Irrational Things Pablo Neruda

Irrational Things Pablo NerudaWhy do women prefer men who remember their birthdays two days too late? What is the point of taking a stroll? And why does looking at a lake make us feel calm? Through his collection of stories, essays, thoughts and meanderings, prose philosopher Mu Tao gives us a tantalising glimpse into the colourful lives and landscape of Shaanxi Province. Combining intriguing personal asides, wry observations and pithy ponderings, he presents a unique collection

landless farmers and tramps in whose ‘hollow voice of loss’ he hears a renegade and still undefeated Albion

‘I first encountered the short story form during my West London Comprehensive schooldays in Doris Lessing’s Nine African Short Stories

and Moroccan poet Hassan Najmi

Peter Clark Modern Arabic Literature in Translation by Salih Altoma and Lexicon Arabischer Autoren by al-Maaly & Nagger

Reporting from Palestine is illustrated by contemporary photographs

perceptive and endearing narrator

a rich businessman

We don't do lots of useful

and recognition for a lifetime devoted to the theater

and these ‘Three Musketeers’ challenge perceptions of British “hoodie youth culture” through acts of kindness of their own

and question marks sharpened like knives

BBC Radio 3