Tag: bible

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Portrait of masculinity

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Booker Prize Finalist Hungarian descent, living in Britain, David Szalay, whose All That Man Is, was shortlisted for the 2016 Booker Prize,  now brings Flesh, where 15-year-old István in Hungary, isolated after moving to a new town. His only friend sets him up to lose his virginity, only find himself too awkward with the girl, and both of them then reject him.  Shy and new in town, he is a stranger to the social rituals practiced by his classmates and soon become isolated. Under duress, he begins to help his middle-aged married woman neighbour carry her shopping: she is sexual predator who … Continue reading Portrait of masculinity

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Our fathers never taught us to be fathers…

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Chilean poet Alejandro Zambra, in Childish Literature, writes a collection of poems, essays and tales exploring the ups and downs of fatherhood especially orbiting around the theme of fathers and sons. Written in a state of attachment or under the influence of fatherhood, Childish Literature is an eclectic guide to rookie parents, revealing how the birth and growth of a child changes not only the present and the future, but also reshapes our perceptions of the past.   He ponders his unpreparedness: “Our fathers tried, in their own ways, to teach us to be men, but they never taught us to … Continue reading Our fathers never taught us to be fathers…

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Humanity’s deepest desires, fears and hopes

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MacCulloch notes that for the vast majority of people throughout this history, marriage was a “contract between two men” that is between two fathers. And  that “When church weddings did start appearing, patchily, in the fourth century, the Church did not offer them to all the faithful”. Three categories of marriage emerged: the “Glorious ( imperial elite) , the “middle” ( imperial officers), and the “vile” (everyone else), with the vast majority of unions in the last category having no involvement from the Church at all. He rebukes contemporary Christians for asserting that there is a “Christian understanding of marriage” … Continue reading Humanity’s deepest desires, fears and hopes

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How frightened teenage boys become dangerous men

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David, a protagonist, who hates primary school where he has been bullied for his Iranian heritage, more recently he was beaten up and humiliated by Muslim teenagers, and has reached sixth form without any friends.  He stops studying for his A-levels and, after working in a supermarket for several months, begins spending most of his time in his bedroom on the internet. As somebody who is searching for meaning and community, David is vulnerable to charlatans peddling easy answers to complex questions and shortcuts to belonging. Music is the only that keeps him going. Inspired by his hero Karl Williams, he … Continue reading How frightened teenage boys become dangerous men

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On the Brink of fear & disaster

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Philip Notman, an acclaimed medieval history professor whose fondness for Emerson’s scariest quote “ I  am glad to be on the brink of fear”, attends a conference in Bergen, Norway. On his return to London, and to his wife and son, something unexpected and inexplicable happens to him, and he is unable to settle back into his normal life. Seeking answers, he flies to Cadiz to see Inés, a Spanish academic, with whom he shared a connection at the conference, but his journey doesn’t end there. A chance encounter with a wealthy, elderly couple sends him to a house on … Continue reading On the Brink of fear & disaster