Slightly Foxed

SLIGHTLY FOXED

One of the joys of retirement is just having more time “to stand and stare” but also to read. That might seem obvious but I don’t just mean my current book but the joy of serendipitous reading. The articles, journals, magazines that used to gather dust are now read from cover to cover over coffee or tea. I have rediscovered the joy of reading a long article rather than tweets or brief news bulletins on my phone.

One of my favourite items of reading material is Slightly Foxed, a delightful quarterly literary journal that drops through my letter box as the seasons change. In the past I have been known to be reading the winter edition in May or June, but now find I am avidly awaiting the next edition. It was recommended to me many years ago by a teaching colleague and has led to a treasure trove of reading. Many eminent writers can be found within its pages. In their own words, “Slightly Foxed is an independent minded quarterly that combines good looks, good writing and a personal approach. It introduces its readers to books that are no longer new and fashionable but have lasting appeal. Good humoured, unpretentious and a bit eccentric, it’s more like a well read friend than a literary magazine.” (A description I wouldn’t mind being applied to me!)

The term ‘foxed’ applies to the brown spots on the paper of old books so it is a perfect title.

Slightly Foxed’s primary focus is books and culture and each edition contains 15 or 16 essays by well known and eminent writers. The covers are delightful and feature a different artist every time. In 2016 SF published its 50th edition and it seems to be a well kept secret amongst the book loving community. It harkens back to a slower age and many of the books recommended in its pages reflect this. Here are some of the books I have discovered or rediscovered through its pages:

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John le Carre featured in the article "Circus Tricks" by Adam Sisman, SF Spring 2017: Adam Sisman reminds us of “the precision of the dialogue, the deftly drawn characters, the accuracy of the settings, the steadily rising tension...” and compares the 1979 BBC TV adaptation quite favourably. TTSS was originally published in 1974 and there is now a recent follow up A Legacy of Spies featuring George Smiley which looks well worth reading.

Giving up the Ghost: A Memoir by Hilary Mantel featured in "A flickering on the

Staircase by Maggie Fergusson" SF Spring 2017: this is an excellent essay about Hilary Mantel’s moving autobiography. Reviewing the book in the Guardian (May 2003), Kathryn Hughes writes "Over the past 10 years, as memoir writing has become fashionable and confident in its own judgments, authors have got into the habit of saying that the truth, strictly speaking, doesn't matter. If you remember something in a particular way, then that is where the real truth, the emotional truth, the deeper truth, actually lies. Mantel, who "has an investment in accuracy", thinks this is rot. She knows how we all collude in the smartened-up version of the past handed down by anxious parents, but still she believes that, if we try hard enough, we can remember "a face, a perfume, one true thing or two". Hilary Mantel is a great writer and her memoir is as good as her fiction.

The Rotters Club by Jonathan Coe (2001) featured in "The writing on the wall" by Ranjit Bolt, SF Winter 2016. Set in 1970s Birmingham, this brilliant book perfectly evokes the times. Jonathan Coes affection for his teenage years and the city in which he lived form the core of the book. As Bolt says “this rite of passage novel should take its place as a classic of the genre, in the same league as Catcher in the Rye or Tom Sawyer”.

The Queen by Ben Pimlott (1996) featured in "A Crowning Achievement" by Jane

Ridley SF Spring 2018. I’ve never read, or wanted to read, a biography of the Queen but this fascinating article made me want to do just that. Pimlott is by no means a monarchist and is concerned about the changing relationship between the Queen and the media and the Queen and the British Public. It touches on her relationships with her Prime Ministers, the social history of her times and talks interestingly about the approach and relevance of the recent series 'The Crown'.

I’ll report back whe I’ve read it!

SF also publishes a small number of books worth reprinting in beautiful hard back editions and make perfect gifts. Do have a look - https://foxedquarterly.com/