James Evison

Postgrad in Modern Lit and Culture at University of London, @birkbeck_arts. PhD on Robert Aickman, October ‘26 onwards. With a bang, not a whimper.

[James Evison @jamesrevison]

Decent list, agree very anglophone, but was glad to see Kindred on it. Notable omissions include Fosse’s Septology, DFW’s Infinite Jest, and Strugatsky brothers’ Roadside Picnic. Also Elizabeth Bowen’s The Heat of the Day, which is probably the greatest WW2 novel.

[David Hering @hering_david]

Re: Guardian book list - very anglophone (two thirds from UK/US), feels somewhat out of whack with the more recent cultural shift towards wider availability of lit in translation. I’m never gonna complain about Proust/Joyce/Morrison/Eliot obvs

[James Evison @jamesrevison]

@ZackPolanski Polanski has the right truly rattled. It’s been a long, long time since that has been the case.

[James Evison @jamesrevison]

More needs to be done on the curriculum. I love Shakespeare, Dickens/19th C novels, but trying to engage 14-16 year olds with these texts is hard. If more contemporary fiction, it would revolutionise teens understanding of lit’s relevance. Keep historical texts for A level.

[Ella Dorn 唐棠 @elladorn_]

Said this before but we need to extend the primary school Literacy Hour all the way to the end of post-16 education. Replace a tiny bit of the curriculum with an hour of device-free silent reading and the payoff will be massive

[James Evison @jamesrevison]

Less STEM focus, more relevant GCSE English curriculum - essential govt interventions. Also, it’s not just about banning smartphones in schools; also cultivate a reading culture and show value of lit to teenagers (want to write a Netflix drama? Need to read quality fiction, etc).

[James Evison @jamesrevison]

Wild that profs are telling undergrads to leave phones outside to concentrate on books - & offering reading “resilience” courses. Only mainstream commentator regularly talking about this is @j_amesmarriott. Needs serious discussion, fast.

[James Evison @jamesrevison]

@j_amesmarriott It was reissued in 2006 with a new afterword reflecting the reading culture at the time.

[James Evison @jamesrevison]

Yeah but can AI write articles like this.

[James Evison @jamesrevison]

The joys of second-hand bookshops. I picked this up in London and look what fell out…assume Mr Brownjohn is literary critic and poet Alan Brownjohn, who died in 2024.

[Brian Groom @GroomB]

Remembering poet Philip Larkin, born #OTD 1922. Here he is on St Hilda's Street, Hull, by Observer photographer Jane Bown.

[James Evison @jamesrevison]

@ObserverUK @chloehadj One thing only mentioned in passing is the failure of due diligence from the publisher and agent. A memoir should have facts verified, otherwise it should just be badged as fiction. From JT Leroy to James Frey to “Raynor Winn” and many others, when will they learn?

[James Evison @jamesrevison]

Tory commentators seem to be forgetting something…

[James Evison @jamesrevison]

@MeghanMcCain Then you need to understand wealth inequality in your own country. This isn’t about preventing millionaires/middle class wealth, it’s about growing it & reducing the ultra-wealthy. America is one of the most unequal countries - with the gap growing. That’s simply bad capitalism.

[James Evison @jamesrevison]

@MeghanMcCain Obama signed off on 563 strikes - mainly drones - killing around 3,793 people. He spent $2.4tn on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. His $608bn national defense budget was one of the biggest ever.

[James Evison @jamesrevison]

Obama signed off on 563 strikes - mainly drones - killing around 3,793 people. He spent $2.4tn on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. His $608bn national defense budget was one of the biggest ever.

[Meghan McCain @MeghanMcCain]

America is the greatest, most highly skilled, elite military force in the history of the earth and it’s incredible to have an administration who reminds the world we aren’t weak apologists for our might anymore.

The Obama era is OVER.

[James Evison @jamesrevison]

Brian Wilson. Absolute RIP.

[James Evison @jamesrevison]

@RoryStewartUK The ultimate betrayal.

[Brian Eno News @dark_shark]

John Cage: 10 Rules For Students And Teachers

[James @exhaustdata]

This 600-page play would take 10 straight days to perform, and is intended for a hypothetical theater on Mars, far away from the sorts of unenlightened men who still believe in things as shameful as war. It was written in 1916.

[James Evison @jamesrevison]

@ABCDoes @BBCMorningLive Alistair, you mentioned some studies in your appearance relating to dysregulation and screen time, also the guidance around under fives having assisted one hour max screen time . Sounds fascinating, do you have some links to these?