A Villanelle for Ulla
A Villanelle for my mother-in-law Ulla Gustafssson who died from advanced Alzheimer’s disease on 9th April 2020
Articulations
Articulations: Examples of my creative writing: aphorisms, poems, short stories, humour (“humour”), (auto)biography, translations and more. Read Articulating myself for more details or scroll down.
The Pickpockets’ Ballad
The Pickpockets’ Ballad – a poem in the style of a ballad from the 17th or 18th century. Two pickpockets have a good day, till they meet a ghost.
Articulating myself
[Sticky post] Articulating myself stands at the top of the Articulations category page of the website and introduces readers to the category.
Flanders fields, poppies and iconography
Of Flanders fields, poppies and iconography – something of a ramble, something of a rant and all inspired by the recent Armistice memorial events.
The Gothenburg disco fire – 20 years on
The Gothenburg disco fire: the worst fire in recent Swedish history took place 20 years ago on the 29th October 1998: 63 died, over 200 were injured.
A barber’s shop quartet: Malik, Rahim, Antonio and Reg
Sitting in the barber’s chair can be a meditative experience, my mind wanders back to revisit some of the barbers I have known.
The worst journey in the world (redux)
What is the worst journey you have ever made? Recent events, public and private, have me remembering my own worst journey and the concept of a bad journey.
Isidora: the city she lost
An unnamed traveller returns to Isidora, a city she left long ago. It is not like she remembers. A short story inspired by Italo Calvino’s Invisible Cities.
Grendel the stockbroker
Grendel is disappointed in his new neighbour, Rothgar. The feasting and noise night after night is too much… and Grendel’s Dame is unhappy. Grendel has to act!
Six decades of a date – the thirtieth of July
The six decades between 1958 and 2018 – today is my 60th birthday and I’m sharing snapshots of my life from the last six decades.