Toby Lichtig
Search for Serenity
Racked with pelvic pain and ‘losing interest in intimacy’, Tim Parks was at a loss. Even his characters were becoming ‘manic and withdrawn’. Failed relationships dominated Rapids (2005), and Cleaver (2006) featured a metaphysically challenged journalist holed up in a Tyrolean mountain lodge. Parks subsequently sought relief, for himself and his characters, in Buddhist meditation. Much to his surprise, it had a powerful effect. He described this in his memoir Teach Us to Sit Still (2010), and now a novel has evolved from the experience.
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https://literaryreview.co.uk/the-spy-who-taught-me
In this month's Bookends, @AdamCSDouglas looks at the curious life of Henry Labouchere: a friend of Bram Stoker, 'loose cannon', and architect of the law that outlawed homosexual activity in Britain.
https://literaryreview.co.uk/a-gross-indecency
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https://literaryreview.co.uk/good-gad