Articles from Adam *

Julia Margaret Cameron - pioneer of artistic photography

nobody@ipernity.com (Adam *) — Wed, 05 Apr 2023 16:29:20 +0000

Adam * has posted an article:

"BETWEEN TWO ISLANDS:

JULIA MARGARET CAMERON

AND HER CIRCLE"

By Adam Yamey

A chance encounter with an inventor of photography led to JULIA MARGARET CAMERON (1815-1879) becoming a pioneering artistic photographer. Her work transformed photography from the straightforward, unimaginative copying of nature into a creative artform.

Born in Kolkata (Calcutta) with British, Bengali, and French ancestry, she was educated in France, married in India, worked in England, and died in Sri Lanka. For 15 years, she lived next door to her friend, the poet Tennyson, on the Isle of Wight, where she created most of her vast photographic oeuvre.

This book, illustrated with images and maps, describes Julia’s life; her remarkable family; her circle of eminent Victorian friends and acquaintances; her travels; and the nature of her photographic output. Adam Yamey has followed in her footsteps in London, the Isle of Wight, Kolkata, and places in Sri Lanka, and presents her intriguing life and milieu from an exciting new perspective.

The book and Kindle are available from Amazon:

www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BZFCVLX9/

My mother's sculptures

nobody@ipernity.com (Adam *) — Tue, 31 May 2022 16:20:04 +0000

Adam * has posted an article:

MY LATE MOTHER (Helen Yamey: 1920-1980) trained as a commercial artist in Cape Town (South Africa) before WW2. In 1948, she came to London to marry my father. In London, she painted and, according to my father, took lessons from the great Stanley Spencer (1891-1959). Around the time when I was born (1952), my mother began making sculptures. The first of these was a terracotta mother and child. Maybe, she was depicting herself with me in her arms. By the 1960s, she was working in the sculpture studios of St Martins School of Art, which was then near Foyles bookshop on Charing Cross Road. There, she was in the company of artists such as Anthony Caro, William Tucker, Philip King, and William Turnbull. At least one of these now famous artists taught my mother how to weld and solder.

My mother exhibited her works in important art galleries at least twice. In late 1961, she exhibited at the Institute of Contemporary Art in a show called “26 young Sculptors”. In 1962, she exhibited sculptures at the Grabowski Gallery, along side works by Maurice Agis and David Annesley. Although she sold a few of her creations, she did them more for pleasure than for profit.

My mother was a perfectionist. She destroyed much of what she created. However, at some time during the 1960s, she had a series of professional photographs taken of some of her mainly abstract works. These were kept in a yellow Kodak photographic paper box in a drawer in our home in Hampstead Garden Suburb. As a teenager, I used to look at them occasionally and wonder what became of some of the creations recorded in these photos.

My mother died in 1980 and my father remarried 11 years later. After remarrying, he and my stepmother moved from our home in Hampstead Garden Suburb to another house (near Primrose Hill). After the move, I used to ask him what had happened to the photographs of my mother’s sculptures and other family photos. Each time I asked, he would say that they were stored somewhere, possibly in the garage of his new home. After a while, I gave up hope of ever seeing these pictures again because it was clear to me that Dad had little or no interest in these photographs and in addition he could not imagine why anyone else would find them interesting. My father died, aged 101 and 6 months, in 2020. What with covid19 and its associated problems, we did not see his widow, my stepmother, again until recently this year (2022).

When, at last, we met her, she arrived carrying a plastic carrier bag, which she handed to me. To my great delight, it contained the box of photographs described above and another filled with family photographs taken mainly in the late 1950s. My stepmother told me that she had found them when she was sorting things in the garage of the house where she and my father had lived.

The photographs of my mother’s sculptures all bear the name of the photographer: Joseph McKenzie, ARPS (95 Blenheim Gardens, Wallington, Surrey). According to Wikipedia, Joseph McKenzie (1929-2015) is regarded as “father of modern Scottish photography”. More relevantly in the context of my mother’s works, he taught photography at the St martins School of Art.

