Books

Upcoming memoirs for culture-lovers to dig into

Novelist John le Carre will step away from his tales of espionage to tackle his first non-fiction work, his own memoir, which is set for release next September. – Wikimedia Commons pic, October 16, 2015.Novelist John le Carre will step away from his tales of espionage to tackle his first non-fiction work, his own memoir, which is set for release next September. – Wikimedia Commons pic, October 16, 2015.This week, three major memoirs have been announced that have got the worlds of music, art and literature talking.

Phil Collins, "warts and all"

In Phil Collins's 40-year career thus far, he has earned the distinction of being one of just three recording artists in history to sell more than 100 million albums both as a band member (with Genesis) and as a solo artist. In an announcement from his publisher, he said he had been approached several times before about writing his memoir but that only now did the time feel right.

"I am ready to go on record about my life in music with all the highs and all the lows and to tell the story from my point of view, warts and all!" he said.

The book will be published next October.

John le Carré and his "secret sharers"

The much-read spy novelist ("The Spy Who Came in From the Cold," "The Constant Gardener," "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy") has been writing for more than 50 years, earning admirers that include fellow authors Graham Greene and Philip Roth. He'll step away from his tales of espionage to tackle his first non-fiction work , his own memoir, "The Pigeon Tunnel: Stories from My Life."

The book promises to reveal the worlds of the author's "secret sharers", those who have inspired some of his novels.

It will be published next September.

Ai Weiwei and “my father, his generation, and my own experience"

The Chinese dissident artist, who has a worldwide following on social media, where he talks about human rights, censorship, and corruption, will take readers behind the scenes of his artistic career, covering his formative years in the US, his return to Beijing and some of his recent projects.

Beyond that, though, he'll write about the cultural history of China over the past 100 years, told through his own story and that of his father, the poet Ai Qing, and recounting their "struggle for individual freedom and self-expression in this old society."

His memoir is coming in spring 2017. – AFP, October 16, 2015. 

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