Tuesday 26 March 2013

Earthly Powers, the beer

This is a quick post that is sort of Easter related (as I had promised here). My readership knows of my admiration for Earthly Powers, the novel, now there is a beer of the same name, the official beer of the Anthony Burgess Foundation. Brewed by Brentwood Brewery. I drank it at the Foundation, tired after a long train journey, then went straight to the hotel. It is a great bitter. Unfortunately I was too tired to try Chockwork Orange as well, I wanted to stay sober for the play. So why is it Easter related? Well, the novel is about the XXth century seen through the eyes of an homosexual writer, lapsed Catholic, and his friendship with a priest, who will become pope. And on the label of the beer, you can see a crucifix that also looks like a totem or some African statue. This is in itself very Burgessian, mixing the sacred and the blasphemous. I wish I could drink this one on Easter.

2 comments:

Debra She Who Seeks said...

Damn! I have to start reading more Anthony Burgess novels. Earthly Powers sounds good (the book, not the beer, although that sounds good too).

Gwen Buchanan said...

I could use a cool beer right about now. I could use spring to really come too.