Gowain McKenna answers 13 questions in a Booker's Dozen.


 
TPQ: What are you currently reading? 

GM:  
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, for the second time but alas I have gotten bored half way through. It is one of my favourites and I believe Conrad had tapped into the human consciousness with the story, as per the subsequent modern film adaptation Apocalypse Now set in the Vietnam war; the question the book and film adaption leaves the reader to ponder is whether or not Kurtz really has lost his mind, as we are continually told, or was his refusal to follow orders coupled with his decision to live side by side with indigenous people a sign of a morally superior position against oppression and imperialism.

TPQ: Best and worst books you have ever read? 

GM:  Best would be The Old Man And The Sea by Ernest Hemingway and the worst would be William S Burroughs Naked Lunch

The Old Man And The Sea is a simple but eloquent novella, the old man is reminiscent of the strength and humility of the human spirit amidst insurmountable odds, and my interpretation of the book can be summarised as follows: life is unfair and you end up with nothing if you want everything at once. 

Naked Lunch
 by William S. Burroughs is considered a cult classic, and yes it does have snatches of abstract and dark genius, but at least 80 percent of the book constitutes obscene ramblings with no coherent direction or structure. 

TPQ: Book most cherished as a child?

GM: 
On the Road by Jack Kerouac. Although likely read while still not mature enough to fully appreciate and understand, this book opened up a world of endless possibilities and adventure to me. I enjoyed the marked difference in prose and style that deviated so much from what I was taught in school on a daily basis. This book helped me see for the first time the potential for a human connection that went beyond the establishment and what was expected as the norm. It probably shaped my rebellious and adventurous streak quite early on while also teaching me the value and rarity of true friendship. In retrospect, the slow and inevitable realisation by Sal Paradise that his companion and fellow traveller Dean Moriarty was not the friend and brother he once thought, was an early life lesson for me. 

TPQ: Favourite Childhood author?

GM:  
R L Stein. Stein was the creator and author of the Goosebumps book series, of which there was plenty; before I began to read seriously it was Stein’s works that helped to shape my love for reading and fondness for escaping into a book. 

TPQ: First book to really own you?

GM: 
Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger. I was drawn to the existential angst and troubles of Holden Caulfield along with his frantic and largely futile efforts to console himself through adventure and a thirst for new experiences, yet for all his intelligence and courage the ineptitude and contempt for which he sought out these experiences is telling. On a psychological level I feel that Holden’s refusal to accept the dark side of life and to deal with his grief properly is a common experience shared by many in their younger days.


TPQ: Favourite male and female author?

GM: 
Hubert Selby Jr. and Edith Warton. Selby was a genius who did not conform to standard punctuation or ‘Queens English’ in any way shape or form. In this regard he was an absolute pioneer and renegade. His characters scream at you from the page, and each of which has their own rhythm and style which ensures the reader immediately knows who is speaking in the absence of ‘he said’ or ‘she said’ etc. Selby’s Last Exit to Brooklyn was a game changer for me; it cast a loving, compassionate yet unflinching light onto the personal darkness and shadow of the human soul in Brooklyn during the 1950’s. It was banned in many countries and was ultimately the focus of an obscenity trial which lasted years, eventually Selby and his lawyers won, which was a milestone for the right to freedom of speech: for what gives anyone or any government the right to say that it is illegal to manifest certain thoughts or ideas in the written form?

I was first introduced to Edith Wharton by a nurse I used to work with who lent me the book Ethan Frome. The book is one firmly based in reality and offers no hope or happy ending. It is a tale of a man’s submission to an emotionally absent wife and his primitive methods and desire to escape the situation he finds himself in upon the arrival of a housemaid whom he has fallen in love with. Ultimately he attempts to pursue the life he craves but as fate would have it he cannot bring himself to leave his infirm and abusive wife. The moral of the story: be careful what you wish for. I was lent the book in pristine condition and I returned it months later in tatters, a-fixed with sellotape to boot after having travelled up and down Ireland. It was clear to me Wharton had a talent for writing about the struggles and suffering of ordinary people in hard times, and was not afraid to challenge societal norms of the early 20th Century, especially when it came to the role and expectations of women. She herself led a difficult but defiant life, and this coupled with her writing style is something I admire. 

