Distance looks their way

Breaking news from London: Steve Braunias complains about the dawn’s early light being too early at 4:30am. First-world problem: no sympathy.

Also from London, Paul Ewen brings news of the forthcoming issue of Five Dials, an online magazine produced by Hamish Hamilton, an imprint of Penguin. It has around 15,000 regular subscribers, and its free issues are downloaded as PDFs by, he says, up to 200,000 people: “Contributors include everyone from Nobel Prize winners to Arcade Fire, Noam Chomsky to Harry Shearer.” He almost lost me at Arcade Fire and Noam Chomsky but I did like this:

Five Dials is best downloaded, printed out and enjoyed (we hope) away from the computer.

The previous issue, #31, had contributions from Lydia Davis, Georges Simenon, Zadie Smith and Yevgeny Zamyatin among others. Topics included lovelorn manual labourers, professional chefs and the world’s most hated book.

Issue #29 investigated Nabokov’s breakfast choices; issue #28’s topics included Sonic Youth, Kate Bush, Will Self, Alban Berg, poltergeists, Bruce Willis (and the henchman he killed), west London rich people and Joan Didion as a superhero.  

Paul writes:

On Sunday, June 1st, Five Dials is launching a very special New Zealand edition of the magazine. The issue will focus purely on the work of New Zealand writers – from the poetry of C.K. Stead to the graphic novel work of Sarah Laing. It will also feature correspondence between Janet Frame and Charles Brasch, and artworks from Shane Cotton and Francis Upritchard. Plus much more. The launch of the issue is taking place in London as part of the Australia & NZ Literary & Arts Festival, and speakers at the event include C.K. Stead, Stella Duffy, and Paula Morris.  

Also at the festival will be Tim Winton, Clive James, Paul Kelly, Mandy Hager, Anthony McCarten, Fay Weldon, Anton Oliver, Fleur Adcock, Richard Wolfe, and, inevitably, Steve Braunias.  

No word yet on the full contents of issue #32 of Five Dials but that cast-list looks promising. I’ll post the link as soon as it’s online.

UPDATE

It’s out! A 2.1 Mb PDF download here. Table of Contents:

Correspondents: Amidst the rubble and broken glass, John Ewen learns to go without

Three Pieces: by Micah Ferris

An Address: Frankfurt, 2012.By Tina Makereti

Three Lists: by Lynn Jenner

Jobs: The burden of working at the Mansfield birthplace.By Ashleigh Young

Graphic Novel: Katherine Mansfield considers her hair. By Sarah Laing

Two Poems: by Alice Miller

Two Remembrances: Paul Ewen accompanies a friend home; Stella Duffy watches rugby

Music: Roy Colbert was there

Three Poems: by C.K. Stead

Fiction: by Paula Morris; by Pip Adam