Items related to Pretty Girl in Crimson Rose (8): A Memoir of Love,...
Synopsis
Half a million people a day do it in the Telegraph. The Times claims almost as many, and the Guardian 300,000. Most people remember their first time, and everyone has a favourite. You can do it in bed, standing up, or on a train. You can do it alone, with a loved one or in groups. The Queen does it in the bath. It is not illegal, immoral or fattening. In fact it tops the Home Office list of approved entertainments for prison inmates. Crosswords are a very British obsession.'An extraordinary memoir... a positive page turner... A mesh of journeys and destinations, politics and romance, it touches what is beyond words.' Sophie Ratcliffe, The Times'You don't have to be a crossword nut to appreciate Sandy Balfour's tremendously beguiling Pretty Girl in Crimson Rose (8).' John Walsh, Independent'A little gem of a memoir... The book adds up to more than a sum of its parts and lingers in the memory long after the final page' Val Gilbert, Sunday Telegraph'Charming, knowledgeable and gripping' Nicholas Lezard, Guardian'A touching tribute to his partner... you close it feeling you have encountered a modest man of humour, compassion and common sense, who wears his wisdom lightly' Economist'A real charmer... this reviewer's verdict on Balfour's book: Touching success when foils clash at Elsinore (1,8,3) - A PALPABLE HIT' Kevin Jackson, Spectator'A book to make writers curse themselves for not having thought of the idea first, but to make readers hug themselves that Sandy Balfour did. A delight' Alan Coren'Sandy Balfour's memoir Pretty Girl in Crimson Rose (8) is like a great crossword clue - I couldn't put it down until I'd worked it out.' Clive James
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About the Author
Sandy Balfour was born in South Africa and emigrated to Britain in 1985. He is an award-winning television producer and has been known, on occasions, to complete entire crosswords.
From Publishers Weekly
Obsessed with the "narrative quality" and linguistic challenge of cryptic crosswords, London-based TV journalist Balfour sees them as an eloquent metaphor for life: "Crosswords tell stories about ourselves. Crosswords express our humanity.... And British crosswords do it better than any others." In 1983, aged 21, Balfour left his native South Africa, seeking "a bigger world out there, a world where ideas have greater currency, and where words mean more." Journeying in Europe, Africa and America, he became increasingly fascinated with cryptic crosswords, which he links to his travel tales: "We take a bus to the outskirts of Zagreb. Years later I see a clue for Zagreb in the Independent." Headed to Moscow, he took "three pieces of identity"-his South African ID document, his passport and an anthology of Guardian crosswords. He spoke with many crossword "setters," and some may wish for lengthier profiles of these erudite editors plus more anecdotes such as the one about a man who proposed marriage via clues hidden in a 1998 New York Times puzzle. The reader is introduced to the working methods of the Guardian's clever, prolific setter who uses the name Araucaria and has produced more than 57,000 puzzles. In Balfour's polished prose, "every word is pregnant with possibility." Doubly lit with wit, this memoir of layered meanings is written with the realization that "the invisible web of words that binds all knowledge is something real and tangible."
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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- PublisherJeremy P. Tarcher
- Publication date2004
- ISBN 10 1585423718
- ISBN 13 9781585423712
- BindingPaperback
- Rating
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