Assessing Reading by J. Charles Alderson – Cambridge University Press
Assessing Reading is a look at the process of testing reading in a second language. Comprising of a review of past and current assessments of reading, the book also looks at how reading assessment might change in the future.
The book explores what reading is and how… go to TEFLorama to read more.
Historical fiction is probably my favourite genre. I love being able to immerse myself in another time and place, and if the author is able to tie in real historical figures then this enriches the experience. Sometimes I’ve found historical fiction to be a wonderful springboard into non-fictional history books and biographies (not long ago I had a distinct Napoleonic phase).
I make no claim that these ten novels in any way constitute a top ten, they are simply wonderful books.
Black Ajax by George MacDonald Fraser
Set in Regency England, this is the story of Tom Molineaux, an ex-plantation slave and the Black Ajax of the title. Molineaux is a larger than life figure with prodigious talents for eating, drinking and women. It’s his talent for boxing that puts him in demand however, as he travels across the Atlantic to eventually fight for the title of Champion of England.
Based on a real man, this is a wonderfully atmospheric story through the eyes of different narrators as we see Molineaux progress from a nobody, to top prize fighter, and finally washed-up slugger.
A Dead Man in Deptford by Anthony Burgess
The title of this novel refers to the playwright and contemporary of Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, who died in a pub brawl in 1593 at the age of twenty-nine. A number of real figures turn up, such as Shakespeare himself in this story of espionage, homosexuality, poetry and murder.
The most fantastic thing about this book is the language, and as you might expect from the author of A Clockwork Orange, it takes a little getting used to. Once you’re acquainted with the Elizabethan turn of phrase however, you find that it has really helped to whisk you back some four-hundred odd years.
The Discovery of Slowness by Sten Nadolny
The Discovery of Slowness is another novel which uses language to create a world different from the one you are used to; not so much in terms of historical period but in order to get you inside the head of the central character. A quirk of translation from the original German or not, I don’t know, but I do know that the predominance of simple sentences really creates the impression of a man out of step with the rest of society.
Nadolny describes John Franklin as an unusual character, who thinks and acts extremely slowly. At first destined to be a misfit, he manages to turn what seems to be a disability into a distinct advantage. His meticulous and deliberate nature impresses all around him and helps him to rise in his career as a Royal Navy officer and Arctic explorer. This is the story of a fascinating man with a remarkable career that took him to the ends of the earth.
The First Man in Rome by Colleen McCullough
If you like to be absorbed by a whole series of novels then this is the one for you. McCullough’s gargantuan task has been to fictionalise no less than the whole of the fall of the Roman Republic, from about 120BC to the final cataclysmic contest between Octavian (the future emperor Augustus) and Mark Anthony.
Here McCullough begins a pattern, of creating wonderfully believable and compelling characters out of figures who have been dead for more than two-thousand years. In the early novels, Sulla is a truly evil delight, but is only one in a cast of characters with whom we become intimately involved.
Based on meticulous research, there is the added bonus of a history lesson in events fundamental to the political and cultural landscape of the western world.
Imperium by Robert Harris
Another great novel based in the late Roman Republic is this story about the early life of Cicero, one of the foremost statesmen of the time. Here we get a different feel for the era from McCullough as the story is told from the viewpoint of Cicero’s faithful and indispensable slave Tiro. There are delicious portraits of famous figures, such as Caesar, who is (I think accurately) portrayed as a scheming, unscrupulous opportunist. It’s nice to see that Harris has written a sequel Lustrum which will be out soon.
Creation by Gore Vidal
Where Gore Vidal and historical fiction are concerned then you’re spoilt for choice. For me, a true genius of the genre; period atmosphere, spot on characterisations, innovative narrative style, shifts in viewpoint – the man has it all. Whichever novel you pick up by this treasure of a writer you really can’t go wrong, but Creation is a fantastic place to start. Cyrus Spitama is a Persian ambassador to Athens in the fifth century BC who is dictating his life story to his nephew. This is a man who has met Socrates, Buddha and Confucius during his many and varied travels. A tall tale indeed, but one very well told, and on a scale rarely seen. Brilliant.