TPQ: A Preference for fact or fiction?

GM: When I was younger fact, but now I am in my thirties strangely I now have a preference for fiction, albeit fiction based in reality, I am not one for Sci-Fi nonsense etc. 

TPQ: Biography, autobiography or memoir that most impressed you?

GM: 
Ernest Hemingway and His World by A.E. Hotchner. This is a vast collection of photographs and commentary from both first and second hand sources which conveys the shear scope of the chaotic and troubled life Hemingway lived. It is evident that writing was his only island of stability amidst a sea of chaos and tragedy, ultimately when his alcohol and adventurous lifestyle caught up with him he was no longer able to write and saw no point in living any further. The biography solidified the notion of the creative and caring genius who at the same time is besieged by and wrestling with extraordinary darkness. 

TPQ: Any author or book you point blank refuse to read?

GM: 
Probably anything by Maeve Binchy. I have no need to elaborate further. 

TPQ: A book to share with somebody so that they would more fully understand you?

GM: Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse. I believe this is a remarkable attempt by Hesse to explain the concept of the Jungian ‘Shadow’ coined by psychoanalyst Carl Jung, and the importance of the subsequent integration thereof to accept both the darkness in oneself and others. Hesse takes the reader into the life of Harry Haller, both from his viewpoint of himself and from the viewpoint of intrigued onlookers. Harry is a solitary and rebellious intellectual who is convinced he is not just a man but also a ‘wolf on the steppes’ with nothing in common with other human beings, whom he looks upon with both a longing desire to be accepted and with bitter contempt. With the help of people and horrified onlookers Harry eventually learns to enjoy life and to come out of his internal solitary world to accept himself and others and to foster healthy relationships. 


TPQ:
 Last book you gave as a present?

GM: 
The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli. This is an important read for anyone who wishes to enter the maze of political or corporate life, yet it is also a potentially dangerous and misleading book if taken at face value. 

TPQ: Book you would most like to see turned into a movie?

GM: 
Truth be told I have been hard pressed to think of one, and when I did it was already adapted to a film of one sort or another. Films are never as good as books because the film forces the narrative and the scene onto the viewer, while books give the reader the freedom and right to imagine and visualise the story as they understand it. 

TPQ: A "must read" you intend getting to before you die?

GM:  
Why Die? The Extraordinary Percy Cerutty, 'Maker of Champions' by Graem Sims. This is a rare book and one I would like to read to understand this complex but amazing man. After years of wrong choices Percy had a nervous breakdown at the age of 43 only to recover and dedicate his life to fitness and training whereby he developed an eccentric and unconventional ‘stotan’ approach to training, an approach that remains unconventional to this day. He successfully trained the remarkable Herb Elliott amongst many others. Being a keen runner and cyclist who is sceptical of typical approaches to training this is something I wish to read to learn from, as well as to gain inspiration from the eccentric but steadfast survivor Percy Cerrutty. “To be great one does not have to be mad, but it certainly helps.’ ~ Percy Cerrutty.  

Gowain McKenna is a M.Phil. M.Sc B.Eng (Hons).

Booker's Dozen @ Gowain McKenna

Gowain McKenna answers 13 questions in a Booker's Dozen.


 
TPQ: What are you currently reading? 

GM:  
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, for the second time but alas I have gotten bored half way through. It is one of my favourites and I believe Conrad had tapped into the human consciousness with the story, as per the subsequent modern film adaptation Apocalypse Now set in the Vietnam war; the question the book and film adaption leaves the reader to ponder is whether or not Kurtz really has lost his mind, as we are continually told, or was his refusal to follow orders coupled with his decision to live side by side with indigenous people a sign of a morally superior position against oppression and imperialism.

