Author:Michael Levey
In this evocative memoir Michael Levey recreates a between-the-wars English childhood outwardly ordinary and undramatic, but inwardly rich, stirring, sometimes bewildering, and altogether far from typical, not least in its pervasive Catholic ethos. An only child, intensely self-aware, devout, yet questioning, as well as imaginative, drawn to Shakespeare and the theatre, and to all things visual, he grew up in Leigh-on-Sea on the Essex coast. He attended a succession of Catholic schools, before joining the Army at the very end of the War. Notably entertaining is his account of service life, spent partly in Egypt, as is the final chapter, which finds him arriving at the National Gallery in London, to begin a career that would culminate in his being appointed Director.With its precise evocation of a child's relationship with the world around him and with his parents - a couple united in reticent affection and intelligence, but totally opposed in temperament - The Chapel is on Fire will surely become a classic in the literature of childhood.
A brief and lively history... Extraordinary.
—— Alexander Waugh , SpectatorAslan turns Genesis on its head. The extent of our divine anthropomorphism is fascinating. As an introductory biography of a figure who has good claim to be called the most influential of all time, it is interesting indeed.
—— Catherine Nixey , The Sunday TimesTimely, riveting, enlightening and necessary.
[Aslan’s] slim, yet ambitious book [is] the story of how humans have created God with a capital G, and it’s thoroughly mind-blowing.
—— Los Angeles Review of BooksReza Aslan offers so much to relish in his excellent ‘Human History’ of God. In tracing the commonalities that unite religions, Aslan makes truly challenging arguments that believers in many traditions will want to explore further, and to mull over. This rewarding book is very ambitious in its scope, and it is thoroughly grounded in an impressive body of reading and research.
—— Philip Jenkins, author of Crucible of FaithBreathtaking in its scope and controversial in its claims, God: A Human History shows how humans from time immemorial have made God in their own image, and argues that they now should stop. Writing with all the verve and brilliance we have come to expect from his pen, Reza Aslan has once more produced a book that will prompt reflection and shatter assumptions.
—— Bart D. Ehrman, author of How Jesus Became GodTantalizing . . . Driven by [Reza] Aslan’s grace and curiosity, God . . . helps us pan out from our troubled times, while asking us to consider a more expansive view of the divine in contemporary life.
—— The Seattle TimesAslan is a born storyteller, and there is much to enjoy in this intelligent survey.
—— San Francisco ChronicleThis gallop through the pink past [...] tells a torrid tale of persecution and pleasure, of blackmail and blue murder
—— Mark Sanderson , Evening StandardBy shining a light in dark places, Ackroyd has created a triumphantly queer picture of a city he loves – as city as queer as any other
—— Philip Hoare , New StatesmanA timely reminder that gay lives have always been tightly woven into London's rich social brocade
—— ProspectIf you've never read anything by Peter Ackroyd, imagine settling down in a pub… There you are, ensconced in that pub… and you're stuck by the realization that your companion is so knowledgeable, so erudite, so simply brilliant that you don't care you've not got a word in edgeways since the first few foamy quaffs a couple of hours back. That's what reading Peter Ackroyd is like… Ackroyd possesses a lightness of touch which means the reader never feels overwhelmed by the accumulation of facts, figures, and salacious anecdotes they're presented with… Endlessly fascinating... This book teaches us the importance that queer life in London has, and always will have, to all of us
—— Josh Baines , THUMP UKThis is a very worthy book that charts queer experience onto the map of London from which it has been omitted for so many centuries
—— Sam Ford , Totally DublinA rambunctious chronicle of “gay London from pre-Roman times to the present day”
—— GuardianAckroyd delivers an excellent queer read about London, this time ‘our’ London… Endless facts delight and amuse in this celebration and investigation of queer life from Celtic times to the present day… Validating, interesting and endlessly fascinating
—— GsceneTeeming with incredible stories, amazing characters and extraordinary detail, Queer City is the fascinating story of LGBT+ London from the Romans to the present day and reveals the incredibly rich history of London’s LGBT+ past
—— Pride Life
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