Wednesday 9 April 2008

Making stock

Timer on.

Checked on the Quotations website if anyone knew about My expertise has always been my ignorance whether there is anyone who said it, and, No, it seems to be just Petri. Still don't know if it is a he or a she. Am also hesitating and wondering whether I should offer to edit some of the English for him, I'd probably get more out of it than they do, reading about authors I don't know. Once every two months or so? It would not take me long to do. I'll email him/her and see what happens.

Almost finished reading the Larkin biography -Philip Larkin, The Marvell Press and Me, by Jean Hartley (Carcanet Press, 1989). Have not yet looked him up on Petri's site, that will be helpful. He was a sad man, wistful, and kind. Jean Hartley was a friend of his. Every now and then some of her thoughts about life are allowed and the book is immediately much more interesting than say her romances or the lack of a romance in Larkin's case. I wonder if other readers would think so too?

I checked that Janet Frame was on Petri's Authors' Calendar, and Katherine Manfeld. Found a raft of Israeli writers - Amos Oz, Yehuda Amichai, AB Yehoshua, Shai Agnon, David Grossman.

Reading poetry is paying off. Unless it was a fluke: the new exercise for the Online course was done quickly and easily, at least the first draft. Not feeling overwhelmed by the task as with the prose poem. Have worked on that one too, amazed at what can be dispensed with, how many words are unnecessary, I love reducing and reducing. It makes me think of when one prepares stock, simmering the broth away, till what remains has a strong taste
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Timer went a couple of minutes ago. Took too long editing.

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