Ruby Street

Miles of reviews now up at the latest Galatea Resurrects . Head resurrectionist and gal with the keys to the cellar of poetry, Ms Eileen Tabios, has pulled poetry reviews together from all over. And has kind words to say about my own not-so-slim volume, Broken/Open . "A radiant lightness stubbornly permeates the poems in Jill Jones’ Broken/Open ". Apparently and appropriately, the writing of the review was accompanied by a glass of wine. I can only approve, but want to know what the tipple was.

Maybe we will all have to say something 'positive' when we review books in future in this country. A recent judgement of the High Court supported the idea that a restaurant review that was negative could harm a business. The Court overturned the decision of a jury which, obviously, held the opposite. The majority in the High Court supported the reasoning of Beazley JA in the Court of Appeal, who said: "The food served in any restaurant is its essential business. If the food is 'unpalatable' the restaurant fails on the very matter that is the essence of its existence. This is especially so of a purportedly high class restaurant. To say of a restaurateur of such an establishment that they sold 'unpalatable' food injures that person in their business or calling and because of that, is defamatory. In my opinion, no reasonable jury properly directed could reach any other verdict." The one dissenting judgement, from Justice Michael Kirby, said: "Citize...