A highly personaland unconventionaldefense of belief in christian doctrine. One rainy evening in november, a handsome young stranger fresh off the boat pitches up at a countinghouse door in golden hill street. I might just have to order it from the library again. This is the website for francis spuffords new book. Spuffords method is to create fictional characters and fabricate incidents closely. Spanning just over a decade of soviet life jumping between characters and events, the book is intricately designed drip feeding the reader a. A flawlessly executed homage to the buccaneering fiction of fielding and sterne, golden hill presents an embryonic new york in the mideighteenth century, and a fastmoving plot of intrigue, adventure and lastgasp plot twists. Red plenty, by francis spufford the new york times. It came out in the uk in 2010 and it has just been published in a new us edition. Margaret was a social historian while peter specialized in economic history. Spufford and rose are the respective authors of golden hill and unspeakable, two of the most widely acclaimed historical novels of recent months.
It was a scary place to be, and spufford shows us that. His first book, i may be some time, won the writers guild award for best nonfiction book of 1996, the banff mountain book prize and a somerset maugham award. Facts want to roam free and have nonliteral adventures he argues. Well, not defense of doctrine, exactly, but defense the root meaning of apologia of christian emotions and their grownup dignity. He has been longlisted or shortlisted for prizes in. Red plenty is a strong and eccentric book about a beautiful mass delusion. Dwight garner, the new york times it was built on the twentiethcentury magic called the planned economy, which was going to gush forth an abundance of good things that the lands of capitalism could never match. Aug, 2017 francis spuffords first novel golden hill won the 2016 costa prize for a debut novel. There seems to be some unnecessary confusion as to its form or genre. Red plenty is peopled by both real and fictional characters. Inside the fifties soviet dream faber and faber 2010 isbn 9781555976040 red plenty is a novel or perhaps more accurately a short story cycle about soviet central planning, set in a decadelong arc across the 1960s. The times londonstrange as it may seem, the gray, oppressive ussr was founded on a fairy tale. Angry people are unpredictable, not only in their violence but in their nonviolent moments. Francis spufford s unapologetic is a wonderfully pugnacious defense of christianity.
Golden hill by francis spufford 20 posts add message report. Spufford is best known for his admirable career in nonfiction, including as the writer of the punchy and pithy unapologetic, a very modern defence of christianity, and i may be some. I really enjoyed spuffords red plenty which i would have called a novel but i dont begrudge him the kudos that have come from having this considered his first novel. This is the central theme in spuffords novel about 18th century new york city, reprised most explicitly in the most recent american elections. It is this question that francis spufford explores in red plenty. Jul, 2017 francis spuffords red plenty pushes historical boundaries.
Red plenty is a beautifully crafted words of fiction, but a meticulously documented one that tells the story of the quest for economic growth in the midtwentieth century soviet union. Francis spufford, 3 may 1984 in early spring of 1904 the blue limousine draws up beneath the baroque convent of melk. This book is about the old sunny soviet fairy tale, the notion that a planned economy would become, in mr. Francis spufford s red plenty follows a cast of characters around the soviet union of the 1950s and 60s as communist theory lost its promise. Francis spufford is the author of five highly praised books of nonfiction. Francis spuffords first novel golden hill won the 2016 costa prize for a debut novel. His second, the child that books built, gave neil gaiman. Red plenty is a novel or perhaps more accurately a short story cycle about soviet central planning, set in a decadelong arc across the 1960s. I read a library copy and cant wait for the paperback to reread it.
This is the central theme in spufford s novel about 18th century new york city, reprised most explicitly in the most recent american elections. The original referred to the cuban missile crisis in 1963. Not as history, nor yet exactly as a novel, but in a series of loosely linked chapters, each a. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Red plenty by francis spufford, 9780571225248, download free ebooks, download free pdf epub ebook.
Spuffords prose rejoices in elegant pastiche as the story of a mysterious stranger and his unexplained fortune gathers pace. He has written many nonfiction books over the course of his 25year career and published his debut novel, the costa first novel awardwinning golden hill, in 2016. Quite deliberately, francis spufford chooses to cross recent history and fiction to make his points. A feast of francis an hour with francis spufford by joyciescotland march 15, 2018 book event blog posts have a formula.
Born in 1963 and the son of esteemed historians margaret and peter spufford, francis spufford studied english literature at trinity hall, cambridge and earned a ba in 1985. The idea that underpins red plenty is an economic one. Spufford s method is to create fictional characters and fabricate incidents closely. Francis spufford vividly recreates an 18thcentury new york in golden hill. Sep 20, 2017 golden hill by francis spufford september 20, 2017 october 1, 2017 0warbler0 leave a comment in 1740s new york, a young man named richard smith walks off a ship from london with a bill for an enormous sum of money that baffles and astound the citys countinghouses a forerunner of banks. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. From this admittedly personal and prejudiced perspective, red plenty is a disconcerting book. This is a fusion of history and fiction which dramatises the period in the history of the ussr c.