Some of the photographs have notes written on their backs. The handwriting is my mother’s. One of the pictures, that of the mother and child has the words: “my first ever sculpture, terracotta, mother and child, 24””. Some of the other photos have information about the size and the material of the work depicted.

About 10 years before she died, my mother became disillusioned and practically gave up making sculptures. Although she made a few abstract images in pen and ink and a few carvings in alabaster, her abandonment of sculpture making as a full-time activity left a great hole in her life.

I have taken pictures of the photographs,and they can be seen on:

https://www.ipernity.com/doc/adam/album/1323344

A floral extravaganza

nobody@ipernity.com (Adam *) — Sun, 01 May 2022 16:23:44 +0000

Adam * has posted an article:

A FLORAL FEAST

IT IS THAT TIME of year again, maybe a little earlier than usual because of the changing meteorological conditions, which are of great concern these days. Located in the southwest part of Richmond Park is one of London’s floral miracles: The Isabella Plantation (see: https://adam-yamey-writes.com/2021/05/21/a-floral-fireworks-display/, for a shorth history). It is at its colourful best at the end of April and in early May. During this period, the camellia, azalea, and rhododendron bushes explode into flower alongside many other flowering plants.

During our visit in the last week of April 2022, we were fortunate to have arrived at the right time to see vast carpets of bluebells in full bloom. Fantastic as this is to see, they pale into relative insignificance in comparison with the flowering bushes, which have been skilfully planted so as to provide the viewer with three-dimensional multi-coloured natural works of art. On our recent walk around the Plantation, the morning sun was shining brightly, enhancing the vividness of the flowers’ colours. Filtering through the trees, the sunlight created splashes of light on the flowers, producing an interestingly dappled effect. One visitor, with whom we spoke said that the best time of day to see the flowers is in the afternoon. She might be right, but I would strongly recommend seeing them at about 1030 am, which is when we were there.

There are three ponds in the Plantation. The largest is Peg’s Pond, in which we were fortunate to see a duck with her flock of tiny ducklings swimming around her. Next largest and at a higher altitude is Thomsons Pond, which is surrounded by a few flowering bushes. The most magnificent pond is the smallest of the three. It is the Still Pond. It is almost completely surrounded by azalea and rhododendron bushes. When they are in flower, their incredibly exuberant blooms are reflected in the mirror-like water of the Still Pond. This amazing effect must be seen to be believed .

We parked in the (currently free) Broomfield car park, which is a short, pleasant walk away from the Plantation. On our way, we were lucky enough to spot several stags and deer resting in the shade of a tree not far from the footpath. Seeing these and the resplendent display of colour in the Plantation provided a pleasant distraction from the many disturbing things that are happening places all over this planet.

NOW TAKE A LOOK AT https://www.ipernity.com/doc/adam/album/1321494

The Battle of Pollilur (1780)

nobody@ipernity.com (Adam *) — Wed, 30 Mar 2022 15:10:16 +0000

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SRIRANGAPATNA (SERINGAPATNAM) IS A town on an island in the River Kaveri in the state of Karnataka in southern India. I have been there several times as it is near a holy spot (the ‘sangam’, where three streams meet) where ashes of deceased Hindus, including those of my parents-in-law, are ceremoniously deposited in the waters of the Kaveri. The town near the sangam was the capital of the realm ruled by Tipu Sultan (1750-1799). This former capital of a great ruler is full of impressive architectural reminders of his era. One of these, which I have visited at least twice, is a Summer Palace, the Daria Daulat Mahal (literally, ‘Wealth of the Sea Palace’) built for Tipu in 1784. This lovely, large pavilion in the middle of a formal garden is decorated with huge painted murals depicting various subjects. Some of them show scenes of battles in which Tipu was involved, often with his enemy the British East India Company. Filled with fascinating details, these are well worth visiting.

