Recently finished books? [Archive] - Page 9

Loki

15-Mar-2010, 23:57

Manuel76

16-Mar-2010, 13:11

El Lazarillo de Tormes, anonimous. I must admit I've enjoyed it, although I had several prejudices when I started it. I should think that I liked it also because it was explained so well by my lecturer.
Still, I would recommend it anyway to everybody. It is also funny sometimes, and there's a lot of criticism too, especially of the church (considering it was probably written in the first half of the XVI century), in a way that I think anticipates Leopoldo Alas's criticism of the church in La Regenta.

Lazarillo de Tormes, besides being one of the miracles of Spanish prose, is a fundamental work in the history of the novel. While most narrative in those days was written in verse (Orlando furioso) and had a definitely imaginary and fantastic character (spanish chivalry novels like Amadis de Gaula, the first european best-seller, or the catalan Tirant lo Blanch) or were dialogued prose ( La celestina, La lozana andaluza); with Lazarillo a new genre is born, one which will define novel in the following centuries.

There appears a hero against society, the criticism is not purely humorous but a subtle and cruel analysis of the problems and flaws of a modern society. Sometimes description of ambiances and characters are meticulous . And besides all, the narrator wanted to create for the first time the illusion in the reader that the story was not really a fiction, but a true story. As it was published as an anonymous work the illusion was reinforced (being anonymous the writer could avoid inquisition, as the novel was inmediately banned).

Of course lots of moments from Lazarillo comes from folklore and the old fabliaux, but the efect is definitely modern. At the same time the structure is very original and elaborated.

Loki, I'm glad you liked it. But with some clasic old works it's important as you say a good explanation, at least to know why it was revolutionary at the time or why it's important for the History of Literature.

learna

16-Mar-2010, 13:49

miercuri

16-Mar-2010, 13:56

William Burroughs - The Cat Inside - 80 pages of loving cats in prose, I would recommend this to any cat lover.
Roald Dahl - Matilda - I am discovering Roald Dahl a bit late maybe, but he is such a joy to read. :)

Bottle Rocket

16-Mar-2010, 15:13

Roald Dahl - Matilda - I am discovering Roald Dahl a bit late maybe, but he is such a joy to read. :)Dahl is hilarious. My very young nieces and nephews turned my on to Matllda and I enjoyed it a great deal; it's very refreshing when a "children's" author explores beyond the saccharine and the cautionary and gets down to treating kids the way they really feel.

I also love James and The Giant Peach, which you must read if you haven't already. And do you know Maurice Sendak's work?? Where the Wild Things Are is one of my all-time favorite books ever.

:) BRocket :)

lenz

16-Mar-2010, 15:43

"The Town of N" by Leonid Dobychin.
Lenz wrote wonderfully about it. I would add only some words about his style. Dobychin wrote in very short sentences and I have an impression that each word was weighed and if it could be not used he did not do it.

Thank you, Learna, I agree that Dobychin didn't waste words.There is a sense of time passing quickly, or memories being recalled briefly - not quite in a "stream of consciousness" - but with significant details recurring to build a whole picture of a young man's personality. No wonder Stalin didn't like him - such a book could encourage the spread of truth through memory.

miercuri

16-Mar-2010, 15:57

Dahl is hilarious. My very young nieces and nephews turned my on to Matllda and I enjoyed it a great deal; it's very refreshing when a "children's" author explores beyond the saccharine and the cautionary and gets down to treating kids the way they really feel.

I also love James and The Giant Peach, which you must read if you haven't already. And do you know Maurice Sendak's work?? Where the Wild Things Are is one of my all-time favorite books ever.

:) BRocket :)
I've read James and The Giant Peach in French in an attempt to boost up my reading skills in French a few years ago. Although I enjoyed it, I didn't exactly stir my interest for Dahl the same way Matilda did, maybe I should have read it in the original. I also have a rather embarrassing tiny issue with it: I am absolutely terrified of centipedes. Even though the one in the peach was rather sympathetic, it still made me feel a little uncomfortable. :p I can say I am glad I didn't read that one as a kid.
I'm looking forward to reading The Fantastic Mr Fox sometime soon because I loved the film so much, but I still feel I should have read the book first.
I read Where the Wild Things Are only recently, I hadn't been aware of its existence before seeing the trailer for the film. I'd love to own a copy because it seems like a book one should return to from time to time. :)

Igu Soni

16-Mar-2010, 16:27

Roald Dahl - Matilda - I am discovering Roald Dahl a bit late maybe, but he is such a joy to read. :)

I recommend My Uncle Oswald as an exemplification of Dahl's versatility.

Personally, I finally finished Old Times, by Harold Pinter. I was ready to be baffled, after my recent reading of The Homecoming, but I don't think this worked quite as well. I could at least glimpse where the climax of the earlier play was coming from, whereas in this one it felt completely random, and not in a good way. Despite my lack of conscious understanding, I feel confident enough to rate it ***00, the three stars because everything preceding was beautiful.
Now that it is my third Pinter (the first being The Birthday Party), I notice a recurring theme of the past haunting you; in every play, a character (or more) goes into this trance-like monologue in the middle of a general frenzy narrating some experience that haunts them till now.

e joseph

16-Mar-2010, 19:43

Roald Dahl - Matilda - I am discovering Roald Dahl a bit late maybe, but he is such a joy to read. :)
I second Bottle Rocket's nod to James and the Giant Peach, terrifying centipede be damned. One of my favorite books ever. And he's totally fun to return to; The Witches is up soon for me.

Daniel del Real

16-Mar-2010, 23:58

Lazarillo de Tormes, besides being one of the miracles of Spanish prose, is a fundamental work in the history of the novel. While most narrative in those days was written in verse (Orlando furioso) and had a definitely imaginary and fantastic character (spanish chivalry novels like Amadis de Gaula, the first european best-seller, or the catalan Tirant lo Blanch) or were dialogued prose ( La celestina, La lozana andaluza); with Lazarillo a new genre is born, one which will define novel in the following centuries.

There appears a hero against society, the criticism is not purely humorous but a subtle and cruel analysis of the problems and flaws of a modern society. Sometimes description of ambiances and characters are meticulous . And besides all, the narrator wanted to create for the first time the illusion in the reader that the story was not really a fiction, but a true story. As it was published as an anonymous work the illusion was reinforced (being anonymous the writer could avoid inquisition, as the novel was inmediately banned).

Of course lots of moments from Lazarillo comes from folklore and the old fabliaux, but the efect is definitely modern. At the same time the structure is very original and elaborated.

Loki, I'm glad you liked it. But with some clasic old works it's important as you say a good explanation, at least to know why it was revolutionary at the time or why it's important for the History of Literature.

This novel created the picaresque novel and it's by far the funniest read I've ever had!

Stiffelio

17-Mar-2010, 01:25

Annie Proulx: Close Range: Wyoming Stories. A very good collection by this gifter American writer ****0.

kpjayan

17-Mar-2010, 05:11

Go Tell it on the Mountain - James Baldwin : beautiful.. ****0

Loki

17-Mar-2010, 09:27

This novel created the picaresque novel and it's by far the funniest read I've ever had!

