Archive for the ‘books’ Category
romantic high jinks
old books
Calling all you lovebirds, dreamy eyed courtesans and poetry aficionados, this ones got your name on it. James Veitch has brought John Keats’ Hampstead pad to life once again this summer with a flurry of amorous productions celebrating Blightys most famed romantic poets and artists.
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The Romantics which runs from Saturday the 16th of July to Sunday the 31st is a culmination of our love-struck literary heroes, honoring luminaries such as William Blake, Mary Shelley, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Lord Byron, Robbie Burns and, of course, Keats himself.
So head down to Hampstead on a balmy July evening armed with a picnic brimming with goodies for some classic odes and unplugged music with your one and only in tow.
(3 votes, average: 4.33 out of 5)
Loading ...beach awards 2011
Beach
Introducing the Beach Tomato Awards 2011
Ladies and gentlemen, let us reveal the first ever Beach Tomato Awards 2011 launched by our sister website, Beach Tomato. Naming the best in beach fashion, beach beauty and beaches around the world, the Beach Tomato Awards will showcase the best of the beach this year.
Combining the Beach Tomato team and industry experts to form a judging panel, June will be spent deliberating the 15 different categories to announce final winners on 28th June 2011.
Alongside a judging panel of industry experts this is your chance to cast your vote in the People’s Choice Award categories to nominate the places and products that make the world’s best beaches worth bragging about. Don’t forget to drop your email address when you vote for a chance to win a very special Beach Tomato goody bag.
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...steve mccurry: exclusive
boy in bombay
click on the image above for more inspiring photos…
Clear those coffee tables, have we got a gem for you…
One of the most admired and talked about photo journalists of our generation; Steve McCurry the intrepid photographer has released his eagerly awaited limited edition collection showcasing his most poignant shots that have captured and intrigued the world over.
One only need mention that shot ‘the green eyed Afghan girl’, a haunting yet outstandingly beautiful example of how photography has the ability to conjure up emotions and surpasses our imaginations. We all love to travel and this collection of shots is the closest thing to transporting you right there. Desk-side wanderlust, bring it.
With only 3,000 copies available this master piece published by Phaidon will be snapped faster than you can say cheese.
And you all you special friends of Black Tomato quote this code: BT20CP for 20% of the original price. Click here for more information.
Boy in mid Flight India
Procession of Nuns Burma
Kuchi Nomads Afghanista
Flower seller India
Pilgrim Tibet
Boy at festival India
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...the pursuit of the tangible
Joris-Karl Huysmans’ novel ‘Against Nature’ chronicles the vacation adventures of a man who never leaves his house. Scandalous in its day and much admired by Oscar Wilde, the book shows the liberation and decadence of doing the exact opposite of perceived wisdom when it comes to your free time.
no parking...venice beach
Nearly 120 years later, the possibilities of travelling in your imagination are enhanced no end by our relationship with the moving image. Last summer, at its summeriest, an afternoon walk through London Fields, golden sun in my eye, catching an entrepreneurial tray of Pimms making its way around the hordes of those also lucky enough not to be trapped in an office that day, I imagined, no, it did seem momentarily that I was on Venice Beach in the mid 60s. I’ve never been to Venice Beach. Or California. Or the 60s. But as a youth I listened to a lot of the Doors and chewed at least one VHS of the film.
As a child I wanted to be Harrison Ford so much that I thought it was merely a case of wishing hard enough to become him. He was both Han Solo and Indiana Jones. As a teen, it was the Lizard King. OK, looking back, he was a self mythologizing alcoholic bore with a penchant for writing things like “Ride the snake, the snake is 10 miles long” whilst Agent Cooper hammed merrily away on the Hammond. But, it’s a rite of passage to be an arrogant little [thing] and wanting to be Jim Morrison helped me through a difficult stage. It got me laid. It got me stoned. It gave me confidence to play guitar, if not the immediate ability.
Well over a decade later, that film and that band long forgotten. The right gold light, the smell of the chopped mint, the haze silhouetting beautiful forms reawakens a combination of long dormant brain cells. Once again Jim rides through the park. I am the lizard King, I can do anything. And I longed for the California of my mind’s eye.