On the 30th of March 2022, a wonderful artwork was auctioned at Sotheby’s auction house in London’s New Bond Street. Created in 1784, it is a painting measuring 31.6 feet by 6.6 feet. It is one of three copies of a work commissioned by Tipu for the Daria Daulat pavilion. It depicts the Battle of Pollilur fought on the 10th of September 1780 between the British troops of the East India Company and the Mysore Army led by Haider Ali (c1720-1782) and his son Tipu Sultan. Writing for the Sotheby’s website (https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2022/arts-of-the-islamic-world-india-including-fine-rugs-and-carpets/the-battle-of-pollilur-india-seringapatam-early), the author and historian William Dalrymple explained:

“At Pollilur, Tipu Sultan inflicted on the East India Company the most crushing defeat the Company would ever receive, and one which nearly ended British rule in India.”

He added, referring to the British:

“Out of 86 officers, 36 were killed, 34 were wounded and taken prisoner; only 16 captured were unwounded. Baillie received a back and head wound, in addition to losing a leg. Baird received two sabre cuts on the head and a pike wound in the arm. His ADC and young cousin, James Dalrymple, received a severe back wound and "two cuts in my head". Around two hundred prisoners were taken. Most of the rest of the force of 3,800 was annihilated.”

Of the painting being auctioned at Sotheby’s, he wrote:

“The painting extends over ten large sheets of paper, nearly thirty-two feet (978.5cm) long, and focuses in on the moment when the Company’s ammunition tumbril explodes, breaking the British square, while Tipu’s cavalry advances from left and right, “like waves of an angry sea,” according to the contemporary Mughal historian Ghulam Husain Khan. The pink-cheeked and rather effeminate-looking Company troops wait fearfully for the impact of the Mysore charge, as the gallant and thickly moustachioed Mysore lancers close in for the kill. To the right, the French commander Lally peers triumphantly through his telescope; but Haidar and Tipu look on majestically and impassively at their triumph, while Tipu, with magnificent sang-froid sniffs a single red rose as if on a pleasure outing to a garden to inspect his flowers.”

As with all other items to be auctioned at Sotheby’s, the painting was put on display to the public for several days before the auction. We were lucky to have been able to view it, as we arrived only a few minutes before the public viewing period ended. One of the technicians at the auction house let us get close to the painting so that we could examine it much better than is possible when visiting the Summer Palace at Srirangapatna. I took the opportunity to take close-up photographs of details of this incredible record of late 18th century warfare. Some of them are quite gory, including decapitated heads with blood issuing from their severed necks. Many of the British can be seen being impaled by what looked like very thin, needle-like spears. I spotted one Indian soldier being struck on his head by a bayonet wielded by a Britisher. Some of the Mysore Army soldiers brandish rifles fitted with bayonets. The British soldiers are mainly dressed in red jackets. Their opponents are depicted wearing clothes in a variety of colours. Most of the Indian soldiers have dark-coloured eyes but, as my wife spotted, some of the British have pale coloured (blue?) eyes. Many animals appear in the picture: horses, camels, elephants, and bullocks. In addition to rifles and spears, there are other weapons in the painting including: cannon, swords of various kinds, and archery bows. Seen as a whole and in detail, the painting portrays great activity and a sense of the confusion that reigns in a battle. Whereas the British appeared to be maintaining orderly formations, their opponents can be seen making a terrifyingly massive onslaught in an apparently less organised, but ultimately successful, way.

Although words are inadequate to convey the impression made on me by this painting, I am glad that I was able to see it before it is sold. It was last exhibited for a few months in 1999 in the National Gallery of Scotland (Edinburgh), and before that for a few months in London in 1990. If it is sold to a private individual, it might not be available for public viewing again for a long time.

A new book about Hampstead (In London)

nobody@ipernity.com (Adam *) — Sun, 13 Feb 2022 18:01:46 +0000

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Introducing a new book about Hampstead and its surroundings

Beneath a Wide Sky: Hampstead and its Environs

By Adam Yamey

Published 2022

285 Pages (Paperback) (£9.99)

ISBN 979-8407539520

Currently available from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09R2WRK92

Also on Kindle:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Beneath-Wide-Sky-Hampstead-Environs-ebook/dp/B09R129RFW/

Hampstead is one of the highest places in London. There, the heavens are vast and wide. Beneath this expanse of sky is an area with an eventful past and a vibrant present.

