Frank McCourt and Misery Memoirs (Article)

Stirling

And perhaps a warning to other writers when portraying our home towns!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1201062/A-miserable-liar-Angelas-Ashes-inspired-new-literary-genre--Frank-McCourt-REALLY-telling-truth.html

Carol

We have to remember that recalling childhood- especially when you are an adult- lets you put a different context onto those things.
But I find it interesting that in the comments at the bottom of the article is the relative of someone who confirmed much of it.
The comments from people denying things were either people who were not there, or if they were ignore possible truths and blame his father for putting his family in that situation.
Any city whether in the UK or Ireland had areas and people like that in the 1930's. To deny such poverty existed is shameful- you only need to look at documentation in archives and libraries.
They should be celebrating the fact that despite such conditions they survived and have built a better future.

Stirling

Makes you wonder how people may react to the way we portray real places.

I get really annoyed in the way that Martyn Waites portrays Newcastle. He left the region a long time ago, and the city he writes about doesn't exist anymore.

Carol

That's the problem, when you write about fact and don't check it out.

trimbell

I wrote about several places in Ireland during the 1940s and 50s in my novel, Hitler and Mars Bars. I tried to portray each place accurately - as it was then. I visited each place and did lots of historical research to verify material before I used it. I hope I haven't offended anyone in my portrayals but I don't apologise for them. I re-created the time and place as best I can. I think that's what we should strive for when we write about a place.

Dianne Ascroft

Stirling

I got really pissed off last night after reading this paragraph by Martyn Waites:

"Found an arcade on Clayton Street [Newcastle]. He had felt safe in the arcade; like home from home in a strange city. But he attracted looks. The kids, the adults, were all, apart from the Asian owner and a couple of Asian kids, white. He was the only black kid. No outright hatred in the looks, just curiosity, some suspicion. Like they had never seen a black youthin real life and were waiting for him to do something. Like they had never heard a London accent except for Eastenders."

I was furious. It makes Newcastle sound extremely xenophobic (published in 2006.) I also would like to point out that Newcastle is a cosmopolitan city with plenty of Asian, black, European people etc. As for hearing London accents - a large proportion of the student population come from London!

Martyn Waites was born in Newcastle, but left a long time ago. If he's going to write about Newcastle, then he should visit once in a while.

I agree Trimbell. I hope my portrayal of Newcastle is the complete opposite of Martyn Waites' lies.