Mike Leigh

@mikeleigh

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Mike Leigh recommended The Bab Ballads in Books (curated)

 
The Bab Ballads
The Bab Ballads
W. S. Gilbert | 1869 | Fiction & Poetry
(0 Ratings)
Book Favorite

"As the maker of Topsy-Turvy, I’m an unapologetic fan of W.S.Gilbert. ‘Bab’ was his childhood pet-name and his adult pen-name. His delightful verses and drawings are a total gas, and no bathroom library should be without a copy."

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Mike Leigh recommended Martin Chuzzlewit in Books (curated)

 
Martin Chuzzlewit
Martin Chuzzlewit
Charles Dickens | 1844 | Fiction & Poetry
(0 Ratings)
Book Favorite

"Another influence. What characters and characterizations! How perceptively Dickens portrays our complex imperfections! And, incidentally, what a splendid picture of 19th century America! "

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To The Kwai and Back: War Drawings 1939-1945
To The Kwai and Back: War Drawings 1939-1945
Ronald Searle | 1986 | History & Politics
(0 Ratings)
Book Favorite

"Searle has inspired and influenced me since I was six years old. He was one of the greatest illustrators and cartoonists of the 20th Century. A Japanese prisoner-of-war in his early 20s, he managed, often with great difficulty, to make drawings and, remarkably, to keep them. Horrifying, often moving, sometimes funny, this collection is a total joy, on so many levels. "

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The Third Policeman: The Third Policeman
The Third Policeman: The Third Policeman
Flann O'Brien | 2007 | Fiction & Poetry
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Favorite

"My favorite of Flann O’Brien’s novels, although I love At-Swim-Two-Birds. Profound, haunting, mystical and utterly hilarious. The bizarre narrative is accompanied by an eccentric parallel saga about something obscure called The De Selby Codex, a red herring that gradually grows in quantity until it all but obscures the main story."

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Journey To The End Of The Night
Journey To The End Of The Night
Louis-Ferdinand Celine | 2012 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry
(0 Ratings)
Book Favorite

"Hard to choose between this and his ‘Death on The Installment Plan’. But Céline’s quasi-autobiography wins. Despite the nihilistic cynicism of which he is often justifiably accused, underneath it all, his characters bristle with life and hope. "

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Mike Leigh recommended 4 3 2 1 in Books (curated)

 
4 3 2 1
4 3 2 1
Paul Auster | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Favorite

"For me, Auster’s masterpiece, and worth our waiting for. The dazzling scope of his inventiveness is breathtaking. Healthily nostalgic for us who are contemporary with his multiple central character. A compulsive read; I found it hard to put down, and I couldn’t get enough of it. I found the negative response to the book in some quarters quite astonishing, but as the frequent recipient of diametrically opposite reviews myself, I ought to know better!"

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Three Novels: Malloy, Malone Dies, The Unnameable
Three Novels: Malloy, Malone Dies, The Unnameable
Samuel Beckett | 2009 | Fiction & Poetry
(0 Ratings)
Book Favorite

"A massive influence. He sums up existence. He reinvents writing itself. He makes me howl with pain and scream with laughter."

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Mike Leigh recommended White Teeth in Books (curated)

 
White Teeth
White Teeth
Zadie Smith | 2016 | Fiction & Poetry
8.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Favorite

"For me, this is a most important work. Zadie Smith brilliantly evokes contemporary Britain with astonishing accuracy, and unique wit and charm. A book to savor."

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