Stranger Than (Cliche)

The problem with trying to write books about life now is that they're usually out of date before they come out. Which is why I'm both satisfied and horrified to hear that Mr Blair has announced that we should all be queuing up to become part of his national DNA database. But you'll have to wait a year and half to find out why I should care... That is, if you care...

Gwyn Thomas

Picked up "The Dark Philosophers" by Gwyn Thomas over the summer (from the excellent Library of Wales series). It's been a real revelation, like a missing link (for me) between Halldor Laxness, Alan Warner and Marxism. Very funny and very sad tales of the valleys, unemployment and grotesque bosses. Oddly appropriate at the time we're remembering the Aberfan disaster, as Thomas' eulogy, recorded for the BBC exactly 40 years ago today, is available on the internet here