Baudolino by Umberto Eco
Another writer who has dipped his toe a few times into the historical fiction pond, is the Italian master Umberto Eco. Baudolino is set in the late twelfth century at the court of Frederick I Barbarossa of Germany. The wonderful thing about this novel is that it starts off in a recognisable world, but as the characters travel south to uncharted lands, veers off into the realm of fantasy. This fantasy is itself grounded in history, reflecting the bizarre tales that circulated Europe at that time about people in the rest of the world.
Captain Corelli’s Mandolin by Louis de Bernieres
Louis de Bernieres is like a good Gabriel Garcia Marquez. He excels in whimsical ordinary people set against the dramatic backdrop of history. Unlike Marquez however, there is always a narrative thrust to the story and always a reason to read on. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin contains delightful characters that will pull at your emotions. If you love this book then don’t deprive yourself of the also excellent Birds Without Wings.
Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy
Even if you don’t particularly enjoy historical fiction you’d be a fool to pass up the best novel by one of the world’s best writers today. Set in the mid nineteenth century on the border of the US and Mexico, and telling the tale of a gang of scalp hunters, this is McCarthy’s darkest work. McCarthy’s idiosyncratic style is something to behold, as is the unforgettable character of the Judge; the personification of cruelty and arrogance. “Whatever exists, whatever in creation exists without my knowledge, exists without my consent.” – priceless.
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
The daddy of them all. Don’t let the length of the work put you off. Almost this entire novel is a remarkable work, and the part that you should skip comes neatly at the end, after all the storytelling is finished. Love, tragedy, treachery, social comment and a cast of thousands – it’s all here. Marvel at this groundbreaking and all encompassing masterpiece.
As part of the research for the novel I am working on, I’ve been re-reading selected parts of a wonderful biography of the Roman Emperor Tiberius by Robin Seager.
Seager does amazingly well with his subject which is now almost two thousand years old. As with many biographers of Roman figures, Seager is obviously challenged by the scarcity of material available to him but manages to construct a pretty complete narrative.
For many, Tiberius is not the most interesting of the Emperors, especially when compared Caligula or Nero. Seager however, manages to make Tiberius a fascinating figure. He shows Tiberius possessing high ideals, succumbing to paranoia and cruelty, and eventually damaging the political structure of the Empire he did much to protect as a younger man.
In particular I’ve been re-reading the section on Sejanus; the praetorian prefect who climbed almost to the pinnacle of the Roman world through deception and murder, before finally being strangled and thrown to the mob. Seager pulls together all the threads of the Sejanus narrative wonderfully. Admitting that there are no extant sources for the crucial year 30 AD, when Sejanus fell from power, he nevertheless tries to speculate on likely events. Seager is forced to do this at other points too, such as the death of Germanicus, and in each case he helps you to contemplate for yourself what actually happened.
While the prose lags at times and Seager’s style is not always the most readable, this is still a great book for anyone interested in the Roman Empire.
The title of Persia Woolley’s book is quite misleading. There is little in the way of advice on how to actually write, nor is there very much at all about how to sell your work. She does give information on how to deal with the publishing world, but this is very meager indeed. Also, given the rapid changing nature of the book industry, her advice is probably of diminishing usefulness.
The book is divided into three parts. Part one deals with research, Part two: writing and Part three: the business of publishing your work. Throughout this slim volume Woolley states the obvious again and again. Chapter four is a prime example with such redundant sections as “Taking Notes”.
The book is outdated to the point of irritation such as the section on computer versus paper. Not only this, but it is also terribly US-centred, and as Woolley’s advice on how to write is so self evident, if you don’t come from the States there is probably extremely little in the way of practical business knowledge.