Along with Guzman de Alfarache maybe.
What has interested most of this work is the mystery around it. I like all the speculations about all the possible authors, the problem of the 4 editions (all from the same year, and one even from Belgium)...

slim jenkins

17-Mar-2010, 09:36

William Burroughs - The Cat Inside - 80 pages of loving cats in prose, I would recommend this to any cat lover.
:)

One thing I can't forgive Bill for...and the only book of his I'll never read....cats...huh. Big ones, yes, but those that crap in your garden and predate on our birds - gggrrrrrrr

Just finished The Hustler - Walter Tevis - superb novel, better than I expected.
Review here: Include Me Out (http://includemeout2.blogspot.com)

learna

17-Mar-2010, 11:23

Thank you, Learna, I agree that Dobychin didn't waste words.There is a sense of time passing quickly, or memories being recalled briefly - not quite in a "stream of consciousness" - but with significant details recurring to build a whole picture of a young man's personality. No wonder Stalin didn't like him - such a book could encourage the spread of truth through memory.

Now it is understandable why he became unremembered. I read his "The Town of N" in the book which has a subtitle:" The forgotten book".
Lenz, have you read his short stories? There are a lot of wonderful literary expressions in them which are very significant as usual for Dobychin.

(http://www.multitran.ru/c/m.exe?t=3055329_1_2)

Galatea92

17-Mar-2010, 13:55

Roald Dahl - Matilda - I am discovering Roald Dahl a bit late maybe, but he is such a joy to read. :)

I've just finished reading it to my daughters. I think it's my favourite Roald Dahl (and it has a lot of competition).

Reading out to children really gives you a feel for how good a book is. If it's rubbish and preachy, like most children's books are, my daughters start doing other things, singing, rolling backwards and forwards, trying to do headstands, anything rather than listen. But as soon as I start reading a Roald Dahl they become still and serious, listening intently until I've finished the chapter.

And his novels just feel wonderful to read out loud - I almost became hoarse doing all Miss Trunchbull's sneering and shouting :).

lionel

17-Mar-2010, 15:07

One thing I can't forgive Bill for...and the only book of his I'll never read....cats...huh. Big ones, yes, but those that crap in your garden and predate on our birds - gggrrrrrrr

I'll set this bugger on you. Cats bury their shit, unlike smelly dogs. :)

blog (http://tonyshaw3.blogspot.com)

Bottle Rocket

17-Mar-2010, 15:20

I've just finished reading it to my daughters. I think it's my favourite Roald Dahl (and it has a lot of competition).

Reading out to children really gives you a feel for how good a book is. If it's rubbish and preachy, like most children's books are, my daughters start doing other things, singing, rolling backwards and forwards, trying to do headstands, anything rather than listen. But as soon as I start reading a Roald Dahl they become still and serious, listening intently until I've finished the chapter.

And his novels just feel wonderful to read out loud - I almost became hoarse doing all Miss Trunchbull's sneering and shouting :).I agree 100% ... not being a parent, I don't know how common reading aloud is nowadays once kids can read for themselves, but it certainly was always a favorite for me when I was a child. And as you say, some books lend themselves to it much more than others; the Milne books are also among them, IMHO. (Our Third Grade teacher taught us to recite "James James Morrison Morrison Weatherby George Dupree ..." and I can still do it fifty years later.)

Let me recommend to you Wolf Story (http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=wolf+story+mccleery&tag=googhydr-20&index=stripbooks&hvadid=1103356481&ref=pd_sl_4z6pfeyeko_b) by William McLeery (ill. Warren Chappell), a book I rarely see included on the lists of books ideal for reading aloud. Maybe it's better known than I realize, but in any event it is simply fabulous to share with kids from about age five or six on, and IMO just as much fun for adults. Rather than spoil it for you, I'll just say: great book!!

Another less well known family read-aloud book is Farley Mowat's The Dog Who Wouldn't Be (http://www.amazon.com/Dog-Who-Wouldnt-Be/dp/0553279289/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1268835069&sr=1-1), which contains passages that will have everyone in the room ROFL(T)AO.

And on the subject of dogs, E.B. White's Essays (http://www.amazon.com/Essays-E-B-White-E-B/dp/0844671959/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1268835310&sr=1-1) has several laugh-out-loud pieces about the family dachsund which are superb examples of the form (as indeed are all the others included.)

:) BRocket :)

3 x *****

Daniel del Real

17-Mar-2010, 21:53

Along with Guzman de Alfarache maybe.
What has interested most of this work is the mystery around it. I like all the speculations about all the possible authors, the problem of the 4 editions (all from the same year, and one even from Belgium)...

You're right, despite Lazarillo de Tormes was written approx 50 years before Guzm?n de Alfarache. By the way I haven't read that one. Is it as good as the Lazarillo?

By the way we might already have an author for the Lazarillo de Tormes. I think you can read Spanish so here's the note.

El Lazarillo de Tormes ya no es an?nimo (http://www.lavanguardia.es/cultura/noticias/20100305/53896711891/el-lazarillo-de-tormes-ya-no-es-anonimo-mendoza-velasco-madrid.html)

Daniel del Real

17-Mar-2010, 21:56

http://www.worldliteratureforum.com/forum/images/flags/mx.gif Hugo Guti?rrez Vega, Polvo Nuevo de la Palabra Antigua (New Dust of the Ancient Word) Poetic Anthology ***00+

Loki

17-Mar-2010, 22:39

You're right, despite Lazarillo de Tormes was written approx 50 years before Guzm?n de Alfarache. By the way I haven't read that one. Is it as good as the Lazarillo?

I haven't read it either, but we will probably read some passages in class presently. If we do, I'll tell how it is.

By the way we might already have an author for the Lazarillo de Tormes. I think you can read Spanish so here's the note.
El Lazarillo de Tormes ya no es an?nimo (http://www.lavanguardia.es/cultura/noticias/20100305/53896711891/el-lazarillo-de-tormes-ya-no-es-anonimo-mendoza-velasco-madrid.html)

What bothers me is that it is all presented as truth. I don't think it is so certain that she has found the author of the Lazarillo. Anyway, I wonder what my lecturer might think about it.

Bjorn

17-Mar-2010, 23:18

Alberto Manguel, The Library At Night (ARG/CAN) ****0

Galatea92

17-Mar-2010, 23:28

I agree 100% ... not being a parent, I don't know how common reading aloud is nowadays once kids can read for themselves, but it certainly was always a favorite for me when I was a child. And as you say, some books lend themselves to it much more than others; the Milne books are also among them, IMHO. (Our Third Grade teacher taught us to recite "James James Morrison Morrison Weatherby George Dupree ..." and I can still do it fifty years later.)

