In August 1910, an Irish sign-painter and decorator named
Robert Noonan left the town of Hastings on the south coast of England, and made his way north and west towards Liverpool, with the hope of emigrating to Canada. Already sick with tuberculosis, his condition worsened once he reached the city, and he was to die there in a workhouse hospital ward, in February 1911. He had, however, left in the care of his daughter Kathleen
a package that was to change the political landscape of twentieth-century Britain.
[more inside]
posted by hydatius
on Aug 6, 2009 -
12 comments
Seven years ago today, the German writer
W.G. Sebald was involved in a
fatal car accident near his home in Norwich, England. Sebald worked as an academic at The University of East Anglia, but some of his
writings found a receptive wider readership. The works which brought him to public attention were four books, written originally in German, which seemed to blend memoir and fiction, photography and prose:
Vertigo,
The Emigrants,
The Rings of Saturn, and
Austerlitz. He also wrote poetry, and used some of those poems to collaborate with
visual artists. In the main,
his sad, erudite work revolves around themes of loss, destruction, landscape, and memory, and it continues to inspire
exhibitions,
stage plays,
reflections, and tributes (not to mention
blogs and
videos). His voice is missed
.
posted by hydatius
on Dec 14, 2008 -
8 comments