Woolley relies on examples to illustrate what theory she does have of writing, rather than actually getting to grips with such issues as characterisation or tension. This is fine so far as it goes, but it isn’t very perceptive, and there are only so many references to the genius of Gone with the Wind that one really needs.
This is a vague and sloppily written book. One or two little tips stand out, but there isn’t really much insight into any stage of the writing or publishing process. I was attracted by the historical fiction tag as that is what I am working on. Don’t be. Plump for a book that deals with writing issues in detail, even if it is not specifically intended to be a guide to this kind of writing. My recommendation would be Techniques of the Selling Writer by Dwight V. Swain.
Inside Teaching intends to raise your self-awareness: How do you teach and what do you believe constitutes good teaching practice? As such this is a book for those of us with a few years under our belts. It is especially good if you feel set in your ways and need refreshing a little. This book challenges you to try out new things, and while not an ideas book, does indeed contain a lot of ideas to try.
Divided into chapters dealing with different aspects of teaching… (go to my teaching blog TEFLorama to read more)
Cicero – The Life and Times of Rome’s Greatest Politician by Anthony Everitt
Although I’m not sure that he deserves the title of Rome’s greatest politician, (an accolade that surely must go to Julius Caesar) Cicero was definitely one of the greatest Romans. His influence on our world can still be felt today, and so a knowledge of his life and work are essential, not just for those of us interested in the history of Rome. If you don’t know anything about Cicero, or even late Republican Rome, then the best place for you to start is here with Everitt’s marvelous biography.
The ease of Everitt’s prose makes this a five star book. There are plenty of Roman histories and biographies around that seem to delight in using pompous and murky language, obscuring players and events inside paragraphs that go on for page after page. Not so here. It is clear that Everitt derives satisfaction from making events that took place over two thousand years ago very easy to understand. He does a particularly good job when describing the movements and machinations of the various factions after the death of Caesar. Everitt manages this clarity by avoiding over complicated vocabulary and sentence structure, while also reining the prose into short focused segments, dealing with one or two important points at a time.
This period of Rome’s history abounds with amazing characters. Everitt does a great job of describing each of them in all their glory. Not only do we learn about Cicero himself but also such giants as Pompey, Brutus and of course Caesar. Although he covers a lot of people Everitt manages more than just broad brush strokes. Even in the case of Cato, the filibustering and awkward traditionalist who it is easy to dislike, various facets of character are presented. It really is a testament to Everitt’s writing that he is able to do this. Only in fictional works such as Robert Harris’s Imperium or Colleen McCullough’s Masters of Rome series is this usually done so well.
Cicero was a prolific writer, and we are lucky enough to still have much of his work. While his political speeches and also his philosophical works are informative, it is the letters between Cicero and his good friend Atticus that really give the lowdown on the state of the Republic at this time. Everitt uses all of this material to good effect and manages to make the few chapters dealing with Cicero the writer just as interesting as those on Cicero the politician. Everitt leaves you with the desire to read more of Cicero’s actual works, especially his attacks on Mark Anthony in the Philippics.
Everitt rounds off the book with a brilliant concluding chapter, neatly summing up the various aspects of Cicero’s character; his good points and failings, and also his worth to us today.
One odd thing about the book is the cover. I imagine a writer as knowledgeable as Everitt can’t be pleased with the choice of the Colosseum to front his work. While it is indeed a very dramatic building, it was built more than one hundred years after Cicero died, and for me represents the Roman Empire rather than the Republic Cicero strove so much to rescue.
This book leads brilliantly into Everitt’s biography of Augustus which is also excellent. I recommend getting them together and reading one after the other, which would cover more than one hundred years of world shaping history in an accessible and entertaining way. Read them in conjunction with Tom Holland’s Rubicon which is also fantastic.
It’s my pet project to read about as many prominent Romans as I can. I’ll certainly be reading Everitt’s biography of Hadrian when it comes out. I’d love to see what he would do with Marius and Sulla or perhaps even the Gracchi.
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