| Author | Message | ||
     Neil |
Hi, Nick. Just wanted to say thanks for the feedback on Nicolo's Gifts. I feel like you really 'got' the book. | ||
| nick |
Yes, I got very absorbed in the characters. They resonated with me, as did the existential outpourings of Nicolo. Many of your themes are profound, yet there is a lightness of touch which prevents your writing from becoming cloying. I think it's because the events you describe are from our common experience. It's a style of prose I aspire to. | ||
| Neil |
I can't think of any higher praise from another writer. Hopefully I'm still improving. I don't think there's anything that puts my work at a standard beyond yours though, Nick. What I've read of your writing has certainly left me keen to see more. | ||
| des lewis |
Nick, Just wanted to say that 'Visits To The Flea Circus' is superb. For me, the stories are wonderfully in the tradition of VS Pritchett, AE Coppard, HE Bates... and more. All carrying a special something which stays in the mind. des | ||
| SarahC |
Hi everybody! Nick - I finished reading 'Visits To The Flea Circus' last night coming home on the train from London, and am finding it really difficult to pick my top three. Why? Because I enjoyed them all so much. I love your writing style. All the best, Sarah  | ||
| nick |
Des, many thanks for the words of encouragement. The comparisons are flattering, though I'm not sure I know AE Coppard (I must look out for the name). Did you have a favourite story? I'd be interested to know which it was. Sarah, bless you! I knew I could rely on you for some positive feedback. Could I twist your arm for a story or stories that stuck in your mind? Please? | ||
| SarahC |
Awww, seeing as you asked so nicely, Nick: Have got to include the title track, which stayed in my mind for a long time afterwards; On The Beach; and Crimson Cliff. | ||
| nick |
Cheers, Sarah. Interesting you enjoyed 'On the Beach' as it was an early story with an ending I've played about with a lot. | ||
| Allen |
Hi Nick, I've finished and enjoyed your book but I've left my story notes at home - so, full critique to follow. Top story - "Interior With Green Glass". By the way, I'll be posting a message to you on the "Book Of Numbers" board. | ||
| nick |
That's an interesting choice for a top story, Allen but thanks, and I'll anticipate comments. | ||
| Dave Swann |
Dear Nick, I agree with these comments. I loved your book, and it also reminded me of Pritchett and Coppard! The endings are perfectly judged throughout. You know how to get in and get out again without fuss or melodrama. This is a tremendous collection, full of compassion and tension. When I met you briefly in London the other weekend you suggested that you hadn't written much for a while. This state of affairs cannot be allowed to continue! You have real talent, and I want to read more of your stuff. Yours sincerely, Dave Swann | ||
| nickjack |
Cheers, Dave. You know, I tried to find A.E. Coppard in the local library and was singularly unsuccessful, I also failed to find anything by Pritchett, though he was in the catalogue. What kind of philistine institutions are our libraries turning into, hey? On the writing front, I'm desperately trying to get back on form and comments like yours certainly help. Where can I find a sample of your stuff, Dave? | ||
| Andrew Hook |
Elastic Press will be publishing Dave Swann's collection of stories The Last Days of Johnny North in February 2006, Nick. You'll really enjoy this one! | ||
| Dave Swann |
Dear Nick, If you send me your mailing address at d.swann@ucc.ac.uk, I'll photocopy a few stories by Pritchett and Coppard from the library at the university where I teach. Both authors are out of fashion these days, I suppose. And libraries are mainly for DVDs and family trees... But back to the 'Flea Circus' before I start ranting! There are tiny moments in these stories that have lived with me for a couple of weeks now, partic. those incidents where the characters seem to be reduced to scraps of cloth or bits of clothes. I found this recurring image scary and vivid, especially in 'The Kiss', a mesmeric story that triggered a lot of memories of hitch-hiking, with its linked joys and terrors. The various vertigos have also stayed with me, not least because you achieve these chills without recourse to melodrama or trickery. Even when the narratives are pinned together in more experimental ways (eg 'Little Gods') it's the characters who take the lead. Of all the stories, 'Paper Boats' moved me most. There's a compassion in this story, a tenderness. Maybe that's all you need to remember when getting back into the writing, Nick. Simply look out through the characters' eyes and feel with their nerves. It's enough sometimes. Thanks once again for a brilliant collection. All the very best, Dave Swann | ||
| Dave Swann |
I couldn't bear the thought of an anonymous message that I don't understand being listed as the last comment on Nick's book. So here's one to replace it: 'Flea Circus' is a thousand times better than sitting on your lard, watching poker. And its tiny stories expand in your mind until they're much, much vaster than Texas. If you haven't read it, you should. Nick is the heir to that sad, rare, lovely story-telling tradition of Pritchett and Coppard. With a bit of Marquez thrown in. So there. (And I haven't forgotten to read 'Panda People', Nick. It's just that I sometimes move with less speed and agility than a glacier). | ||
| Frank E. Smith |
I google A. E. Coppard from time to time and ran across some references here. I'm still looking for an essay or two on Coppard for the Coppard Bibliography and Miscellany Book that I've been compiling. I'm open to any approach for a thoughtful, professional essay on just about any aspect of Coppard's life or work. I'm also looking for personal recollections or even gossip about Coppard from anyone who had more personal knowledge of him. The projected book is designed to be a kind of 1920's-30's style miscellany including a comprehensive bibliography, scholarly essays, etc. Please get in touch with my if you have a contribution in mind. | ||
| Nick Jackson Username: Nickjack Registered: 07-2006 |
Sod off, Poker Casino, I'm in charge here! Nick | ||
| Nick Jackson Username: Nickjack Registered: 07-2006 |
I am proud to say that I will have an un-named short story in the next issue of Nemonymous: that is the "Zencore" issue. This will be sometime in June or July, I'm told. Also, Des Lewis, the editor will be selling off the "legendary" past issues of Nemonymous on Ebay at very reasonable reserve prices. The link is here: http://tinyurl.com/38lq3r. | ||
| Allen Ashley Username: Allen Registered: 07-2006 |
Hi Nick, Long time no see. In response to the above, I have now finished reading "Zencore!" and I suspect that you are the author of the following very good story: "Mary's Gift, the Stars and Frank's Pisser". Well? | ||
| Nick Jackson Username: Nickjack Registered: 07-2006 |
It's a very very good story, Allen, but I didn't write it! Although if I had, I wouldn't be allowed to say, would I? Hope you're well, Allen. | ||
| Allen Ashley Username: Allen Registered: 07-2006 |
So much for my skills as a literary detective! Let's hope I make a better job as an editor. I'm good, Nick. Hope you are in good form, too. | ||
| Tim Nickels Username: Tim_n Registered: 07-2006 |
Nick! Belated and big thanks to you for Zencore!'s beautiful "Secret Life of Pandas". I was completely overwhelmed by this story. Bankers like minor saints? Oustanding. Many many congratulations. Have your released any other Jackson tales into the wild lately? All the best for 2008. Tim x |