It’s snowing in Haworth
A long, slow, cold day in the north of England. In the morning, as I walked from my hotel to the train station, the sky was a deep, bruised colour, and as the train pulled out of York snow began to fall. By the time I reached Haworth the fields … Continue reading
The bookstore as an old man
George Whitman passed away yesterday, in a room above his bookstore, Shakespeare and Company, on the Rue de Bucherie, Paris.
Joan Didion
When there are writers like this in the world. People, thinkers, feelers. Why bother interjecting, commenting, writing. This is what there is to say. And this is how to say it.
Return to Tibrogargan
We went back, on a quieter, cooler day, and with beautiful boy in tow. Here we are contemplating the horizon. Boy, ever the gentlemen, is the one with the backpack.
For My Daughter
… on her thirteenth birthday. Welcome to your teenage years. May the Birthday Fairy grant you the grace and the courage to be yourself, and the strength to search for and grab hold of your dreams. You are a truly amazing young woman, with a rich and exciting future ahead … Continue reading
The Fringe Benefits of Failure
Three years ago, J K Rowling gave the commencement address at Harvard. In it, she addresses the young graduands, and speaks about the value of overcoming difficult times. It’s a wonderful, inspiring speech. One which – for perhaps the first time – led me to admire Ms Rowling as a … Continue reading