Thursday, June 28

“Porcupines in winter”

“Porcupines in winter”, published by the Young Foundation, is an interesting collection of short essays that sketch out the state of the relationships that characterise contemporary British life and society. There are portraits of places and of relationships between people. It rewards reading- even if you are not an avid reader. The essays are very short.

‘Porcupines in winter’ is also an apt metaphor for the state of us British Mirpuris. For porcupines are those prickly creatures. In winter, when they huddle together too close, they begin to prickle each other and therefore have to ease off a little. Then, feeling the cold, they huddle together yet more, until they prickle each other again. It is a constant struggle to find a happy medium between stifling closeness and being totally isolated.

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