The latest paperback releases.
Beckett Remembering/Remembering Beckett. Edited by James and Elizabeth Knowlson
Bloomsbury, £8.99
It was Samuel Beckett's misfortune that his life was as extraordinary as his work, and he was thus a subject of great interest to biographers, much to his distress. The present book, unlike Knowlson's 1996 biography, contains the direct testimony of those interviewed for the latter (principally Beckett himself), as well as some accounts commissioned specially for this volume, published of course to coincide with last year's centenary. There is real value in having Beckett's own reminiscences given directly: they are far more immediate, as are the testimonies of friends, theatrical collaborators and others. An especially valuable section contains memories of Beckett as a Trinity College lecturer from former students - it gives a vivid insight into his unhappiness and disenchantment. Terence Killeen
A Lie About My Father. John Burnside
Vintage, £8.99
An excellent story about the making and breaking of men, John Burnside's memoir of his failed relationship with his father has nothing of the nostalgic, bitter regret associated with the dread "misery memoir" genre. The book's great success lies in the strength of the storytelling, focusing on the universal theme of family. Burnside was born in Scotland and raised between pit towns and middling towns in middle England. Taunted for his aspirations, he grew up to be a prize-winning and prolific poet and the author of several novels and short story collections. He writes now not as a poet, but as the son of a neglectful and abusive man who covered up sad truths with unnecessary lies and raged against his own family. Burnside lays bare the ugly truth without once raising his own powerful voice in anger. Nora Mahony
The Bayeux Tapestry. Carola Hicks
Vintage Books, £8.99
Hicks herself notes the challenge she faced in writing about the Bayeux Tapestry: as well as the usual demands of discriminating research, craftsmanship and analysis, how was she to write something fresh and engaging about such a thoroughly discussed topic? She responds with an innovative and effective concept: a "biographical format" mapping the Tapestry's history from conception and birth, through "wilderness years", adversity and success and, finally, hunting down its trail of "offspring". This last provides the most inspired section of the book, examining the Tapestry as a source of inspiration in literature, film and other visual media, a wealth of quite ingenious advertisements, and satirical cartoon fodder. The near-miraculous nature of this "survival story" - narrow escapes from sacked cathedrals, revolutionary mobs, bombings, and Hitler's culture-commandeering - is forcefully conveyed. Claire Anderson-Wheeler
Twice a Stranger: How Mass Expulsion Forged Modern Greece and Turkey. Bruce Clark
Granta, £9.99
In 1923, following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the emergence of a Turkish republic, Greece and Turkey signed an agreement that paved the way for a population exchange between them. Under the Treaty of Lausanne, Orthodox Christians in Turkey and Muslims in Greece traded places in what was effectively an agreed mutual deportation. Up to two million Turks and Greeks crossed the Aegean as part of the transfer, which followed Turkey's victory in the Greco-Turkish war in 1922. Families and friends were separated, refugees suffered illness or died on the journey to their new home, and, for many, a life of poverty awaited. Clark's compelling examination of the period draws on first-hand accounts that detail the hardship of those forced to leave their homelands. Mark Rodden
Muhammad: A Prophet for Our Time. Karen Armstrong
Harper Perennial, £7.99
"If we are to avoid catastrophe, Muslim and Christian worlds must learn not merely to tolerate but to appreciate one another," writes the author of this lucid and balanced short biography. "Muhammad was not a man of violence" and "jihad" does not mean "holy war" but "struggle". Muhammad struggled to bring peace to the war-torn Arabia of his time. He struggled against greed, injustice and arrogance. An economic revolution occurred in seventh-century Arabia, mainly because of a growth in trade, and the rise of Islam coincided with it. Emerging cities, especially Mecca, were accompanied by a rise in Arabic monotheism, and Muhammad's revelations supplied the body of scripture for this. As the centuries progressed many of his original ideas were interpreted differently by his followers from how he intended, as happened with Jesus's ideas. Brian Maye
When the Boys are Away. Sarah Webb
Macmillan €14.99
The life of a sailing widow is not all it's cracked up to be. Returning home to Dublin after three years spent following her professional sailor boyfriend, Simon, around the globe, Meg Miller expects life with 11-year old Dan and toddler Lily to slip gently into normality. But as Simon's schedule keeps him away from home more and more, Meg feels the pressure of being a stay-at-home mum, with little time for fun. Not even the entertainment offered by her man-eating sister, Hattie, can help, though a friendship with her similarly home-alone neighbour, Tina, offers some welcome respite. Dan's father, Sid, appears just when Meg is feeling vulnerable and is weighing up the pros and cons of her relationship with Simon. The story is told with Webb's characteristically light touch, so Meg's quirky take on life stops her running aground. Nautical, but nice. Claire Looby