-------- MANTEX NEWSLETTER --------
Number 116 - May 2006 - ISSN 1470-1863
Bohemians - Books - Films - Exam Skills
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0--- 'Among the Bohemians' - Top Recommendation
This is a study of 'experiments in living'
made by UK artists and writers in the period
1900-1940. It's written by Virginia Nicholson,
who is from deep within the Bloomsbury Group by
birth and kinship.
Her account deals with writers such as
Virginia Woolf, Lytton Strachey, and Gerald Brenan,
plus artists such as Dora Carrington, Mark Gertler,
and Nina Hamnett.
They ate garlic and didn't always bathe; they
listened to Wagner and worshiped Diaghilev;
they explored gayness and free love; and they
went in for vegetarianism and Post-impressionism.
They were often drunk and broke, sometimes hungry,
but they were of a rebellious spirit. They lived
in a world of faulty fireplaces, bounced checks,
blocked drains, and incontinent cats.
Not all of them come out of it well. Wyndham Lewis
abused his benefactor; Dylan Thomas pinched his friends'
shirts; Eric Gill had sex with his daughters.
But it's a beautifully written book, and if you like
artistic gossip, it's deep in anecdotes on every page.
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/nicholson.htm
0--- Pub quiz - Question #1
Which famous composer murdered his wife,
and got away with?
0--- Graffiti Generator
Here's a novel item. Have you ever wanted
to see what your own name or nickname looks
like in full-scale graffiti style?
This site does it for you - and you can
manipulate the results. Scroll down when
you get to the home page.
http://www.graffiticreator.net/
0--- Pub quiz - Question #2
Which famous architect died when he was
run over by a tram?
0--- 'At Home with Books' - brand new book
If you like rare books, collecting books,
libraries, or interior design, you'll love
this coffee table guide to private collections
and the beautiful manner in which they can be housed.
Some people have managed to fit their libraries
inside their own homes; others such as Paul Getty
have created museums - inside a castle in his case.
It's an elegant production, with glamorous photos
on nearly every page. But the bonus is that it deals
with all other aspects of collecting books - such as
how to arrange the books; how to build a library;
bookplates, bookjackets; and even stepladders.
One glance at these pages, and I guarantee you
will want to start a collection of your own.
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/ellis.htm
0--- Pub quiz - Question #3
Which famous philosopher strangled his wife
to death, and got away with it?
0--- Latest Modern Fiction - Orhan Pamuk's 'Snow'
Prolific reviewer Bill Jones has been
busy again recently. His reading of
Orhan Pamuk's best-selling novel throws
up contemporary problems of the clash
between western values and Islamic
fundamentalism. It's a political novel
with no easy answers to the problems.
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/pamuk.htm
0--- Pub quiz - Question #4
Which famous composer drowned when he jumped
out of a lifeboat to save his wife?
0--- 'Oxford Dictionary of Synonyms and Antonyms'
This is a book which will appeal to crossword
fans, poets, editors, and writers in general.
In fact it's two books in one - because the
latter part of the book is a lexicon of what
they call 'hard' words. These are obscure and
unusual words which you've probably never seen
before. Words such as 'bissextile' (a leap year)
'metopic' (of the forehead) and 'setiferous'
(bristly),
It's stronger on synonyms than antonyms. Judge
for yourself. There's a detailed review at -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/oxf-syn.htm
0--- Pub quiz - Question #5
Which famous military leader died of a
nosebleed on his wedding night?
0--- Improve your Exam Skills - help is at hand!
It's May/June - and the period for exams
is on us once again. Do you need to brush
up on your own techniques - or teach others
how prepare and do their best under exam
conditions?
We have two books of guidance notes and a
software program to cover what's required.
'Revision and Examinations' explains the
best techniques for exam preparation, and
how to deliver your best performance in
the exam itself.
http://www.mantex.co.uk/books/exams.htm
'Study Skills' covers reading and writing
skills, time management, and work planning.
It also includes organising and writing essays,
research skills, and an introduction to the
use of computer technology.
http://www.mantex.co.uk/books/skills.htm
If you prefer a software program which
includes all the above and more besides,
you can see sample pages and download a
demo version at -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/software/study.htm
0--- Pub quiz - Question #6
Which famous writer died stuffing a chicken with snow?
0--- Latest Films - Julian Fellowes' 'Separate Lies'
Film fan Bill Jones cleverly spotted another
hit from actor-turned-director Julian Fellowes
who wrote the screenplay for 'Gosford Park'.