Two of my favourites are: There's an Ouch in My Pouch (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Theres-Ouch-Pouch-Jeanne-Willis/dp/0141500034) (Jeanne Willis/Gary Parsons), because it allows me to keep saying the line "Wibbly wobbly, bibbly bobbly, boing-a-boing boing to the Blue Billabong" over and over again; and The Story of the Little Mole Who Knew It Was None of His Business (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Story-Little-Mole-Knew-Business/dp/1856021017) (Werner Holzwarth/Wolf Erlbruch) just because it's such a funny story about poo.

Sibyl

18-Mar-2010, 12:20

Torngy Lindgren - Norrlandse aquavit ***00

saliotthomas

18-Mar-2010, 12:41

Torngy Lindgren - Norrlandse aquavit ***00

Not great then?

I read The way of serpent last year and it was easily one the best novel, say in the ten best.
Still vivid in my mind.

Bjorn

18-Mar-2010, 13:28

Torngy Lindgren - Norrlandse aquavit ***00
I loved that book, but I know opinion has been divided on it; I'd love to hear more of what you thought of it, have you read anything else by him?

Sibyl

19-Mar-2010, 14:39

I can see why others would like it, it is well written and has an interesting story, I loved some of the characters. I didn't like the illustrations, which didn't seem to serve any purpose, and didn't care for the parts written by the reporter. I would have liked the book to have more conversations to get to know the different characters better.

I have never read anything by Torgny Lindgren before, but I might try again. I got this from the library because it has aquavit in the title.

peter_d

19-Mar-2010, 14:50

I got this from the library because it has aquavit in the title.

That sounds like a good reason. But... could you explain?

saliotthomas

19-Mar-2010, 15:56

Isaac Bashevis Singer-The manor *****
Great stuff, Hundred Years of solitude meet the Rabbies with a something of Dostoeivsky.(i knew i could write title for lit review in fashion magazines).
Seriously though, the characteres are fascinating as well as the epoque, trully a classic work. I read the slave before, which i like, but this is going far deeper
I thought i would have enough with the first volume, but i had to get to The estate (the next one) straight after.

Bjorn

19-Mar-2010, 20:39

Stephen Hawking, A Brief History Of Time (UK) ****0

He almost manages to make me feel not dumb by comparison.

Almost.

miercuri

20-Mar-2010, 14:23

Christopher Isherwood - A Single Man ****0+
Loving Isherwood more and more :)

Peeping Tom

20-Mar-2010, 19:24

The Time of the Hero (La ciudad y los perros) by Mario Vargas Llosa, translated from the Spanish by Lysander Kemp. Published in 1963, this is the first novel written by Vargas Llosa. I bought this at a used book sale a long time ago, an American first edition hardcover (1966), which has been gathering dust on my bookshelf for years and years, mainly because I never heard or read anything about it until very recently. It is surprisingly good. ****0

By the way, the original Spanish title (literally ?City of the Dogs?) is much more appropriate than the English translation, not only because it comes close to the original title, but because it also captures the essence of the novel. The English translation (The Time of the Hero) is almost laughable.

Sibyl

20-Mar-2010, 19:51

That sounds like a good reason. But... could you explain?
That to me represents everything Scandinavian, and I was in the mood for a Scandinavian book. Also, liqour in the title increases the chances or drawing me towards a book.

saliotthomas

20-Mar-2010, 20:05

That to me represents everything Scandinavian, and I was in the mood for a Scandinavian book. Also, liqour in the title increases the chances or drawing me towards a book.

If you like liquor in books, Under the volcano get you swiming in it.

Stevie B

21-Mar-2010, 00:33

If you like liquor in books, Under the volcano get you swiming in it.

Though not quite the classic of Under the Volcano's stature, John O'Brien's Leaving Las Vegas will have you breathing alcohol fumes as you leaf through the pages. Nicolas Cage won a best actor Oscar for playing the lead in the film version of the autobiographical novel published shortly before author's death. O'Brien's father called the book his son's 200-page suicide note to the world.

Stiffelio

21-Mar-2010, 06:38

By the way, the original Spanish title (literally ?City of the Dogs?) is much more appropriate than the English translation, not only because it comes close to the original title, but because it also captures the essence of the novel. The English translation (The Time of the Hero) is almost laughable.

The English translation of the title should be "The City and the Dogs"

peter_d

21-Mar-2010, 11:30

If you like liquor in books, Under the volcano get you swiming in it.

Or John Steinbeck's Cannery Row. Has a very alcoholic atmosphere as well, if I remember correctly. Although I think it's mainly about cheap wine (which is consumed in gallons as opposed to glasses or bottles). It's not so much about strong liquors except for the occasional bourbon, scotch, rum and gin that goes in.

Clarissa

21-Mar-2010, 12:33

Under the Volcano is more than an alcoholridden book.

Sibyl

21-Mar-2010, 14:02

I have added your suggestions to my list of reading possibilities.

Daniel del Real

21-Mar-2010, 23:05

Every Bukowski's book emanates alcohol 5 meters around :D

Daniel del Real

21-Mar-2010, 23:15

http://www.worldliteratureforum.com/forum/images/flags/mx.gif Guadalupe Nettel, El Hu?sped (The Guest) ****0+
This novel was a finalist for the Anagrama premio de novela a few years ago. Without having read the novel that won that year, I can't explain why this one didn't win. It's a terrific first novel by a young Mexican author that has a really promisory carreer. I had read before a short story book by her and loved it. This novel comes to reaffirm her figure as a future star in Latin American literature. With only 2 short story books and this novel, I'm really eager to see what's next on her production.

Mirabell

22-Mar-2010, 04:56

Ultimate X-Men: World Tour, Mark Millar, Adam Kubert (and others). Kubert is better in this one, and two chapters are pencilled by an excellent artist. I'm slightly disappointed by Millar's writing in the whole Ultimate X-Men thing.

saliotthomas

22-Mar-2010, 10:31

Under the Volcano is more than an alcoholridden book.

Sure is but alcohol is the fuel that drives it, like Hunger by Hamsun is not only about starvation but it is what color that novel.
Malcolm Lowry-Under the Volcano****0
I like it, more the first two thirds than the last when i was starting to loose ground. Also very dense and it would deserve a re read to get the picture a little bit clearer(if i can say).

Sibyl

22-Mar-2010, 12:16

J.M. Coetzee - Disgrace ****0 (4th/5th reread)

peter_d

22-Mar-2010, 12:41

Arnon Grunberg - Onze Oom (Our Uncle) ***00 It was too long (639 pages), but the final chapters, roughly the final 200 pages, were very good.

Mirabell

22-Mar-2010, 19:15

Ugly Rumours (http://shigekuni.wordpress.com/2010/03/26/help-tobias-wolffs-ugly-rumours/), Tobias Wolff

DreamQueen

22-Mar-2010, 19:56

I haven't been here in awhile; here are some of the books I've read since:

Romola, George Eliot ****0
Norwegian Wood, Haruki Murakami ****0+
The Castle of Otranto, Horace Walpole ***00
Old Goriot, Honore de Balzac *****
Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell (re-read) *****
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, Winifred Watson ****0+
Three Day Road, Joseph Boyden ***00+

I'm kicking myself for not reading Balzac before, but also celebrating that I have so much of his stuff open to me!

saliotthomas

22-Mar-2010, 20:25

Ugly Rumours, Tobias Wolff

What cha think fella?

