and yet as an innocent abroad to see policemen toting pistols was quite a shock and in certain areas the curbstones were painted red white and blue with gable end murals in the protestant cause. We caught the bus or took a taxi through such places. Historically Ulster has always been the troublesome county. What synchronicity in our meeting taking place remains to be seen. Since Saturday I have discovered That Bernard is an award winning and renowned writer and have no hesitation in promoting his book. Matters of life and Death.

Bernard MacLaverty, Matters of Life And Death. Matters of Life and Death
Review
" These are stories in the easiest and most pleasurable sense of the word. MacLaverty's work is in a line from Chekhov, via Frank O' Connor."
- "Guardian"
" A masterly control of pace and structure, pitch-perfect capturing of voice, characterization that has spot-on credibility."
- "Sunday Times"
" This stupendous new book . . . crucial, shattering sentences that express modestly, monumentally the achievement of this extraordinary writer. He is behind your eyes before you feel his thinking knife."
- "Scottish Review of Books"

Sunday Times - Rev'd Trevor Lewis
'This fascinating autobiography contains some superb battle
descriptions'

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