Weekend Papers – kinda late… tut tut.
Fiona McCann collecting her award from an escaped Yeti - picture by the talented glasseyalley.com
I’m only crawling out from under my dark shadowy rock now following the debauched and thumb breaking madness* of the Blog Awards.
Damien and everyone involved put an incredible night together, bolstered by the diverse and always welcoming 400+ of Irish bloggers. Congrats to the winners – all listed here – and a special nod to Fiona, Raptureponies, Kate, beaut.ie, Sweary and the queen of bloggers Suzy. It was great to meet so many friends, to make some new ones, and of course to receive the highest honour - giving away Ciara during the proceedings.
Right – so down to business…
David Walliams – the celebrity Kids book champion (along with Harry Hill) gives a candid interview, covered in the Independent UK.
I managed to miss Amanda Craig’s ‘best of what is out there so far this year’ list in the Times UK a few weeks ago – well worth a read.
Impressively skilful in the way its pictures make the creatures realistic as animals, yet human in their attitudes and expressions, this tale is both delightful and suspenseful and has a punch line that will encourage children not so much to disobey their mothers as to respond without prejudice to the people and creatures they meet.
And
Philip Ardagh, Francesca Simon, Malorie Blackman and David Almond.
And in the Guardian – deep breath now -
Alison Flood looks at Waterstone’s 12 ‘new voices’ for 2009.
Philip Pullman presents an audio slideshow discussing Manet’s A Bar at the Folies-Bergère.
Siri Hustvedt visits artist Annette Messager’s first show large show case in the UK – in the Hayward Gallery, London until May 25.
Lucy Mangan continues her Book Corner series – this time The Wombles by Elizabeth Beresford
When does that receptive little corner of our minds start to harden and grow impermeable to such simple common sense and make us into the people Great-Uncle Bulgaria will never understand, “Not even if I live to be three hundred”?
Meg Rosoff reads Morris Gleitzman’s Then “the latest in that shadowy sub-genre of children’s books, the Holocaust novel.”
Gleitzman offers his characters consolation in the form of love, but does not allow them (or us) to believe that love trumps evil. The average 10-year-old will leave this book sadder and wiser about the race of men – but, like the very best children’s books, Then should be read by adults as well.
The bright star of Christopher Nolan gets the send of any Whitbread winner would be proud off in the Independent, Guardian and Irish Times.
And finally – elsewhere on the web – Eoin Purcell poses a question. Authonomy: Good Or Bad?
*The ‘auld thumb is not in fact broken… just sprained. What can I say? I’m a man – we need to exagerate these things.
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Eep! Look at the shiney head on me! Fond memories of the evening include you whizzing around in your airplane seat. Many others are lost forever, alas. Great night though!
I meant to talk to you, more than in distant grunts and nods, but then it was that kind of night and your chair was on the move. Nice chair.
@Fiona – Ah… the airplane seat… how could I forget?! Very great night – and congrats one more time on the win!
@Eolaí – I don’t think I was capable of much more than mere grunts and nods at that stage either… The paintings looked amazing on the night too!