Alexi Sayle: Stalin Ate My Homework

news

Pulblished on Sept 2, local resident Alexi Sayle's latest book is a memoir of his early life.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stalin-Ate-Homework-Alexei-Sayle/dp/0340919574

Frank Cottrell Boyce reviews Alexei Sayle's book: Stalin Ate My Homework

I knew that Alexei's family were communists and I thought this would be an account of a particular political culture.  Or maybe of Sayle's adventures in alternative comedy.

Instead it's a warm, affectionate account of a tiny family (Alexei was an only child) who were remarkable not so much for their beliefs as their individuality and their adventurous spirit.   Sayle's father Joe was a railway man and as such had access to free railway travel. While most of his colleagues used that to get their families a cheap trip to Blackpool, Joe Sayle used it to take his wife and son on epic journeys across Europe and behind the Iron Curtain.  They seem to have lived for these trips and at one point Sayle says if there was a movie of the family history, its tagline would be 'They Set Too Much Store By Holidays'.

But I'm glad they did.  Because its given Sayle a fabulous treasure trove of holiday snaps.  As a novelist, one of his great strengths is that he still has the comedian's eye for the telling detail.  Here he uses that to give us glimpses of Worlds that have gone forever – the lost empire of the Soviet Union, the Europe of transcontinental luxury steam trains and also the strange, forgotten social life of the trade union seaside conference with its dinner dances and free passes to the local miniature railway. Joe Sayle himself – idealistic,  well-mannered working class autodidact seems like a member of an extinct species too. While his wife, Molly – strident,  energetic,  eccentric, foul-mouthed, mesmerising, yelling furiously at the telly all the way through the Queen's speech – is a fantastic comic creation.  At least I think she's a comic creation. She can't be real, can she?

More News

Camden Street Names

Have you every wondered how your street was named? Camden History Society have published a comprehensive list of Camden''s street names and their origins. from Abbey Place (off Little Coram Street) The seat of the Duke of BEDFORD is WOBURN Abbey in Bedfordshire. to Yorkshire Grey Place, NW3 Yorkshire Grey Yar...
Read More

Posted 12 Feb 2024

Honey & Co comes to LCS

Honey & Co., the Middle Eastern restaurant from husband and wife chef duo Sarit Packer and Itamar Srulovich, has opened at 54 Lamb’s Conduit Street on the corner of Rugby Street. Srulovich explains: “We knew as soon as we saw the site on Lamb’s Conduit Street that it was the one for us, and we rarely...
Read More

Posted 20 Jun 2022

Gift a Chair to Our Local Community Centre

Those of you who've brought up children in our area, had a surgery with one of our local councillors or even had a meeting with our MP will probably have visited Bedford House in the passageway that links Lambs Conduit Street with Emerald Street.  Much needed redevelopment of the site is  nearing completion. ...
Read More

Posted 20 Jul 2021