Life Writing

Made a tentative start on the Life Writing chapter of the workbook. I also listened to the CD on my way to work. I wasn't particularly enamoured with the Writing Fiction CD - far too much earnestness and plaintive tones from the authors, and too much mush from some of the teachers. All in all a bit of a miss for me. The poetry CD pulled it back round; thoroughly enjoyed Sean O'Brien and Douglas Dunn and thought them very illuminating - even Bill 'the bad bard' Herbert was OK. Then again I seem to be in a minority of one in rather liking bad Bill's style in the workbook, but that's another story. Psst..! whisper this ever so quietly, I thought The Ode Less travelled to be condescending crap - again, for another day. But what of the Life Writing CD I hear you scream? - Get on with it, I hear you cry!

I thought, think, the CD part of Life Writing was, is, excellent. I listened to the first part late at night whilst on the M56 on my way to Manchester Airport, generally tired and pissed off about, well, loads of things and consequently I thought it dry and boring. But I listened to the whole thing this morning on the A55 during daylight, morning sunshine actually, and immediately felt more positive towards it. The first part with Michael Holroyd and Blake Morrison still not sparkling, but with some interesting nuggets. But the next part I thought was brilliant. Richard Holmes take a bow.

I initially thought it was going to be Professor Richard Holmes, an excellent military historian - one of the best in my view. I was getting ready to be all sad as this estimable fellow died last year and thought that this might have been among his last work - a little teaching advice for creative types attached to the OU. But no. Richard Holmes the biographer whose book on Coleridge I must have read 20 odd years ago. ( I've always had a thing about Coleridge - shared birthday and birth town must be behind it rather than the poetry and the pantheism,) And Holmes was/is superb on this CD. But this is not a review so I wont go on about it except to say, suddenly I can't wait to start Life writing after hearing him speak.