Kubrick: An Odyssey
Robert P Kolker and Nathan Abrams
Faber, £30, pp649
Twenty-five years after the death of film director Stanley Kubrick, legions of his admirers are still attempting to evaluate his complex and contradictory cinematic legacy. This thorough, detailed and fascinating biography should be commended for looking into areas of Kubrick’s personal and professional life that have never previously been discussed – such as his obsession with making insurance claims – as well as offering lucid critical commentary on his films, their themes and his reputation. Myths are debunked, and everyone from the Kubrick obsessive to the casual fan will be beguiled.
The Book of Days
Francesca Kay
Swift, £16.99, pp283
Francesca Kay’s fourth novel is a welcome throwback to the literate, witty style of such novelists as William Golding and Iris Murdoch, although its concerns – gender, faith and personal fulfilment – are contemporary. Its focus is a young woman in 1546 England who is drawn into her dying spouse’s growing obsession with having a grand chapel built to commemorate him, but this fixation inevitably comes into conflict with her own desires. Kay again proves herself an able chronicler of frustrated wishes and flaring passions.
Toy Fights
Don Paterson
Faber, £10.99, pp369 (paperback)
Don Paterson’s two-fisted autobiography is, by turns, hilarious, rough and lyrical, managing to be poetic while almost eschewing any mention of the verse that has won him acclaim and awards. “I’m not even convinced it’s a real art form,” he shrugs. Instead, his formative years consisted of confronting “God, drugs and insanity”, and emerging from his struggles triumphant. The evocation of his tumultuous upbringing in 70s Dundee is superb, while Paterson’s love of music and his disdain for hypocrisy and cant shine through this vivacious book.
To order Kubrick: An Odyssey, The Book of Days or Toy Fights go to guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply
