The Steeple Times

Category: CREATIVES

  • Amor Towles

    Amor Towles

    “Dry witted” investment banker turned bestselling modern-day F. Scott Fitzgerald-esque author Amor Towles is a civilised gent who has “led a life straight from one of his novels”

    Table for Two – “six stories based in New York” around the turn of the millennium and “a novella set in Golden Age Hollywood” – is the latest “knockout” work from Boston born author Amor Towles (published May 2024) if you’d believe The New York Times. Of it, The Times enthused further: “If you take only one book on holiday this summer, you couldn’t ask for a better literary capsule wardrobe.”

     

    Whilst the extraordinarily eccentric Nubar Gulbenkian once suggested: “The best number for a dinner party is two – myself and a damn good head waiter,” Table for Two’s fiction delves into a world where the Financial Times’s Christian House suggests a mixture of “misunderstood hustlers wear cashmere, washed-up thespians outwit playboys and aristocrats wait tables.” He presents “excellent company” and “grand and seamy lodgings, loveable chancers and outrageous parties — with warmth and irreverence.”

     

    To buy novels by Amor Towles including Table For Two, A Gentleman in Moscow, Rules of Civility and The Lincoln Highway whilst supporting local, independent bookshops, visit our Bookshop.org shop:

    Yale College and Stanford University educated and an ex-investment banker, Towles – whose fans range from the tech pioneer Bill Gates to President Barrack Obama – is most definitely a modern-day F. Scott Fitzgerald in terms of the observations he makes about society, the rich and indulgence.

     

    Towles lives with his wife and two children between Gramercy Park, New York and a house with its own lake in Upstate New York, describes himself as “comfortable with solitude” and lists his hobbies as “collecting fine art and antiquities.” His biggest hit, A Gentleman in Moscow, premiered as a film starring Ewan McGregor and Mary Elizabeth Winstead in March 2024 whilst the making of a film adaptation of The Lincoln Highway is underway also.

     

    Follow this social media savvy bestselling author on Twitter at @amortowles and on Instagram at @amortowles.

     

    Editor’s note – Unlike as is the case in many publications, this article was NOT sponsored or supported by a third-party. Follow Matthew Steeples on Twitter at @M_Steeples and watch his current nightly show on YouTube at 8.30pm daily.

     

    A message from our editorial team – Thank you for reading this article. We’re more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus and the cost-of-living crisis impacts our advertisers. If you haven’t already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by supporting our work via Patreon.

     

    Bill Gates Amor Towles
    In May 2019, Bill Gates remarked of ‘A Gentleman in Moscow’ (2017): “It seems like everyone I know has read this book. I finally joined the club after my [then] brother-in-law sent me a copy, and I’m glad I did. Towles’ novel about a count sentenced to life under house arrest in a Moscow hotel is fun, clever, and surprisingly upbeat. Even if you don’t enjoy reading about Russia as much as I do (I’ve read everything Dostoyevsky wrote), ‘A Gentleman in Moscow’ is an amazing story that anyone can enjoy.” Of ‘Rules of Civility’ (2012), Gates added: “Towles is not a one trick pony. Like all the best storytellers, he has range.”
    Nighthawks Edward Hopper
    Amongst his inspirations, the author cites Edward Hopper and his 1942 work ‘Nighthawks’ as one of “the more understated influences” of ‘Rules of Civility’ (2011) – a book that, according to Wikipedia, “was successful beyond his expectations, so much so that proceeds from the book afforded him the luxury of retirement from investment banking and the opportunity to pursue writing full time.”
    Amor Towles Table for Two 2024
    In April 2024, ‘City A.M.’s’ Anna Moloney shared her thoughts on the “whimsical life” of the ‘A Gentleman in Moscow’ and ‘Table for Two’ author. Aside from praising his “dry wit and twinkle-in-its-eye prose,” Moloney shared her experiences sending a letter in a bottle aged 10 (and “never heard of it again”) and added: “Not so for Towles himself, however, whose life appears to have been blessed with such a sense of whimsy that one can imagine he may have been delivered by stork. And indeed, young Towles, also aged 10, sent a message in a bottle out into the Atlantic Ocean – but to considerably more success. While he hoped it might have reached China, he instead received a letter from the offices of ‘The New York Times,’ where then-managing editor Harrison Salisbury wrote to inform him he had found Towles’s dispatch – an extraordinary story that kicked off many years of correspondence between the two. It is also a story journalists now can’t stop bringing up, he tells me, but it’s one that so perfectly frames the world his novels sprang from that it’s impossible to resist.”
  • Big Zuu (Birth Name – Zuhair Hassan)

    Big Zuu (Birth Name – Zuhair Hassan)

    Born in 1995, Big Zuu is an infectiously enthusiastic rapper and grime MC who has already morphed into television and cooked up a culinary storm. Here, indeed, is an example of a young person who is the pinnacle of positivity and someone easily able to aptly cross social divides.

     

    Having spent six months behind the grill at the fast food chain Nando’s, this self-taught cook began sharing his passion for food with “West African and Middle Eastern vibes” in a Dave series named Big Zuu’s Big Eats in 2019. Guests on his BAFTA nominated show have thus far included Jimmy Carr, Maya Jama and Josh Widdicombe and with his wicked humour and wacky approach, the nation has been understandably captivated.

     

    With over 70,000 followers on Twitter and 167,000 on Instagram, this “avid Liverpool Football Club supporter” has published a cookery book featuring over 100 affordable recipes. He sets out to “prove that you don’t need a Michelin star education to chef up some serious food creations” and his work mentoring young children is to be saluted also.

     

    Described by television presenter Stacey Dooley MBE as a “superstar,” the lamb jollof loving rapper-chef told The Voice in 2020:

     

    “Big Zuu’s Big Eats is the show for people who don’t live near a Waitrose or who can’t afford to go to one. I’m a massive fan of all cooking programmes, but I think this show stands out as we’re sourcing the food from local shops rather than big chains.”

     

    “I’m hoping it proves to people, especially in my generation, that cooking can be a fun and affordable experience. A lot of people I know can’t be bothered to cook and think it costs too much so they’d rather just get fast food. Hopefully, BZBE’s can change that for some people.”

     

    “I also don’t think there are many shows where there is a grime MC with his two best mates, cooking for world famous comedians in a food truck! Haha!”

     

    Zuhair Hassan appeared on the BBC’s Saturday Kitchen in March 2022 and though brought up on the notorious Mozart Estate in Kilburn – referenced as “Crack City” by the BBC in 2011 – like our late, great favourite fellow council estate born cooking hero Keith Floyd, here indeed could be a larger-than-life talent that ‘Auntie’ should most definitely make more with. We echo the sentiments of Mr Floyd and with a hearty glass of red say: “Cheers to Big Zuu.”

     

    Cook 1
    In October 2021, the anything but pretentious rapper turned self-styled ‘Roux Lord’ told ‘NewsChain’ that his hangover cure is “toast, toast, a lot of toast, thick slices of toast with butter and jam and you’re back in the game.” He added that he’s “not a fan of cucumbers and mushrooms” and claimed the kitchen utensil he couldn’t live without to be a wooden spoon. As a child, he shared, his mum used to buy him macaroni cheese in a can from Lidl.
    Cook 2
    Speaking to ‘Whitehaven News’ in December 2020, the big-haired rapper-turned-chef spoke of how he first taught himself to cook as a teenager. He claimed to “watch food programmes all day” and modestly stated: “I never thought I’d have a programme that people absolutely love binge-watching.”
    In May 2021, the rapper-turned-chef participated in a cook-off with KISS FM UK’s Alex Mansuroglu after being driven around and interview in a Jeep branded with his show’s name. The presenter remarked: “You’re a young black guy doing a cookery show. Who else does that?”
    In March 2022, this refreshingly enthusiastic chef made his debut on ITV1’s ‘This Morning’ whilst preparing his recipe for a Lebanese pizza. He remarked: “Lebanese pizza, we’re coming for you Italians,” spoke of his North African and Lebanese heritage, explained how he’d come to cook for comedians and added: “We just cook people what they love.”
  • ‘Mr Black Lives Matter’

    ‘Mr Black Lives Matter’

    A regular outside Peggy Porschen’s Parlour in Ebury Street, Belgravia, SW1 ‘Mr Black Lives Matter’ attempts to entertain those queuing for somewhat overpriced cakes. Though little is known about this dreadlocked man and despite the fact he is not popular with the staff of this bizarre “boutique bakery,” one titled local comments: “His music is jolly and he adds a bit of joy to an area now increasingly devoid of character.” Others, however, remark: “Where does the money he raise actually go?” and add: “I sense a bit of a scam.”

  • Susie Steiner

    Susie Steiner

    “I’m sorry I still love him” unabashedly declared author, journalist and “stationary addict” Susie Steiner of Tony Blair on Twitter during the coronavirus lockdown whilst amusingly adding of Boris Johnson: “If only I could retreat to Chequers.” Registered fully blind and a mother of two, this former Guardian commissioning editor did a “little one-page feature, showing the ‘Keep Calm’ poster as one of her favourite things” in 2005. “After that, all hell broke loose,” according to Stuart Manley, co-owner of Barter Books of Alnwick, and what Steiner terms a “message of stoicism and patience” went viral. She thinks “it’s had its day now” and after publishing her first novel, Homecoming, in 2013, this West Hampstead based Londoner signed “significant six-figure” deals for her subsequent works. “Susie is a joy to publish” remarked Suzie Dooré of Borough Press, whilst she herself gave away the secret to her much deserved success in a 2016 interview with The Hampstead & Highgate Express: “I’m very disciplined about my work… The daily-ness is what matters; it’s being in contact with it all the time that keeps the work alive in your mind. Your mind is doing it even when your trogging up the hill from school or waiting in the hairdressers. It fingers it like a pebble in your pocket.”

     

    Susie Steiner – Journalist turned best-selling crime author; she loves Tony Blair – Registered blind former ‘Guardian’ commissioning editor Susie Steiner helped ‘Keep Calm’ go viral in 2005 and became a novelist in 2013. This Londoner’s best-selling works include ‘Missing, Presumed.’
  • Michael Russell (1933 – 2020)

    Michael Russell (1933 – 2020)

    Described in The Telegraph’s obituary of him as a “publisher, wit and author,” Michael Russell is best known for writing the spoof memoirs of J. R. Hartley – the charming mythical old man of Yellow Pages advert fame in the 1980s. Bournemouth born, Oxford educated and a father of three, Russell loved horse racing and fishing and was known for his “extremely shrewd judgement as to which books would sell in shops.” His one-man company produced over 500 books by the time of his death and amongst titles that were hits were Richard Spitzy’s How We Squandered the Reich – a book that described Hitler as being “like a cross between a head waiter and a chimney sweep.”

     

  • Evelyn McHale (1923 – 1947)

    Evelyn McHale (1923 – 1947)

    Little is known about what drove Evelyn McHale to jump from the Empire State Building and be captured in the “most beautiful suicide [photograph] ever” on 1st May 1947.

     

    Berkeley, California born bookkeeper McHale was one of nine children of a divorced bank examiner. The 23-year-old worked at the Kitab Engraving Company in Pearl Street, Manhattan and was engaged to a college student discharged from the United States Army Air Force named Barry Rhodes. She seemed to have had it all, but chose to end her life from atop one of the most famous buildings in the world.

