The Oscar Wilde Fairy Tales CDs are currently being digitised for downloading and will be available as both a CD and a download shortly. Please keep checking the website at http://www.sindenproductions.com/fairy-tales.html

OSCAR WILDE FAIRY TALES

DOUBLE CD Available soon exclusively from  Marc Sinden Productions.

“No man is rich enough to buy back his past”. How prophetic Oscar Wilde’s witticism proved to be.

It would be easy to imagine that Oscar Wilde’s Fairy Tales were written after his tragic fall from grace in 1895 and the unforeseen experience of anguish and loss. In fact they are among his early published works, the first five appearing in 1888 and the remaining four (under the title The House of Pomegranates) in 1891. These were his years of enormous happiness and success. But authors are often wiser in their writings than in their lives. For Wilde, outward beauty and luxury were necessities. Ugliness and misery were not to be countenanced. Yet the stories show us a very different view – listen to The Happy Prince, The Star Child and The Young King. The third of these, a superb piece of storytelling and one of Oscars own favourites, is particularly surprising in its late-Victorian context.

Written for children, but understood in a different, darker way by adults.

For the last track of the CD we have included The Actress, never before recorded. This story was told by Oscar Wilde to Miss Aimee Lowther when she was a child and written out by her soon afterwards. A few copies were privately printed and it was later published in ‘The Mask’ magazine of July 1912. It is believed to be, perhaps, about the great Victorian actress Dame Ellen Terry, to whom Wilde was devoted.

CD Produced, Directed and Designed by Marc Sinden

To aid the Royal Theatrical Fund

I’m a great fan of the novelist Robert Harris. I got hooked when I read the first three pages of Archangel, and then devoured Fatherland and Pompeii. I’ve only just got round to reading his magnificent Imperium. It’s the story of Marcus Cicero, set in the last years of the Roman Republic, told by his secretary Tiro. And – for the most part – it is true.

Even though I lived in the city for five years, when I was training for the priesthood, I can honestly say that this is the first time ancient Rome has ever come alive for me. Cicero leaps out of the page – a brilliant, ambitious lawyer, full of insecurities and foibles, who longs to climb to the top of Roman politics. There are sublime moments when he comes to the defence of the weaker man against some monstrous injustice. And there are other times when it is clear he will sell almost his soul in order to gain his heart’s desire.

The political campaigns feel as contemporary as the debates in an episode of The West Wing. And all the while – this is a thriller, remember – you are desperate to know what happens next. I had coffee with a friend just after I had finished the book, and he started to tell me what happens in Part II (in the recently published Lustrum), casually recounting a bit of supposedly well-known history. I cut him off quickly, grateful for my ignorance, in case he spoiled the pleasure of reading the next installment.

It’s about power, as it’s title proclaims. And how political power – even with all the idealism and public-spiritedness - will always be inseparable from ambition, money, friendship, vanity, jealousy, favours given, favours expected. This is not cynical – just realistic. The question is how to make this messy and ambiguous reality work – as far as possible – for the common good, and not against it; how to make it serve the cause of justice even as it serves the inevitable ambitions of those involved. There are so many contemporary parallels.

It’s also about writing and making speeches and the agony of facing a deadline with a blank sheet of paper before you. Here is one lovely quotation to end with:

No-one can really claim to know politics properly until he has stayed up all night, writing a speech for delivery the following day. While the world sleeps, the orator paces around by lamplight, wondering what madness ever brought him to this occupation in the first place. Arguments are prepared and discarded. Versions of openings and middle sections and perorations lie in drifts across the floor. The exhausted mind ceases to have any coherent grip upon the purpose of the enterprise, so that often – usually an hour or two after midnight – there comes a point where failing to turn up, feigning illness and hiding at home seem the only realistic options. And then, somehow, under pressure of panic, just as humiliation beckons, the parts cohere, and there it is: a speech. A second-rate orator now retires gratefully to bed. A Cicero stays up and commits it to memory. [Arrow Books, 2007, p. 132]

It’s already half way through November and I’m only just getting around to writing about October’s books – let’s hope I can spin a full post from my half-arsed notes.  As always, all my books are kept in chronological order, I then alternately read the book I’ve had longest (marked B.H.L.), followed by a free choice (F.C.).  For a full description of my insane book selection rules, please click here.

Books Read

I started the month by reading Street Magic (B.H.L.) by Paul Zenon.  I bought it a few years ago, probably from Borders, because I suddenly got it in to my head that it would be a good thing to be able to do a few magic tricks.  Please don’t ask me where this spurious thought came from as I don’t have a clue.  Anyway, I did read some of it at the time but it all seemed a bit like hard work, and, not being afraid to give up when something proves tricky, it found its way to my To Be Read pile.

As I started my second reading of the book I soon remembered my original sticking point: palming.   Not wanting to divulge too many magician’s secrets, this is the skill of concealing a coin in your hand.  And I just couldn’t do it.  I did practice, but, although I could have practised more,  I didn’t feel myself getting any better at it, and so I wondered if I was missing something fundamental.  Anyway, this time I decided just to read it through and see what happened.

There is actually a variety of impressive tricks within the book and it soon became apparent to me that it’s not enough to know the secrets of a magic trick; in order to pull it off you need equal measures of expertise and performance.  Far from spoiling my enjoyment of the art of illusion, reading this book actually increased my respect for its practitioners.

Next up came Archangel (F.C.) by Robert Harris.  This was a random purchase from the British Heart Foundation shop because I’d read, and enjoyed, Fatherland, Harris’ first novel.  This book has the distinction of being the first ever F.C. that has also been the B.H.L., for whatever that’s worth.  It’s an end-of-the-cold-war thriller that charts an academic’s quest to locate an old notebook of Stalin’s.  It’s one of those strange stories in which nothing really seems to happen and yet it is still somehow quite gripping.  It was a fun read but I don’t really have much more to say on it.

