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Simon Leys Simon Leys i(A32990 works by)
Writing name for: Pierre Ryckmans
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Works By

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1 y separately published work icon Prosper : A Voyage at Sea Simon Leys , Collingwood : Black Inc. , 2015 8753512 2015 single work prose travel

''A big liner, brightly lit, passes us one or two cable-lengths ahead. 'Ow! They are guzzling champagne but cannot see what's in front of them!' grumbles Etienne, who has the helm and puts Prosper back on course. Our wooden boat, which one long wave can carry, is a mere cork in the wake of that ship, which crushes three dozen such waves under her uncaring steel plates. How many hundreds of men does she carry? Up there, people laugh, play, dream, eat and sleep … while we, a few feet above the water, surrounded by dancing lights, keep watch till dawn.'

'One summer, Simon Leys joined the crew of a tuna-fishing boat in Brittany, one of the last boats working under sail. In this exceptionally beautiful and elegiac essay, he evokes the traditions, hardships and dangers of the oldest and finest form of seamanship.' (Publication summary)
1 9 y separately published work icon The Hall of Uselessness Simon Leys , Collingwood : Black Inc. , 2011 Z1792293 2011 selected work essay 'An essential collection of essays from an eminent critic.

'Simon Leys' cultural and political commentary has spanned four decades, with no corner of the arts escaping his sharp eye and acerbic wit. The Hall of Uselessness forms the most complete collection yet of Leys' fascinating essays, from Quixotism to China, from the sea to literature.

'Leys feuds with Christopher Hitchens, ponders the popularity of Victor Hugo and analyses the posthumous publication of Nabokov's unfinished novel. He offers valuable insights into Mao's Cultural Revolution and the Khmer Rouge, and discusses Orwell, Waugh and Confucius. He considers the intertwined nature of Chinese art, culture and history alongside the joys and difficulties of literary translation. The Hall of Uselessness is an illuminating compendium from a brilliant and highly acclaimed writer - a long-time resident of Australia who is truly a global citizen. (From the publisher's website.)
1 The Experience of Literary Translation Simon Leys , 2011 single work essay
— Appears in: The Best Australian Essays : A Ten Year Collection 2011;
1 Lies That Tell the Truth Simon Leys , 2007 single work essay
— Appears in: The Monthly , November no. 29 2007; (p. 40-46)
1 Master Storyteller in Seamless Form Simon Leys , 2007 single work review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 27-28 October 2007; (p. 12-13)
— Review of The Memory Room Christopher Koch , 2007 single work novel
1 Prosper Simon Leys , 2005 single work prose autobiography
— Appears in: The Wreck of the Batavia and Prosper 2005; (p. 67-110)
1 7 y separately published work icon The Wreck of the Batavia and Prosper Simon Leys , Melbourne : Black Inc. , 2005 Z1266186 2005 selected work prose essay autobiography
1 The Wreck of the Batavia : Anatomy of a Massacre Simon Leys , 2005 single work essay
— Appears in: The Wreck of the Batavia and Prosper 2005; (p. 1-59)
1 4 y separately published work icon The Angel and the Octopus : Collected Essays 1983-1998 Simon Leys , Potts Point : Duffy and Snellgrove , 1999 Z239609 1999 selected work prose
2 y separately published work icon Les Deux Acrobates The Two Acrobats Jeanne Ryckmans , Simon Leys (illustrator), Paris : Seuil Jeunesse , 1998 Z1431906 1998 single work children's fiction children's

'Frederick & Basil were the best of friends . . .

'From father and daughter team Pierre & Jeanne Ryckmans, Piccolo Nero presents The Two Acrobats. This is a charming, tightrope-walking tale for people big and small, in which we encounter friendship, the circus and the President of France. Poor Basil, he really shouldn’t have eaten those snails . . .' (Publication summary)
2 17 y separately published work icon La Mort de Napoléon Simon Leys , Paris : Hermann , 1986 Z1431267 1986 single work novel (taught in 1 units)

'A hypothetical account of what could have happened if Napolean had not died depicts the Emperor traveling incognito through Europe experiencing a series of bizarre adventures that bring him face to face with reality.' (Publication summary)
1 Chinese Shadows Simon Leys , 1977 extract prose (Ombres Chinoises)
— Appears in: The New York Review of Books , 26 May 1977;
2 y separately published work icon Ombres Chinoises Simon Leys , Paris : 10-18 , 1975 Z1438073 1975 single work autobiography travel
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