David Belbin

A good day to celebrate Naguib Mahfouz, whose work, when he won the Nobel price for literature in 1988 was described thus: (a writer) "who, through works rich in nuance – now clear-sightedly realistic, now evocatively ambiguous – has formed an Egyptian narrative art that applies to all mankind".

NYT reports David Fincher has severed his relations with Netflix but left a legacy: “The Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth” — a sequel of sorts to “Once Upon a Time.. in Hollywood” with a script from Quentin Tarantino and directed by Mr. Fincher. It will receive a two-week exclusive IMAX run this year.'

Can't accuse Digger of not being topical (cf Jackdaw news today). One mum apart, the rest of the audience I saw it with were 20ish. Bemusingly they wanted to see the take of people my age, who both made the movie & the mess we're in & who remain determined to wreck the world we're bequeathing them.

Edward III was definitely a collaboration between Shakespeare and Marlowe, with Shakespeare writing the majority of the anonymously published play, new research indicates. www.theguardian.com/culture/2026...

Near the front of the queue and just had our tickets scanned, so getting pretty excited. Seeing Ms Badu at last. No photos allowed inside, which is cool.

Also You & Yours, a thoroughly decent consumer affairs show. I’ve done a lot of BBC over the years. Y&Y was the only programme that paid me. I was, in a sense, promoting a book (a guide to eBay) & said no fee was needed. They insisted on giving me £50 as I’d had to do some research. It’ll be missed.

"If prose is a house, poetry is a man on fire running quite fast through it." Anne Carson, ten years ago. www.theguardian.com/books/2016/o...

Delighted to hear poet Anne Carson has won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Gives me an excuse to open each of these again. www.theguardian.com/books/live/2...

I’m continuing A Personal Anthology but also thinking about a similar but different project around the novella. So if novellas (novellae?) are your thing, or if you even have strong thoughts about them, and if you have a favourite novella, then do let me know!

I like Giles' Rubber Soul more than his Sgt P or Revolver but, as with them, I'll never play it again. Too smooth & clean. All the albums up to Revolver are best heard in mono, which is how I got the LPs. Disc two of the new set is great tho'. And it's nice to have the two alt versions on the US RS.

Things the younger me, a massive fan of The Godfather I&II, would never have believed, that I'd be upfront in Broadway cinema, interviewing the great film editor Walter Murch, alongside my old friend Taghi Amirani, about their wonderful film 'Coup 53', which, sadly, becomes more relevant every day.

Things the younger me, a massive fan of The Godfather I&II, would never have believed, that I'd be upfront in Broadway cinema, interviewing the great film editor Walter Murch, alongside my old friend Taghi Amirani, about their wonderful film 'Coup 53', which, sadly, becomes more relevant every day.

For National Poetry Day, two early poems by my late partner, Sue Dymoke. It's the only appearance of 'Monster Lessons'. There's also 'Kid' by a guy called Simon Armitage, who Sue did her first ever reading with. It became the title poem of his first Faber collection. Anyone know what became of him?

Borrowed time. I love this eight minute introduction to D.H. Lawrence by @jameswalker2024.bsky.social who talks about how Lawrence taught him to live in the moment, rather than on devices. www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKx5...

This is the most remarkable story Ray Bradbury ever shared with me. He told it to me late one night, sitting in his den of antiquities and mementos. Take five minutes to read this. It’s pure magic. #Writing #Living #Creativity #RayBradbury #BookSky

Really loved Beth Steele's Till the Stars Come Home at Nottingham Playhouse. Felt like I was at the wedding with the audience interaction and music. Felt great to go the theatre and laugh at some killer one liners instead of watching people get killed on TV. nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk/events/till-...

I'm hosting a Q & A with Taghi Amirani & legendary film editor Walter Murch (The Godfather) about their fascinating film, Coup 53 at Broadway next week. How the UK & US brought down a left-wing Iranian president, a coup whose ramifications reverberate to this day. www.broadway.org.uk/whats-on/cou...

Great news, as this is no longer available on YouTube (I liked recently), although you can still find his brilliant performance in Poliakoff’s debut tv play debut, Hitting Town, there.

‘There’s a criminal energy about the Russian regime, and they really don’t care if they kill people collaterally. In fact, I think they rather want that, because it’s a test: how will Nato respond?’: Very good @carolecadwalla.bsky.social interview with Luke Harding. www.thenerve.news/p/russia-war...

If you enjoyed D-Day movie 'Pressure', you may like to see this short 1964 Richard Dimbleby interview with James Stagg, the meteorologist played so effectively by Andrew Scott. Stagg comes over very like Scott's character in the film: modest yet utterly determined. www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKgi...

