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The Reader 46

Issue 46 of The Reader Magazine.

Highlights include:

  • An extract from Tim Parks’ latest novel, the unnerving and insightful The Server (Harvill Secker, May 2012)
  • New poetry from Julie-ann Rowell, Neil Curry, Caroline Price, Marina Sanchez and David Attwooll
  • Sue Colbourn interviews Matthew Knight, a clinical psychologist with Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, who has been using poetry in therapeutic settings since the late-nineties, with some staggering results – including a wonderfully moving account of a man who spoke after four years of silence upon reading Wordsworth  – the power of whose words is further explored by Gillian Clarke, Stephen Gill, Bernard O’Donoghue and Raymond Tallis
  • Brian Patten features in the regular Poet on His Work feature, writing a no-holds-barred account of the inspiration for his poem Stepfather (which is this week’s Featured Poem on The Reader Online)
  • New fiction in the form of an absorbing short story, The Magpie by Mark Godfrey

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The Reader 45

An interview with David Morrissey, Bernard O’Donoghue as ‘The Poet on His Work’, and an extract from Anthony Rudolf’s forthcoming book, along with new poetry, fiction, thought pieces … and a reading revolution.

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New poetry from Sean Elliot, Richie McCaffery, Katrina Naomi, Carolyn Waudby and Mark Leech.
Short stories from Drummond Bone and Olivia McCannon, with essays from James Bainbridge and Andrew Crompton.
TRO news and thoughts from Casi Dylan, Natalie Evans, and Bev Laroc.


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The Reader 44

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Issue 44

Highlights:

  • Interview with Jeanette Winterson
  • New poetry from Peter Robinson and Julie-ann Rowell
  • Festive stories from Gabriel Josipovici and B. J. Epstein
  • Essays on disapproving male colleagues, ear wax and the oddities of language…
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In this issue, Jeanette Winterson talks with Jane Davis about her recently published memoir, Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?, a title which is taken from the question Jeanette's stepmother asked her when as a teenager she decided to leave home so as to live with the woman she loved. In this searching interview she talks movingly about the book's main subjects matter, her suicidal breakdown and the search for her birth mother that followed on from it. Extracts from the book are interspersed throughout making a dazzling introduction to the book and a valuable insight into this author.

We have fine poetry from Peter Robinson and Julie-ann Rowell, and Kate Miller is the latest to take us behind the scenes of her poetry in 'Poet on her Work'.
In fiction, Gabriel Josipovici gives us a Christmas story with a twist, while in 'Shine' B. J. Epstein writes a modern Cinderella story. Keeping up the festive spirit Ian McMillan takes us back to his early Christmases. To help parents and our readers with young friends, we recommend seasonal books for children of all ages. Who could resist this face?

We have a diverse assortment of subjects in our essays, with Brigid Lowe Crawford talking about taking time out from work to raise her family and the objections she meets from disapproving (mostly male) former colleagues . Malcolm Bennett writes on ear wax and Alan Wall continues his series on the oddities of language.


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The Reader 43

POETRY

Ian McMillan writes a poem in celebration of the first staging of The Winter’s Tale, in which we meet Shakespeare in person and get right inside the skin of a bear. And we have fine poetry too from Martin Malone, Rebecca Gethin, David Cooke, and Stuart Henson.

In our Poet on Her Work series, Gwyneth Lewis movingly writes about her great long poem A Hospital Odyssey, written while her husband was suffering from cancer.

FICTION

Two extracts from Steve Sem-Sandberg’s mortifyingly powerful Emperor of Lies (Faber, July 2011), set in the Łodz ghetto. And David Almond’s ‘The Book of Beasts’ is taken from his first novel for adults, The True Tale of Monster Billy Dean (Viking, September 2011), a test of a child’s innocence. David Constantine’s short story, ‘Strong Enough to Help’ revolves about the way books and poems can connect people up both to each other and to themselves.

Angela Macmillan talks about putting together her new anthology for a younger audience, A Little, Aloud for Children.

THOUGHT PIECES

We welcome two new essayists whom we hope to hear from regularly: Andrew Crompton writing and drawing on almost anything and everything, and Alan Wall offering an occasional series on the way that words’ meanings or forms change over time, and yet they stick around part of our everyday usage. It’s like the archaeology of the spoken word. And we welcome back and old friend, Kenneth Steven, who writes of the mountains.

