Author:Roger Osborne
Detective story, social history, human drama, The Deprat Affair recreates the hothouse atmosphere of colonial Indochina in the early twentieth century. Among its cliques, its bitter rivalries, its nepotism and favours, how are we to disentangle the scientific, the moral and the legal 'truths' of the affair? Most of all, the story centres on one compelling individual - Jacques Deprat. En route to a golden future as one of France's greatest geologists, he is suddenly accused of fraud and plunged into a desperate fight to save his reputation. Convicted of placing European fossils among samples collected in Indochina, he is dismissed from his job, and expelled from the Société Géologique de France. Thrown out of the science to which he has given everything, he re-invents himself, changes his name, and begins not one, but two fascinating new lives - each as extraordinary and colourful as the one he left behind. And even in the manner of his premature death, Deprat proved his ability to shake the world. Eighty years on from his conviction, the truth of the Deprat affair is still in doubt - and is still passionately debated among French scientists. But innocent or guilty, Jacques Deprat is an astonishing figure, whose capacity to overcome the world's disgrace and the dissolution of his dreams makes an amazing and captivating story.
Completely and utterly hilarious
—— Stephen FryA deft and heartfelt exploration of music, silence, adolescence, English pop and the emotional consequences of serious illness, and above all a discussion of something modern culture has very nearly lost touch with - the idea, and the desirability, of taste.
—— D. J. TaylorIn a story told with warmth, wit, candour and dry, self-deprecating humour and without a whiff of self-pity... Coleman is insightful and convincing in his musings on music's emotional impact, funny in his recollections of the pains of growing up and sharp in his analysis of the thorny issue of musical 'taste'
—— Time OutColeman is a spirited person, who writes with an irresistible Hornby-esque skip in his style... funny and admirable
—— Andrew Motion , GuardianA beautiful, elegiac ballad. Coleman writes elegantly and movingly of his youth, of growing up and of his intimate relationship with an art form that has shaped his memories
—— Financial TimesWonderful
—— Nick HornbyA rites-of-passage memoir refracted through key sonic experiences...a de profundis roar of anger and bafflement as the randomness of what has befallen Coleman prompts fundamental questions: Who am I? How am I? What the hell happens now?
—— The TimesA smart, witty and gentle memoir of music and adolescence and beyond
—— Sunday HeraldFascinating book... It’s beautifully written, moving and, coming from 1970s, Yes-loving prog-rocker, surprisingly moving.
—— John Walsh , IndependentCongratulations to Coleman: his private hell is now a tribute to the things he loves the most
—— Sunday TimesReally a story about listening and love. Brilliant.
—— GuardianIf The Train in the Night went no further than the list of life-changing music that drops in at the end, like an index, it would be just another retread of High Fidelity, but Nick Hornby's book is a boy's train-set in comparison to this
—— IndependentAn autobiography through sound...a broad meditation on mortality and the resourceful defences of memory
—— ObserverEmotional and resonant… Sharp, funny and sad in equal measure
—— Sally Morris , Daily MailWritten with the same passion and wit that punctuated his reviews for the likes of NME, Coleman shares his journey to reconnecting with the soundtrack of his life
—— Big Issue in the NorthI can’t tell you how good it is but I’ll try… It’s a superb analysis
—— William Leith , Evening StandardA warm, witty and very candid book
—— Natasha Harding , SunThe book offers experiences and, for anyone whose responsiveness to the world has slackened, a reminder of how full experience can be.
—— Amy Leach , ObserverTim Dee has a deep feeling for the natural world and an ability to celebrate it in ways that seem fresh and new.
—— Tim Richardson , Literary Review[Dee] writes so well, and so personably, that he casts a disarming spell over his readers.
—— Mary Blanche Ridge , Tablet[Dee] is at once a naturalist, environmentalist, journalist, historian and diarist. Dee’s rich writing delights as he imparts his considerable research and observations about life and the state of the world
—— Good Book Guide[It] belongs in the tradition of 'nature writing', but works with it too putting its beautifully written sentences in the service of description and evocation, but using them to frame a serious conversation about environmental preservation and its opposites; it’s a deeply attractive book and also an important one.
—— Andrew Motion , GuardianFelt very deeply and pondered very wisely, it takes four areas of the planet and tells their story in ways that bring the plight (and delight) of the earth as a whole within reach.
—— Andrew Motion , Times Literary SupplementA lyrical, poetic reflection on our relationship with the natural world.
—— Tim Maguire , Edinburgh Evening NewsThis profound work by Tim Dee is as creative and original as anything on the Man Booker shortlist and arguably more “useful”... The book’s reach is extraordinary.
—— Bel Mooney , Daily Mail[A] marvellous new memoir.
—— Richard Mabey , New StatesmanAn enthralling and unexpected book of what we have made of the natural world
—— Kathleen Jamie , GuardianThis is nature writing at its finest
—— Juanita Coulson , LadyWith the eye of a birdwatcher and the soul of a poet, Dee meditates on our green spaces and what we have made of them
—— Michael Kerr , TelegraphDee’s rich writing delights as he imparts his considerable research and observations about life and the state of the world
—— Good Book GuideCharged with meaning and lyrically luminous, Four Fields is an unquantifiable work – and an unmissable one
—— Melissa Harrison , The Times