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June 2011
| Two of a kind
Described as "brilliant, touching, funny and clever" and "from first to last, an enticing read", the novel introduces troubled young actor Robert Lewis who wakes from a bike crash in a fog-bound Edinburgh to find that life has become dark and strange. Always the deceitful egoist, he finds himself losing control of his love life, his starring role in a new adaptation of Jekyll and Hyde, and, quite possibly, his mind. It's a sinister and maniacal thriller that tackles duality, both individual and cultural, and is also a heartfelt tale about the search for belonging and the nature of love and desire. Kevin has also written another novel, The Stornoway Way (2005), and a collection of poetry, Love and Zen in the Outer Hebrides (2001).
Life and literature are full of great partnerships. I wrote A Method Actor's Guide to Jekyll and Hyde as a stand-alone novel, but one which includes a bonus level of allusion for anyone familiar with Robert Louis Stevenson's classic, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Everyone knows its premise, which has become proverbial, and many have seen one of the film versions (it's the third most filmed story of all time). But I hope that my novel will encourage readers to seek out Stevenson's book and read it - after mine, or perhaps even in tandem with it. Once you've read those, here are some of my other favourite book pairings. |
I've just got back to London after a brief tour (5 countries in 10 days!) Many highlights: cycling Inverness to Ullapool in brutal rainy crosswinds on a single-speed bike was tough yet curiously satisfying; the Word Festival in Aberdeen was superb; Dublin Writers Festival was an absolute joy (plus Dublin itself was in a state of high anticipation as Barack Obama came to town).
Here is a review of the Word Festival gig:http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/books/Aberdeen-Word-Festival-A-northern.6769379.jp?articlepage=2 The poem referred to (which I was reading publicly for the first time) is 'Allen Ginsberg! I'm with you in Scotland', a commissioned response to Part Three of 'Howl'. It will appear in a publication this summer.
This is a review (includes video) of the Dublin Writers Festival event: http://www.dublinwritersfestival.com/blog/review-the-jekyll-and-hyde-inherita...
Polygon and I have been working hard on These Islands, We Sing. http://polygon.birlinn.co.uk/book/details/These-Islands--We-Sing-9781846971969/ Again, this is a book cover I adore. The contents are very special - wait and see! More news very soon.
Le durachd,
Kevin
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My latest novel A Method Actor's Guide to Jekyll and Hyde is now available on Kindle for the superlow price of £4-79. Not sure how long this ridiculously fine offer will last as it is a special launch price, so if Kindle is your thing, get on over and a copy is yours swiftly and affordably:
(PS I'm at the Word Festival in Aberdeen on Friday 13th and at the Dublin Writers festival on Monday 23rd of May).
:-)
Kevin
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Image Copyright Leila Angus at BrighterStill.
Two brothers dig in for a snowbound standoff in a vivid and strange magical-realist tale
One man produces semen that smells like a dead seagull's armpit. On the other side of the valley, the boils on his brother's chest seep fluid that tastes like nectar. As with the cancer that affects one and the heart complaint that threatens the other, it feels as though a metaphor is looming; something, perhaps, about inner decay mirroring the rotten relationship between these two men, estranged since 1959.
In Kevin MacNeil's adaptation of Hummelhonung by novelist Torgny Lindgren, the symbolism is not easy to interpret, but the details add a funny, magical-realist twist to a tale that could otherwise slip into Beckettian gloom. Snowbound, Matthew Zajac's Archie keeps a vengeful eye on the smoke from his brother's chimney, hoping any interruption will signal his death. Bent double with stomach cancer, he refuses medication on the grounds that it would represent a moral victory for his rival.
Looking like a bloated Father Jack from Father Ted, Sean Hay's heavily padded Murdo is a more benign figure, weird bodily habits notwithstanding. "Sweetness sweetens your entire being," he says with a chuckle. His obsession with Archie is no less debilitating, however, as he allows the memory of his dead son and departed wife to fester like one of his scabs.
Lynne Verrall's too-cool Kate, an academic stranded in the snow, hears prosecution and defence from these two unreliable narrators and pieces together the story of their falling out. Her research into the life of St Christopher, a protector against sudden death, places her in the role of heavenly mediator.
The Dogstar production suffers from clumsy transitions, but the vivid and strange characterisations see it through.
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Events: StAnza 2011StAnza Box Office, Poetry Café for Breakfast Kevin MacNeil, Don Paterson, Tom Petsinis, Lidija ŠimkutÄ— discuss translations and versions Sun 20 March | 10.00-11.00am
Presented with the support of Victoria Arts and Australia Council for the Arts More about the participants More about the venue |
Today we're delighted to welcome novelist Kevin MacNeil as a guest blogger for Foyles. Kevin's latest novel,