FATHERS DAY
Did you think I had forgotten about the living writers? I hadn’t! This one goes out to the living writers, and their fathers!
First a shout-out for Ms. Mohamed’s debut novel, Black Mamba Boy, based on the larger-than-life life story (larger-than life story?) of her father, starting in 1930s Yemen and ending 1000 miles later… I had the good fortune to hear Mohamed talk about Black Mamba at a really fantastic panel on fathers and daughters at last year’s Brisbane Writers’ Festival (held on (Australian) Father’s Day). All the participants were great but I was especially moved by the very amazing Soviet revisionist historian Sheila Fitzpatrick who read from her revisionist history of her father.
Apropos of amazing books about Australian fathers, another 5-star Amazon review is up here; and, apropos of amazing books about non-Australian fathers, I haven’t read Hisham Matar’s latest yet, but In the Country of Men was excellent, and I bet this one is too.
I leave you with some images of my highly valued youngest reader, Lars, whose father is the excellent living writer (and translator) Damion Searls (“Samarkand rug,” and I quote, “for extra Batumania”). Even babies love it!
Tags: 5-star reviews of books by living authors, Australia, book reviews, living people, photographs of THE POSSESSED in exotic locations, today's youth, writers
June 20th, 2011 at 9:51 pm
Dear Ms. Batuman: I apologize for going off-topic here — those are some lovely photos, and I am impressed with the bio-chrono-diversity of your readership — but I heard, somewhere, a very disturbing rumor that you had murdered American novelist Jim Harrison’s dog? Please tell me that this is not true.
A concerned reader, ML
June 20th, 2011 at 11:16 pm
See “Lady with lapdog” for the awful story:
http://www.elifbatuman.net/2011/04/27/lady-with-lapdog/
June 21st, 2011 at 10:15 pm
Dear Ms. Batuman!
How I cherish your blog and thoughts. But what of your life? Are you still in Turkey? What next?
Your curious reader,
Stella
June 28th, 2011 at 1:15 pm
Dear Stella! Thank you for your kind interest! I answered a little bit in the next post… warmly, Elif