Plus all the regular features you love.

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Issue 41 - The Health Issue

This is the vitamin-boosted issue of The Reader in which doctors and nurses write about the matters that are close to their heart.

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Christopher Dowrick examines the good of stories in a health-setting and the crucial need for a patient to be able to ‘tell a good story’ about her- or himself.

Community nurse and dovegreyreader Lynne Hatwell gives a personal account of the way in which reading and nursing have twined themselves together in her life.

Raymond Tallis goes into very deep questions with Chekhov about his short story ‘Ward 6′.

There is also new poetry and fiction from John Kinsella plus all our usual features.

Add to this an interview with Richard Briers, and Janet Suzman’s vivid account of her childhood and experience in apartheid South Africa and you have an issue full to the brim with goodness.


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Issue 41 - The Health Issue

This is the vitamin-boosted issue of The Reader in which doctors and nurses write about the matters that are close to their heart

Additional DescriptionMore Details

Christopher Dowrick examines the good of stories in a health-setting and the crucial need for a patient to be able to ‘tell a good story’ about her- or himself.

Community nurse and dovegreyreader Lynne Hatwell gives a personal account of the way in which reading and nursing have twined themselves together in her life.

Raymond Tallis goes into very deep questions with Chekhov (in his short story ‘Ward 6′). Raymond writes:

There is also new poetry and fiction from John Kinsella plus all our usual features. Add to this an interview with Richard Briers, and Janet Suzman’s vivid account of her childhood and experience in apartheid South Africa and you have an issue full to the brim with goodness.


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Issue 31 - Relative Time

Relative Time

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Frank Cottrell-Boyce (and his father Francis)

Ian McMillan (and his son Andrew)

Andrew McNeillie On Memory

Howard Jacobson On The Novel

Janet Suzman On Shakespeare

Raymond Tallis On Sex


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Issue 32 - Happy 400th Birthday Mr Milton

Happy 400th Birthday Mr Milton

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New Fiction by Marilynne Robinson
New Poetry by Andrew Motion
Peter Robinson
Adam Phillips on W.H. Auden
Crime Fiction: Dashiell Hammett


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Issue 30 - I Live And Write

“I Live And Write” – George Herbert

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Melvyn Bragg
Philip Pullman
Interview with Adam Phillips
Blake Morrison on Bibliotherapy
Phill Jupitus
Les Murray's Al-Time Favourite Poems from Australia
Tessa Hadley


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Issue 29 - Voices That Need To Be Heard

Voices That Need To Be Heard

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A.S.Byatt
Howard Jacobson
Gabriel Josipovici
Mark rylance

Plus Older Voice: on Wordsworth and on Conrad


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Issue 28 - Rising From The Depths

Rising From The Depths

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David Constantine
Patrick McGuiness
Ian McMillan
Neil Pearson
Erica Wagner


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Issue 27

The Reader Tries for Happiness

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Bernard Beatty on Ecstatic Moments
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
David Constantine
Frank Cottrell-Boyce
Tom Paulin
R.S. Thomas


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Issue 26

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Michael Symmons Roberts on poetry and music

Abigail Appleton

Jonathan Bate

Gabriel Josipovici

Ian Mcmillan


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Issue 25

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Jonathan Bate
Alison Brackenbury
David Constantine
Neil Curry
Dan Jacobson
Isobel Lusted
Les Murray
Carolo Rumens
Raymond Tallis


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Issue 24

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In this issue:

Peter Robinson
Hugh Underhill
Erica Wagner
Boyd Tonkin
Jane Shilling
Patrick Moore
Jeffrey Wainwright


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Issue 23

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In this issue:

Raymond Tallis
Terence Davies
Ann Stapleton
Philip Davis
Neil Curry


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Issue 22

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In this issue:

Rowan Williams
Carol Rumens
Les Murray
Sasha Dugdale
Myra Schneider
Julie-ann Rowell


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Issue 21

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In this issue:

Peter J Conradi
David Constantine
Jonathan Meades
Stanley Middleton
Bel Mooney
Carol Rumens
Jane Shilling


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Issue 20

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In this issue:

Neil Curry
John Kinsella
Michael Murphy
Les Murray
Jacob Polley
Ann Stapleton


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Issue 18 - The Sea

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Philip Edwards on Robert Louis Stevenson

Gwyneth Lewis suggests books to read at sea

Philip Errington on John Masefield

New poetry by Penelope Shuttle


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Issue 17

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Why read Mrs Gaskell?