And waoh Dreamqueen, nice load, i first thought i mistaken threads with purchased......but no.
I read many Balzac those past few years, much of what i could grab anyway. My Favorite would be Eugenie Grandet, le lys dans la vall?e, Cesar Biroteau.
I didn't like much The country doctor, and was confused by La femme de trente ans.

Bjorn

22-Mar-2010, 21:40

Terry Pratchett, Small Gods (UK)

Not Pratchett's best, but definitely one of his most ambitious and well-argued satires - this time of religion. And as with everything, he's more interesting in exploring than condemning. ****0.

Sibyl

23-Mar-2010, 13:08

Alie Smeding - De zondaar (The sinner) ****0

It was very serious and controversial in 1927, but made me laugh.

johnw1

23-Mar-2010, 20:40

Daniel del Real

24-Mar-2010, 00:38

http://www.worldliteratureforum.com/forum/images/flags/jp.gif Kenzaburo Oe, The Silent Cry *****
Deep, complex and simply awesome.

stujallen

24-Mar-2010, 00:43

a sun for the dying by jean claude izzo *****

Stiffelio

24-Mar-2010, 04:49

cl Roberto Bola?o: La Pista de Hielo (The Skating Rink) ****0

An interesting, early novel cleverly written in a faux-criminal genre mode. With the hindsight of having read some of his later works, one can already perceive Bola?o's looming traits and obsessions.

kpjayan

24-Mar-2010, 06:57

sirena

24-Mar-2010, 09:35

Anna Karenina - Tolstoy *****
Really enjoyed this and glad I finally got around to reading it. Very moving and typically insightful and clear writing by Tolstoy. I like the way he presents each character sympathetically and without passing judgment so we're forced to see each event from multiple perspectives. No character is straightforward and all have wonderful depth and are capable of surprising you.

I read Anna Karenina in past 20 years five or six times and I'm certain that I'm going to re-read it more times in the course of time. It's in my top 5 favorite books. I hope I'll be able to read it in Russian someday.

Have you read anything else by Tolstoy, like War and Peace, for example?

learna

24-Mar-2010, 11:35

Nikolai Gogol - The Government Inspector ( Play ) and Five stories..

An old Russian publication found with one of my relative.. Government inspector is very good, so are a couple of the shortstories..

"The portrait" and "The greatcoat" were fantastic stories.

"The greatcoat" was filmed several times. This is a clip from the silent film (1926)( I think that this music is not good enough):

YouTube - The Overcoat ("??????") (1926) - 4/7 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTNv_qUcY8w&feature=related)

And this is a final - the silence scene - of "The Government Inspector" (1952):

YouTube - ??????? (1952) - 13/13 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlU_oGGgx3I&feature=PlayList&p=AA9147181F916AFF&index=12)

johnw1

24-Mar-2010, 12:17

I read Anna Karenina in past 20 years five or six times and I'm certain that I'm going to re-read it more times in the course of time. It's in my top 5 favorite books. I hope I'll be able to read it in Russian someday.

Have you read anything else by Tolstoy, like War and Peace, for example?

I'm sure I'll be coming back to Anna Karenina as well! Yes, I've read War and Peace - three times actually - which is partly why I put off reading AK for so long since I had such regard for Tolstoy's writing I wanted to make sure I read this when I had enough time and felt in the right mood to really enjoy it. Also I knew Anna's story had a tragic end (which they helpfully spelled out on the back cover) and I always have to summon up especial energy to read tragedies. As it turns out the storyline of Levin balanced this out and you could probably make a case for him being the main protagonist. I found him the most interesting and appealing character - and the most like Pierre and Prince Andrei in terms of his inner turmoil and questioning, good-naturedness and how he stands apart from the rest.

How have you found his short stories - The Death of Ivan Illych, Kreutzer Sonata etc?

Good luck with learning Russian by the way!

kpjayan

24-Mar-2010, 14:00

"The greatcoat" was filmed several times. This is a clip from the silent film (1926)( I think that this music is not good enough):

YouTube - The Overcoat ("??????") (1926) - 4/7 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTNv_qUcY8w&feature=related)

And this is a final - the silence scene - of "The Government Inspector" (1952):

YouTube - ??????? (1952) - 13/13 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlU_oGGgx3I&feature=PlayList&p=AA9147181F916AFF&index=12)

Thank you so much..

sirena

24-Mar-2010, 18:26

Yes, I've read War and Peace - three times actually - which is partly why I put off reading AK for so long since I had such regard for Tolstoy's writing I wanted to make sure I read this when I had enough time and felt in the right mood to really enjoy it.

I read War and Peace three times, myself.:D

How have you found his short stories - The Death of Ivan Illych, Kreutzer Sonata etc?

I'm embarrassed to say that I haven't read those yet. :o

Good luck with learning Russian by the way!

Thanks. It hasn't been a problem so far, cause Croatian is similar a lot to Russian.:)

Mirabell

25-Mar-2010, 01:40

Mistborn (http://shigekuni.wordpress.com/2010/03/30/magic-brandon-sandersons-mistborn/), Brandon Sanderson

Stiffelio

25-Mar-2010, 05:35

http://www.worldliteratureforum.com/forum/images/flags/jp.gif Kenzaburo Oe, The Silent Cry *****
Deep, complex and simply awesome.

I am glad you liked it. :)

Sibyl

25-Mar-2010, 10:47

Bart Koubaa - De leraar (The teacher) ****0

Even though someone had already told me how it would end I still thought it was very good.

peter_d

25-Mar-2010, 11:20

Bart Koubaa - De leraar (The teacher) ****0

This book was discussed in the tv programme 'Iets met boeken'. It already made me curious and now that you're positive about it too, I think I must give it a go.

Igu Soni

25-Mar-2010, 11:52

e joseph

25-Mar-2010, 12:07

Moby-Dick
Uhhhhh, awesome. Anyone ever hear of it?

learna

25-Mar-2010, 13:10

"1984" by George Orwel.

The third part is awesome.

DWM

25-Mar-2010, 13:25

Keep The Aspidistra Flying, by George Orwell. I hadn't read it before, and although it's a grim book, it's a great one.

Clarissa

25-Mar-2010, 14:03

Down and out in London and Paris - Orwell even grimmer

sirena

25-Mar-2010, 17:48

Moby-Dick
Uhhhhh, awesome. Anyone ever hear of it?

It's amazing how diverse people are!

I really wanted to read the whole Moby Dick, I really did, but I just couldn't. I read first half of the book and I couldn't go futher. I'm sorry to say, but it's too damn boring!

