Tag books

For Whom The Bell Tolls: Hemmingway

0 comments By Steven Wilson-Beales Filed in random Tagged with books, hemmingway, review April 12th, 2010 @ 10:01 PM

So, as a bit of light reading I’ve just finished Hemmingway’s short ditty set against the idyllic and trouble free backdrop of the Spanish Civil War. Never read him before so had to take a peek to see what all the fuss was about.

Initially, the book was quite a struggle, not only because my actual copy is a faded paperback from the 70s which is practically falling apart; I also inherited a version where some ingenious publisher had decided to squeeze as much text into a page as possible. Result = squinty eye syndrome and possible optician’s prescription.

Also, Hemmingway throws in some extremely odd terms and phrases to highlight the various idioms of the Spanish language. Other translators would have used more subtle methods so I’m not sure why Hemmingway does this. As Wikipedia says: ‘The Spanish expression of exasperation me cago en la leche repeatedly recurs throughout the novel, translated literally as "I obscenity in the milk." It’s a bumpy ride but you eventually get used to it.

Anyway, the book isn’t your typical Andy McNab shoot em’ up novel. As we follow the main protagonist through 400 pages, the actual war plays very much a supporting role to the main event – the detailed minutiae of Robert Jordan’s thoughts. Hemmingway’s narrative style is not stream of consciousness but it highlights the same age-old problem of knowing other people’s minds. Self-referential and ego-centric, the hero has more conversations with himself than with other people. Likewise, when we do hear conversations with other people, Hemmingway keeps the camera rolling so we get endless passages of seemingly trivial details. It’s as if Hemmingway has removed the all-seeing eye of the AUTHOR, reserving judgement – inviting the READER to develop their own opinion.

Not that it ignores war altogether. With much of the book devoted to long periods of characters waiting for the action to begin, when things do kick off it’s all the more tragic.

There you have it – the English lit essay that never saw light. For better some might say.

Stick it up your punter: Steve’s review

0 comments By Steven Wilson-Beales Filed in media, random Tagged with books, gossip, journalism, murdoch, news, newspapers, page 3, print, tabloids, the sun January 24th, 2010 @ 4:08 PM

Just finished reading ‘Stick It Up Your Punter’ by Peter Chippindale and Chris Horrie – a fantastic book on the history of The Sun newspaper and the impact it’s had on modern journalism. It’s absolutely hilarious.

From Larry Lamb to Kelvin MacKenzie, the book charts the rise and rise of the paper from the late 60s, clearly outlining Murdoch’s strategy to monopolize the media of the working classes. I haven’t a clue how much is true, so it perfectly represents the subject it covers.

It’s also of personal interest to me because, besides telling me how Page 3 was invented, it also describes the political history of the UK and how Murdoch’s papers curried favour with the ruling parties, moving from Labour to the Conservatives and back to Labour in 1997. Sounds familiar?

Back in the 60s my dad used to be a printing compositor working in Covent Garden. I’ve never really understood how someone who once benefited so much from the trade unions could have become so pro-Thatcher in later years. Reading this book, I think the penny has finally dropped.

Trust Agents: Steve’s Review

1 comment By Steven Wilson-Beales Filed in media Tagged with books, trust October 17th, 2009 @ 2:03 PM

I have to be honest – the reason I ordered Trust Agents was because a journalist reviewing the book recently suggested that big brands like Microsoft and Apple could learn a lot from its authors (Chris Brogan and Julien Smith), particularly when it came to interacting with social media channels. Ok, gauntlet thrown.

Right now, I’m involved with distributing content we produce on MSN Entertainment through various social networks and although I think I’ve cracked a method for distributing the content, this book has really made me think about why I’m doing it all in the first place. Sure, you know it’s all about increasing the number of eyeballs, but are these users really engaged? What do they get out of it? What can we offer them? How are we participating in the discussion?

If this sounds far too philosophical and what you want are a series of practical solutions, the book still offers these in the form of useful breakout modules. However, its aim is, really, to get you thinking about the notion of trust when it comes to networking and how you can use social media tools to increase your audience or, rather, target a more suited audience to your communication strategy. A lot of it boils down to common sense, but the authors have really clarified a method that I’m going to adopt. I might have skim read the last fifty pages but this book is a little gem. Honest.

Share It