SOME POASYUM PRESS CUTTINGS

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The Russell Hoban Some-Poasyum by Dennis Abbott

Frieze.com, Thursday 5th May 2005

Review of the convention

"As night fell on London after a day of fiercely unpredictable weather, a wooden-headed psychopath committed multiple murders with a blunt instrument and taunted those gathered around him with crude innuendo. Then he sang ‘Happy Birthday’ in his high-pitched shriek of a voice and everyone applauded warmly. Passers-by could be forgiven their uniformly bemused expressions; it’s not every evening you see a group of adults transfixed by a traditional Punch and Judy show in a closed bookshop on London’s Fulham Road."

The veteran rocker by James Urquhart

The Independent, Friday 18th February 2005

Review of Come Dance With Me

Russell Hoban publishes his 13th adult novel amid public celebrations of his 80th birthday.

Observing the Status Quo by Stephanie Merritt

The Observer, Sunday 13th February 2005

Review of Come Dance With Me

"This weekend will have seen the first Russell Hoban convention in London in honour of the author's 80th birthday. His worldwide community of fans, known as 'the Kraken', has organised the three-day event which includes tours of Hoban's London, dinners in the author's favourite restaurants and ownership of a limited-edition commemorative booklet with contributions from eminent Hoban fans such as David Mitchell, Harrison Birtwistle, Andrew Davies, Glenda Jackson and Quentin Blake. Hoban clearly still inspires passion among his many fans, and with his 13th adult novel published to coincide with his birthday celebrations, he proves that he is not to be easily categorised."

Lord of the Kraken by Julie Wheelwright

The Scotsman, Saturday 12th February 2005

Interview with Russell Hoban

"If Hoban fears exposing his writing to scrutiny, his readers think otherwise. This weekend, to celebrate Hoban’s 80th birthday, his fan club The Kraken - named after the mythical Greek sea monster who appears in his 1987 novel The Medusa Frequency - have organised a get-together to celebrate his works. They will gather at Russell Square Underground station to visit sites in London and Canterbury that have meaning in his fictional world. They will also drop favourite Hoban quotes written on yellow paper in public places to bring attention to his writings. (Hoban’s 1974 novel, Kleinzeit, featured a hospital where inanimate objects such as a mirror, the Tube and Yellow Pages are given a voice.) Participants are advised to 'bring a favourite Hoban novel of your choice and a good pair of walking shoes'. 'They’re a nice bunch, the Kraken,' says Hoban..."
 

The Book of Revelations by David Mitchell

The Guardian, Saturday 5th February 2005

Reproduction in the Review section of a piece originally written by the author of the Booker-shortlisted Cloud Atlas for the Some-Poasyum Celebratory Book

"To mark Russell Hoban's 80th birthday David Mitchell pays tribute to Riddley Walker, and recalls how this uncompromising novel took over his imagination during a solitary period in Japan."

The Only Game in Town by John de Falbe

The Spectator, issue dated 5th February 2005

Review of Come Dance With Me

"A grey February day can only be brightened by a new outing in Hoban-land. Here are the bats and the owls and the references to the work of Redon and so forth. Here is the humour, the fertile language and the inimitable kookiness by which all of Hoban’s work is distinguished. Walk-on parts from previous characters, including Peter Diggs and Amaryllis (‘Trust me, I’m a weirdo’), are like great bunches of flowers presented to faithful readers. Those who gather for the three-day ‘Some-Poasyum’ this month to mark Russell Hoban’s 80th birthday and celebrate his work do not need the new novel to be a masterpiece to justify their enthusiasm."

See another article by John de Falbe on this website

A Writer's Life: Russell Hoban by Alex Clark

The Daily Telegraph, Saturday 29th January 2005

Interview with Russell Hoban

"'I am essentially an alone person, and alone people interest me,' [says Russell Hoban]. There won't be much chance for Hoban to be alone a couple of weeks from now, when a convention of fans, ominously named the Kraken, are planning to descend on London to celebrate his 80th birthday next month with a Russell Hoban Some-Poasyum (an echo of the broken-down pidgin of Riddley Walker). They will embark on a programme of visiting sacred sites that range from an Italian restaurant in Bloomsbury to the No 14 bus route. The thought clearly tickles Hoban, who plans to give a reading during an evening that will also include a Punch and Judy show. It's the kind of intimate, fervent recognition that most suits Hoban, a writer who revels in wandering off the beaten track."