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I Put a Spell on You

By John Burnside

Product Image: I Put a Spell on You

I Put a Spell on You

Only 5 items left in stock
Description
In this exquisite, haunting book, John Burnside describes his coming of age from the industrial misery of Cowdenbeath and Corby to the new world of Cambridge. The old Scots word 'glamour' means magical charm, and the first time he was played I Put a Spell on You, John Burnside thought he had never heard a more beautiful song - it was an enchantment, a fascination that would turn to obsession. Implicit in the song were all the ambiguities that intrigued him - love, possession, and danger - and this book is an exploration of the darker side of glamour and attraction. Beginning with memories of a brutal murder, the book follows the author through a series of uncanny encounters with 'lost girls', with brilliant digressions on murder ballads, voodoo, acid and insomnia, and a cast that includes Kafka and Narcissus, Diane Arbus and Mel Lyman, The Four Tops and Screamin' Jay Hawkins, and time spent lost in the Arctic Circle, black-and-white films and a mental institution. Ending with the tender summoning of the ghost of his dying mother as she sings along to the radio in her empty kitchen, I Put a Spell on You is a book about memory, about the other side of love: a book of secrets and wonders. 'A marvellously meandering, digressive study of the nature of love... Exact and enthralling.' Tessa Hadley
Product details
Binding:
Paperback
Edition:
1
Number of Pages:
288
Release Date:
2015-05-07
Publication Date:
2015-05-07
Publisher:
Vintage Publishing
Languages:
Original: English
ISBN10:
0099554941
ISBN13:
9780099554943
GPSR Manufacturer Reference:
[email protected]
Weight:
208 g
Height:
129 cm
Width:
198 cm
Thickness:
22 cm

Condition

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Good
The items bear minimal signs of past use, such as light scratches or memories in the form of markings. These signs of wear give the items a charming character and tell stories of their previous owners, while not affecting their functionality.
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