It’s another random British Heart Foundation buy next with The Man in the High Castle (B.H.L.) by Philp K. Dick, which I bought because I was interested to read a Philip K. Dick novel.  It was a great choice and I was hooked from the minute I started readig; it was the kind of book that makes you remember why you love reading so much.

It’s an alternate history novel set in an America following a Second World War which was won by Germany and Japan.  The Axis powers have carved the globe up between them, and this includes North America – the east coast belongs to Japan and the west to Germany.  This kind of premise could have carried out very heavy handedly, but Dick shows an incredibly subtle touch.  We see this unfamiliar world through the eyes of ordinary people and so the horrors perpetrated by the Nazis are only ever discussed third hand.  This makes them seem only more sinister.

In addition to this is a whole subtext about the nature of reality.  Many of the characters are reading a novel-within-a-novel called The Grasshopper Lies Heavy, which is in itself an alternative history in which the Allies won the war – which is a reality subtly but significantly different to our own.  There are moments in the story when one reality appears to blend in to another, but it is done in a way that you are unsure as to whether it happened or not.  What is true and what is false? There are no answers here but the questions are certainly interesting.

I first heard of The End of Faith (F.C.) by Sam Harris a few years ago, primarily because he is a pal of Richard Dawkins, and that is always a good recommendation.  It’s a devastating attack not only on religion but on the nature of faith itself.  To be fair, and pardon the pun, he is already preaching to the converted, so luckily there was even more food for thought.  For example, he poses the question as to whether torture be ethical, and asks if pacifism is immoral.  It’s a very well written, intelligent book, but towards the end he lost me a bit with his thoughts on spirituality as they, superficially at least, seem to conflict with his otherwise rational arguments.  It’s pretty brave of him to go down that road though.  A further, petty criticism is the amount of end notes – I didn’t know whether to skip them or not.

My final book of the month was the rather unusual choice of Buying and Running a Florist Shop (B.H.L.) by Alan Peck.  You’d be forgiven for thinking that it was a wacky women’s novel, but it is actually a manual on buying and running a florists shop.  In case you’re wondering, I didn’t buy the book and I won’t bore you with the details on how I came to own such a book.  Strangely, I actually found it to be an enjoyable read. It’s a slim, straightforward volume that gives an insight in to what it must be like to run a small business.  The main thing I took from it is that when you consider the low pay, long hours and undue pressure, being a florist is a thankless task.  I suggest you go out and buy a florist some flowers today.

Books Acquired

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark – Bookmooch – This had been on my ‘wish list’ for years.  I think I remember seeing a programme about it as part of the BBC’s Big Read, but I cannot remember anything about why this made me want to read it.

Moving Pictures by Terry Pratchett – Salvation Army shop – I decided a while ago to start reading the Discworld novels and then, fortuitously, someone at work gave me a load of them.  Sadly, there were omissions and so any books that are not contiguous in the serial are not on my official TBR pile.  This was one of the missing and so I was very glad to see it.  It was 50p.

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad – Salvation Army shop - It was slim, I’d heard of it and it was 50p.  Why wouldn’t I buy it?

Books Given Away on Bookmooch

How the Mind Works by Steven Pinker – I bought this from the British Heart Foundation even though I knew that there was a good chance that I already had it.  It’s the kind of book that you don’t see all that often in a charity shop, so I bought it anyway.  Of course, I already had it at home sat in my TBR pile.  It’s a weird feeling to give away a book that I haven’t read yet.

Result

Books Read 5 – Books Acquired 3, result – A WIN!!!!!

I never thought I’d see the day that I’d record a win in Reading Habits, so it’s champagne all around (if you happen to be in my house as I type this).  Everything is looking rosy – except that we’re already half-way through the current month and I know it’s going to take a miracle for it not to be a big loss.  Fingers crossed.

I have half a dozen book reviews I still want to write, but I wanted to get this one out of my mind as long as the memory is still fresh.

Two days ago I finished reading Lustrum, by Robert Harris. I am saddened to say that the book was good, so this review isn’t bound to be very funny.

Pompeii, Herculaneum, Paestum, Naples, Capri. Places I’ve been to personally, places that I love. They all have one thing in common: almost two thousand years ago they were thriving, buzzing parts of the Roman Empire.

Rome has held its sway over me for about fifteen years now. It started out as a sort of extra-curricular school trip that sounded like fun and has since then bloomed into a deep and long-lasting fascination with all things Roman (ancient Greek will do at a pinch, I’m not picky). I will, one day, write my own epic set in ancient Rome, but until then I’ll have to make do with the works of others on the subject.

In light of this passion of mine  it was only logical for me to read devour Robert Harris’s book Pompeii (okay, I’ll admit it, it was a gift from Jonas, it was he who pointed Mr. Harris’s work out to me first) and after that the first book of his trilogy on the life and works of the famous Roman politician and orator Cicero.

Marcus Tullius Cicero is a fascinating figure. Lauded by his contemporaries and later generations of historians as one of the most versatile minds of his time, he was a lawyer, translator, politician, orator, philosopher and linguist. What makes him even more interesting as a protagonist for a book is the fact that he was a contemporary of all the great names that one will associate with Rome at fist glance: Caesar, Pompey Magnus, Brutus, Lucullus, Crassus and many others.

While the first book, Imperium, chronicles Cicero’s rise to power through hard work and cunning, told through the eyes of his faithful slave (and friend) Tiro, the second book finds him at the height of his career. Newly elected consul, Cicero has to use all his wit to fight against his political enemies and smite down a conspiracy that might well mean the end of the Roman Republic. To say more would unfortunately contain many spoilers, so let it suffice to say that the problems only begin there.