I'm hosting a Q & A with Taghi Amirani & legendary film editor Walter Murch (The Godfather) about their fascinating film, Coup 53 at Broadway next week. How the UK & US brought down a left-wing Iranian president, a coup whose ramifications reverberate to this day. www.broadway.org.uk/whats-on/cou...

The wonderful St Etienne aka @bobpetesarah.bsky.social saying goodbye in Sheffield last night. The best of their 3 shows I've seen at the old Leadmill, with the most love in the room I've ever heard (and I've seen Arctic Monkeys there!) + super setlist full of favourites. Nothing can stop us indeed.

The wonderful St Etienne aka @bobpetesarah.bsky.social saying goodbye in Sheffield last night. The best of their 3 shows I've seen at the old Leadmill, with the most love in the room I've ever heard (and I've seen Arctic Monkeys there!) + super setlist full of favourites. Nothing can stop us indeed.

RIP Bonnie Greer, a bright, illuminating force for good art of all kinds: www.independent.co.uk/arts-enterta...

The story about AI inventing its own language is interesting but the Floyd bit disturbed me. “Of the Anthropic agent’s phrase, “A paper that ate three cold hands and got more honest each time”, he said: “it reminds me of the rock god Syd Barrett [co-founder of Pink Floyd], who was actually insane.”

A heartwarming hour discussing Bill Forsyth's 1st three movies. The conversation focuses on Local Hero, one of my favourite films of all time. Peter Riegert in particularly good form (no Bill F except on tape, sadly, or Burt, obvs, or Capaldi). www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/... @jonathancoe.bsky.social

Fair review. I watched Almodovar’s first, ‘Pepsi, Luci, Bom…’ recently (loved it) and there were structural overlaps with this, which feels like it might be his last. But then, to adapt Philip Roth, it’s all one movie.

Contrasting but cracking gigs. From a Dexys' instore at Rough Trade round the corner to Peggy's Skylight for The Necks, who played 2 hour-long improvisations. Mesmerising. Kevin in great voice. 3 oldies at the end, The Waltz, Jackie Wilson Said and Geno. Here's a new one one I relate to: 'Old Love'.

Contrasting but cracking gigs. From a Dexys' instore at Rough Trade round the corner to Peggy's Skylight for The Necks, who played 2 hour-long improvisations. Mesmerising. Kevin in great voice. 3 oldies at the end, The Waltz, Jackie Wilson Said and Geno. Here's a new one one I relate to: 'Old Love'.

Entertained by a Dutch lemon, carrot and orange at a rough trade instore tonight. Lovely stuff from the fruit and vegetables aka Personal Trainer.

If you can get to Sheffield over the next fortnight, don’t miss Ian McDiarmud’s stupendous performance as King Lear (pretty much everything else about the Crucible production is bloody good too, but Ian’s fantastic).

Neither Gershwin’s estate (4 lines) or R.E.M. (2) billed me when my first novel came out in 1990. But when I got successful and it was reissued with a new cover in ‘98, my new editor thought she’d better get permissions. My favourite band had a no quote rule. Ira’s lot wanted £325. So I paraphrased.

The Cure (Siouxie) Black Eyed Peas (Macy Gray) Billy Bragg (Paul Heaton) Paul Heaton (Squeeze) Kid Creole (ABC) The Sundays (Throwing Muses) Nick Lowe (Elvis Costello) Aimee Mann (World Party) Kid Rock (Alice Cooper) Bob Mould (can’t recall) Guess which 1 I left before the headliner came on.

Rewatched for 1st time since 1976, Poliakoff's Hitting Town, with its controversial incest theme & Lynne Miller's brilliant Dylan scream, which has stayed with me. Not as much fun as its successor, City Sugar, in which Tim Curry, in terrific form, is DJ Leonard Brazil www.youtube.com/watch?v=HALt...

I found this underneath. So, no, I won't be concealing the cover with a Mylar sleeve after all. That'd be wrong. A great book, whatever the cover (and sorry Bluesky flagged the previous image because Gray put nipples on the cherubic breasts).

I found this underneath. So, no, I won't be concealing the cover with a Mylar sleeve after all. That'd be wrong. A great book, whatever the cover (and sorry Bluesky flagged the previous image because Gray put nipples on the cherubic breasts).

Really sad about Dolly Parton, who did immeasurable good to local literacy AND had a crack at the our greeting www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-engl...

Dolly Parton, among a thousand other amazing things she did in her life, gifted over 330 million books to kids through her Imagination Library program. Her passing is a tremendous loss to the world, but you can support the program today to keep it going imaginationlibrary.com

A fond farewell to beautiful Dolly Parton, a wonderful singer & songwriter. Her Imagination Library, which has given countless books to young children in Nottingham & all over the world, will continue, I'm sure. The most inspired, imaginative, important example of selfless philanthropy I know of.