TPQ: Best and worst books you have ever read? 

GM:  Best would be The Old Man And The Sea by Ernest Hemingway and the worst would be William S Burroughs Naked Lunch

The Old Man And The Sea is a simple but eloquent novella, the old man is reminiscent of the strength and humility of the human spirit amidst insurmountable odds, and my interpretation of the book can be summarised as follows: life is unfair and you end up with nothing if you want everything at once. 

Naked Lunch
 by William S. Burroughs is considered a cult classic, and yes it does have snatches of abstract and dark genius, but at least 80 percent of the book constitutes obscene ramblings with no coherent direction or structure. 

TPQ: Book most cherished as a child?

GM: 
On the Road by Jack Kerouac. Although likely read while still not mature enough to fully appreciate and understand, this book opened up a world of endless possibilities and adventure to me. I enjoyed the marked difference in prose and style that deviated so much from what I was taught in school on a daily basis. This book helped me see for the first time the potential for a human connection that went beyond the establishment and what was expected as the norm. It probably shaped my rebellious and adventurous streak quite early on while also teaching me the value and rarity of true friendship. In retrospect, the slow and inevitable realisation by Sal Paradise that his companion and fellow traveller Dean Moriarty was not the friend and brother he once thought, was an early life lesson for me. 

TPQ: Favourite Childhood author?

GM:  
R L Stein. Stein was the creator and author of the Goosebumps book series, of which there was plenty; before I began to read seriously it was Stein’s works that helped to shape my love for reading and fondness for escaping into a book. 

TPQ: First book to really own you?

GM: 
Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger. I was drawn to the existential angst and troubles of Holden Caulfield along with his frantic and largely futile efforts to console himself through adventure and a thirst for new experiences, yet for all his intelligence and courage the ineptitude and contempt for which he sought out these experiences is telling. On a psychological level I feel that Holden’s refusal to accept the dark side of life and to deal with his grief properly is a common experience shared by many in their younger days.


TPQ: Favourite male and female author?

GM: 
Hubert Selby Jr. and Edith Warton. Selby was a genius who did not conform to standard punctuation or ‘Queens English’ in any way shape or form. In this regard he was an absolute pioneer and renegade. His characters scream at you from the page, and each of which has their own rhythm and style which ensures the reader immediately knows who is speaking in the absence of ‘he said’ or ‘she said’ etc. Selby’s Last Exit to Brooklyn was a game changer for me; it cast a loving, compassionate yet unflinching light onto the personal darkness and shadow of the human soul in Brooklyn during the 1950’s. It was banned in many countries and was ultimately the focus of an obscenity trial which lasted years, eventually Selby and his lawyers won, which was a milestone for the right to freedom of speech: for what gives anyone or any government the right to say that it is illegal to manifest certain thoughts or ideas in the written form?

I was first introduced to Edith Wharton by a nurse I used to work with who lent me the book Ethan Frome. The book is one firmly based in reality and offers no hope or happy ending. It is a tale of a man’s submission to an emotionally absent wife and his primitive methods and desire to escape the situation he finds himself in upon the arrival of a housemaid whom he has fallen in love with. Ultimately he attempts to pursue the life he craves but as fate would have it he cannot bring himself to leave his infirm and abusive wife. The moral of the story: be careful what you wish for. I was lent the book in pristine condition and I returned it months later in tatters, a-fixed with sellotape to boot after having travelled up and down Ireland. It was clear to me Wharton had a talent for writing about the struggles and suffering of ordinary people in hard times, and was not afraid to challenge societal norms of the early 20th Century, especially when it came to the role and expectations of women. She herself led a difficult but defiant life, and this coupled with her writing style is something I admire. 

TPQ: A Preference for fact or fiction?

