The book club choice for February is 'The Pornographer' by John McGahern
Brief Description
One of the preeminent writers of our time, John McGahern has captivated readers with such poignant and heart-wrenching novels as Amongst Women and The Dark.
In The Pornographer, Michael creates an ideal world of sex as a writer of pornographic fiction, while he bungles every phase of his entanglement with an older woman who has the misfortune to fall in love with him. But his insensitivity to this love is in direct contrast to the tenderness with which he attempts to make his aunt’s slow death in a hospital tolerable. Everywhere in this rich novel is the drama of opposites, but above all, sex and death are never far from each other.
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| John Mc Gahern |
The first time I listened to John McGahern was on a programme produced by RTE, and I remember going from mild interest to being absolutely absorbed by what the man had to say. He spoke about writing, the art, and the need to write, and as this was in the days before you could pause a programme, or view it later as a download, I ended up grabbing the first piece of paper I could find, (which was a torn up telephone bill) and started madly to write down notes. I still carry that torn phone bill around in my wallet. The many quotes I took down are each a gem, but for now, I give you my favourite:-
'A good writer is present everywhere, but never visible.'
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