Red plenty is about that moment in history, and how it came and went away. Refuting critics such as richard dawkins, sam harris, and the new atheist crowd, spufford, a former atheist and fellow of the royal society of literature, argues that christianity is recognizable, drawing on the deep and deeply ordinary vocabulary of human feeling, satisfying those who believe in it by. Francis spuffords red plenty pushes historical boundaries. Oct 15, 20 besides, writes spufford red plenty, 2012, etc.
In the titular essay of true stories spufford outlines and interrogates his approach to blending fact with fiction. One rainy evening in november, a handsome young stranger fresh off the boat arrives at a countinghouse door on golden hill street. Francis spufford s charming historical novel, golden hill, is set at that time, three decades before the american revolution. Table of contents title page dedication the cast part i introduction 1 the prodigy, 1938 2 mr chairman, 1959 3 little plastic beakers, 1959 4 white dust, 1953 part ii introduction. Red plenty by francis spufford faber and faber, 2010. Spuffords language isnt exactly aquinian or augustinian, but it gets to the pointto several points, in fact. A journal paper or a scholarly monograph, certainly. In his compelling new book about the soviet union, francis spufford blends fiction and history. It was built on the twentiethcentury magic called the planned economy, which.
Francis spufford dances rings around the buzzwords of. Something about it reminds me of jonathan strange and mr. New york, a small town on the tip of manhattan island, 1746. Richard smith is a youth of about fourandtwenty dressed in plain green, wearing his own hair in short rustbrown curls, smiling in a fashion that crinkled the freckles across his nose. Red plenty isbn 9781555976040 pdf epub francis spufford. Golden hill by francis spufford new york in the 18th century is brought brilliantly to life in francis spuffords debut novel. Unapologetic, has been translated into three languages. Sep 18, 2010 a short interview in which francis spufford, author of the child that books built and backroom boys, discusses his latest book, red plenty. Francis spufford vividly recreates an 18thcentury new. Between the fact, fiction, sizable explanatory notes and bibliography spufford is a manifest bibliophile, red plenty is an expansive reading experience with a creative approach to russian history.
And on the cusp of 50, i do find a successful first novelist at 52 to be just the perfect cherry on the sundae that is this atmospheric, plotty, delicious treat. Who wouldve thought that one could write a novel about soviet central planning. Refuting critics such as richard dawkins, sam harris, and the new atheist crowd, spufford, a former atheist and fellow of the royal society of literature, argues that christianity is recognizable, drawing on the deep and deeply ordinary vocabulary of human. Francis spufford is such a prolific and wellrespected writer that its hard to believe that golden hill, his lively historical novel set in 18thcentury new york, is his first work of fiction. The most recent, unapologetic, has been translated into three languages. To read other authors share the ways in which they go about their work, click here to read the full article. Feb 15, 2012 the idea that underpins red plenty is an economic one. Equally compelling is the sense of the chaotic and ad lib nature of political and commercial lifea governor hanging on by his fingernails, business conducted in the currencies of the dozen other colonies, other countries, or just bartered goods. Golden hill by francis spufford unofficial book reports. Explore books by francis spufford with our selection at. Francis spufford s red plenty is published by faber on 16 august. What a wonderful world we live in where a book like francis spuffords red plenty can be published. One of the first events i went to at the edinburgh international book festival last month was a discussion at the spiegeltent with francis spufford and dilys rose chaired by lee randall. His first book, i may be some time, won the writers guild award for best nonfiction book of 1996, the banff mountain book prize, and a somerset maugham award.
But once upon a time the story of red plenty had been serious. Spuffords novel concerns invention and passing, wealth and poverty, appearances and illusions, the building of fortunes and the pining for that which is unavailablenot least of which for what some liar once called the american dream. The child that books built by francis spufford and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Francis spufford is an english author born in 1964 and primarily known for writing nonfiction. Francis spufford, a former sunday times young writer of the year 1997, has edited two acclaimed literary anthologies and a collection of essays about the history of technology.
Francis spuffords unapologetic is a wonderfully pugnacious defense of christianity. I really enjoyed spufford s red plenty which i would have called a novel but i dont begrudge him the kudos that have come from having this considered his first novel. As someone with an interest in economics and specifically in the problems of economic calculation in a socialist economy, i enjoyed this book immensely and. Spufford cunningly maps out a literary genre of his own. Jun 16, 2016 spufford is best known for his admirable career in nonfiction, including as the writer o faber. At the end of the 1950s, after the success of sputnik and with the soviet union having come out of stalins dark shadow with impressive growth rates, there were many, outside the country as well as inside, who thought that central planning was. It was followed by the child that books built, backroom boys, red plenty which was translated into nine languages, and most recently, unapologetic. A short interview in which francis spufford, author of the child that books built and backroom boys, discusses his latest book, red plenty. Aug 20, 2010 red plenty is peopled by both real and fictional characters. Strange as it may seem, the grey, oppressive ussr was. Smith, amiable, charming, yet strangely determined to keep suspicion shimmering. Golden hill by francis spufford september 20, 2017 october 1, 2017 0warbler0 leave a comment in 1740s new york, a young man named richard smith walks off a ship from london with a bill for an enormous sum of money that baffles and astound the citys countinghouses a. In red plenty, spufford creates an eclectic mish mash of literary form which in turn provides the reader with a huge variety of emotional responses and information relating to the khrushchev soviet era.
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