Author Archives: Yasmin Keyani

Agatha Christie – still the Queen of Crime

January is traditionally a time for new things, new ideas, new starts. It makes sense to do this as it follows closing the old year and moving on. Named after the Roman god Janus, the god of beginnings and transitions and from the from the Latin word, ianua, which means ‘door’, this is the doorContinue reading “Agatha Christie – still the Queen of Crime”

Dodie Smith – The Shop Girl Writer

On the last day of November the weather has gone to rain and wind. Good weather for hunkering indoors and reading and writing. It got me thinking about all this year’s literary prizes (and there were a lot) and how some of the results of those prizes won’t be known until 2016. Writing for competitionsContinue reading “Dodie Smith – The Shop Girl Writer”

Albert Camus: November is Absurd

November has sneaked up and closed the curtains. The clocks have changed, but the evenings are still drawing in. Halloween has been and gone and bonfire night too and that’s just in the first week. All a bit spooky and dark and fitting then that 7 November is the birth date of Albert Camus (1913-1960)Continue reading “Albert Camus: November is Absurd”

Katherine Mansfield

October is the birth month of Katherine Mansfield (1888-1923) a modernist short story writer born to a socially prominent family in New Zealand. Her real name was Kathleen Mansfield Beauchamp and it is telling that she chose to change her name and rid herself of some of the upper class trappings of the family toContinue reading “Katherine Mansfield”

150 years of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland  is 150 years old this year. Published in 1865 by Macmillan, the author was Charles L. Dodgson (1832-1898). Dodgson was allowed to use his pen name of Lewis Carroll and alternative names for the book like ‘Alice Among the Fairies, and ‘Alice’s Golden Hour’ were binned. In its 150 years AliceContinue reading “150 years of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”

Man Booker Prize 2015 and Penelope Fitzgerald

The Man Booker Prize for Fiction shortlist 2015 was announced last week. See the list here: http://themanbookerprize.com/man-booker-prize-2015. If you work in publishing or at a bookshop you will already know about the shortlist and have seen tables piled up with the six shortlisted books. For everyone else, it depends on whether you read books andContinue reading “Man Booker Prize 2015 and Penelope Fitzgerald”

Enid Marx – Queen of the Mocquette

When I think of the name ‘Marx’ two things come to mind – The Marx Brothers and Karl Marx. Both are interesting in their own ways, but I had never heard of Enid Marx (1902-1998) until we visited the Compton Verney Art Gallery in the summer holidays. She was an English painter, designer, children’s book writerContinue reading “Enid Marx – Queen of the Mocquette”

September is ‘Back to School’

Vivian Maier worked as a nanny in America, but her real work was photography. She took photographs everywhere (often when walking the children she was looking after) and kept the negatives. She had a few printed, but never made money from her photography. Which is a shame as after her death her negatives were discovered,Continue reading “September is ‘Back to School’”