About fiction

Biography, History, Fact or Fiction

Marcel Proust in Le Temps Retrouve:

In reality, every reader, while he is reading, is the reader of his own self. The writer’s work is merely a kind of optical instrument, which he offers to the reader to permit him to discern what, without the book, he would perhaps never have seen in himself. The reader’s recognition in his own self of what the book says is the proof of its truth.

Which kind of explains why, fiction appeals. Biographies tend to record the lives of the great and the good, or of twenty-one year old footballers, or of people who have had some sort of miserable existence. For years. That they want to publicly bleat about. Instead of getting over it.

History is seldom written by anyone without a view that skews the history they’re writing. Generally, that makes it a bore and a chore to read and not worth the boredom factor. Yes, we’ve all either had to endure awful treatment (Poles, Paddies, insert endless list here) or need to try to defend imposing awful treatment or distance ourselves from past awful treatment (insert endless list here). I picked up an award-winning book on WWI a few years ago. After giving it (and it was long) the 10% test, I put it away. Like a Haynes Manual when you’re trying to repair your car, it spent ages on stuff already known, [this is a spanner, this is a wheel, this is your car the engine, it’s in this front bit] before skimming over stuff that matters [tighten the locknut holding the assembly, bleed, purge, refix, retighten, job done!]. It assumed that the reader knew who was in power, and where, year to year, who was on various thrones, etc., none of which I have a clue about.

Fiction does hold up that mirror, when done well, that other forms do not.

I have made my way through (on two occasions) A Brief History of Time, and I’m happy to give fact based books (i.e. scientific) the time of day.

Preferences in writing

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall:

“This week, I’m celebrating a flavour combination that underpins many of my favourite fish dishes. [So far so good.] Passionate piscine fan that I am, I often want a fairly quick meal that makes the most of whatever fish, shellfish or crustacean I’ve mustered, whether by rod, net, creel or, if needs must, wallet. [Entering ponce territory here, Hugh.] Often, along with the stalwart seasonings of salt, pepper and lemon [stalwart? Run of the mill? Usual? Just along with…?], something with an aniseedy tang will be involved. And more often than not that means fennel.”

He’s right. Fish is good eating, and it often goes well with fennel.

The rest of the passionate piscine fan and whether by rod, reel etc.… and those stalwart (ordinary everyday) seasonings has, lets face it, ‘destined for pseuds corner’ hanging over it in six feet high neon.

Climate change deniers…

…we have one or two, including Owen Paterson (our environment secretary) and James Inhofe (their US senator [does he wear a toga or something?]).

If anyone wants to consider the ability of politicians to deal with climate change, here’s your starting point:

‘Climate change is absolute crap’ Tony Abbot Australia PM.

Good work for politics against the science there Tony.

13% of architects think global warming is a media myth. Green building is just a fad. Nothing to do with their business interests, obviously.