Igu Soni

25-Mar-2010, 17:53

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll ***00
It's brillliant upto the Mad Hatter-March Hare bit, then it's just annoying. Till then, every incident questioned Alice's conception of reality in a brilliant way, but then the Queen of Hearts comes, and she's too uninspired on both the reality-questioning as well as the entertainment levels. The mock turtle Gryphon bit came close to being nice but the poems ruined that too.
Through The Looking Glass *****
Carroll is so much surer of what he's doing here, and this one is truly beautiful.
“The Hatter’s remark seemed to her to have no sort of meaning in it, and yet it was cerainly English.” Life as it ain't (http://wp.me/pEyin-6M)

Bjorn

25-Mar-2010, 21:28

^^I guess I should probably read Through The Looking Glass at some point, then.

Maja Lundgren - M?ktig tussilago (SWE) ***00 Fun, cryptic satire that doesn't really know what it wants.

Daniel del Real

25-Mar-2010, 21:44

I am glad you liked it. :)

We should open a thread about it. There's so much to discuss about this book. Everything is settling down in my mind now, so I'll give it a few days so I can start talking about my impressions.

e joseph

25-Mar-2010, 22:31

It's amazing how diverse people are!

I really wanted to read the whole Moby Dick, I really did, but I just couldn't. I read first half of the book and I couldn't go futher. I'm sorry to say, but it's too damn boring!
I definitely see what people found to be boring in the book, but I was never bored. Taken as individual chapters, some could be tedious, but I thought the cumulative effect was pretty awesome. Plus I'm pretty sure I'm qualified to partake of a whaling expedition now.

Daniel del Real

26-Mar-2010, 19:46

http://www.worldliteratureforum.com/forum/images/flags/al.gif Ismail Kadare, The File on H ****0+
Outstading, it is one of those books that keep on growing as you advance. The final is a true piece of art. Probably the best Kadare I've read so far.

Sibyl

26-Mar-2010, 21:00

Heleen van Royen - Godin van de jacht *0000 (reread for a paper)

Sibyl

27-Mar-2010, 09:56

Ole Korneliussen - Qivittoq ****0

learna

28-Mar-2010, 09:46

"Life & Times of Michael K" by John Maxwell Coetzee *****.
Brilliant.

Daniel del Real

28-Mar-2010, 22:57

"Life & Times of Michael K" by John Maxwell Coetzee *****.
Brilliant.

Oh it is! I see right now you're reading another Coetzee and that's great. Maybe I should do that myself too.

DreamQueen

29-Mar-2010, 01:26

I definitely see what people found to be boring in the book, but I was never bored. Taken as individual chapters, some could be tedious, but I thought the cumulative effect was pretty awesome. Plus I'm pretty sure I'm qualified to partake of a whaling expedition now.

I love this book - have read it twice!

DreamQueen

29-Mar-2010, 01:27

Vertigo, W.G. Sebald ****0

Stiffelio

29-Mar-2010, 05:03

Cormac McCarthy: The Road *****

Stunning. Superb. I'm at a loss for words.

learna

29-Mar-2010, 08:54

Oh it is! I see right now you're reading another Coetzee and that's great. Maybe I should do that myself too.

I am interested in his "Foe", "Disgrace" and "Slow Man", as well, which I am going to read soon. But I am not sure in "Foe"...

Liam

29-Mar-2010, 09:30

I am interested in his "Foe", "Disgrace" and "Slow Man", as well, which I am going to read soon. But I am not sure in "Foe"...
Are you planning to read Elizabeth Costello as well? Technically, it's a prequel to Slow Man, so you might want to check it out. Be warned: it is Coetzee's weirdest and least liked novel to date, but it is also exceptional in that it is the only one of his late (post 1990) novels in which the protagonist is a woman. Personally, I like it a lot.

Waiting for the Barbarians is one of the best books ever written.

Why are you reading it in translation though? I thought you'd go straight for the original version--

L.

learna

29-Mar-2010, 09:45

Are you planning to read Elizabeth Costello as well? Technically, it's a prequel to Slow Man, so you might want to check it out. Be warned: it is Coetzee's weirdest and least liked novel to date, but it is also exceptional in that it is the only one of his late (post 1990) novels in which the protagonist is a woman. Personally, I like it a lot.

Waiting for the Barbarians is one of the best books ever written.

Why are you reading it in translation though? I thought you'd go straight for the original version--

L.

Thank you for your recommendation, Liam.

Are you planning to read Elizabeth Costello as well? Technically, it's a prequel to Slow Man, so you might want to check it out. In such case I think it would be better to read it first.

Waiting for the Barbarians is one of the best books ever written.

I am just reading it now.

Why are you reading it in translation though? I thought you'd go straight for the original version--It is simple: my friend gave me the book in Russian. But thank you for forcing me to read the next one in the original :).

Igu Soni

29-Mar-2010, 16:39

Cormac McCarthy: The Road *****

Stunning. Superb. I'm at a loss for words.
So your post on the book thread wasn't something to go by, then?:D
Sorry, couldn't resist.

Bjorn

29-Mar-2010, 21:31

John Wray, Lowboy (US) ****0

Daniel del Real

29-Mar-2010, 21:45

Cormac McCarthy: The Road *****

Stunning. Superb. I'm at a loss for words.

Really? Aren't you exaggerating a little bit? :p

Are you planning to read Elizabeth Costello as well? Technically, it's a prequel to Slow Man, so you might want to check it out. Be warned: it is Coetzee's weirdest and least liked novel to date, but it is also exceptional in that it is the only one of his late (post 1990) novels in which the protagonist is a woman. Personally, I like it a lot. .

Haven't read Elizabeth Costello and still enjoyed a lot Slow Man when I read it. I'm sure you enrich the experience by reading it before, but I can tell it's not absolutely necessary.
About Foe I haven't read it since I haven't read Robinson Crusoe either. Is it necessary to fully understand and enjoy this novel?

I'm also a sinner of not reading Coetzee in English. 5 books I've read from him were in Spanish translation. Promise next one will be in English

peter_d

29-Mar-2010, 22:15

I'm also a sinner of not reading Coetzee in English. 5 books I've read from him were in Spanish translation. Promise next one will be in English

Just finished In the Heart of the Country. In English. It was not good for my self confidence with regard to my knowledge of the English language. I had to pick up my dictionary all the time. But still, a wonderful book. ****0+

Sif

29-Mar-2010, 22:47

Strange Pilgrims by Gabriel Garc?a M?rquez. It was a fine collection of short stories, some more interesting than others, as is always the case. I preferred his Collected Stories to this batch but I would still recommend it.

