Blog No. 40
Wednesday, August 18, 2010 at 6:12PM As well as the extract in the Sunday Times I've just had a look at the finished copy of Stalin Ate My Homework. Which looks great. So great I thought I'd run a special offer. If you pre-order the book by the 27th of August and send some kind of proof to the email address that comes with this site I'll send you a signed drawing. In the book I talk about how my parents were always remarkably keen to take me to see Santa in his grotto at Lewis’ department store, I suppose they felt that Santa was a lot like Stalin. Their names were sort of similar and they were both, kindly-looking, rotund gentlemen with facial hair and red uniforms and ther headquarters were located in the Northern snowy wastes and were based upon a system of slave labour. So I thought I'd do a drawing of "Stanta" a cross between Stalin and Santa for all you lucky pre-orderers.
p.s. Evelyn why are you in China and what is is it you're asking me about?
Blog 40a.
Well in response to your question Evelyn I would say that its generally accepted that the era of the Main Battle Tank (MBT) such as the T90, M2 Abrams or Challenger 2 is over and the North Koreans are going down a blind alley in building their own (apart from all the other blind alleys they are going down). There is however an account in "Stalin Ate My Homework" (which you have very sensibly pre-ordered) of how I came to be obsessed with military hardware.
Reader Comments (11)
Hi Alexei, I was in China because I wanted to see the people who own most of our national debt, before they realise that we can't ever pay it back and come overhere to collect. Nice people though, wonderful food.
I asked about that new, or perhaps not so new, North-Korean tank, the P'okp'ung-ho, because this week the first images ever were shown. I found myself yelling that it looks awfully much like the T-90, before it dawned on me that I don't know anything about tanks. And you probably do.
PS: I immediately entered the context. Hope I got the email address right, though. (alexeisayledotme really is the name before the @?)
International debt surely? I'm pretty sure we can't ascribe well over 125billion to the people of china town??
and yes, P'okp'ung-ho is always on my minddddd....yes... it's always on my... mind.
RE: Sunday Times, Without doubt, the cutest baby pics I have ever seen! You do look very forlorn and pensive in the page over.
xx
Sorry, forgot to ask, is the publication date for Stalin... now 9th of September? I have it listed as the 2nd. :)
xx
Hi Alexei,
I remember you were in support of the Marchmont street independent shops.
"Film fare", our fantastically eccentric independent video store has been forced to close at the end of September. Wondered if you knew, wondered if you could help. If the whole of Bloomsbury all got out and hired a dvd maybe this could be forestalled. With a high-profile figure like yourself at the helm, this might be possible.
Is there anything you think you can do?
Many thanks,
Tom Conaghan
I've never bought one of Alexie's books. I am short of a read so I will be buying Stalin.
Hi,
Tried to e-mail about drawing special offer but got returned to sender, alexeisayle@alexeisayle.me (?)
Well I've just pre-ordered my Stalin ate my homework as it's pay day today. It's a pity I am too late to receive my Stanta drawing.
But as Alexei was doing each one by hand (so I've just been informed) I will let him off.
So glad I stumbled upon this site! Was just thinking of one of my favourite skits from "Stuff" (Man or Chesspiece...what a classic!), and googling your name. Had absolutely no idea that you'd written (or even typed / scribed / etched / carved / excreted) any books... can't wait to read ( or scan / lick / ingest / folk-dance) them!
On 11 Sep 2010, at 13:22, Susan Ross wrote:
Dear Alexei,
you have surely arrived when your smiley face graces the front of The Big Issue. Is this a socialist equivalent of being a well known capitalist with a fizzog on the cover of Time magazine? After a great conversation with the Geordie vendor whose pitch was outside W H Smith's in Ilkley, I returned home to read all of the articles, saving yours until last.
Inspired to buy Barcelona Plates I am enjoying your stories a lot. I stopped reading much when my kids were little in case I forgot to feed them or something due to an absorbing book but lately I have a bit more time. Being aware of your literary career for some time, largely due to a Radio 4 addiction, the Big Issue was the prompt I needed; have your sales had a boost, I wonder. I intend to read your autobiography next. I like the unselfconscious style of writing which doesn't get in the way. As a student I tried to read Sartre but found him to be a bit of a smartarse whereas I got on with Camus. I think of it as a literary equivalent of the difference between Dali and Magritte. These days I don't want anything too heavy or too fluffy to read. Alan Bennet is a favourite and now your writing fits the bill. Unfortunately I have missed getting a ticket for your forthcoming gig in Ilkley as you are a sellout; perhaps next year.
The working title for my autobiography is My LIfe in Shoes which sounds like a description of a career with Freeman Hardy and Willis but is just because I can hang large chunks of my life on particular footwear. That sounds shallow and maybe it is. My book is going to have pictures of shoes, I have never grown up sufficiently to not long for illustrations in books.
I was one of a small group of token Northerners at Chelsea School of Art when you were there. Ah,the disconsolate hours wasted eating chips and grated carrot (always a diet) with salad cream (oops) in that dismal canteen. I was recently in touch with another of those Northerners, Richard, a quiet dour but witty Yorkshireman from Heckmondwyke who now makes models and stuff for museums in places like The United Emirates.
Back to the magazine picture; it reminds me of a cross between my Uncle Cliff and Father Christmas. You should bring a version of Santa, not Uncle Cliff, to the big screen as an antidote to all the sentimental sugary Christmas films. Your character could be a bit like the Raymond Briggs version, a grumpy git who smokes and exceeds government guidelines for units of alcohol. It's an idea.
Keep on entertaining us Alexei, thanks.
Susan Ross nee Forster, also a Scouser
PS I loved Douglas Adams creations and the two books completed by Pete MacCarthy. Both of these men died young. Take care of yourself, I don't want letting down again.