This book takes a refreshingly new look at Hampstead and shows that the locality is richly imbued with historical memories and has been home to a multitude of fascinating and noteworthy people. Many books have been written about Hampstead. Doubtless, there will be more. This one is different. It looks at Hampstead from unusual as well as familiar viewpoints and gives the reader a richer appreciation of what makes the place both delightful and intriguing. This volume explores a wide variety of subjects, familiar and obscure, as well as some which have never been described in other books about the locality. Here is a fresh and at times quirky look at this place on a hill, one of London’s treasures: a district, which is familiar to many people, yet full of surprises. Although most of this book is about Hampstead, there are also sections describing some of its environs including: Golders Green, Highgate, Primrose Hill, Swiss Cottage, and West Hampstead. By reading this book, you can find out what makes the area so special and how John Constable, Samuel Johnson, Boy George, Barbara Hepworth, Herbert read, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, Mahatma Gandhi, Peter Sellers, Henry Moore, Maxim Litvinov, General de Gaulle, Sir Harry Vane, Julian Huxley, Stanley Spencer, Thomas Masaryk, Lee Miller, Agatha Christie, Jim Henson, Ian Fleming, Ernő Goldfinger, Pitt the Elder, and many others, both famous and familiar, were all connected with Hampstead.

The book has several sections. The first is a brief survey of Hampstead’s general history and geography. Next, there is an introduction to Hampstead’s main thoroughfares with some reminiscences of the area as it was during the 1960s and 1970s. This is followed by the largest section of the book: a collection of chapters about various aspects of Hampstead’s past and present. The last few sections of the book deal with some places of interest near to Hampstead including Golders Green, Highgate, Primrose Hill, Swiss Cottage, and West Hampstead.

Recently, a friend of mine bemoaned the fact that Hampstead High Street and Heath Street are lined with branches of shops and cafés that can be found all over London. He is right. So, if you wish to capture the true character of Hampstead, you need to stray into the side streets and explore, which is what I hope this book will stimulate you to do.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Adam Yamey lived near Hampstead for 30 years. Throughout the 1960s, he attended schools in Swiss Cottage and Highgate. Over a period of more than 60 years, he has been visiting the area regularly, and continues to do so with great pleasure. Adam is a retired dentist and author. He has published several books including: “Albania on my Mind”, “Rediscovering Albania”, “Charlie Chaplin waved to me”, “Exodus to Africa”, “Indian Freedom Fighters in London (1905-1910)”, “Soap to Senate: A German Jew at the dawn of apartheid”, and “Scrabble with Slivovitz - Once upon a time in Yugoslavia”.