Mirabell

29-Mar-2010, 23:53

John Wray, Lowboy (US) ****0

oh, you seem to enjoy being wrong. excellent. ;)

e joseph

30-Mar-2010, 00:52

I love this book [Moby-Dick] - have read it twice!
That's awesome. I'd like to reread it at some point as well - it's pretty dense and really fun. Going for a third time through sometime?

e joseph

30-Mar-2010, 00:57

Thousand Cranes - Yasunari Kawabata
Fantastic. This is the second book of his I've read (Snow Country being the other), and I'm really really impressed by everything about his writing. Both books I read in one day. And I never read books in one day.

miercuri

30-Mar-2010, 01:29

Igu Soni

30-Mar-2010, 04:30

Just finished In the Heart of the Country. In English. It was not good for my self confidence with regard to my knowledge of the English language. I had to pick up my dictionary all the time. But still, a wonderful book. ****0+
What's this, a Coetzee fest? Whatever, it is, I'm happy, because Coetzee is one of my favourite writers.

Anyway, Peter: Coetzee wrote it with a massive thesaurus on hand. I don't think anyone except the most erudite scholars of the English language could have read it without a dictionary.
What's really amazing is that everyone likes it this much anyway (it's my favourite Coetzee).

johnw1

30-Mar-2010, 11:57

Liam

30-Mar-2010, 17:36

Thomas Hardy: Far from the Madding Crowd (1874): ****0

...Chinua Achebe's essay denouncing Conrad as a 'bloody racist'...
Achebe's a raging pinhead and should shut the f*ck up. Conrad's work has probably had more influence on world literature than the cartload of clay known as Things Fall Apart.

L.

Mirabell

30-Mar-2010, 17:47

Conrad's work has probably had more influence on world literature than the cartload of clay known as Things Fall Apart.

how does this invalidate his argument? except in your head, of course.

Liam

30-Mar-2010, 17:53

how does this invalidate his argument? except in your head, of course.
How did I KNOW that you were going to respond to this taunt, M??? :p

L.

miercuri

30-Mar-2010, 20:55

Yeah, definitely worth re-reading, this book is endlessly fascinating but impossible to pin down! Have you read Chinua Achebe's essay denouncing Conrad as a 'bloody racist' and saying the book should be reviled? I don't know where he gets the certainty that his reading is right as it seems so enigmatic to me...
We mentioned it in our class discussion but haven't really delved into the matter. I have a paper to write on HoD later this semester and I will keep it in mind to read Achebe's essay then. I wouldn't go as far as saying Achebe's reading is wrong but it is certainly narrow and decontextualized.

Clarissa

30-Mar-2010, 21:22

DreamQueen

30-Mar-2010, 21:53

That's awesome. I'd like to reread it at some point as well - it's pretty dense and really fun. Going for a third time through sometime?

I might re-read it, yes. I've recently become able to re-read favourites again so that's one of many to look forward to!

DreamQueen

30-Mar-2010, 21:54

Bram Stoker, The Lair of the White Worm. *0000-

Worse than you can imagine! *Shudders*

Bjorn

30-Mar-2010, 22:05

Atemschaukel - Herta M?ller *****

Her use of language is quite extraordinary Found Herztier exceptional.That was the first of her books that I read, She certainly did not disappoint with Atemschaukel, the second of her books that I read. Thanks to Mirabell's intense recommendation of M?ller's work. Thank you, Mirabell, for being so persuasive.
Really glad you liked it! One of my favourite reads of last year, and I'm definitely reading more of her. I really hope some of the non-German speakers on the board will give it a go once it's out in English.

Daniel del Real

30-Mar-2010, 22:06

Joseph Conrad - Heart of Darkness ****0+
This turned out to be one of the best seminar discussions this year and for good reason, it makes such a great academic subject. I was rather disappointed though to see that most people in group hated it.
I feel the constant need to go back and reread certain bits ever since I finished it earlier today. I'm pretty sure that my rating will go up one point sooner or later.

On my English literature seminar I'm taking we analysed this book two weeks ago. The speaker came with a very interesting approach that I had barely visualized even though I had read the novel previously: He compared the myth laying in Heart of Darkness with Dante's Commedia. It was really enlightning to see how Conrad built a new version of this classic text dealing with very actual topics a the time like colonialism.

Now I need to re-read it and see the context in a really different perspective. This is not a book about evil and horror, despite of the famous quote at the end of the book. This is a book about loneliness, deep dive into human heart and emotions. Splendid book.

Johan

31-Mar-2010, 02:05

Tatyana Tolstaya - The Slynx.

I would probably have enjoyed it more had I known more about Russian culture, but nonetheless I found it a wonderful little dystopian satire.

sirena

31-Mar-2010, 08:30

Bram Stoker, The Lair of the White Worm. *0000-

Worse than you can imagine! *Shudders*

That good, ha? :D

learna

31-Mar-2010, 09:00

Tatyana Tolstaya - The Slynx.

I would probably have enjoyed it more had I known more about Russian culture, but nonetheless I found it a wonderful little dystopian satire.

Tolstaya has a wonderful feeling of words, stylish and clever. Unfortunately, I have not read "The Slynx" yet ( but intend). Johan, have you read her "Day"? There are some wonderful essays in it: "Square"- "Квадрат", "Decals"(?) - "Переводные картинки" , "Translated from the Australian" - "Перевод с австралийского" and an amazing essay about"Sandro of Chegem" by Fazil Iskande.

chrisphillips

31-Mar-2010, 09:22

saliotthomas

31-Mar-2010, 09:47

But a break from bleakness for now and I commence Tobias Wolff's Old School, another new author for me.

Read it a while ago and loved it, hope you will too.

lenz

31-Mar-2010, 20:51

Nikolski by Nicolas Dickner, translated from French by Lazer Lederhendler.

Mirabell

31-Mar-2010, 23:31

Duma Key, Stephen King

lenz

01-Apr-2010, 01:35

Tatyana Tolstaya - The Slynx.

I would probably have enjoyed it more had I known more about Russian culture, but nonetheless I found it a wonderful little dystopian satire.

I liked this a lot, too. I'll have to read it again, though, because I can't remember the symbolism - just the mice.

Sibyl

01-Apr-2010, 11:31

Heleen van Royen - De gelukkige huisvrouw **000

Clarissa

01-Apr-2010, 18:50

D.H.Lawrence - England, my England (short stories) ***00

johnw1

01-Apr-2010, 19:35

Nostromo - Joseph Conrad ****0
It started slowly and the first quarter maybe dwelt too long on background information and setting the scene for the action that comes later but I battled on and it all came together, becoming more engrossing as it went on. The end is tremendous and brought in many of the themes I'm familiar with from Conrad's other works - isolation, social pretenses, rapacity, descent into madness... His language is consistently, typically, atmospheric and evocative and his constant shifts between view points and types of narration, moving forward and back in time work really well. And the characters were interesting, almost all being wrecked by the situation they were with the San Tome silver mine at the heart of everything as the West's wealth pretty much controls everything to its own advantage whatever the destruction caused. The downfall of the characters is almost like a Greek tragedy in that they're each destroyed by a single failing - being fanatically devoted to a particular thing - fame, honour, duty, love etc... So pretty good overall anyway!