I mention Tiro in the above paragraph, and in that character lies the book’s main weakness. It is a small flaw, one that barely merits pointing out, but I shall still mention it. Tiro, or Marcus Tullius Tiro as he became known after being freed by his master, is a real, historical character. Little is known of his origins, but what is known is that he was (among) the first to ever record a session of the Roman senate in shorthand and that this shorthand system, which was invented by him, gives us many useful words that survive to this day, most notably the ever-popular “etc.” In the book Tiro functions as the narrator, writing down the life history of Marcus Tullius Cicero many years after his death (history tells us that Tiro lived to a ripe age of 99 and died 39 years after his former master). And here lies my principal problem with the book (there is one other one, also connected to Tiro, but I’ll let that slip): our narrator, busily scribbling away at his former master’s biography before he himself croaks of old age, is a bit too intent on pointing out to us that he is writing this many years after the actual events have taken place. A few mentions less of “here my notes record” or “now I myself am old and feeble”, “if only he had known what I know today” etc., would have done the book a great service. Tiro seems to strive above all to destroy our immersion with his constant comments.

Don’t think that the book is bad now, it’s still plenty good. I just was annoyed by Tiro to a certain degree. I also think it gets better as the book progresses.

Back to the book:

Lustrum is, as I already knew, Latin for… well… a whorehouse. What I didn’t know is that is also means “a period of four years”. The book, as you may have guessed, easily accounts for both meanings of the title, and we see a lot more of Cicero than just what happened to him during the twelve months of his consulship.

Although the second part of the book suffers from certain structural issues (which are almost unavoidable since Cicero was, politically speaking, on a decaying orbit after his consulship and is thus demoted from active schemer to passive watcher), the book still manages to go out with  a bang. A bang that left me wishing that Robert Harris would hurry up and write the last part of his Cicero trilogy as quickly as possible.

Lustrum is to a large degree based on the actual historical events and Harris claims that he has taken excerpts from actual speeches by Cicero and his contemporaries as often as possible. I have no reason to doubt him. The book feels authentic and for anyone who shares my passion for Rome and her people it will be a joy to read. I can only recommend the book, but bear in mind that the enjoyment will be all the greater if you also read Imperium, with which Lustrum forms an almost seamless unit.

The True Glory, which was released on August 27, 1945 in the United Kingdom and on October 4, 1945 in the United States, is the granddaddy of every World War II documentary you’ve ever seen on the History Channel. Introduced by the Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, The True Glory tells the story of America and Great Britain’s war against Germany and Italy, starting with the D-Day invasions of June 6, 1944 and ending with V-E Day, May 8, 1945.

The documentary, which won an Academy Award, was pieced together from hundreds of different war photographers’ footage. Several directors worked on the film, but the most commonly credited are Carol Reed and Garson Kanin.

There is some narration, but the majority of the film is told through first-person accounts in voiceover. There are a myriad of British and American soldiers who tell their stories, but there are also the voices of a Parisian family, nurses, clerical staff, an African-American tank gunner, and a member of the French resistance. If you know your World War II history and keep your eyes peeled, you’ll recognize many prominent figures in the footage, including Gen. Eisenhower and Gen. George S. Patton.

Produced by the British Ministry of Information and the U.S. Office of War Information, The True Glory lacks a certain degree of perspective, coming so soon after the end of the war, and is primarily made to celebrate the accomplishments of the Allied forces, but that doesn’t change the fact that the footage is absolutely stunning, and occasionally horrific. The True Glory is a must-see for even the most casual of history buffs.

Hmm, what does one do when sitting in a cell waiting to be extradited? Finish your movie that’s what. Silence of the Lambs author Robert Harris says Roman Polanski is busy fininishing the movie The Ghost from his cell. Harris, who penned the screenplay, said despite Polanski not being able to make phone calls he is communicating through other means  to finish the movie in time for the Berlin film festival in February.The story is about a British prime minister accused of war crimes. Hmm, let me guess he is innocent?

Psst I wouldn’t be surprised  if it doesn’t get a nomination for the Academy Awards next year!

Britanski književnik i scenarist Robert Harris je danas izjavio kako njegov prijatelj i suradnik Roman Polanski namjerava nastaviti režiju svog najnovijeg filma The Ghost iza zatvorskih rešetaka, kako bi – bez obzira na to da li u međuvremenu izađe na slobodu ili ne – dotični film ipak bio premijerno prikazan na Berlinskom festivalu sljedeće godine.

Polanski, koji je više od trideset godina izbjegavao američki teritorij zbog potjernice vezane uz slučaj analnog silovanja 13-godišnje djevojčice, je navodno montažu filma dovršio 26. rujna – na dan vlastitog uhićenja u Švicarskoj. Iz zatvorske ćelije, gdje čeka odluku o izručenju SAD, je počeo davati instrukcije Alexandreu Desplateu, skladatelju koji će napisati glazbu za film.

Harris, koji je napisao scenarij za film, tvrdi da Polanski ne može telefonirati instrukcije, ali “da može komunicirati”, te da “nije jasno hoće li u ovakvim okolnostima film imati željene umjetničke standarde”.

Polanski se, pak, može tješiti da nije jedini filmaš koji se našao u sličnoj situaciji, odnosno da postoje presedani na temelju kojih se može zaključiti da pritvaranje automatski ne znači završetak nečije filmske karijere. Najpoznatiji primjer je Ylmaz Güney (1937 – 1984), turski filmski režiser koji je zbog veza s ekstremnim ljevičarima završio u zatvoru 1972. godine, neposredno pred dovršetak filma “Bijednici”. Shvativši da će iza rešetaka ostati duže nego što je mislio, počeo je davati instrukcije svojim suradnicima. Tako usavršena filmska tehnika mu je dobro došla, jer je iza rešetaka ostao sve do bijega 1981. godine, a u međuvremenu je njegove scenarije po preciznim instrukcijama snimao njegov suradnik Şerif Gören. Najpoznatije takvo djelo, “Yol” ili “Put” je godine 1982. osvojilo Zlatnu palmu u Cannesu. Güney je iza rešetaka snimio ukupno pet filmova (posljednji “Devar” ili “Zid” je snimio 1983. u egziklu u Francuskoj).

