O.R. Melling's Blog, page 10

RTE Talking Books Interview

I'll be interviewed on RTE's Talking Books programme tomorrow morning, February 16 (my daughter's birthday!) at 7:00-8:00 am. Go to Newstalk 106-108 FM on your dial in Ireland or listen on the web at www.newstalk.ie. The interviewer is the fascinating Susan Cahill who has made documentaries on South America. She has also written some fine spiritual pieces. Just do a search for her and you'll find her work. A podcast of the interview will be available later in the week for those of you still snoozing on a Sunday morning.

The Fountain

When I saw the trailer for The Tree of Life I thought I would love it; thought it might be the visual poem of the book I was writing at the time, People of the Great Journey. But no. Though the film was evidently the autobiography of the film-maker placed within the greater question of the meaning of life, I felt it just didn't get there. Left me cold and sometimes bored, definitely not inspired. Now here, an older film, much closer to my vision! And I'm astonished that any of the reviews I read of The Tree of Life didn't refer to The Fountain, a far more exquisite depiction of the same theme: the microscosmic/macrocosmic reality of life. The stunning Zen psychonaut sequences could be used for some of the Breathwork sessions described in my tale. Amazing that I never saw this before nor heard of it and found it entirely by chance (hah!) when I searched for a sci fi film to watch.    

Positive Life

Nice little "My Favourite Things" piece in the online magazine of Positive Life (Ireland). Here's the link: www.positivelife.ie. I'm there on the front page. Or if you want to go directly to the piece here is the longer link: http://www.positivelife.ie/2014/01/my.... Positive Life is a very attractive publication with high-end photography and well-written articles and interviews. This edition includes an excellent interview with Elizabeth Gilbert of Eat, Pray, Love.

Spirit & Destiny

Here's an article about my relationship with my Tibetan lama teacher, printed in a UK magazine called Spirit & Destiny, available next month. They interviewed me over the telephone and then wrote up the answers. While I have to say the words put in Panchen Otrul Rinpoche's mouth are not his and not how he speaks, the gist of the piece is true. Journalism can be a strange filter for reality some times. Like literary criticism, it is subjective and says as much - and sometimes more - about the one who's writing the piece than the one about whom it is written. That said, the intention was good, the tone is true, and the photos and layout are terrific. So I am happy with it and appreciate the coverage.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Here's a cutey-patootie pic of one of my artist sisters, YM Whelan, beside a very pertinent message about artists of all kinds. Those of you who read The Book of Dreams might recognise one of Dana's mad aunties. As one of my reviewers remarked, it's great to know such anarchic characters might be real! As well as being an artist herself, Yvonne has her own gallery in Toronto - YUMART - situated on the 2nd floor of 101 Spadina Ave (southeast corner of Adelaide and Spadina). A new exhibition of 21 Canadian contemporary Canadian artists, emerging to senior, is now up, January 4-25.

I Believe in Santa Claus (really)

If you go to www.healyourlife.com -- the website and facebook page for Hay House USA -- you'll find a little feature article by me entitled "Is Santa Real?" I was delighted when I was asked to write a piece for the site and I'm now listed amongst the many illustrious contributors including H.H. the Dalai Lama! I'm also counting this as me officially getting into the Christmas spirit along with eating my first mince pies yesterday and heading into the Big Smoke (Dublin) today to do some serious shopping. It has begun.

Doris Lessing (1919-2013)

Two of my heroes died recently - one a brilliant writer and the other a brilliant statesman. Since this is my Book Blog, I'll talk about Doris Lessing here while I will speak of Nelson Mandela on my personal blog. I've reviewed my favourite of Lessing's books in earlier posts below, i.e. the Canopus in Argos: Archives series which I am compelled to re-read from time to time. Works of genius, each one of them, so different in style and theme. The two other great favourites are Briefing for a Descent into Hell and Memoirs of a Survivor. All these works she termed "inner space fiction" which dopey critics changed to "space fiction" entirely missing her point (which I quote in my new book)"For there is never anywhere to go but in." Though I loved her very first book, I was never a big fan of what I call her bourgeois women's literature. I can't help my class-based tastes, the same judgement applies to most of Margaret Atwood's work and the two Amis's and so many other middle-class writers. I just can't get excited about middle-class lives, middle-class characters, middle-class mores etc. They are just so ... dull. (Loved Margaret Atwood's A Handmaid's Tale, of course.) As with Mandela, the tragedy of Lessing's loss is mitigated by the grand age she reached: 94. Her reaction to being awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature at the age of 88 was hilarious: "Oh Christ, now I'll have to write a speech."

Book Launch

Not sure if this will work. It's a little video of my book launch last Friday in Charlie Byrne's Bookshop in Galway. Thank you to many including Charlie Byrne, owner, Vinny Browne, manager, Prof Dáibhí O'Cróinín, my speaker, and last but not least, my friend Maura Walsh, playing the harp. I will be posting about her early music festival in the new year around the time it's happening. Meanwhile good news about PEOPLE OF THE GREAT JOURNEY: it is listed in the Eason's Christmas catalogue under "Books of the Year" (wa-hoo) and my publishers are already talking about the need for a reprint. Not bad when it's only out a few weeks. (Video: Brian Blennerhasset, Butler Sims Ltd for Hay House UK.)

Galway Bay FM Podcast

Follow this link to hear my interview with Vinny Browne of the Arts Show on Galway Bay FM. The podcast is available for one week, so click in soon! http://www.galwaybayfm.ie/home/podcas.... The whole show is very interesting but I started yakking at about 14:00.

ANOTHER RADIO INTERVIEW - TODAY!

On Hay House Radio online -- http://www.hayhouseradio.com/ -- at 4:00 pm (going by Irish time)you'll hear me interviewed by the amazing Janey Lee Grace, author/singer/BBC presenter. (Check out her Cola Boy video on youtube, it's fabulous.) Yes, I'm talking about PEOPLE OF THE GREAT JOURNEY and life, the universe and everything. It is proving to be a very busy month but I am not complaining. And check out amazon.com, I have two excellent reviews already.