tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10407434661549653072011-10-04T20:54:23.842-07:00Nick Talbothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10122332897189553465noreply@blogger.comBlogger21100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1040743466154965307.post-30339116593007168422011-09-30T10:02:00.000-07:002011-09-30T10:39:34.816-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TkOTLuKFgvA/ToX-sTsva_I/AAAAAAAAAIs/D--MxhUEPDY/s1600/alma%2Bcogan.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 182px; height: 276px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TkOTLuKFgvA/ToX-sTsva_I/AAAAAAAAAIs/D--MxhUEPDY/s400/alma%2Bcogan.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5658208544016526322" border="0" /></a><br />When I covered Gordon Burn's sad death at the age of 61 I failed the spot this <a href="http://thequietus.com/articles/03844-the-english-malady-the-influence-of-gordon-burn-red-riding-austin-collings">superb piece in the Quietus by Austin Collings </a>which surveys Burn's achievements and looks at the 'Northern Noir' of his progeny David Peace<span style="text-decoration: underline;">. It serves as </span>a fitting tribute to Burn's cryptic legacy. I have to disagree with Colling's criticism of Burn's treatment of character. 'Alma Cogan' is the finest novel I have read, and I found his creation and control of Cogan as a cynical, soiled star satisyingly complex. 'Happy Like Murderers' is the last word on True Crime; the exhumation and burial of a whole genre. Burn is not under-rated, but under-read; critically adored, while most of his potential readership simply haven't heard of him. As his prowess is acknowledged, his grip on the collective imagination can only tighten.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1040743466154965307-3033911659300716842?l=gravenhurst.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Nick Talbothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10122332897189553465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1040743466154965307.post-21364114006254000392007-03-25T08:31:00.000-07:002007-03-25T09:32:21.064-07:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">This blog has moved to a new address:</span><br /><br /><a href="http://policediversnotebook.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">http://policediversnotebook.blogspot.com</span></a><br /><br />Our dedicated team of police divers have copied all the previous posts over to the new address. This means that if you want to read some old posts from this blog ("brimful of coruscating prose, wry asides, and many occurrences of the words 'fuck' and 'fucking'" - The Salisbury Review) you won't have to come back here to do so.<br /><br />See you at the bottom of the lake.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1040743466154965307-2136411400625400039?l=gravenhurst.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Nick Talbothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10122332897189553465noreply@blogger.com1