LIST OF CHAPTERS

INTRODUCTION

SOME GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

HEATH AND HIGH STREETS WITH SOME MEMORIES

SATURDAY STROLLS

PERRINS LANE, THE EVERYMAN, AND LOUIS

DISCOVERING HAMPSTEAD

A HOUSE ON HEATH STREET AND THE KIT CAT CLUB

A CHURCH ON HEATH STREET

FLASK WALK AND THE HAMPSTEAD SPA

MORE ABOUT THE SPA

THE VALE OF HEALTH

POETS AND THE VALE OF HEALTH

FRENCH CONNECTIONS AND ST MARYS ON HOLLY WALK

ARTISTS IN HAMPSTEAD: ROMNEY, CONSTABLE, AND OTHERS

MODERN ARTISTS AND THE ISOKON

BOLSHEVISM AND HEATH STREET

A SINGER AND A PHILOSOPHER ON BRANCH HILL

JUDGES WALK

WHITESTONE POND

EAST HEATH ROAD AND SOUTH END GREEN

SIR HARRY AND ROSSLYN HILL

PILGRIMS LANE AND MORE ON ROSSLYN HILL

NEW END, CHOLERA, AND GROVE PLACE

FITZJOHNS AVENUE AND SWISS COTTAGE

SHEPHERDS WELL

CHURCH ROW

GRACIE FIELDS, FROGNAL WAY, AND FROGNAL

WEST HEATH ROAD AND PLATTS LANE

WEST HAMPSTEAD

SHOOT UP HILL

PRIMROSE HILL

NORTH END AND GOLDERS GREEN

NORTH END AND GOLDERS HILL PARK

POETS AND GOLDERS GREEN

LIFE AND DEATH ON HOOP LANE

HIGHGATE

CODA

INDEX OF PLACE NAMES

SOME BOOKS CONSULTED

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

INDIAN FREEDOM FIGHTERS IN NORTH LONDON: 1905-1910

nobody@ipernity.com (Adam *) — Wed, 07 Aug 2019 11:33:42 +0000

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Between 1965 and 1970, I studied at Highgate School (founded 1565). Its main Victorian gothic building perches on the summit of Highgate Hill. About two fifths of a mile south east of the school, an architecturally unexceptional late Victorian residential building stands on Cromwell Avenue (number 65). Although this brick edifice may not look special, it harbours the ghosts of a lesser-known episode in the history of India’s struggle for independence from the British Empire. The only thing that hints at the interesting history of number 65 is a blue plaque commemorating the fact that the Indian patriot and philosopher Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, a father of Hindu nationalism, lived there once.

In 1905, a wealthy barrister and scholar of Sanskrit, Shyamji Krishnavarma, bought number 65 Cromwell Avenue and named it ‘India House’. He intended it to be a home away from home for Indian students studying in England. However, it became more than that. It became a centre where Indian politics was discussed and acted upon.

Very soon, India House became the nucleus for Indians who wanted India to break free from the British Empire by any means possible. These included: sending propaganda and literature (including bomb-making manuals) regarded as ‘subversive’ and ‘treasonable’ by the British to India; smuggling weapons and ammunition into India; and political assassinations both in England and India. Valentine Chirol, the Foreign Editor of the Times newspaper wrote that India House was “…the most dangerous organisation outside India…”. As such, India House was under the constant vigilance of Scotland Yard, but despite this, its members were able to carry out real-life exploits that rivalled the derring-do of characters in John Buchan’s fiction.

Apart from Krishnavarma, those who congregated or lived at India House included well-known Indian patriots such as Madame Bhikaiji Cama, VVS Aiyar, VD Savarkar, Lala Lajpat Rai, Madan Lal Dhingra, and Har Dayal. The place was also visited by MK Gandhi (the future ‘Mahatma’), Charlotte Despard, David Garnett, Dadabhai Naoroji, and VI Lenin.

India House thrived until late 1909. During that year, one of its members carried out an assassination in London. After that deadly deed, activities at India House declined rapidly, and it was closed for ever by the beginning of 1910.

My new book, “Ideas, Bombs, and Bullets”, describes the history of Highgate’s India House and the activities that originated there. In addition, it explores the ideas that led Krishnavarma to ‘create’ India House and the lives led by people who lived in, or congregated, at the place. Also, it contains the background to the replica of 65 Cromwell Road that can now be viewed and entered by visitors to Kutch, an arid part of the western Indian state of Gujarat.

Until I visited Kutch in 2018, forty-eight years after leaving Highgate School, I had not known that my alma-mater is situated so close to the site of such an exciting short episode in the history of anti-colonialism. Boldly, I suggest that this story is also unknown to most pupils, who have attended Highgate School since 1905. Furthermore, Highgate’s India House and Shyamji Krishnavarma are practically unknown amongst many educated Indians, with whom I have spoken. I hope that “Ideas, Bombs, and Bullets” will help to make the exploits and aspirations of the members of India House more widely known.

AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK FROM:

http://www.lulu.com/shop/adam-yamey/ideas-bombs-and-bullets/paperback/product-24198568.html

AVAILABLE AS AN e-BOOK FROM:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07W7CYKPG/

AMAZING ALBANIA!

nobody@ipernity.com (Adam *) — Sun, 13 Nov 2016 18:19:48 +0000

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Albanian people live all over the Balkans and in the Middle East, not to mention those who have migrated to Western Europe and the USA in the last two centuries. After being ruled by a series of foreign invaders over the millennia, some of them now live in independent countries, which are governed by Albanians: the recently formed Republic of Kosova ('established' 2008), and the longer-established Republic of Albania ('established' 1912). Adam Yamey's book, "Rediscovering Albania", is about the latter, although some references are made to the former.

Adam, who has been interested in the Balkans - especially Albania - for many decades, first visited Albania in 1984, when the country was governed by a repressive regime headed by Joseph Stalin's fervent admirer, the dictator Enver Hoxha (1908-1985). The country was then 'hermetically' sealed off from the rest of the world, even more so than North Korea is today. The only way for a tourist to visit Albania in 1984 was on a closely supervised guided tour during which the Albanian authorities did their best to ensure that the visitor only saw what they wanted. Their aim was to send tourists home with the impression that Albania was a 'paradise', which other countries ought to envy and emulate. In order to create that impression, the foreign visitor was not allowed to talk to, or otherwise communicate with, Albanian citizens; not allowed to stray from the tour group; not permitted to eat in the presence of Albanians; not allowed to take photographs of whatever interested him or her; not permitted to carry certain reading matter including religious works; and so on. Despite these restrictions, Adam came away having had an interesting view of the most beautiful country in the Balkans.

Enver Hoxha died in 1985, and was replaced by Ramiz Alia. Five years later, two years after the Berlin Wall was officially breached, Albania's Stalinist dictatorship ended. For the first time since independence in 1912, Albanians began experiencing the closest they ever had to true democracy. In the beginning, it was not easy. During the early years of Albania's post-Communist existence, there were many problems to be faced. For example: complex internal politics; the break-up of its neighbour, the former Yugoslavia; a civil war in 1997; Kosova's struggle for independence.

In May 2016, Adam paid another visit to Albania. He and his wife hired a car and toured the country extensively - from the high mountains in the north to the Greek border in the south and the Macedonian border in the south-east. On this trip, Adam and his wife could: talk with any Albanian whom they met; travel wherever they wished; eat and drink with Albanians; take photographs without restrictions; carry whatever reading material they wished; and so on. They came away from the country with favourable impressions and happy memories.

During his latest trip, Adam kept a detailed travel journal. This formed the basis for writing "Rediscovering Albania". The book charts Adam's trip through Albania, providing personal anecdotes and observations that give the reader an idea of what to expect when visiting the country. But, there is much more. Wherever Adam went, he heard things from people, and saw sights that aroused his curiosity. On his return to London, he investigated what he experienced in detail. "Rediscovering Albania" describes Adam's trip in the context of: Albania's troubled history and vibrant present; the reports of earlier travellers (Francois Pouqueville, Lord Byron, Edward Lear, Edith Durham, and many others); and the opinions of Albanians, whom the author met during his journey. Also, the book includes comparisons of how the author found Albania in 1984 with what it is like today in 2016. The resulting text is an informative and entertaining introduction to one of Europe's most fascinating, but undeservedly lesser-known, countries.

The book, which is available as a paperback and an e-book (Kindle format), contains two maps and many photographs.

REDISCOVERING-ALBANIA-Adam-YAMEY-ebook/dp/B01MQDN9EF/ KINDLE

www.lulu.com/shop/adam-yamey/rediscovering-albania/paperback/product-22929902.html PAPERBACK

ALL THE VERY BEST...

nobody@ipernity.com (Adam *) — Sun, 27 Dec 2015 18:33:18 +0000

Adam * has posted an article:

I wish all of my friends on Ipernity a wonderful 2016!

Happy New Year!

SEASONS ***** GREETINGS

nobody@ipernity.com (Adam *) — Wed, 24 Dec 2014 16:02:48 +0000

Adam * has posted an article:

HAPPY CHRISTMAS & ALL THE VERY BEST FOR 2015!