Za nadati se je kako će Polanski imati prilike višestruko nadmašiti Güneyev rekord.

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Review ini dimuat di Koran Jakarta, Sabtu 10 Oktober 2009
Versi cetak lebih “kurus” dari versi asli yang ada di blog  ini.
Untuk versi di Koran Jakarta bisa dibaca pada link berikut:
http://www.koran-jakarta.com/ver02/detail-news.php?id=25892&&idkat=78
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Pompeii

Robert Harris

Terbit : September 2009

Harga : Rp 50.000,-

Ukuran : 15 x 23 cm

Tebal : 392 halaman

Penerbit : Gramedia Pustaka Utama

ISBN : 978-979-22-4944-6; 40201090056

Soft Cover

Kemurkaan Tuhan pada manusia yang menyekutukan kenikmatan dan kemewahan dunia sebagai sembahannya.

Kota penuh kenikmatan dunia yang juga termasuk kemaksiatan dalam kehidupan sehari-harinya lenyap hanya dalam hitungan menit. Itulah Pompeii. Yang terkubur letusan gunung Vesuvius pada tahun 79 M.

Robert Harris, penulis  novel terkenal Imperium, menuangkan sejarah kota Pompeii sebelum terkubur dalam novel yang telah menjadi No. 1 International Bestseller, POMPEII. Novel yang rencananya akan dibuat versi layar lebarnya ini menceritakan tentang peristiwa yang terjadi di Pompeii dan orang-orang yang terlibat di dalamnya yang diambil dari sudut pandang 4 tokoh utamanya.

Adalah  Marcus Attilius Primus, yang menjabat sebagai Aquarius Aqua Augusta (semacam pejabat penanggung jawab masalah pengairan Negara). Dalam usia mudanya 27 tahun, dia menggantikan Aquarius lama, yang menghilang secara misterius di Campania, Italia. Tugas utamanya adalah mengurus saluran air paling panjang di dunia Aqua Augusta yang mengairi kota –kota yang berada di wilayah yang berada beberapa mil jaraknya dengan gunung Vesuvius.

Penyelidikan tentang mengapa pada bulan Agustus tahun 79 M itu, Aqua Augusta yang terkenal perkasa alirannya terhenti. Dalam pekerjaannya, dia bertemu dengan Corelia Ampliata, putri  Numerius  Popidius Ampliata salah satu mantan budak yang telah menjadi kaya raya, dan jutawan yang kejam. Corelia adalah gadis cerdas yang nantinya menjadi bagian penting cerita Pompeii. Juga Pliny, Laksamana  yang tegas,berwawasan dan senang menulis buku.

Penceritaan yang sangat detil adalah salah satu kelebihan tulisan mantan wartawan BBC tersebut. Gunung Vesuvius yang merupakan gunung berapi aktif kala itu, dalam sejarahnya memang sering menimbulkan getaran-getaran gempa dalam hari-hari penduduk Pompeii. Namun getaran yang semakin hebat pada bulan Februari lalu pertengahan Agustus 79 dan beberapa peringatan setelahnya tidak digubris bahkan oleh penduduknya. Sehingga begitu kejadian banyak sekali rakyat yang dalam posisi masih beraktivitas dan meninggal dalan raut ketakutan dalam usaha melarikan diri dari letusan gunung. Kedahsyatan letusan Vesuvius, mengubur Pompeii pada tanggal 24 Agustus 79 M, hingga kota itu hilang selama 16 abad.

Novel berlatar sejarah yang kemudian difiksikan, barangkali sudah banyak, namun Robert Harris rupanya sangat piawai menceritakan sebuah tragedi sejarah dalam buku terbarunya ini. Kota-kota yang terekam, nama-nama yang terlibat, kejadian-kejadian yang dibuat hampir seperti kronologis membuat pembaca seperti berekreasi ke Pompeii. Buku setebal 392 halaman ini juga dilengkapi keterangan ensiklopedi berbagai hal yang berkaitan dengan gunung berapi  di setiap pergantian bab-nya. Hal ini semakin memberi nilai tambah bahwa novel ini tidak hanya sekedar fiksi, namun juga sebagai dokumen yang layak untuk dikoleksi.

Kejayaan Pompeii yang terkubur dalam sekejap, mengingatkan kita pada kisah kaum Nabi Luth. Pompeii yang mengumbar segala kenikmatan dan menurut Attilius adalah kota “penipu” karena hampir sebagian besar pendatang ataupun pelancong yang datang ke sana akan tertipu oleh penjual baik barang atau jasa yang ada di sana menggambarkan betapa tamak dan rakusnya orang-orang Pompeii.

Meskipun sudah dikaji secara ilmiah, letusan gunung Vesuvius berdasarlan analisis vulkanologi  Haraldur Sigurdsson, Stanford Cashdollar dan Stephen R.J.Sparks dalam bukunya  The American Journal of Archaeology (seperti yang diceritakan Robert Harris di bagian akhir buku ini) dan seperti biasa, manusia tentu bisa menganalisa dan menjadi masuk akal setelah terjadinya sebuah perisiwa, toh kita tidak bisa mengesampingkan kuasa Tuhan dalam peristiwa ini.

Robert Harris sendiri menulis dalam kisah setelah letusan, besar kemungkinan kejadian yang dahsyat ini adalah salah satu hasil dari ulah kesombongan dan keangkuhan manusia.

“Tetapi inilah Alam, melaju ke arahnya-tak bisa dipahami, menguasai segalanya, tak peduli-dan di dalam apiNya dia melihat betapa sia-sia segala keangkuhan manusia.” (hal. 383)

Lantas, jika kita kaitkan dengan kejadian bencana yang sedemikan sering melanda negeri kita Indonesia kemudian berkaca pada buku Pompeii ini, apakah kita akan menganalisa dan memiliki kemampuan untuk mencerna dan berpikir lebih dalam sebelum bencana baru datang?!

