Article: Telling tales in a society of secrets INTERVIEW INTERVIEW Like the star of his latest novel Cleaver, author Tim Parks escaped from England to Italy, the ideal country to hide from things best left unsaid

CONTRANYMS - words which can mean the opposite of themselves - are rarer than you might think. Cleaver, the title of Tim Parks's new novel, is one. To cleave, says Parks, means "to cut and to cling". Cleaver is the name he has given to his principal character, a hotshot television journalist in the mould of a Paxman or a Dimbleby. In his most recent interview, he made the President of the United States look like a muppet. For Cleaver this is the fitting end to a career in the public spotlight. Like Stephen Fry abandoning his leading role a West End play for the obscure charm of Belgium, he disappears to the South Tyrol in the north of Italy near the border with Austria. Here, at 6000 feet ...

Related newspaper, magazine, and journal articles:

 
 
Newsweek Harper's Magazine The Washington Post Chicago Tribune Crain's Chicago Business PRNewswire Pediatric News The Nation Advertising Age The Economist (US) A FREE trial gives you access to over 80 million articles! Access over 6,500 publications with a FREE trial!