I have not been so active on Ipernity during 2014 because I have been concentrating on my writing, but this does not mean that I have not been taking pictures on my camera. I will try to get around to posting them eventually. In the meanwhile, enjoy the Festive Season!

2014

nobody@ipernity.com (Adam *) — Sun, 19 Jan 2014 15:20:40 +0000

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Dear friends,

I have been neglecting Ipernity quite a bit, but have not forgotten about it. I could say that I have been busy with work and my writing, but that does not excuse my neglect.

I want to wish everyone a very happy new year.

Adam

SCRABBLE WITH SLIVOVITZ - Once upon a time in Yugoslavia

nobody@ipernity.com (Adam *) — Fri, 23 Aug 2013 21:36:27 +0000

Adam * has posted an article:

“Nostalgia is like a grammar lesson: you find the present tense, and the past perfect!”

So said either Owens Lee Pomeroy OR Robert Orben, or maybe both!

Adam Yamey visited Yugoslavia frequently over a period of more than 20 years. He criss-crossed the country from the caves of Slovenia to the peaks of Mount Trebević in Bosnia, from the lake at Mljet to that in Ohrid, from the ramparts of Dubrovnik to those of Kalemegdan in Belgrade, from Marshal Tito’s birthplace in Kumrovec to Albania’s in Prizren. During his travels, he stood in the footsteps of Archduke Ferdinand’s assassin in Sarajevo and those of Emperor Diocletian in Split, ate Chinese food in Novi Sad and offal at Rtanj, and also played Scrabble with Yugoslavs all over Serbia.

In this profusely illustrated, idiosyncratic and affectionate trail of memories, the author describes the friendships that he made with Yugoslavs all over the country, and how these led to his deeper understanding of, and love for their country.

As the years passed, the author began noticing small things, which made little sense at the time, but later turned out to be portentous. These were early signs of the troubles that were to lead to the disintegration of Yugoslavia soon after the author's last visit to the country in 1990.

By reading "SCRABBLE WITH SLIVOVITZ", you can the author in the exploration of a country that history has forsaken.

YOU CAN BUY "SCRABBLE WITH SLIVOVITZ" IN PAPERBACK HERE: www.lulu.com/shop/adam-yamey/scrabble-with-slivovitz-once-upon-a-time-in-yugoslavia/paperback/product-21153577.html

AND also on KINDLE:

www.amazon.com/SCRABBLE-WITH-SLIVOVITZ-ebook/dp/B00ELFL2ZC/

Three days in LIVERPOOL

nobody@ipernity.com (Adam *) — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 14:37:01 +0000

Adam * has posted an article:

It's easy to spend 3 days exploring Liverpool, but tiring!

Let me take you on a little tour:

www.yameyamey.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/liverpool-friendly-city.html

INSTAGRAM

nobody@ipernity.com (Adam *) — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 20:14:44 +0000

Adam * has posted an article:

I also post pictures taken in an istant on INSTAGRAM -

visit:

www.instagram.com/yameyamey/

and enjoy yourself!

A REVIEW OF MY LATEST NOVEL

nobody@ipernity.com (Adam *) — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 19:07:12 +0000

Adam * has posted an article:

EXCERPTS FROM A NEW REVIEW OF "ROGUE OF ROUXVILLE" By Adam YAMEY on

http://squibleysfictionaddiction.wordpress.com/2012/11/20/rogue-of-rouxville-adam-yamey/

"The Rogue of Rouxville” is an atmospheric and beautifully written historical novel which captures the spirit of the time and people remarkably well."

"I was impressed at his authentic portrayal of the characters, some of which were painted so vividly and full of color that I felt I had known them all of my life"

ROGUE OF ROUXVILLE IS AVAILBLE on AMAZON (KINDLE & PAPERBACK)

HORS D'OEUVRES

nobody@ipernity.com (Adam *) — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 22:05:52 +0000

Adam * has posted an article:

I have posted, and will be posting a few more, brief excerpts from my two novels on: http://www.yamey.wordpress.com/ Please take a look, and enjoy yourself.

