Feeding Frenzy

by Will Self

"Feeding Frenzy", Will Self's third collection of journalism and selected writings takes us through the turbulent years 1995-2000. During this period Self surfed the great wave of olive oil which nearly swept British metropolitan culture away, and produced a series of restaurant reviews for "The Observer", whose coruscating criticality led to a cabal of restaurateurs plotting his contract killing. In essays to accompany the work of admired artists such as Marc Quinn, feature articles on rock music and remote places, reviews of cultural phenomena as diverse as voyeuristic television and the Queen Mother, Self has produced what can only be described as a cachinnating cacophony of willful provocation.

Genres: Essays, Nonfiction, Food and Drink, 21st Century, British Literature, Food

390 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2001

About the author

William Self is an English novelist, reviewer and columnist. He received his education at University College School, Christ's College Finchley, and Exeter College, Oxford. He was married to the late journalist Deborah Orr.

Self is known for his satirical, grotesque and fantastic novels and short stories set in seemingly parallel universes.

Reviews

[Jonfaith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Imagine dear reader Will Self offering himself in print to Richard Branson in exchange for a lifetime of upgrades on Virgin railways and Virgin airline. If that strikes you as hilarious, then I might recommend this for you. If you were not, however, left in stitches there is still a considerable amount to appreciate in this tome of collected journalism. There is a wonderful travel piece on Orkney. There are interviews with Morrissey and Rushdie. There is also an interminable stream of restaurant reviews. Unfortunately Self's wordplay is too often drowned by the force of his satire. Self explains in the introduction that it is unfortunate that authors are usually shoe-horned into writing literary criticism rather than find other vistas. That is the case here--and it suffers. The confession column about Self's weakness for literary biography is a gem, though.

[MJ Nicholls · Rating 5 out of 5]

Contains:

Columns about building design featuring the word “echt” quite frequently.

Restaurant reviews featuring the word “superannuated” quite frequently.

Articles on art and literature featuring the words “banjaxed” and “quondam” quite frequently.

Various radio pieces and assorted ad hoc commissions with many interesting words.

I tease: this is Self’s best book of journalism. He even mocks his own stylistic repetitions in the index. “Junk Mail” became tedious because Self was allowed to prattle. Here he’s short, punchy and hilarious.

Contains 129 columns over 381 pages. Will consume your life for a week or two.

[R.]

On order from Amazon - includes Self's restaurant reviews from the 90s.



PsychoGastronomy.

[Arty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great to dip into. Everything from an interview with Morrissey to restaurant reviews while on drugz.

[Paras Ghelani · Rating 5 out of 5]

All of Will Self's great restaurant reviews and much more - an amazing collection of journalism from the 1990s