Paul Douglas Lovell

Empty Corridors: Learning to Fail (eBook, ePUB)

• Format: ePub

Produktbeschreibung

Paul isn't at school to learn, he's there to be fed. Though they often have no voice, a problematic child will more than likely have a tale to tell. Not that Paul would ever let slip the shame he hides. Weighed down for so long with insecurities, the scruffy kid already feels isolated from his peers. These formative years of secondary school, where confidence can be shattered by a single taunt, do not encourage children to speak out. If Paul's secrets were ever known, no good would come of it, only humiliation. So he disguises his anguish behind a facade of roughness. Paul excels at naughtiness; takes pride in being the baddest. It's his only talent, and it's been sharpened by his wayward upbringing. And if anything is going to break the monotony of learning, it's being sent out to the empty corridor. Glimpse Paul's life in the 1980s, follow him through school and the streets, witness his crimes. Understand his motives but don't judge him too harshly. Real life is never straightforward and the choices we make are not always sound. Why should Paul's be any different?

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Produktdetails

• Verlag: Paul Douglas Lovell
• Erscheinungstermin: 23. März 2021
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9781005886639
• Artikelnr.: 74350174

Autorenporträt

The best word to describe Paul Douglas Lovell is "unconventional" and it makes sense that his author bio would also be far from typical.

Coming from a motherless family of five children, this runt of the litter had to scratch and scramble for any attention he received. In his book, Playing Out: Swings and Roundabouts, the reader finds a young Lovell in the 1970s living on the margins of society. Homelife was always unsteady with the threat of eviction and the struggle to pay for amenities. It was a cold and hungry existence. Petty criminality and abuse further distorted his outlook on life, and he quickly became a problem child.

His time at school was spent on everything, but learning. Empty Corridors: Learning to Fail finds Lovell attending school in the 1980s, without much change. He was still labeled a problem. His academic knowledge was that of an eleven-year-old, and he left school without a single qualification, struggling to read and lacking ambition.

Yet, within a year, a seed was sown. His practical side knew that a pen and paper would always remain affordable, and, because of this, Lovell yearned to become a writer. Even at sixteen, he knew he had enough fodder for a book, though it would be years before he would commit anything to paper. That required courage and understanding of his past. He tried his hand at fiction, which was a terrible idea. To this day he keeps a sealed envelope containing his first drafts complete with grammatical errors and misused words. One saving grace was that Paul was an empty slate, and, once he moved to London, he spent time gaining whatever knowledge and life experience he could.

In Paulyanna: International Rent Boy, the reader finds Lovell living in London during the 1990s and working the streets, a profession he fell into and one that suited him. While unorthodox, and regardless of ethics and judgments, he felt valued for the first time in his life. Being paid for being himself felt like an achievement. He was encouraged to take a beginner writing course and a course in media studies. BTec courses were basic and underfunded yet perfect for Lovell who was like a sponge. While some students were able to converse confidently on a wide range of topics, Paul felt unsure of himself and even intimidated. But when he shared his childhood stories and American street tales, he found that he easily captured the attention of his peers.

This ability to spin a yarn whilst...