Keith had torn a review of this book out of the newspaper and when he later pondered this crumpled fragment he knew it was the perfect choice for HBG and so it was that his Rebellious Youth theme was born
READ: A Small Revolution in Germany (2020) by Philip Hensher
The book’s central question seems to be…
Can you age without compromising your values and political beliefs?
Or is it just a satire on the left?
Or is it holding a mirror up to a more widespread disillusionment with politics and politicians?
Or asking how far people will go in pursuit of their own ambitions?
One former comrade appears totally ruthless in a desire for power and self advancement.
Do most of Spike’s old friends sell out for the sake of power, or have they simply grown up?
And is the murder of Tracey/Alex significant in this regard?
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| Keith found a scrap of paper |
So many questions to ponder? But is that what Philip Hensher intended? Or is it a failure of the novel that it is so ambiguous and we could not come up with a satisfactory answer?
Whilst no one was proclaiming this as any kind of masterpiece we all found things to enjoy, some more than others
Nick 5.5 / Tristan 7.5 / Nigel 6 / Keith 7 / Roland 7.5 / Robin 5 / Hamish 7.5
LISTEN: Keith’s Sonic Youth playlist
Everyone found plenty to enjoy in Keith’s Sonic Youth playlist. Some of us were old SY fans, others were just discovering them. Nick and Hamish felt they were our generation’s Velvet Underground. High praise
WATCH: If… (1968) directed by Lindsay Anderson
Youth versus tradition and authority. If... is an absorbing, compelling and surprising modern classic from Lindsay Anderson which skewers the English public school experience. The tradition of the public school collides with the tumult of the late 1960s. Coincidentally If…. premiered soon after the events of May 1968 in Paris.
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| Roland takes aim at "If...." |
Malcolm McDowell captivates in his screen debut. The rest of the cast are pretty amazing too.
Despite the film’s deserved classic status not everyone was feeling the love. Both Hamish and Roland described it as “awful”.
The rest of us were in thrall to its genius.
Endorse it
Guilt (BBC iPlayer)
Squid Game (Netflix)
Worthing Football Club
Rival Consoles (Concert)
The Specials (Concert)
Stasiland (Book)
Four Thousand Weeks: Embrace Your Limits. Change Your Life by Oliver Burkeman (Book)