     

    “Elegantly attired and wearing a silk scarf, white gloves and a pearl necklace… [she is said to have] carefully removed her coat and neatly folded it, next she placed her black pocketbook on top of her coat [along with her makeup compact filled with family pictures and a handbag]. At 10:40am: Patrolman John Morrisey of Traffic C, directing traffic at 34th and 35th Avenue, reported seeing a white scarf floating lazily down from the heavens. Moments later this peaceful, dreamy scene was brutally interrupted by a heart rendering boom” as McHale had jumped 1,050-feet to her death and a crowd had converged.

     

    Photography student Robert Wiles is said to have run over and captured a “poignant and surreal photo.” It was the only image of his ever published and Life Magazine captioned it: “At the bottom of the Empire State Building the body of Evelyn McHale reposes in grotesque bier, her falling body punched into the top of a [United Nations Assembly Cadillac limousine].” The driver was “in a nearby drug store, thereby escaping death or serious injury” other reports added.

     

    A note found in her pocketbook announced: “I don’t want anyone in or out of my family to see any part of me. Could you destroy my body by cremation? I beg of you and my family – don’t have any service for me or remembrance for me.” She had crossed out the following: “My fiancé asked me to marry him in June. I don’t think I would make a good wife for anybody. He is much better off without me” and then ended: “Tell my father, I have too many of my mother’s tendencies.”

     

    Of the image, one commentator later remarked: “Evelyn’s gloved hand appears to be serenely touching her pearl necklace, and her legs crossed as if taking a nap,” whilst another added: “Evelyn McHale will go down in history as something akin to a fallen angel, as poignant and iconic as Marilyn Monroe.”

     

    She was cremated with no service, grave or memorial and her fiancé reportedly said of her: “When I kissed her goodbye, she was happy and as normal as any girl about to be married.” He remained single for the rest of his life and died in Melbourne, Florida in 2007.

     

    Many ‘sightings’ of Evelyn McHale wearing bright red lipstick and “looking distressed” on the 86th floor observation deck have been reported and in the years since her death, she has been recalled in the works of Andy Warhol, David Bowie, Pearl Jam and Taylor Swift amongst others.

     

    Evelyn McHale (1923 – 1947) – Little is known about what drove Evelyn McHale to jump from the Empire State Building and be captured in the “most beautiful suicide [photograph] ever” on 1st May 1947.
    The United Nations Assembly Cadillac limousine that the body of Evelyn McHale landed upon after falling 86 floors from the observatory deck of the Empire State Building in New York City and the original image (unedited) taken by Robert Wiles. It has been has been compared to the photograph by Malcolm Wilde Browne of the self-immolation of Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thích Quảng Đức who burned himself alive at a busy Saigon road intersection on 11th June 1963.
    Evelyn McHale (1923 – 1947) – Little is known about what drove Evelyn McHale to jump from the Empire State Building and be captured in the “most beautiful suicide [photograph] ever” on 1st May 1947.
    An image clearly showing the damage to the car from above.
    Evelyn McHale (1923 – 1947) – Little is known about what drove Evelyn McHale to jump from the Empire State Building and be captured in the “most beautiful suicide [photograph] ever” on 1st May 1947.
    Joséphine Wister Faure created a ‘mixed media sculpture’ of the car that the body of Evelyn McHale hit on 1st May 1947. Her sculpture is described as: “An interpretation of the photo, revisiting the impact of the image and the trace this woman left, both literally and physically. Also being true to her last wishes in which she specifically asked not to be seen. Inside the car the radio is playing 1947 NYC broadcast.” It was exhibited at the Boite Noire Gallery in the Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles in 2015.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXhxfOzkq5w
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQyHyJa2tSs

     

  • Roll-Call-Creatives-Writers

    [rollcallsidebar]

  • Roll-Call-Creatives-Sights-and-Sounds

    [rollcallsidebar]

  • Roll-Call-Creatives-Rising-Stars-The-Arts

    [rollcallsidebar]

     

  • Roll-Call-Creatives-Fashion

    [rollcallsidebar]