Splinters

Fuck that went by fast.

I need to get out of Finland. Out of the whole Nordic region, in fact. The early darkness! The darkness that numbs the mind! Dabbling and smattering for months on end... Oh well, non-Nordic dead-end jobs are just 18 months away!

Some cultural highlights of the year:

Books

The Temptation of Saint Anthony by Gustave Flaubert. Effortless intricacy. I actually read all of Flaubert's major works in preparation for the new translation of Bouvard and P?cuchet, out now from Dalkey. A review is forthcoming. (It's hard to write about brilliance. Who would have thunk it?)

A Humument by Tom Phillips. I didn't have much to say about this unique work of art in the summer (too hot), and I don't have much to say about it now (too murky and damp). An experience worth having, to be sure.

Special category: the "Best Fit of Book and Locale" award goes to reading The Odyssey on the beach in the height of summer. A short chapter, a quick dip. A longer chapter, a new region of sunburned skin.

Films

Pickpocket by Robert Bresson. And all the other Bresson films I managed to get my hands on. A true original.

A History of Violence by David Cronenberg. Worked like a ton of bricks. Just wonderful. JG Ballard concurs.

Music

Peer-to-peer sharing (and the internet in general) has seriously damaged my ability to remember concrete timelines. It has also made it easy to keep new art at an arm's length. You know? I've listened to loads of new music, but I haven't really made an effort to connect with the stuff at a deeper level. The exciting brief encounters seem to be enough.

Some of the exceptions include Asian Dub Foundation, Anthony Braxton, plus lots of great jazz drummers (Art Blakey, Bill Bruford, Max Roach, Roy Haynes). Oh, and Smog's "A River Ain't Too Much to Love". Top tip, Steve.