Paul Hanford is author of leading music & film blog Bring Me Coffee Or Tea
(4 votes, average: 4.50 out of 5) Loading ...time’s ticking: ten for april
As the fuzzy folk bards Simon and Garfunkel once sweetly harmonised ‘AAAA-A-April, come she will’, and boy oh boy did she come around quick this year. Spring has now officially sprung and, now the sun’s out (every now and then at least), we thought it only right to share some worldly wisdom and fill you in on ten of April 2011’s best (and least known) global events.
all fools’ day
someone always takes it one step too far
Roll up hoodwinkers, jokers come forth; April is here and, for one day only, the farceur is King. Eagerly anticipated by troublemakers everywhere, April the First (aka April Fools’ Day) is, as we all know, a day when normality sleeps and would-be jesters lurk round every corner. Cue 24 hours where hoaxes, white lies and practical jokes are not just for the kids. Indeed, it’s now the case that the national media are responsible for some of the tallest stories told on this most mistrusted of days. Famous swindles include the supposed discovery of hotheaded naked ice borers in Antarctica in 1995 and Burger King’s so-called left-handed Whopper in ’98. Rest assured though, we’d never sink so low…
queens day
Queen's Day
Koninginnedag, or Queen’s Day, takes place every year on April 30th, the Dutch Queen’s official birthday. If you’re thinking another nondescript public holiday, then think again. In an all-consuming burst of garish patriotism, Oranjegektel (orange craze) sweeps through Amsterdam, ensuring that, from food to clothes, hats to hair, nothing is left untangoed. Now if only the British Queen’s birthday prompted something similar in London… A flotilla of patriots wailing the national anthem across the Thames… On second thoughts, maybe it’s best we leave it to the Dutch, whose concerts, parties and vrijmarket (a sort of car boot sale) seem far more civilized.
nevis triathlon
nevis say never...
If the words ‘sport in the West Indies’ still conjure little more than images of cricket on the beach and Jamaica’s famous bobsleigh team, then it’s time to pick up the pace and get with the times. Running (swimming and cycling) from the 1st till the 2nd, the Nevis Triathlon is the perfect excuse to experience a different side to the beautiful island from which it takes its name. Broken down into three routes to cater for athletes of all levels, the race can be completed either individually or in relay format, perfect for those of you who like to follow a leisurely spot of holiday competition with a far more leisurely spot of flop on the beach.
hand in hand with love
two hearts make a whole
At the crossroads of East and West, the spectacular city of Istanbul bubbles along like a sun-kissed melting pot of creativity and culture. Hand in Hand with Love is an annual arts fest bringing together the diverse communities of Turkey’s capital throughout April. Facilitating inter-cultural understanding and putting on quite a show in the process, this is the perfect chance to sample local music, cast your eye over the visual arts and the marvel at the literary all sorts among this year’s multiplicity of Turkish delights.
sequences
the conSequences of colour
Iceland, a land frozen in time. Or so you might think. Taking over the capital Reykjavik from April 1st to 10th, Sequences is an annual arts festival whose focus is dynamism and movement – more ‘wow did you see that geyser?’ than ‘oh look, there’s that iceberg, the one we saw last time’. Expect mindblowing photography, performance art and sound and video installations that’ll give you more goosebumps than a northern gale. Expect to be wowed.
saborea
opening the door to the food of puerto rico
FOODIE ALERT. CODE TASTY. It’s not every day a country appears on the menu, but between April 1st and 3rd, you’re invited to ‘Taste Puerto Rico’ at Saborea, the country’s annual food fest. Set on the idyllic Escambrón Beach in Puerta de Tierra, the shining lights of this Caribbean territory’s gastronomic scene gather like seagulls and cook up a storm. Saborea is a big deal, so follow the aroma down to the waterfront and rub shoulders with the celebs during mouthwatering cooking demos and taster sessions.
las palmas international film festival
who'll grab the golden lady?
