Paul Bailey
Sofia Calling
What Belongs to You
By Garth Greenwell
Picador 194pp £12.99
Garth Greenwell’s intriguing novel opens in the bathrooms (the American euphemism that encompasses urinals and public lavatories) of the National Palace of Culture in Sofia. It is there that the anonymous narrator meets Mitko, a brash young hustler with a chipped front tooth and a large cock. The storyteller, whose name is too difficult for Bulgarians to pronounce, is instantly smitten by this wild creature, even though he reeks of alcohol. He becomes obsessed with Mitko, and this obsession is at the heart of What Belongs to You, which has already been hailed in America as a masterpiece and an ‘instant classic’.
The book appears to be autobiographical, as is the fashion in fiction right now. Greenwell, who was born and raised in Kentucky, is a poet and critic, a specialist in lesbian and gay literature and a lecturer in creative writing who taught for some years at the American College in
Sign Up to our newsletter
Receive free articles, highlights from the archive, news, details of prizes, and much more.@Lit_Review
Follow Literary Review on Twitter
Twitter Feed
Knowledge of Sufism increased markedly with the publication in 1964 of The Sufis, by Idries Shah. Nowadays his writings, much like his father’s, are dismissed for their Orientalism and inaccuracy.
@fitzmorrissey investigates who the Shahs really were.
Fitzroy Morrissey - Sufism Goes West
Fitzroy Morrissey: Sufism Goes West - Empire’s Son, Empire’s Orphan: The Fantastical Lives of Ikbal and Idries Shah by Nile Green
literaryreview.co.uk
Rats have plagued cities for centuries. But in Baltimore, researchers alighted on one surprising solution to the problem of rat infestation: more rats.
@WillWiles looks at what lessons can be learned from rat ecosystems – for both rats and humans.
Will Wiles - Puss Gets the Boot
Will Wiles: Puss Gets the Boot - Rat City: Overcrowding and Urban Derangement in the Rodent Universes of John B ...
literaryreview.co.uk
Twisters features destructive tempests and blockbuster action sequences.
@JonathanRomney asks what the real danger is in Lee Isaac Chung's disaster movie.
https://literaryreview.co.uk/eyes-of-the-storm