Hello!

And hey! Do you like reading books? You do? Great! I’ve got the ideal thing for you. We’ve just launched the winter 2023 schedule for the Galley Beggar Press Critical Reading class. This is our beloved programme of deep novel reading and discussion that we’ve been running on Tuesday evenings each month for several years now. The general scheme is that we read a novel together and discuss it over Zoom. I bring in information about the author’s life and intentions, the context of the book, its critical reception and ideas about how the book was put together - and we all discuss the bigger questions of how the book works, what it means, what we feel about it…

We’ll talk about the choices writers have made in putting them together, look at structure, world-building, imagery – as well as all those other bits of glue that hold a book together. We’ll sometimes talk about the stories behind the books and the act of creation. Sometimes, too, we’ll just sit back and marvel at the talent of the people we’re discussing. You can learn a lot from Virginia Woolf, for instance. And Michael Ondaatje. Not to mention Nancy Mitford.

So it is that this time, we’ll be looking at books by those three – specifically, Mrs Dalloway, The English Patient, The Pursuit of Love – as well as books by the wonderfully talented Selby Wynn Schwartz, Kazuo Ishiguro and Bram Stoker.

Hopefully we will be able to answer this question - and more…

The classes will be running monthly from August 2023 until February 2024. Because they’re so popular, we run two strands:

CLASS 1

29 August 2023, Michael Ondaatje, The English Patient

3 October 2023, Nancy Mitford, The Pursuit Of Love

07 November 2023, Bram Stoker, Dracula

05 December 2023, Selby Wynn Schwartz, After Sappho

09 January 2024, Kazuo Ishiguro, The Remains Of The Day

06 February 2024, Virginia Woolf, Mrs Dalloway

CLASS 2

05 September 2023, Michael Ondaatje, The English Patient

10 October 2023, Nancy Mitford, The Pursuit Of Love

14 November 2023, Bram Stoker, Dracula

13 December 2023, Selby Wynn Schwartz, After Sappho

16 January 2024, Kazuo Ishiguro, The Remains Of The Day

13 February 2023, Virginia Woolf, Mrs Dalloway

We also record the classes in case you can’t make any of the dates but want to catch up on discussion. It costs £125 to join – and we also give away two free places on each strand for anyone who may not feel able to afford the fee. (That’s done on a first come first served, no questions asked basis. Just email info@galleybeggar.co.uk)

A bit more about the books:

The English Patient is one of the best ever winners of the Booker Prize, it’s beautiful, poetic, and heart-melting, but there’s real steel inside the velvet glove. Ondaatje’s prose is gorgeous – but he’s not messing around.

The Pursuit of Love is a mid 20th century bestseller that has stood the test of time - by remaining sharp, bright and absurdly funny.

Dracula: Sure, you know what it’s about – but it always rewards more attention. As well as the darkness, the imagery, the storytelling, and the Count, there’s the fact that it might just be an allegory for… Well, let’s see when we get there.

After Sappho is naturally very beloved round these parts - but that just makes us all the more eager to share the joy.

The Remains of the Day is sad, wistful, furious and a brilliantly misleading exercise in narrative cunning.

Mrs Dalloway is an actual heartbreaking work of staggering genius.

I’m looking forward to reading them all – and I hope you’ll join me. For more details and to book your place, click here.

Carnally beautiful

The new paperback edition of After Sappho is about to dance through the printers and we’re taking pre-orders in our store now. We hope the new cover will help bring this book to even more delighted readers.

To add to the happiness, for the next two weeks we’re going to give away one of our beautiful After Sappho tote bags (scroll down!) to anyone who orders the book direct from us. That’s a pretty serious bargain. (Anyone who’s pre-ordered already and sad about missing out – don’t worry; you’ll be getting a tote bag too.)

“Gloriously springy surprises”

Toby Litt’s A Writer’s Diary continues to delight readers and reviewers. It’s just had yet another glowing mention in The London Magazine. There Declan O’Driscoll notes Toby’s seriousness and his playfulness and says “the truth of Litt as a writer is that he has considerable ability, inventiveness and daring.” He also notes how pressing Toby’s quest for the perfect pencil sharpener becomes. In fact, why don’t we have the full, splendid paragraph:

“The truth of Litt as a writer is that he has considerable ability, inventiveness and daring. Word by word, his creations are often gloriously springy surprises (Gerald Manley Hopkins is another of his favourite writers). He can illuminate the most mundane of subjects. Indeed, the diary is frequently at its most interesting when the author examines the workaday tools of his calling. He writes lovingly about the fountain pens, paper and pencils he uses. But who could reasonably object to more? The search for the perfect – if expensive – pencil sharpener becomes an adventure in itself.”

There’s more where that came from so do read the full review on the London Magazine website.

Finally…

Look out for news about the Malarkoi paperback soon too. And, after that, the third book in the Cities of the Weft trilogy: WATERBLACK… Oh and happy birthday to the magnificent Brixton Review Of Books. They’ve just celebrated their fifth birthday and held an event where our recent short story prize winner Timna Fibert gave a reading - and look! Here’s Timna’s story in their beautiful Spring edition:

Fondly,

Sam

PS

A reminder. It’s coming! Adam Biles’ Beasts Of England is on the way - and now we have a bookmark to go with the postcards we sent you next month.

Please pre-order your copy of Beasts Of England today! All pre-orders will be first edition paperbacks; we’ll send along the lovely limited edition postcards that we’ve featured in this letter along with the book; and, for the next week only, we’re offering a 30% discount on all pre-orders of Beasts of England: just type in ORWELLEARLYBIRD in the payment section at checkout.

(NB: In case you want some extra reading while you wait, remember we also have Adam’s “scintillating” (The Observer) debut Feeding Time in our store.

PPS Look!

We partnered with Foyles to make some beautiful After Sappho tote bags, featuring a quote from Selby’s beautiful novel - and a rocking picture of Colette,

You can buy them in our store right now - while they last!

PPPS There’s a new Slowdive album on the way. They’ve finished recording. Now we just need to wait.