Eviwidi (Blogger, Book Reviewer)

Robert Harris

Well, we finally got out on our first field trip, and of course, I have to go and blog about it eh? 

Having gotten out of the school and looked at the work of an artist in person rather than just in books or in little digital images was wonderful for me. I ranted on about this as we sat in the Concourse today. But now that you’ve had a little more time to think about it I thought I might let you have a space to ruminate on it. This is not homework, it doesn’t replace your contribution to the topic of “Art or Crime?”, it’s just a spot for you to reflect further on seeing real art, with a sense of real history, right in front of you.

Am 19. Oktober erscheint sie endlich, die Fortsetzung von Imperium. Als “Wahllateiner” ist es natürlich Pflichtlektüre! Nun sitze ich noch etwas zwischen den Stühlen: Soll ich a) die englische Taschenbuchausgabe erwerben, die günstig im Preis und gleich verfügbar ist, soll ich b) die teure gebundene Ausgabe auf Deutsch erwerben oder c) warten, bis die deutsche Taschenbuchausgabe erscheint oder d) hoffen, dass ich das Buch zu Weihnachten bekommme?

Am liebsten würd ich es ja jetzt schon lesen, Imperium hat mich wirklich schwer begeistert…

Comment at end

1st October, 2009

CAMERAS – ACTION – STOP!

The Times says that completion of the film ‘The Ghost’ is in jeopardy after Roman Polanski’s arrest in Switzerland.

I have to admit to being surprised that none of Polanski’s supporters has so far raised this as a possible outcome, since many of them must be thinking it, as well as ruminating on the possibility of some kind of conspiracy to put a STOP to the film.

Robert Harris, "The Ghost" writer. His thinly disguised portrait of former PM Tony Blair raised eyebrows and questions of disloyalty. Now he supports Polanski, the arrested director who is filming "The Ghost".

Earlier tonight I added my thoughts on this at the Huffington Post in an Andy Ostroy article referring critically to Robert Harris’s New York Times article.

BlairSupporter:

Harris’s “Why now” question typifies his thinking. He is a conspirator of the first order, exemplified by his book and Polanski’s present film “The Ghost”. This, for those who do not yet know, is about a former British prime minister who loses his popularity following an “illegal war”, in the end losing his life at the hands of the irate father of a dead soldier. The PM bears a striking resemblance to a certain Tony Blair. In fact, it IS meant to be all about said former PM.

So, if I were a conspiracy theorist, which I am decidedly NOT, and I were asking “cui bono” in Harris’s voice, I might be wondering if anyone had any interest in stopping the production and distribution of this film.

NOT because many of the maladjusted in this world might see this film as a green flag to encourage them to administer their own form of “justice” as a result of believing its nonsense, although that is important. NOR because the Iraq war Inquiry has just started in Britain, although that may be significant too. NOR because of any secrets (and lies) that may be spread and believed, such as that the wife of the former PM is outed as an American spy. (This fantastical “disclosure” is not known by the main character until moments before he is blown to smithereens.) NOR even because of the book’s/film’s criticisms of the US/British relationship and their secret services, or of any real or imagined disclosures.

But if I had a conspiratorial mindset, I might be asking this:

Disregarding for a moment the pursuit of a convicted fugitive, who or what benefits by the discontinuation of the production of this film? And the answer is NOT an American judge, or the victim (who has already sued Polanski), or Tony Blair (who may soon be the president of the EU), or freedom of poetic licence.

Who or what benefits by putting a stop to this film is clear to me – free, but responsible expression.

The enemies of free expression often find it hard to separate fact from fiction, and sadly they run amongst us even here in the “informed” west.

Until we all learn responsibility in tandem with populist, money-making rights in our free expression society, make sure your sins, movie-makers, are little ones.

Just as well I am not a conspiracy theorist.

Apart from all that meandering, Polanski is a convicted paedophile.

You’d think even Harris would “get” this.

Pics: 1976 – Roman Polanski aged 43, Samantha Geimer aged 13.

Jewel is a 90s Woman. Roman Polanski, Not so Much.

Kara, I think feminist culture heroes are super important because just when you need it, they remind you that you are not crazy, the world is crazy.

Speaking of which, the last two days I have been in a constant state of agitation about this whole Roman Polanski situation. Thank God Kate Harding wrote “Reminder: Roman Polanski Raped a Child” for Salon, because all the Polanski apologists have been making me furious. (My personal favorite: The L.A. Times comparing Polanksi to Jean Valjean from Les Miz, and thereby also comparing stealing a loaf of bread to drugging and raping a young girl.)

Samantha Geimer was THIRTEEN and said NO and still he gave her quaaludes and anally raped her. No one says those things are not true, not her, not Polanski. Then he was worried he wasn’t going to get the plea deal he was expecting and FLED JUSTICE.

Just because he’s had a hard life (and he totally has had the worst) or because his victim said she’s tired of the media coverage and wants it put to rest (although no, pundits, that is not the same as saying he didn’t rape her) doesn’t mean he shouldn’t ever have to be prosecuted.

It is so bizarre to me how many people are out there saying this rape is no big deal — because he’s a genius, because he’s gotten away with it so far, because he hasn’t been charged with anything similar since (though, if you read the overall super-sympathetic Christopher Sandford biography, he clearly had sex with many other underage girls).

Gotta love this quote from Polanski: “If I had killed somebody, it wouldn’t have had so much appeal to the press, you see? But… f—ing, you see, and the young girls. Judges want to f— young girls. Juries want to f— young girls. Everyone wants to f— young girls!”

I wonder if Woody Allen (bastion of moral standing there), Pedro Almodovar, Martin Scorsese, not to mention today’s Op-Ed columnist Robert Harris, all of whom are crying for Polanksi’s release, have read the upsetting complaint, to which Polanski PLED GUILTY.

Never before have I felt close to Jewel, but now I do. She wrote on Twitter: “Polanski admitted raping a 13-yr-old. Why’s everyone in the arts upset he’s facing jail? Cause he’s a gifted director? What am I missing?”

