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Oh ho! 3AM!
'We' have had run-ins with 3AM.
Let's take some time to note this poem:
he got eaten by a bear
i didn’t see any ‘irony’ in this
it seemed logical
death seems logical to me
logical and sad
... which is actually pretty promising, isn't it?
Anyway, more Stretch- baiting.
3:AM: I believe you studied politics at Manchester University: why not the more obvious choices of literature or creative writing? When did you become serious about writing?
JS: By the time I left home, I hated literature. I (stupidly) thought it frivolous and only wanted to read politics and philosophy. I don’t study creative writing. I’m a Fellow of it in Manchester. I became serious about writing at about ten.
stretch3.jpg
3:AM: You have described Friction, your debut novel, as a warning addressed to a society that is at risk from “too much leisure, too much fun, too much playful rubbish” so there is a political element to it. The protagonists bob “hopelessly on the surface of life” — a life reduced to lifestyle (”In the beginning it was casual,” “Back then, people enjoyed lifestyle. Enjoyed lattes, bruschetta, holidays and cash,” “…leisure time is the only real time,” “It’s like clothes are the only real thing…and fashion the only real time,” “…life is simply the pursuit of pleasure…we bend ourselves in leisurely ways”). The plot is set in the near future, but I get the feeling that you think we have already reached this stage…
JS: Absolutely. But, on the other hand, novels are ruthless in selecting the aspects of society that they wish to examine. I am not currently in the business of evoking “all life”. I’m in the business of picking up the bullshit in Tesco bags and leaving love alone. But, yes, the age of angst and leisure is certainly upon us. It hurts and soothes in equal measure. Sex has escaped from our underwear. I am, for example, offended if a passing person of whatever age of gender, fails to titillate me.
3:AM: The book is indeed awash with sex. There’s Johnny (whose very name is prophylactic-sounding) {...} |
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