Guardian Unlimited Books | Extracts | Rage against the machine: "The night view is very beautiful, a spill of endless jewels glittering in limpid air; chains and towers of light that stretch as far as one can see. This is the mad, rich woman America; with the courage of her convictions, her rich madness. " - wrote John Fowles who is publishing selections from his journals, there goes £30 - due out just after the second of October 2003.

He is one of the two living writers I most admire, for his english, and for his imagination. My late cousin Heidi gave me The Collector when it was fresh out and I read The Magus when it was new in paper back, and then later the revised version which was even part of the Canon when I read Eng. Lit. at Copenhagen University in preparation for my retirement, and my dream of resuming my career as a writer.

The Magus was unpublishable as a first novel and only came out piggy backing on the success of the film of The Collector. JF withdrew that version and brought out a new edition about 10 years afterwards. As a self elected part of my Eng. Lit course I started to compare line by line the two editions, but that is another of my many uncompleted projects. I felt that sitting at the feet of a master and studying his revealed self criticism would be helpfully instructive in developing my own writing skills.

I don't think there is anyone alive who knows me well enough to give me a copy of his new book when it comes out.
Do ring me first - so I don't end up with two copies, if you don't already know my phone number, I'm in the book, and on the web. And now above :)
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