Go Jewel. Boo petition signers Wim Wenders, Terry Gilliam, Wong Kar-Wai, Darren Aronofsky and Alfonso Cuarón.

I like Polanski’s movies. No doubt about it; he’s a great director. I also love R. Kelly’s music. And Ezra Pound’s poetry. But so what? When it comes to horrible people who are also brilliant, let’s enjoy their art, but also — let’s throw their asses in jail.  — Ada

How do you regard the arrest the other day of Roman Polanski?

Found guilty in 1978 for having had sex with a 13 year old, Samantha Geimer, the previous year, Polanski fled from the USA. From time to time, less so of course as the years pass, we would hear of “Nazi hunters” tracking down some despicable holocaust perpetrator in a remote jungle village in South America. Polanski, however, has not been holed up in a location unknown . Living “in the open” in Switzerland, he would on occasion make public appearances at film festivals and such. It was while returning from one such that he was arrested in Zurich airport by Swiss authorities on request of the Los Angeles County district attorney, Stephen Cooley.

There is much about this that is disturbing. You may well think that a “child molester” is finally getting what he deserves. It seems obvious until you reflect for a moment on the give-away word in that sentence: “finally.” Robert Harris in an Op Ed piece in todays New York Times (see here) rightly asks the obvious question. “Why arrest Roman Polanski now?”  I will not review Harris’s piece; it is sobering reading, revealing on odd legal process, to say the very least, calling in serious question the motivation of the LA County DA. e that as it may, my concern is to focus on the timing of it all from another angle.

How long does guilt last?

Some while ago I offered the view in these posts, based on the Michael Vick case, that once a guilt criminal has served a sentence the debt to society is paid and thus the former prisoner should be “free” of any further consequences. This is not to say, however, that the guilt has been removed. It has been “paid for.” Vick still is the one who was cruel to dogs and while his debt to society is paid, he lives still with the knowledge of what he did. That guilt, that voice within, remains. But it is his affair now not society’s. Indeed is this not part of the argument in favor of life imprisonment over capital punishment? That the prisoner will ever live with that voice?

Is this not true for us all? Think of something you have done that is shameful, that fills you with a sense of guilt. Perhaps it is some dark secret tucked away in the remotest cranny of your heart. Perhaps it is a glaring fault everyone knows about. Either way, it lingers. Perhaps you have “learned to live with it” and simply no longer care. Like a chronic pain you have grown used to it and no longer notice. No matter: there it is, part of who you are. From the moment it burst onto the stage of your life, our own secret Roman Polanski, there it struts, smirks, and lurks, ever and always, until …. when?

How long does guilt last?

Western Christianity is sometimes accused of carrying about guilt with an obsessive fascination and is urged to adopt a more care free stance. Doubtless much of what Christians have over the past been urged to feel guilty about is harmless (playing cards on Sunday, dancing, and the like.) But, back to Polanski, sex with a 13 year old? No getting around that with a “what the hell; have another beer” attitude. And yet ……

Is it not odd that the justice system is still involved? Finally involved? Is Polanski’s guilt not simply now a matter between him and his victim (who has stated that he should be left alone) and also between him and …. wait for it …. God? Is the real issue here less a matter of the criminal justice system in LA County and more a matter of how a human being lives with who he is and has become? And is this not a matter we all must face?

Using the old language let me ask:

• when you face the Almighty on the day if judgment, do you want to get from him only what you deserve? Or, will you long and ache for mercy, grace, compassion, understanding, based on having lived a life of bearing such guilt?

UPDATE 6th Oct: Swiss Justice Ministry refuses to release Polanski pending a decision on exradition
According to the Ministry, there’s still a high risk that Polanski might go on the run if released from custody.

The French government has dropped its support for Polanski saying he is ‘neither above nor beneath the law’. Puzzled by the language? Moi ausi. Poland is equivocating in its earlier support for Polanski, and Labour MP Denis MacShane has called on the Council of Europe to support Polanski’s extradition to the USA, saying that the film-maker “should be held accountable” for his actions.

From CBC News: “In fact, earlier this year, well before Polanski’s arrest in Switzerland, she (the victim, Samantha Geimer) filed a formal appeal to the Los Angeles prosecutor’s office asking for the charges to be dropped. A few years ago, she sued the filmmaker and received an undisclosed settlement.”

Comment at end

30th September, 2009

WHAT GHOSTLY INTEREST DO POLANSKI, HARRIS, FREARS  & CO SHARE?

Stephen Frears – he of the “chop off (Blair’s) head and stick it on a spear” infamy (see here), has spoken out in support of Roman Polanski, following the latter’s arrest in Switzerland for his conviction for the admitted rape of a child over 30 years ago.

Yes, you read it right.

A film director (Frears) is supporting another film director (Polanski) who admitted abusing a child and is a convicted, fugitive rapist.

This Frears – a one-man horror show – is the film director who wants summary justice meted out to our former prime minister.  No trial of course, before the death penalty.  Just an everyday beheading and a display of the bloody consequences in the public square.  Despite there being no capital punishment in Britain or Europe even for convicted criminals, Frears’ hope is for Tony Blair to get his  ‘just’ desserts.

But for Polanski – ah, well, that’s different.

It surely is. VERY different.

Frears and his luvvie likes have long been free in the freedom-loving west to incite the murder of a politician or of any individual they happen to dislike.  I consider that a weakness in our freedom of expression laws. With a film like this many half-sane and gullible individuals could interpret it as a free pass to do as they see fit, and “right wrongs”. Try the same trick in many of the Middle Eastern countries they constantly claim to represent and these artistes would part company with their heads in no time.

But when it comes to supporting a convicted child-molesting criminal who happens to be one of them, well, PURLE-E-E-E-ASE!

Let’s not complicate things by bringing morals and justice into this.

It’s suddenly all about artistic freedom.

