Sam YoungGreat Unwashed — ‘Perfume: the story of a murderer’ (Patrick Süskind, 1985)About two-thirds of the way through Perfume, Patrick Süskind’s devious work of magical realism, Jean-Baptiste Grenouille — a man born with…Jul 2Jul 2
Sam YoungAll at Sea: ‘The Summer Book’ (Tove Jansson, 1972)Fear was not an emotion I expected to feel when reading The Summer Book.May 10May 10
Sam YoungParanoia in Prenzlauer Berg — ‘Alone in Berlin’ (Hans Fallada, 1947)Alone in Berlin is an impressive book. Churned out by a drug-fuelled Fallada in just twenty-four days during an ultimately fatal bout of…Apr 24Apr 24
Sam YoungThe Possibility of Happiness: ‘Charles Hawtrey, 1914–1988: The Man Who Was Private Widdle’ (Roger…Unusual books seem to have a habit of making their way to my shelf. Roger Lewis’s biography of the late Carry On actor Charles Hawtrey is…Jun 26, 2023Jun 26, 2023
Sam YoungWhat the Romans did to us: ‘The Celtic Alternative’ (Shirley Toulson, 1987)Review of ShirleyMay 29, 2023May 29, 2023
Sam YoungFrancis says Relax: ‘The Death of Francis Bacon’ (Max Porter, 2021)Here’s an odd one. Max Porter’s 2021 novella The Death of Francis Bacon is a seventy-four-page account of the final, foggy moments of the…Mar 8, 2023Mar 8, 2023
Sam YoungA lighter touch on the landscape: ‘On the Red Hill’ (Mike Parker, 2019)On 31 December 2021, Gwynedd Council closed Abersoch primary school, citing decreasing pupil numbers. In June 2022, a café owner in Tenby…Jan 30, 2023Jan 30, 2023
Sam YoungThe immersion method: ‘That Awful Mess on the Via Merulana’ (Carlo Emilio Gadda, 1957)Whenever I visit somewhere new, I try to read a book related to it. It’s a habit that I (somewhat ironically) picked up during lockdown and…Sep 14, 2022Sep 14, 2022
Sam YoungWilliam Cobbett’s ‘Cottage Economy’: the future is materialBy chance I recently acquired a copy of William Cobbett’s (1763–1835) classic text of self-sufficiency, Cottage Economy. Originally…Jul 20, 2022Jul 20, 2022
Sam YoungRococo is class war [archive post]This article was originally written and published on a now-defunct personal blog in July 2018.Jul 16, 2022Jul 16, 2022