Sunlight(s), camera, action. Between the 1st and the 9th, Las Palmas, the gorgeous capital of Gran Canaria, plays picture-perfect host to one of our favourite film festivals. Culminating in the Golden Lady Harimaguada award for best film, the festival will showcase features and shorts from around the world.
barcelona guitar festival
buzzing like a strum-ble bee for barcelona
Every April, the Catalonian capital Barcelona tunes up its tuners for the city’s annual Guitar Festival. The country that gave us flamenco virtuoso Paco de Lucía opens its doors to the world’s best strummers, welcoming a groups and musicians from Spain and abroad. Running from the 1st to the 7th, Barcelona’s bars and concert halls are bound to be busy, so get over there quick and, well… Viva la musica!
st. petersburg festival of speed
what's the russian for va-va-voom?
St. Petersburg, Rush-ia. Got a need for speed? Look no further, just buckle up, put your foot down and head East for three days of 007 heaven. From April 1st to 3rd, connoisseurs, collectors and wide-eyed motorheads assemble for a spine-tingling showroom explosion of epic proportions. Drink in the petrol guzzling panorama of vintage Le Mans veterans, supercars, powerboats, custom bikes and high-performance planes, all gathered under an aircraft hangar kitted out for a very glitzy schmooze ‘n’ booze.
rallye aïcha des gazelles
oh damn, it was LEFT at the oasis
Misogynist drivers of the world take heed: Steer clear of the Moroccan desert or prepare to tsk and toot like never before. The Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles is a woman only race-cum-orienteering challenge running 2,500 km across the south of Morocco, and this year’s event is fast approaching its conclusion. With little but dunes and the occasional oasis to negotiate, the chance of a crash is negligible, but we hear Bedouin camel trains are keeping a safe distance nonetheless. Sisters are driving it by themselves. You’ve been warned.
James Snowdon is Editorial Intern at Black Tomato
(5 votes, average: 4.20 out of 5) Loading ...the page turners we’re packing
In our new series, Travel Lit, we’re going to be getting the lowdown on what books to pack for your upcoming travels. This is the inside track on the very latest new season titles from first-time authors and a few old favourites that we reckon you shouldn’t get on the plane without.
We’re already excited about the opportunity for a bit of printed escapism whilst we’re away…cue the slow pace of an afternoon before the evening rolls around and the shade of a wide brimmed hat.
First up for March, our hot top has to be Andrea Eames’ debut novel, The Cry of the Go-Away Bird.
Set in Zimbabwe, the novel follows Elise’s passage from idyllic childhood dream-world of the 1990’s to adulthood, against the backdrop of Zimbabwe’s collapsing economy during the period of the farm invasions.
Inspired by Eames’ own childhood experiences in Harare, this moving story sensitively deals with the intricacies of Zimbabwe’s breakdown from a familial perspective; recounting how the innocence of a seemingly permanent world is usurped by an awareness of intensifying violence.
The Cry of the Go-Away Bird, published by Harvill Secker, is out now.
(4 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...there’s a book in us all…
Last night I attended a talk by best selling travel writer Chris Stewart. Hosted after closing at Stanford’s book store in Covent Garden and inclusive of free flowing wine, it was probably one of the most inspiring ‘lock ins’ I’ve ever had.
With three successful titles under his belt, namely, ‘Driving Over Lemons’, ‘A Parrot in the Pepper Tree’ and ‘The Almond Blossom Appreciation Society,’ Chris is perfectly placed to give credence and insight into ‘How to write travel books’ – the topic of the evening. Having centred his tales around the events and happenings of daily life on his much loved farm in the mountainous climbs of Andalucía, Chris maintains that good writing is about telling a story and telling it well.
Having read and thoroughly enjoyed all three books, meeting the story teller behind them was not only a pleasure, but also verified that the personality behind the words is true to life. Red and ruddy faced from the Spanish outdoors, vivacious with a touch of humour, Chris entertained and captivated his audience as all good story tellers should.
The talks at Stanford's are presented by Travellers' Tales www.travellerstales.org and there will be more on offer from Autumn onwards by a host of acclaimed travel writers and photographers. Alternatively, if you fancy having a go at travel writing yourself then you can sign up for a range of courses both in the UK and abroad aimed to both teach and inspire. I must admit I'm tempted – after all, they do say that everyone has at least one book in them. Now, where do I begin….
HW
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