What a load of self-serving codswallop!!!!

‘GHOST’ WRITER ROBERT HARRIS & FRIENDS

Yet the frightful Frears is not the only values-vacant fool supporting Polanski.

Described as “bizarre” here there are dozens of other arty types leaping to Polanski’s defence. Aren’t these the same people, on the whole, who see political decisions with which they disagree as hanging offences?

MICHAEL MANSFIELD, QC

[Aside: And today, Barrister to the Left, Michael Mansfield QC argued on Radio 4's "Today" (listen here, 6 mins) that Polanski should be released.  Mansfield said, "There's a distinction to be drawn between extremely serious crimes, of the kind that might be genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity ... and I think one has to consider how best to deploy resources ... at the moment the resources are best devolved towards investigating and solving crimes ... in Guinea, in Gaza ... which are so horrific that they need to be dealt with now. The Polanski case is a very different one ... he pleaded guilty, there was supposed to be a deal ... but where the victim herself is saying enough is enough ... this is the point where we do say as she does let's put our resources elsewhere.  Prosecutors should be allowed to make discretionary decisions."]

Would Mansfield say the same if the accused fugitive were Tony Blair? No way. Never. Not ever. Even if Blair were in his 70s. “Justice” would be Mansfield’s middle name.

Robert Harris, who says he is “shocked and stunned” by Roman Polanski’s arrest, possesses a lively imagination. Harris’s interest? His book, ‘The Ghost’ is his attempt to destroy the reputation of Tony Blair. It is also the basis of Polanski’s present unfinished work.

The novel is  clearly part of Harris’s personal bitter animus towards Mr Blair, and part of his money-making ambitions on the back of others’ political abilities. All very palatable to the gullible, just desperate to swallow it all unquestioningly as they part with their pennies.

And, some might say, useful stuff to hit the airwaves just as the Iraq war Inquiry gets underway.

This movie, like ‘The Trial of Tony Blair’, is designed to satisfy and strengthen the mind-wandering delusions of conspiracy theorists everywhere to the point of their even greater delusion and worse, the muddying and distortion of the real truth.

‘The Ghost’ ends with the once highly popular British prime minister being blown to smithereens by the father of a soldier killed in an ‘illegal’ war. But before the unfortunate former PM meets his untimely but obviously deserved end, he discovers that his wife of 30 years has been double-crossing both him and Britain and has been a long-time American secret agent.

A kind of double shattering.

Ooops! Sorry. Have I inadvertently let slip the ending?

Didn’t spoil it for you, did I?

Never mind. That means you can avoid spending your money on watching this cra… carping insult to living people.

I’M NOT INTO CONSPIRACIES, BUT I DO HOPE THE STALLING OF ‘THE GHOST’ IS ONE

It’s purely co-incidental, of course, that Roman Polanski is the director and Robert Harris the writer of the book upon which the film “The Ghost” is based.  And purely tough luck that Roman Polanski’s arrest in Switzerland has left his latest film in limbo. More here

Roman Polanski’s wife has asked a host of film stars to join her fight to prevent the director being extradited to America. The 76-year-old Oscar-winner – who fled the US to France in 1978 after being convicted of unlawful sex with a minor – was arrested on Saturday in Zurich, Switzerland, and faces being sent back to the US so his actress wife Emanuelle Seigner has begun compiling a petition calling for his release.

Emmanuelle  … is hoping A-list stars and important figures in the film industry will sign the sign the petition.

“Emmanuelle is outraged. She is rallying friends and colleagues from many years in the film industry.”

British director Stephen Frears …. and writer Robert Harris have already spoken out in support and Emmanuelle is convinced more stars will show their support.

In 1977, Roman pleaded guilty to charges of having underage sex with 13-year-old Samantha Gailey, now known as Samantha Geimer. He believed he would face a jail term of just 42 days, and claimed a judge had reneged on a plea bargain deal to reduce the charges from rape and serious sexual assault if he admitted under-age sex.

Polanski – director of a host of acclaimed movies, including 1968’s ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ – plied Samantha with alcohol and sedatives while photographing her for a magazine shoot at actor Jack Nicholson’s Hollywood home. Nicholson was not present at the time of the incident. Read more here

RELATED

1. POLANSKI

• The Guardian on the Polanski petition:

‘France’s Society of Film Directors joined in the chorus of disapproval, voicing concern that the arrest “could have disastrous consequences for freedom of expression across the world”.

Polish film-makers called on their government to prevent a “judicial lynching”, while more than 100 Swiss artists and intellectuals have signed a separate petition demanding Polanski’s release.’

A “judicial lynching”? As opposed to the unjudicial one they wish for Blair?

• NY Times:  Harris asks – “Why arrest Polanski now”
• Huffington Post:  Harris’s “self-serving, offensive disgrace” in his defence of Polanski
• Roman History – by Howard Kurtz – “No debate if he were not an artiste”
• What if Polanski were a Catholic priest?
• And another on the priest comparison
• BBC – entertainment page report
• WIBW National News
• Washington Post – Anne Applebaum – “The outrageous arrest of Polanski”
• Applebaum’s follow-up – Reaction

2. ‘THE GHOST’

• Rod Liddle:  “Real Ghost is Robert Harris”
• Anthony Holden: “This one’s for you, Tony”
• Extracts from The Ghost

Tree of Knowledge, painting by Lucas Cranach the Elder

While preparing to send a short story to a literary magazine, I stumbled upon a statement at the very end of the submission guidelines. Warning, it said, one space after a period, not two. This is cause for Instant Rejection. Wow, I thought, good thing I always use one — and good thing I read the submission rules very carefully.

          I posted the stern admonition on my writers’ group Facebook page for the sole purpose of warning my fellow writers to do just that: Carefully read the submission guidelines when submitting your work to a publisher.

           But my original intention was lost in the furor over mention of the one-space/two-space rule. In a very short time span, I had over thirty comments on my post, each with a different opinion on the matter.

