In population terms, Liverpool isn't a vast city
(dwarfed by Birmingham, say), but it looms colossal in
the history (recorded and mythical) of the British
Isles, and in fact the world. ''Real Liverpool'' is
Niall Griffiths' antidote to the flood of mawkish
twaddle that will appear in the build-up to 2008 when
Liverpool is European City of Culture.It showcases
Griffiths' love/hate relationship with the city, its
maritime and merchant histories, class divisions,
sectarian divides, Celtic influences, and the siege
mentality underpinning the celebrated Scouse humour. Nor
does he flinch from Liverpool's dark side: the drugs,
the urban blight, the fallout from Thatcherism, the
internecine violence. Jamie Bulger, Heysel,
Hillsborough, the Dockers' Strike, the Toxeth Riots, all
of these and more are discussed.''Real Liverpool'' is
underpinned by a strong autobiographical element which
details the author's birth and formative years in the
city, his movement away from it, and the abiding pull it
exerts. In addition, Griffiths interviews many people
closely connected to the city, from personal friends and
family members to artists and workers.From the Wirral to
Warrington, Anfield to Everton, Bottle to Diddyland,
Griffiths criss-crosses the city by the Ferry and
through the Tunnels, from John Lennon airport to the
racecourse and down the docks, building a picture of a
city which, whatever its faults, is never dull. |
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