Excerpt from a review of my novel: "Reading Adam Yamey’s novel is reminiscent of reading some of the great classic literature of our time."

nobody@ipernity.com (Adam *) — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 23:13:03 +0000

Adam * has posted an article:

Click on

http://theindietribe.wordpress.com/2012/10/18/three-great-indie-books-reviewed/

or

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/436989026

to read a good review of my latest novel, "ROGUE OF ROUXVILLE".

Buy the novel on Kindle:

http://www.amazon.com/ROGUE-OF-ROUXVILLE-ebook/dp/B009B7KEOU/

SEX, SOHO & COCTEAU

nobody@ipernity.com (Adam *) — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 14:34:34 +0000

Adam * has posted an article:

London's Soho, famed for its striptease & sex-shows and its Chinatown, is full of surprises. Read about one of them in my article: yameyamey.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/kong-to-cocteau.html

Great value on KINDLE - a novel by an Ipernity member

nobody@ipernity.com (Adam *) — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 22:44:43 +0000

Adam * has posted an article:

Q: What will £2 (€ 3, US $ 3) buy you at STARBUCKS, CAFFE NERO, COSTAS, COFFEE REPUBLIC, or APOSTROPHE, or at any other café?

A: A cappuccino (small), a cup of tea, an espresso, or maybe even a latte.

By all means enjoy one of these whilst you read ROGUE OF ROUXVILLE on your KINDLE.

My novel "ROGUE OF ROUXVILLE" is an adventure set in southern Africa during the 1870s. The hero, Jakob Klein, gets himself into hot water trying to support his ever growing family. What will become of him after he's been locked up in Jail?

The story draws some inspiration from archival material stored in the National Archives of South Africa, but is largely imaginative.

It is NOW available for the price of a hot beverage at

http://www.amazon.co.uk/ROGUE-OF-ROUXVILLE-ebook/dp/B009B7KEOU/

Also available on Amazon.com, Amazon.fr, Amazon.de, Amazon.it, Amazon.es

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nobody@ipernity.com (Adam *) — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 22:29:19 +0000

Adam * has posted an article:

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IN PRINT AT LAST!

nobody@ipernity.com (Adam *) — Sun, 09 Sep 2012 09:25:14 +0000

Adam * has posted an article:

A NEW HISTORICAL NOVEL by ADAM YAMEY

It is 1877.

Jakob Klein, a liberal-minded Jewish pioneer from Bavaria, has been living in the small town of Rouxville in the Orange Free State in southern Africa for well over a decade.

He will try anything to support his wife and young family. His questionable business ethics often cause him to sail close to the wind. This time, he has sailed far too close, and his life has capsized. His dubious dealings have lost him his home and livelihood. His young family have had to leave him to seek refuge with relatives in the Cape Colony.

Now, he is in jail, awaiting transfer to Bloemfontein where the serious case against him is to be heard by the highest court in the land. With only his guards for company, he has plenty of time to wonder what sort of future fate holds for him and whether he will ever see his family again.

Read Jakob's story in ROGUE OF ROUXVILLE. It is an exciting tale of debt and deception based loosely on the life of a real person, and set mostly in the wilds of what was later to become the Union of South Africa.

Get a copy in PAPERBACK now by clicking...

http://www.lulu.com/shop/adam-yamey/rogue-of-rouxville/paperback/product-20376479.html

Articles from Adam *

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AMAZING ALBANIA!

ALL THE VERY BEST...

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2014

SCRABBLE WITH SLIVOVITZ - Once upon a time in Yugoslavia

Three days in LIVERPOOL

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A REVIEW OF MY LATEST NOVEL

HORS D'OEUVRES

Excerpt from a review of my novel: "Reading Adam Yamey’s novel is reminiscent of reading some of the great classic literature of our time."

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Great value on KINDLE - a novel by an Ipernity member

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