          What occurred next (which tends to happen with us writers) is we all began to post articles to our blogs espousing either one rule or the other as being correct. While I know these people, and am aware of their credentials, it raises the question: How do we know the information we find on the Internet is reliable?

          With the proliferation of blogs, now, more than ever, we need to be vigilant in verifying the reliability of our sources.

          While surfing the web for research on this subject, I came across an article titled Evaluating Internet Research Sources, by Robert Harris.

          I found it to be very comprehensive and erudite. Robert Harris uses what he calls “The CARS Checklist” to check Internet resources. The following chart was taken directly from his article: 

  Summary of The CARS Checklist for Research Source Evaluation 

          If you want to read the entire article, visit his website, Virtual Salt, for this and other very useful articles.

          So, what makes you an expert? We should all be asking this question when we search online for information.

Works sited:
 Harris, Robert. “Evaluating Internet Research Sources.” 
     VirtualSalt. 15 June 2007.  Sun. 27 Sept. 2009.
      http://www.virtualsalt.com/evalu8it.htm

About Robert Harris

from

Stories From the Old Attic by      Robert Harris:

That is why, one day when three little fish met each other suddenly among the reeds, they were all momentarily startled. But soon they began talking and relaxed a little. “This is a wonderful pond,” said one. “It’s so big. But I’ve never been this far away from home before.”
“Me either,” said another. “I just hope we’re safe here in these reeds.”
“I do too,” agreed the third. “You never know where an enemy may come from.”
“And you can’t be too careful,” added the first.
“By the way,” said one, “my name is Swimmy Fish. What’s yours?”

Robert Harris, Cospirata, Mondadori
Ambizione sfrenata e sete di potere al centro del nuovo romanzo storico sull’antica Roma

Alla vigilia dell’elezione di Cicerone a console di Roma, viene ritrovato nel Tevere il cadavere orrendamente mutilato di un ragazzino vittima di un sacrificio umano. Cosa si nasconde dietro questo orribile delitto? Poche ore dopo Cicerone deve difendere un vecchio senatore accusato di alto tradimento, commesso più di trent’anni prima. L’alto tradimento è punibile con la morte e l’accusatore è Cesare, da sempre rivale di Cicerone. La grande rivalità tra
i due uomini rappresenta due diversi tipi di pensiero: uno più conservatore e uno rivoluzionario. Man mano che il potere di Cesare cresce, Cicerone deve affrontare gli inevitabili compromessi derivatigli dal potere: è giustificabile usare metodi illegali per salvare la Repubblica?

Federico Rampini, Slow Economy, Mondadori
Il mondo sta affrontando la più terribile crisi economica dal 1929.

Molte cose non saranno più le stesse. Federico Rampini ci racconta, in un viaggio attraverso tre continenti e decine di città, quale forma sta per prendere il nostro futuro. Abbiamo di fronte a noi una lenta e inesorabile rivoluzione verde che ci porterà a produrre e a consumare in modo più consapevole; si percepisce nei comportamenti dei governanti e degli elettori il desiderio di un “Neo-socialismo” che spinga gli stati ad assumere iniziative politiche più ponderate e attente alla qualità dei servizi, del welfare e della vita in generale.
Insomma, secondo Rampini si va profilando la rivoluzione tranquilla della “Slow Economy”: un nuovo modello di sviluppo dove la crescita a ogni costo non sarà più la prima preoccupazione delle nostre società. Un modello di sviluppo in cui, come in una sorta di “Slow food” esteso a ogni aspetto della vita, ritroveremo tutti insieme un nuovo (e antico nello stesso tempo) equilibrio con il nostro ambiente lavorativo, naturale e sociale.

from

Stories From the Old Attic by Robert Harris:

… said, God himself would one day reign. But instead, a group of wicked men broke in and chopped the tree down. They hacked the tree into a beam and nailed a holy man to it, leaving him to die upon a hill. So the tree of hope now had become a beam covered with blood and death. “See here,” the wicked men said, laughing with scorn, “in what manner God’s promises are fulfilled.”
* * *
The chairman of the department asked the young professor how his book was coming along. Said the professor, “Oh, the book is already written; I just haven’t put it down on paper yet.” The chairman patted the man on the back and told him to keep up the good work.

It had taken time to do all this. Time and anger and the certainty of not being disturbed. It must have happened while he was under guard in Prinz-Albrecht-Strasse. It could only have been the work of the Gestapo. He remembered a line of graffiti scrawled by the White Rose on a wall near Werderscher-Markt: “A police state is a country run by criminals.”

—Robert Harris, Fatherland

Pierce Brosnan, Kim Cattrall, Ewan McGregor, Olivia Williams, Tom Wilkinson, Jim Belushi, Timothy Hutton… Todo este elenco de estrellas es el que ha reunido el realizador Roman Polanski para ”The Ghost”, cinta basada en la novela homónima de Robert Harris. La historia, cuya trama transcurre en un mes invernal en una casita junto al océano, se centra en un escritor que es contratado para completar las memorias de un ex-ministro británico, con el añadido de que irá descubriendo cosas que pondrán en peligro su propia vida.

El estreno llegará en 2010, y el primer footage publicado del film no pinta mal; opinen ustedes mismos al hacer Click en la imagen.

Whilst ‘enjoying’ a wet holiday I wandered into a secondhand bookshop and picked up a novel entitled ‘Fatherland’ by Robert Harris and published in 1992. Apparently it was a best seller and I’m not at all surprised as it was fast moving and totally gripping.

I’m not going to give a review but it’s based on the idea of Germany having won the last war and paints a vivid picture of life in a State where surveillance and control is all but total. As the story unfolded, the realisation crept up on me of how easy it would be for this very condition to be imposed now, in our own country.

I recommend getting hold of a copy, not only for a good read but also to be aware of the dangers facing us. The price of freedom is not just vigilance but being prepared to take action before it’s too late.