Doris Lessing interview

Susn Sontag remembered

Othello's language

George Eliot's letters


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Issue 16

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Translations Issue:

Anne Stevenson: 'Why should we trust poetry?'

Helen Constantine: 'The Spirit of the Place'

Robert Chandler: 'To Foreignise or to Domesticate'


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Issue 15

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The Theatre Issue

Will Self

Colin Redgrave

John Redmond


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Issue 14

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New poetry from Howard Wright and Ben Passikoff

New fiction from Leeya Mehta and Karen King-Aribisala

New essays from David Constantine and Raymond Tallis


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Issue 13

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Reviews from John Scrivener, Jenny Swann and Rhea Trede

Peter Robinson, 'Becoming a Reader'
James Aitchison, 'The Poem and the Reader'

Poetry from David Costantine and Joolz Denby


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Issue 5

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In this issue:

Graham Swift
A.S.Byatt
Stanley Middleton
Ruth Padel


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Issue 4

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In this issue:

Jill Rudd on 'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight'
Les Murrary
Adam Nicholson
Susan Wicks
Dan Jacobson


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Issue 3

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In this issue:

John McGahern
Elizabeth Jennings
Anthony Sher
Bernard Beatty
New poetry


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Issue 2

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In this issue:

John Kinsella
Les Murray
R.S. Thomas
Jonathan Bate
Russell Hoban
Stanley Middleton


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Issue 41 - The Health Issue

This is the vitamin-boosted issue of The Reader in which doctors and nurses write about the matters that are close to their heart: 

  • Christopher Dowrick examines the good of stories in a health-setting and the crucial need for a patient to be able to ‘tell a good story’ about her- or himself.
  • Community nurse and dovegreyreader Lynne Hatwell gives a personal account of the way in which reading and nursing have twined themselves together in her life.
  • Raymond Tallis goes into very deep questions with Chekhov
  • Sheffield GP and writer, Jo Cannon’s short story, ‘Nasma’s Malady’ concerns one of the regular visitors at a doctor’s surgery, a woman who is suffering from the past.
  • Plus new poetry and fiction from John Kinsella, an interview with Richard Briers, and Janet Suzman’s vivid account of her childhood and experience in apartheid South Africa. 

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The Reader 43

POETRY from Ian McMillan, Martin Malone, Rebecca Gethin, David Cooke, and Stuart Henson. Gwyneth Lewis is this issue’s Poet on Her Work.

FICTION

Two extracts from Steve Sem-Sandberg’s mortifyingly powerful Emperor of Lies (Faber, July 2011); David Almond’s ‘The Book of Beasts’ taken from The True Tale of Monster Billy Dean (Viking, September 2011); a new short story from David Constantine.

THOUGHT PIECES

Andrew Crompton writing and drawing on almost anything and everything, and Alan Wall offering an occasional series on the way that words’ meanings or forms change over time. And we welcome back and old friend, Kenneth Steven, who writes of the mountains.

Plus all your regular features.

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Issue 40 - Reaching Forty

Issue 40 – Reaching Forty

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Issue 40 - Reaching Forty


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Issue 39 - From Dog to God: The Everything Issue

Issue 39 – From Dog to God: The Everything Issue

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Featured inside:

* An interview with Sonja Sohn – star of the acclaimed television drama The Wire and co-founder of the Baltimore charity Rewired for Change

* Clare Allan – author of Poppy Shakespeare – investigates the genetic make-up of her dog, Meg

* Fiction by Salley Vickers and Stanley Middleton

* Poetry from David Constantine and Angela Leighton

* and we couldn’t have everything without all the fantastic features and competitions you’d expect from your quarterly dose of Reader goodness.


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Issue 38 - The Reading Revolution

Issue 38 – The Reading Revolution

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Issue 38 - The Reading Revolution


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