Charles Lambert: “Something Rich and Strange” Tour
Charles Lambert: The Scent of Cinnamon
These prize-winning stories deal with life, love, loneliness, delusion, misunderstanding, death. An office worker wakes to find his body invaded by a mysterious parasite. A desperate woman seeks escape through fire. A girl who knows only the forest is taken to the city for the first time. A solitary young boy conjures a girl from leaves to replace his twin sister. In one story a governess is forced to come to terms with the truth of the family she has loved and served, and the world in which she lives. In another, a one-night stand with a sadist triggers a meditation on sexual pleasure and serial killers. Some characters look for work, for ways to change their lives, for somewhere new to live; others for someone to love or be loved by, or to hurt. Not everyone is good. Not everyone is honest with himself or herself. Not everyone gets what they want, or deserve. The stories’ settings range across time and space, from the colonial outback in the late nineteenth century to contemporary urban life in London and Rome and Paris, to both warring sides of the Second World War. The tone is comic, dry, satirical, vivid, magical, disturbing, poignant, spare. Not a word is wasted in these stories, which describe the world not only as it is and was, but also as it might be.
On Charles’ book tour, Something Rich and Strange discover:
- The range of the book, encompassing gritty realism, satire, tragedy, humour and fantasy.
- The fact that “The Scent of Cinnamon” not only won an O. Henry Prize but has emerged as the most admired story in the anthology.
- The stimuli behind the work – moral, sexual, familial – that many stories provide for discussion within reading groups, writing circles, etc.
- Gay interest.
- The fact that Charles is the author of a well-received novel, Little Monsters (Picador), soon to be issued in paperback, and with a new one coming soon.
| Stops | Tour Date | Blog |
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| 1 | 11 November 2008 | Elizabeth Baines |
| 2 | 18 November 2008 | Writing Neuroses |
| 3 | 25 November 2008 | Me and My Big Mouth |
| 4 | 2 December 2008 | Jockohomo |
| 5 | 9 December 2008 | Vanessa Gebbie’s News |
| 6 | 16 December 2008 | Asylum |
| 7 | 6 January 2009 | dovegreyreader scribbles |
| 8 | 13 January 2009 | Harkaway’s Occasionalities |
| 9 | 20 January 2009 | Topsyturvydom |
| 10 | 27 January 2009 | Una Vita Vagabonda |
October 15th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
24th October? Crikey – I’d bettet get that other floor varnished to have the place looking nice for him!
October 15th, 2008 at 5:16 pm
I was hoping to have new curtains up.
October 21st, 2008 at 5:21 pm
I’ve been late for every meeting this week because I’ve got my nose shoved in Lambert’s book.
October 27th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
Looking forward to it – cleaned the windows!
November 9th, 2008 at 9:57 pm
Only two days to go… get the dusters out!
November 10th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
Polishing the brass!!! (My mum would be proud of me!)
November 11th, 2008 at 8:23 am
And we’re off! Thanks, Elizabeth!
November 18th, 2008 at 10:03 am
Stage two of the tour has just been posted by the very wonderful Kay Sexton at Writing Neuroses (http://writingneuroses.blogspot.com/). She made me very welcome and asked me three great questions. Thank you, Kay!
November 19th, 2008 at 5:44 pm
In preparation for leg three of the tour next Tuesday, Scott Pack has just posted an excellent review of The Scent of Cinnamon on his blog. You can find it here: http://meandmybigmouth.typepad.com/scottpack/2008/11/not-to-be-sniff.html#comments. It’s not only a review; it’s also a defence of the short story as a form and a lament that it doesn’t get more attention, and these points are picked up interestingly in the comments on the post. Definitely worth a look.
November 25th, 2008 at 11:22 am
The third stage of the tour, with Scott Pack, is now posted: http://meandmybigmouth.typepad.com/scottpack/2008/11/interview-charles-lambert.html. Enjoy!
November 30th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
[...] will be covering Charles Lambert’s The Scent of Cinnamon in January [...]
December 2nd, 2008 at 8:03 am
The latest stage in my tour, where I talk about life, love and not looking like Brad Pitt, has just been posted at one of the liveliest and most stimulating blogs I know, the genre-crunching Jockohomo Datapanik. You can find it here: http://www.jockohomo.com/datapanik/?p=3379
December 3rd, 2008 at 10:30 am
[...] Kay is taking part in Charles Lambert’s book tour, Something Rich & Strange. [...]
December 9th, 2008 at 10:01 am
You can find the latest stage of my Cyclone tour here: http://vanessagebbiesnews.blogspot.com/2008/12/charles-lambert-something-rich-and.html. Vanessa’s asked me a couple of astute and probing questions about two of the longer stories in the collection, and I’ve done my best to live up to them. Thank you, Vanessa!
December 16th, 2008 at 9:32 am
John Self has done me proud on his Asylum blog. You can read his review of the book, along with the interview, here: http://theasylum.wordpress.com/2008/12/16/charles-lambert-the-scent-of-cinnamon/. This is my sixth interview in six weeks and it’s to the credit of my interviewers and their fabulous questions that I continue to find myself with things to say, things I didn’t even know I knew until I was asked. This time I talk about the first story I ever wrote, and reflect, among other things, on why I’m still a child and why the idea of ‘community’ – as in gay or ex-pat – gets my goat…
January 6th, 2009 at 10:37 am
Dropped in after the Christmas break to see Dovegreyreader this morning, for Devon scones, clotted cream and a chat about the book. I talk about death, expensive stationery and worn-down Birkenstocks, among other things, and there’s also a draw for a couple of free copies of the book… You can find the transcript of the visit here: http://dovegreyreader.typepad.com/dovegreyreader_scribbles/2009/01/dovegreyreader-asks.html#comments
January 13th, 2009 at 10:46 am
After all that clotted cream, I’ve gone slightly more austere this week and shared a virtual continental breakfast with Nick Harkaway, author of The Gone-Away World and a true gentleman. We talk about training horses, Cronenberg, paralepsis, the Sanremo song festival – oh, all kinds of stuff. You can read it here: http://www.nickharkaway.com/Occ.htm
January 20th, 2009 at 10:07 am
Last but one stop! This week I’m at Topsyturvydom, where Rob Spence asks me about genre writing, craftsmanship and what it means to have lived outside the UK for most of my adult life. You can see what I have to say about all this here: http://spencro.blogspot.com/2009/01/charles-lamberts-virtual-book-tour.html
January 27th, 2009 at 5:35 pm
Well, it’s been one of the most exhilarating, and exhausting experiences of my writing life – other than writing – and here we are, at the final stage, hosted by fellow Italian resident, Wendell Ricketts. Wendell’s a fine writer, translator, editor, reviewer and blogger, and a wicked interviewer. You can read the last date of the tour here: http://vitavagabonda.blogspot.com/2009/01/charles-lamberts-scent-of-cinnamon.html.
Thnak you for coming along with me. See you soon!