GM: When I was younger fact, but now I am in my thirties strangely I now have a preference for fiction, albeit fiction based in reality, I am not one for Sci-Fi nonsense etc. 

TPQ: Biography, autobiography or memoir that most impressed you?

GM: 
Ernest Hemingway and His World by A.E. Hotchner. This is a vast collection of photographs and commentary from both first and second hand sources which conveys the shear scope of the chaotic and troubled life Hemingway lived. It is evident that writing was his only island of stability amidst a sea of chaos and tragedy, ultimately when his alcohol and adventurous lifestyle caught up with him he was no longer able to write and saw no point in living any further. The biography solidified the notion of the creative and caring genius who at the same time is besieged by and wrestling with extraordinary darkness. 

TPQ: Any author or book you point blank refuse to read?

GM: 
Probably anything by Maeve Binchy. I have no need to elaborate further. 

TPQ: A book to share with somebody so that they would more fully understand you?

GM: Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse. I believe this is a remarkable attempt by Hesse to explain the concept of the Jungian ‘Shadow’ coined by psychoanalyst Carl Jung, and the importance of the subsequent integration thereof to accept both the darkness in oneself and others. Hesse takes the reader into the life of Harry Haller, both from his viewpoint of himself and from the viewpoint of intrigued onlookers. Harry is a solitary and rebellious intellectual who is convinced he is not just a man but also a ‘wolf on the steppes’ with nothing in common with other human beings, whom he looks upon with both a longing desire to be accepted and with bitter contempt. With the help of people and horrified onlookers Harry eventually learns to enjoy life and to come out of his internal solitary world to accept himself and others and to foster healthy relationships. 


TPQ:
 Last book you gave as a present?

GM: 
The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli. This is an important read for anyone who wishes to enter the maze of political or corporate life, yet it is also a potentially dangerous and misleading book if taken at face value. 

TPQ: Book you would most like to see turned into a movie?

GM: 
Truth be told I have been hard pressed to think of one, and when I did it was already adapted to a film of one sort or another. Films are never as good as books because the film forces the narrative and the scene onto the viewer, while books give the reader the freedom and right to imagine and visualise the story as they understand it. 

TPQ: A "must read" you intend getting to before you die?

GM:  
Why Die? The Extraordinary Percy Cerutty, 'Maker of Champions' by Graem Sims. This is a rare book and one I would like to read to understand this complex but amazing man. After years of wrong choices Percy had a nervous breakdown at the age of 43 only to recover and dedicate his life to fitness and training whereby he developed an eccentric and unconventional ‘stotan’ approach to training, an approach that remains unconventional to this day. He successfully trained the remarkable Herb Elliott amongst many others. Being a keen runner and cyclist who is sceptical of typical approaches to training this is something I wish to read to learn from, as well as to gain inspiration from the eccentric but steadfast survivor Percy Cerrutty. “To be great one does not have to be mad, but it certainly helps.’ ~ Percy Cerrutty.  

Gowain McKenna is a M.Phil. M.Sc B.Eng (Hons).

1 comment:

  1. Sean Mallory comments


    I tried reading Naked Lunch once myself after reading an in-depth article on the Beat Generation - Jack Kerouac who is attributed with defining the period title, Allen Gingsberg, Burroughs, Cassady and the rest of that bunch but it proved to be a trying task and I gave up.. never read anything by the others...and I watched the film once of Naked Lunch and afterwards thought thank God I didn't persevere with that book....I found that the so called non-conformist narcotic fuelled Beat Generation spent most of their time fucking each other because it was 'cool' to do so and then the other remaining time bitching behind each others backs with their heads up their own arses the rest of the time....they were full of shit...as you can tell I have difficulty tolerating people full of their own self-importance...There are occasions when the media maketh the man a legend when the legend actually doesn't exist in reality... Oh, Kerouac's On The Road was supposed to have been initally hastily complied on toilet paper.....figures I suppose!

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