'Separate Lies' is one of those State of
England movies which looks at contemporary
manners and morals. As Bill says in his
review - "Like all the best British films
it is about class, but in this case additionally
rather more about truth, love, and fidelity."
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/fellowes.htm
0--- Pub quiz - Question #7
Which famous playwright died when an
eagle dropped a tortoise on his head?
0--- Great Writers - Victor Serge
We've added a section to our great writers pages
on the revolutionary and novelist Victor Serge.
He produced prose, poetry, historical studies,
and even literary criticism - even though a lot
of the time he was either in jail, in exile, or
taking part in the Russian revolution and its
aftermath.
As a Left Oppositionist and a fierce critic of
Stalin's totalitarian betrayal of the revolution,
it's a minor miracle that he survived the purges.
But he leaves a very impressive legacy which
really ought to be better know, His masterpiece,
'The Case of Comrade Tulayev' is a study of the
Stalinist purges which is far superior to Arthur
Koestler's 'Darkness at Noon'
http://www.mantex.co.uk/ou/a319/vserge-03.htm
0--- Pub quiz - Question #8
Which famous composer died when he drove his
conducting baton through his own foot?
0--- 'Dada:The Revolt of Art' - new book
Dada is the somewhat absurdist movement
in modern art which erupted in Zurich 1915,
then spread quickly to Berlin, Paris, and
even New York.
It's main 'theorist' was the Romanian poet
Tristan Tzara - but it was the graphic artists such
as Kurt Schwitters, Jean Arp, and John Heartfield
whose work left an impression which can still be
felt today.
This is an excellent short introduction to the
movement, and it's beautifully illustrated.
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/dachy.htm
0--- Pub quiz - Question #9
Which famous playwright was stabbed to
death in a tavern brawl?
0--- Is your Local Council looney too?
One of the things that sends me into a
civic rage is the visual pollution of
our streets and highways by absurd and
meaningless road markings.
So I was glad to note that a group in
Warrington have a deeply ironic web site
devoted to those politically correct but
unfortunately mad cycle lanes which go
nowhere, and which if followed would lead
you to nothing but a certain death.
http://www.warringtoncyclecampaign.co.uk/facility-of-the-month
And in case you missed it first time round,
there's an amusing web site dedicated to
motorways which are hidden, secret, lost,
unfinished, and in Manchester's case the shortest
in the UK - a 300 metre stretch of the Mancunian
Way, just near one of our four universities :-)
http://pathetic.org.uk
0--- Pub quiz - Question #10
Which famous psychoanalyst committed suicide
with a morphine overdose?
0--- More new Films and Books
Fiction reviewer Heather Pollitt has been
tackling Joanna Trollope's latest novel.
This looks at the issue of what you do with
your life when the children leave home.
'Second Honeymoon' is a domestic mid-life
crisis novel, which Heather sees as a
well-plotted and acutely observed study.
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/trollope.htm
Bill Jones has been watching David Cronenberg's
latest opus, 'A History of Violence'. This is
both a thrilling drama and a study of 'What
Makes America'.
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/cronenberg.htm
0--- PUB QUIZ - ANSWERS
#1. Which famous composer murdered his wife,
and got away with?
Answer: Carlo Gesualdo
#2. Which famous architect died when he was
run over by a tram?
Answer: Antonio Gaudi
#3. Which famous philosopher strangled his wife
to death, and got away with it?
Answer: Louis Althusser
#4. Which famous composer drowned when he
jumped out of a lifeboat to save his wife?
Answer: Enrique Granados
#5. Which famous military leader died of a
nosebleed on his wedding night?
Answer: Atilla the Hun
#6. Which famous writer died stuffing a
chicken with snow?
Answer: Francis Bacon
#7. Which famous playwright died when an
eagle dropped a tortoise on his head?
Answer: Aeschylus
#8. Which famous composer died when he drove
his conducting baton through his own foot?
Answer: Jean-Baptiste Lully
#9. Which famous playwright was stabbed to
death in a tavern brawl?
Answer: Christopher Marlowe
#10. Which famous psychoanalyst committed suicide
with a morphine overdose?
Answer: Sigmund Freud
0--- COMING SOON
'Synonyms and Antonyms'
'Web Services Essentials'
'Oxford Spellchecker and Dictionary'
'eBay - The Missing Manual'
'Penguin Dictionary of Jokes'
'Yahoo! Hacks'
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News-116-May-2006
ISSN 1470-1863
The British Library