Iain Sinclair

Paperback. Pub Date: 2003 Pages: 592 Publisher: Penguin A illiant the Voyage of Discovery into the deeply unfashionable fringes of London. 'It is not often that one reads a book and is convinced that it's an instant classic but I 'm sure that London Orbital will be read 50 years from now. This account of his walk around the M25 is on one level a journey into the heart of darkness. that terrain of golf courses. retail parks and industrial estates which is Blair's itain. It's a fascinating snapshot of who we are. lit by Sinclair's vivid prose. and on another level a warning that the mythological England of village greens and cycling aunts has been buried under the rush of a million radial tyres' - JG Ballard. Observer.Contents : Prejudices declare; soothing the seething - up the Lea Valley with Bill Drummond (and the Unabomber); Paradise Gardens - Waltham Abbey to Shenley; Col...… (more)

Over the past four years, I have been reading various bulky books about the history of London, and I imagined that this book would serve well as a description of the most recent section of modern contemporary history of London. The subtitle of the book, nl. “9 Excursions into the Secret History of London” seems to hint at that. I am familiar with Iain Sinclair's writing and style, and was looking forward to a fresh look on the City, as blurb texts also promised.

However, this was very disappointing. There is a lot of namesdropping, and the book isn't really about anything. Looking back a few days after reading, I cannot even say clearly what it is about, even whether it was about London at all.

It is long and repetitive, some references to Sinclair's own, other work coming back several times in exactly the same words like a recurring mantra. There are historical references, but they do not really tie up with the present, and much of what Sinclair writes about is highly obscure.… (more)