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Bitter Lemon Press Christmas Newsletter 2014
 
'Padura is one of Cuba's leading writers and this novel must be his masterpiece; a brilliant multi-layered examination of the twentieth century.' The Times
‘It is rare for a non-fiction title to warrant the moniker page-turner but this thrilling story is engrossing. Daly also allows for a reassessment of Bateman and his work, and lays to rest a pair of fascinating ghosts. Top drawer.’ The Field
 
‘This is a very good guide indeed. Any traveller in Italy will argue about some of his choices, but no art-minded visitor to the country should be without it.’ Country Life
‘As startling a debut crime novel as you are likely to read this year. This is a troubling novel about men and sexual identity, ending with a shattering and unexpected revelation.‘ Sunday Times
‘Intertwines absurdly understated violence with a reflective portrait of the city and its types so anthropologically precise that you’ll mourn each new victim—and that’s a lot of mourning.’ Kirkus
'If you read only one crime novel in translation this year make it this one. A book that grabs you from the start and whips you along at pace. It screams out to become a film.' Crime Time

 
Welcome to our Christmas 2014 Newsletter

We are trying to stay very zen this year about the festive season. Nevertheless, books are piling up, presents for much loved ones and even for less loved ones. Books to read at home on holiday by the fire or on the beach in better climes. We hope you will be seduced by some of the novels and non-fiction publications mentioned below for your stockings. We are also quite proud that some of our writers have recently seen their novels chosen for film, television and radio adaptations. But more on this to follow. 

Radio Gaga

BBC Radio 4 aired major dramatisations of The Havana Quartet by Cuba's leading crime writer, our very own Leonardo Padura. They can still be heard on BBC Radio iPlayer (even in North America I am told). Havana's steamy atmosphere and Padura's passion for friendship, food and sex on his beloved island are beautifully evoked.
    
Mark Lawson produced a new series of Foreign Bodies on BBC Radio 4 examining how mystery novels have reflected political systems. Of the five in the series Bitter Lemon authors featured in two: one about Communism with Leonardo again, go to link. And the other about post-Communism with Zygmunt Miloszewski, Polish author of the Prosecutor Szacki series. Listen to the interview, or even better, buy the books. 

Movie Mania
The London Film Festival showed two films based on work by Bitter Lemon authors. One was Betibu directed by Miguel Cohan based on Claudia Pineiro's eponymous novel which we will be publishing in late 2015. Polyglot readers can watch the trailer. 
The other film was Return to Ithaca by Laurent Cantet (The Class ), based on La novela de mi vida by the ubiquitous Padura. If it doesn't come back to London, go to Paris to see it. One night, all night, on a terrace in Havana, a group of friends are reunited. Splendid stuff.
Christmas Recommendations      
The Lost Pre-Raphaelite by Nigel Daly. The story of the artist Robert Bateman’s secret love affair with a bishop’s beautiful daughter, and the subsequent attempt to conceal it. An enthralling tale of love, tragedy, hypocrisy, and, ultimately, of redemption, and also the rehabilitation of an important but largely forgotten artist.
And Padura's masterpiece about Trotsky's assassination, The Man Who Loved Dogs is now out as a paperback.  101 Places in Italy by Francis Russell, entertaining but discerning guide to the most beloved country in the world.                         
Summers of Discontent by Raymond Tallis with Julian Spalding. An examination of why artists create and why we feel the need for their work. Tallis thinks the arts spring from our inability as humans fully to experience our experiences; from our hunger for a more complete sense of the world. Tallis’s thesis is original and fresh, down-to-earth and life-enhancing. ‘Tallis has a range of expertise that would leave Jonathan Miller gasping.' Sunday Times.
 Behind God's Back by Harri Nykanen: Helsinki has only one Jewish homicide cop, Ariel Kafka. And his investigation leads to trouble with the powers that be, including Mossad. The second in a series.               
 
True Crime
Two million listeners can't be wrong. We are totally hooked on Serial, the podcasts by Sarah Keonig, broadcast once a week in the US and now everyday on Radio 4 extra in the UK. Back to Baltimore (after The Wire) this time for an investigation into a true story: the murder of Hae Min Lee, a high school student killed in 1999. Was she killed by Adnan Syed, currently serving a life sentence? Total suspense, beautifully produced, clever reporting and entertainment in one package. Also looking forward to seeing Pig Girl, an award winning play starting at the Finborough Theatre in January, based on events involving Robert "Willie" Pickton, a serial killer now jailed in British Columbia.
 
Playlist and stuff
While reading Hotel Brasil by Frei Betto or next year's novel from Brazil The Body Snatcher by Patricia Melo listen to old recordings by Esmeralda Spalding. Try Khmer by Nils Petter Molvaer for long walks in the park or along crowded streets full of shoppers. Read the hyper-talented Kate Tempest's poetry collection Hold Your Own or listen to her music. As to the TV series True Detective, we've gone from luke-warm to cold. Woody Harrelson is excellent, Matthew McConaughey is reliably one-dimensional, but the story? All hat and no cattle, as they could have said in the show.
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