Stiffelio

02-Apr-2010, 06:11

Stiffelio

02-Apr-2010, 06:29

Roberto Bola?o: Nocturno de Chile (By Night in Chile) ****0+

This is an excellent novel, concise yet chillingly powerful. In a mere 150 pages Bola?o deftly probes into the ideological ghosts of the century through the struggling concience of a dying, morally dubious poet-literary critic-priest. It is also a brilliant technical achievement, written in just one seamless paragraph. The first half may appear to be a bit overindulgent but then the various metaphors click into meaning. It merits a rereading, however, to better understand it.

Graham Greene: May We Borrow Your Husband? **000+

A collection of 12 stories published in the 60s. A not very inspired Greene, I'm afraid. But for the title story and a couple of others, this is a rather middling collection.

sirena

02-Apr-2010, 07:52

Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens ***00

learna

03-Apr-2010, 10:20

"Waiting for the Barbarians" by John Maxwell Coetze.

Deep.

sirena

03-Apr-2010, 17:16

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll *****

Mirabell

03-Apr-2010, 17:56

Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger

Sous les Vents de Neptune, Fred Vargas

Daniel del Real

04-Apr-2010, 10:56

Jose Saramago - Blindness ****0

May well have been five stars, but I thought some of the latter parts set in the asylum didn't compare so well against the book's early parts when the infections begin, or later on when the captives escape onto the streets.

Saramago's atheism, or at least his 'if there is a God, he's not very nice' is all over this book. I was also very much interested in the use he makes of proverbs and sayings.

My first Saramago, but most certainly not my last. Would I be better served by heading into Seeing, being as it is a sequel,or looking to another of his works first?

But a break from bleakness for now and I commence Tobias Wolff's Old School, another new author for me.

No, don't go there. This is not a follow up to Blindness and it is really mediocre for being a Saramago. Besides I don't know why they translated like that. Title should be something like Essay about Lucidity.
I'd recommed All the Names and The Cave which are part of the end of the century trilogy, both of them amazing books.

Daniel del Real

04-Apr-2010, 10:59

http://www.worldliteratureforum.com/forum/images/flags/sn.gif Boubacar Boris Diop, Murambi, the Book of Bones ***00+
Really dense and harsh to read at some parts. Illustrative about the genocide in Rwanda and what happened next. I like books which try to explain evil.

Bjorn

06-Apr-2010, 00:02

Igu Soni

06-Apr-2010, 04:44

Little Big Man, Thomas Berger (USA).

Probably ****0 or close to it, and just as powerful as the film (a solid ***** in my book, though part of that may be nostalgia) but the Swedish translation is absolutely atrocious and knocks it down to **000. I'll probably re-read it in English some day.
I've always found this interesting: if you are fluent with the original language, why would you read it in another language you're fluent in (a language you're trying to learn is another matter)?

Bjorn

06-Apr-2010, 06:56

I've always found this interesting: if you are fluent with the original language, why would you read it in another language you're fluent in (a language you're trying to learn is another matter)?
In this particular case - because I have to review the Swedish translation.

learna

06-Apr-2010, 08:49

"Foe", John Maxwell Coetzee.

Sibyl

06-Apr-2010, 12:49

Heleen van Royen - De ontsnapping *0000

A new low point, hilariously terrible.

sirena

06-Apr-2010, 15:38

Today I finaly finished reading the last pages of Julie & Julia by Julie Powell. I don't know why I was so persistent to read it to the end. The Writer is as if she came from "Even You Could Become a Novelist" workshop. It seems to be that this kind of "literature" is now spreading across the world, as some kind of a major disease, a plague is the first one that's coming up into my mind.

The story is about a 29th year old married woman called Julie, with a boring job (secretary in a goverment agency) facing a crisis because she'd soon be 30th year old married woman with a boring job. Her husband, Eric talks her into opening a blog. She agrees to make of it some kind of project, in which she would, according to her mother's copy of Julia Child's cookery book, make 524 recepies in a range of one year. All about that she informs her blog fans, which are, can you guess, many...

Could anyone of you, please, explain me, why people call this "light literature"? To ease their brains, they say. After reading such stuff, what I most often get, is a splitting headache.:p

Refus de Sejour

07-Apr-2010, 00:45

Paul Theroux - The Family Arsenal
***00

I've probably read more of Theroux's work than of any other author. If his worst book were a 1 and his best a 10, this one might come in at a 6.5. There are several different narrative threads focusing on different characters, kept separate for the most part in their own chapters but intersecting at key points. Because of this, there's quite a heavy reliance on coincidence - not a problem for me, but might annoy some readers. The central character, known only as Hood, is compelling - we never get a clear description of him, but the chapters that focus on him and his shadowy presence in the other chapters create a vivid picture.

One thing which really stuck me is the book's descriptions of London - there's a kind of awkwardly grandiose feel to them - it's like a landscape painter who's aiming for clarity but whose brush keeps slipping, colours and forms crumbling into each other. I don't think this is a failing - I think it effectively evokes the sprawling, grimy, confused cityscape Theroux is trying to express.

In summary - probably not the best book to start with if you've never read Theroux before, but it's good.

Mirabell

07-Apr-2010, 00:49

P If his worst book were a 1 and his best a 10,

Ooooh, I missed out on this particular Theroux.
Now, which books of his would you call his "best" ? *taking notes*

Refus de Sejour

07-Apr-2010, 01:57

Best for me is definately "Millroy the Magician," it's one of my favourite books of all time.

It's been a long time since I read them, but those pseudo-autobiographies, "My Secret History" and "My Other Life," are next on the list, followed closely by "The Mosquito Coast."

"Saint Jack" and "Kowloon Tong" are a little bit better than "The Family Arsenal," they just hang together in a more complete way. "The Black House" and "Chicago Loop" are probably on a par with it - slightly rambling, disjointed stories with a very bleak feel to them (though "Arsenal" isn't quite so bleak).

Alas, there is still a lot of Theroux I haven't read! What are your favourites?

(For the record, I think "Fong and the Indians" is his worst)

Mirabell

07-Apr-2010, 02:37

Alas, there is still a lot of Theroux I haven't read! What are your favourites?

By "this theroux" I meant Paul. I've read books by Marcel and Alexander T., but nothing by Paul T. ;)

Thanks for the recommendations.

reiserin

07-Apr-2010, 03:57

The Great Weaver from Kashmir by Laxness is wonderful. I highly recommend it. One of the best translations from Icelandic that I have ever read.

Igu Soni

07-Apr-2010, 05:18

Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens ***00
Ocassional high-faluting melodrama and overwrought dialogue spoils this otherwise very well-written book.

learna

07-Apr-2010, 10:49

"The South", Jorge Luis Borges.

saliotthomas

07-Apr-2010, 11:00

Alas, there is still a lot of Theroux I haven't read! What are your favourites?

(For the record, I think "Fong and the Indians" is his worst)

Hey Refus de Sejour, not Mirabel but a hugh fan of Theroux, mostly his non fiction recit de voyage.
Dark star safari is exceptional and a great insight on African situations. I love the way he referes to authors (often friends) along the way starting with Mahfouz in Egypte to end up with Nadine Gordimer in South Africa and Naipaul along the way.
The great railway bazard is also very good.

