Ian Sansom Libri

È la vigilia di Pasqua. È il grande giorno: il primo giorno della mostra itinerante sulla storia del più importante emporio della città, il leggendario Dixon & Pickering's, che compie ben cento anni. E Israel Armstrong, bibliotecario itinerante di Tundrum e curatore dell'esposizione, è di ottimo umore. Anche se piove - a Tundrum piove sempre - e lui non ha bevuto il suo caffè - e la gente del luogo sembra fare di tutto per rendergli la vita impossibile. Insomma, ogni cosa va per il verso giusto. Almeno fino a quando si scopre che il proprietario dell'emporio è sparito. Dov'è finito Mr. Dixon? E cosa ne è stato delle centomila sterline che custodiva nella sua cassaforte? Inutile dire che il sospettato numero uno è proprio Israel, che nel giro di poche ore si ritrova ammanettato, accusato di rapimento e furto e per giunta senza lavoro - la biblioteca di Tundrum e Distretto non intende affatto infangare il suo buon nome annoverando tra le sue fila un pregiudicato. Riuscirà Israel a trovare la chiave di quella sparizione, salvare il posto e non trascorrere i prossimi anni in una cella dell'Irlanda del Nord? Perché la sua fidanzata non risponde mai alle sue telefonate? E si può sapere perché a Tundrum sembrano avercela tutti con lui? Ma, soprattutto, c'è qualcuno da quelle parti che conosce Franz Kafka?

Appena arrivato da Londra nella piccola cittadina di Tundrum, Irlanda del Nord, per ricoprire il suo primo posto come bibliotecario, il giovane Israel Armstrong scopre che in effetti il suo posto non c'è, né la biblioteca, né i libri... E questo non è che l'inizio dei suoi guai. Nel giro di poche ore infatti perde vestiti, soldi, carte di credito, e forse anche fidanzata, s'imbatte in una serie di personaggi con i quali immancabilmente entra in conflitto, viene alloggiato niente meno che nella stia dei polli di una fattoria e si ritrova incastrato al volante di un vecchio furgone arrugginito che funge da biblioteca semovente, ma senza scaffali. Peccato però che i libri continuino a mancare: 15.000 volumi, per l'esattezza, tutti scomparsi. Chi mai li avrà rubati? E perché? Ma soprattutto, ci sarà in quell'angolo di mondo dimenticato da Dio un posto dove poter bere un cappuccino decente e leggersi il giornale? Israel vuole delle risposte...

Set against the backdrop of New York City, the narrative explores the journey of a poet and his transformative poem. As the city pulses with energy and the world stands on the brink of change, the story delves into the poet's reflections and the impact of his work on both his life and the society around him. Themes of creativity, identity, and the power of words are woven throughout, capturing the essence of a pivotal moment in time.

Anthology of specially commissioned short stories exploring the weird, surreal, and dream-like. Bringing together some of the best of Northern Ireland's literary talents as well as new and exciting voices, this collection is dark, funny and unsettling. Contributors include Jan Carson, Michelle Gallen, Carlo Gebler, Bernie McGill and Sam Thompson.

A warm, humane, and sharply observed tale of small town life that is by equal turns hilarious and moving. Big Davey Jones is coming home. He's been gone almost 20 years now, but nobody's forgotten him. Davey's a local hero -- his miracle birth as the seventh son of a seventh son brought fame to this little town and they've been grateful ever since. But Davey's home town has changed much in the intervening years. The traditional family business like Billy Finlay's Auto-Supplies and Calton's Bakery and Tea Rooms have been replaced with 'Exciting New Housing Developments!' and even a nightclub called 'Paradise Lost'. The locals haven't changed much though. Bob Savory, who always had it in him, has made a million with his company Sandwich Classics, and he's branching out now, with an Irish themed restaurant on the ring road. Francie McGinn, the divorced minister at The People's Fellowship, is still trying to convert the town through his Fish-and-Chip Biblical Quiz Nights and his Good Friday Carvery & Gospel Night. And Sammy, the town's best plumber, is depressed as ever and looking for solace at the bottom of the whisky bottle. Clever, touching and, above all, utterly spot-on in its depiction of small town life, Ring Road is confirms Ian Sansom's status as one of our most perceptive authors working today.

The mix of emotions - anticipation, frustration, heartfelt despair, joyful ecstasy and uncertainty - associated with the Christmas period is laid bare in Ian Sansom's latest collection of short stories. However, it is not a despairing collection. Nor is it all reindeer, eggnog and happy times … that would be just too fictional. A festive collection to make readers stop and think about the nuanced difference between expectation - false and hopeful - and reality. And to wonder how we ever survive this most brutal and magical month.Sansom's stories take us on a multitude of familiar journeys made new: the nativity play; the teacher's Christmas appeal; a Polaroid moment where 1970s Florida meets The Clash; imaginary sash windows; beards; poets; festive apparel; aging drug dealers; professional thieves; airports; the overzealous use of cellophane…

'Beautifully crafted by Sansom, Professor Morley promises to become a little gem of English crime writing; sample him now' Daily Mail Welcome to Westmorland. Perhaps the most scenic county in England! Home of the poets! Land of the great artists! District of the Great lakes! And the scene of a mysterious crime... Swanton Morley, the People's Professor, once again sets off in his Lagonda to continue his history of England, The County Guides. Stranded in the market town of Appleby after a tragic rail crash, Morley, his daughter Miriam and his assistant Stephen Sefton find themselves drawn into a world of country fairs, gypsy lore and Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling. When a woman's body is discovered at an archaeological dig, for Morley there's only one possible question: could it be murder? Join Morley, Miriam and Sefton as they journey along the Great North road and the Settle-Carlisle Line into the dark heart of 1930s England.

This is a book about a poet, about a poem, about a city, and about a world at a point of change. More than a work of literary criticism or literary biography, it is a record of why and how we create and respond to great poetry.

What do reading a book, smoking a cigarette, throwing confetti and voting in an election have in common? The answer, of course, is paper. This is a witty, personal and entertaining meditation on the history and meaning of paper during the (passing) era of its universal importance.

This is a playful and provocative collection of 365 extracts sourced from the British Library's collections, encompassing a wide range of great works in literature, poetry, essays and letters, historical and scientific treatises along with a myriad of eclectic imagery.