Homage to the power of the pen

May 20 2007 By The Sunday Sun

Another Sky: Voices of Conscience From Around the World edited by Lucy Popescu and Carole Seymour-Jones is published by Profile Books, priced £8.99. Available now.

Anybody who needs convincing that the pen is indeed mightier than the sword would do well to read this incredible anthology.

Shocking, moving and inspiring in equal measure, it gives a voice to writers who have been jailed, tortured, exiled and even murdered for daring to stand up and be counted.

Collected by English PEN - the founding centre of the international writers' fellowship -these essays, poems, stories, and letters painfully expose the degree to which free speech is taken for granted by those of us lucky enough to have it.

Another Sky gives a harrowing insight into life under some of the world's most brutal and authoritarian regimes, including Syria, Iran, China and Burma. Most of the pieces are previously unpublished and would have remained so were it not for the efforts of PEN and the refusal of the authors to be silenced.

One of the most poignant contributions is from Nigerian author Ken Saro-Wiwa who, shortly before paying the ultimate price for his defiance and moral conviction, wrote: "I am now convinced, more than ever, that the path of literature is the assured way to human salvation and to civilisation. I hail the power of the pen."

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WISDEN CRICKETERS' ALMANAC 2007 by Matthew Engel is published in hardback by John Wisden & Co, priced £40. Available now.

Let me state the obvious. For those without the slightest interest in cricket, this book is not for you. In fact, I doubt you're even reading this.

For those, like me, who believe cricket to be one of the greatest of all man's creations - a construct on a par with the wheel, the eighth Wonder of the World, a way of life that acts as a blueprint for Utopia - well, you have probably got it already.

No doubt some among the "unprecedented 50,000" who bought last year's edition, did so under the spell of Freddie Fever, which gripped the nation after the most exciting Test series in the whole 125-year battle for the Ashes.

They may not be so inclined to buy another, particularly after this winter's debacle Down Under, which is chewed over for 83 pages.

Editor Matthew Engel has attracted most of the finest names in cricket writing to contribute and starts with 80 pages of comment, articles on the state of the game, amusing stories and tributes. The remainder of the book looks back over the 2006 season and also over the whole rich history of the game, with a fascinating collection of reports, results, facts and figures.

A book for the true enthusiast.

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LUCY IN THE SKY, by Paige Toon, is published in paperback by Pocket Books, priced £6.99. Available now.

For too long chick lit seems to have been a bit out of fashion as the really good writers have matured into yummy mummies writing about issues involving children, baggage and everything that age brings with it.

So it's refreshing to find Paige Toon's debut novel right back in the traditional chick-lit bracket with its lilac cover and vibrant young heroine Lucy.

Lucy, 25, is returning to Australia after nine years to attend her best friend's wedding. On the plane she receives a mysterious text suggesting that her gorgeous boyfriend is cheating on her.

So begins a journey of discovery for Lucy, as she falls for the groom's dishy brother.

This is easy holiday reading for anyone seeking a few hours of escapism.