Front cover of Practical Basketry Techniques
Christmas is coming and I've decided to ask Santa for a copy of 'Machiavelli's Lawn: the Great Writers' Garden Companion' by my friend Mark Crick; writer, photographer, cook and erstwhile gardener. This is a follow-on to his two previous books, 'Kafka's Soup: a Complete History of Literature in 17 Recipes' and 'Satre's Sink: the Great Writers' Complete Book of DIY'. All take the form of a collection of literary parodies of great writers.
I sat next to Mark a couple of weeks ago at the Royal Albert Hall for a concert of Mahler's 8th Choral Symphony. He was signing a copy of 'Sartre's Sink' for a friend in the row behind and, just before the orchestra struck up, I made the mistake of having a quick look. He had pre-empted any adverse criticism by compiling a list of spoof reviews which appear on the back cover:
'Unbearably light' - Milan Kundera
'Nauseating' - Jean-Paul Sartre
'Not worth the wait' - Samuel Beckett
I had to stifle my giggling fits all the way through the concert! - the 8th is one of Mahler's less sombre works but still not exactly a bundle of laughs.
What I found even funnier was that, after the show, Mark told me how his American publicist, who didn't 'do' irony, had tried to persuade him to make the reviews a little more up-beat.
'But Mark, these just sound so negative, we don't wanna put people off buying it! Couldn't we say 'Worth the wait', by Samuel Beckett instead?'
I took part in an exhibition with Basketry Plus at the Barbican a couple of years ago. We called it 'The Upsett' which is a technical basketry term. We liked the slightly negative hint of provocation in the double meaning.
Well, you can probably guess where this train of thought is heading. 'Practical Basketry Techniques' by Stella Harding and Shane Waltener:
'Upsetting' - Basketmaking Monthly
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