Friday 5 September 2008

 

The latest culture as recommended by our staff

Clemency Burton-Hill
Clemency Burton-Hill

Clemency suggests


The Blind Eye: A Book of Late Advice

Examine my thoughts

Don Paterson
Faber, pp, £12.99,
Wednesday, 3rd October 2007

Don Paterson

The following extracts are from The Blind Eye: A Book of Late Advice:

Please don’t be misled by the apparent self-certainty of these utterances; be assured that after each one I nervously delete the words but that’s probably just me, right . . .

I can see exactly what not to do at the moment. No doubt through the usual process of elimination I’ll arrive at my favourite strategy of total paralysis.

With your back to the wall, always pay a compliment. Even your mugger or torturer is not immune to flattery, and still capable of being a little disarmed by a word of congratulation on their choice of footwear or superior technique.

I realise whatever slight physical appeal I may once have possessed has long faded, but I should have put more store by it at the time: I foolishly believed I might rely on my personality a little longer.

His song was going so well, until I heard him express himself. Then I knew I could never play the track again, as I’d spend all my time in anticipatory dread of that one note.

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