Haven't read much this day meself, (a good sign) and it take me ages to finish the last part of Singer the Estate, not because of the quality for it's one of the best book i ever read, but a break in such a complexe narrative make it hard to come back to.

Last thing, i'm very curious about your user name Refus de sejour, where have you been kick out of????

chrisphillips

07-Apr-2010, 13:46

Old School by Tobias Wolff. Only **000, I'm afraid.

I know this book is extremely well regarded and, true enough, it has got some things going for it. It is written with considerable precision, for one. It didn?t do much for me, though. There's only so much angst and triviality I can put up with from dull and inestimably privileged upper class teenagers.

Daniel del Real

07-Apr-2010, 21:17

"The South", Jorge Luis Borges.

I can read The South over an over and still find something new on it. A fantastic and splendid short story.

e joseph

08-Apr-2010, 01:28

Lowboy - John Wray
Thanks for the suggestion Mirabell!

Refus de Sejour

08-Apr-2010, 04:22

Dark star safari is exceptional and a great insight on African situations.

Thanks, that's one I haven't read. I agree with you, I also enjoy his descriptions - often very harsh! - of real people.

After he published "The Happy Isles of Oceania," there was an uproar in New Zealand over his description of our then Governor General's uncivilised eating habits (they had dinner together). Theroux actually got interviewed about it on local radio. All very funny!

Last thing, i'm very curious about your user name Refus de sejour, where have you been kick out of????Ha, I just saw it stamped on someone's passport and thought it looked like a name. "Refus" is so close to "Rufus," it should be a name.

Refus de Sejour

08-Apr-2010, 04:24

Mirabell, would you recommend anything by the other Therouxs? (Not sure how to write a plural of "Theroux," but you know what I mean. . .)

Mirabell

08-Apr-2010, 06:57

Mirabell, would you recommend anything by the other Therouxs? (Not sure how to write a plural of "Theroux," but you know what I mean. . .)

depends. Marcel Theroux has a thread here http://www.worldliteratureforum.com/forum/european-literature/22988-marcel-theroux-far-north.html

(not very good)

and Alexander, while stunning, is not to everyone's liking. I think he's "barbarous"? The champions of measured mediocrity (Poodle et al) would intensely dislike him, I dare say.

Refus de Sejour

08-Apr-2010, 08:51

Alexander, while stunning, is not to everyone's liking. I think he's "barbarous"?

I like the sound of him already. . . being a William T. Vollman fan, "barbarous" is not an adjective I shy away from.

Thanks for the recommendation!

Refus de Sejour

09-Apr-2010, 00:17

Okay, I finished Christina Perri Rossi's Ship of Fools last night and, contrary to my half-way-point reservations, I ended up feeling satisfied. That said, it's clearly not for everyone. Very episodic, with no real resolution; it meanders about, waxes lyrical, waxes political, breaks up into fragments, falls back together again, and then you've reached the last page.

***00

learna

09-Apr-2010, 07:50

I can read The South over an over and still find something new on it. A fantastic and splendid short story.

Yes, we can read over and over stories that is about a timeless values.

Igu Soni

09-Apr-2010, 08:05

I can read The South over an over and still find something new on it. A fantastic and splendid short story.
Isn't that true for all of Borges? I haven't read this particular one, but the guy's just amazing.

peter_d

09-Apr-2010, 09:21

be Peter Terrin - De Bewaker (The Guard) **000

This novel by Peter Terrin (who is said to be one of the most promising talents of Dutch/Flemmish literature) is expected to win several literature prizes for its exceptional quality. I was disappointed. I recognise the style of a professional and a talent and the way he describes the smallest details and makes them important is interesting, but this book is just boring. On and on it goes about the weird thoughts, experiences and discussions of the main charachter and his mate. Hardly anything happens until a third guard appears on the scene, this is not before the book is half way. I almost abandoned it.

Sibyl

09-Apr-2010, 13:34

Jan Kj?rstad - The Discoverer *****

A good conclusion to a very interesting trilogy.

sirena

09-Apr-2010, 13:56

After Dark - Murakami Haruki ****0

Thanks for the recommendation, Daniel. :)

miercuri

09-Apr-2010, 18:23

Quiet Days in Clichy - Henry Miller
I read this in a bookstore while I was waiting for someone downtown. A fetching piece of nostalgic smut. Fast-paced writing, quite uneven, but very atmospheric. There was a paragraph in which Place des Vosges was described as one of the most beautiful spots in Paris, that really rung my bell. Miller's voice is outrageous, but he is a charming sexist prick. This was the first time I actually read him, although I can say I knew him via Anais Nin's prose. It didn't disappoint. I would rate it a bit higher than three and half but it's not exactly a four star either...

Bjorn

09-Apr-2010, 21:51

Joyce Carol Oates, Rape: A Love Story (USA) ****0

I overdosed on Oates a couple of years ago. This was a pretty good relapse book.

Daniel del Real

09-Apr-2010, 22:12

Isn't that true for all of Borges? I haven't read this particular one, but the guy's just amazing.

Yeah, absolutely. I really recommend you The South, it was Borges' personal favorite of all his short stories. Not my all time Borges favorite but still a great tale.

After Dark - Murakami Haruki ****0

Thanks for the recommendation, Daniel. :)

Really? I must've been drunk since I don't recommend that much this one from Murakami. However I agree with you in your rating, it goes from 3.5 to 4 in my opinion.
Very enjoyable read.

Daniel del Real

10-Apr-2010, 01:13

http://www.worldliteratureforum.com/forum/images/flags/us.gif J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye
Still doubting between ****0+ or *****. However a tremendous novel I had been missing.

Loki

10-Apr-2010, 10:02

Doctor Faustus, by Christopher Marlowe. I've wanted to read this for a long time and it fully lived up to my expectations. There are some parts, though that are small episodes which just show what he can do without any real depth; mere jokes that add nothing to the story. On the contrary, the first and the last part are amazing: I've enjoyed every single verse. And I think Marlowe was brave to sign this work.

Flower

10-Apr-2010, 10:53

Herta M?ller Mennesket er en stor fasan i verden /The Passport or Man is a big sucker in the world.

Great little book. Frau M?ller writes with short poetic sentences and I adore her sensuality.

A Danish critic called her language sharp as a diamond!

The very last sentence in the book is so precise and it hits you with a hammer while it contains evidence of the whole society and their people.

Brilliant book!

*****

saliotthomas

10-Apr-2010, 16:11

Elmore leonard-freaky Deaky ***00
Donald Westlake-The hot rock****0

Bottle Rocket

10-Apr-2010, 16:45

Mirabell, would you recommend anything by the other Therouxs? (Not sure how to write a plural of "Theroux," but you know what I mean. . .)Therouces??

Probably the best known of the "other" Therouxs' books is Darconville's Cat, by Paul's brother Alexander. There's also a third brother, Peter, who's mainly a translator (of Arabic, I believe). And if memory serves, there's at least one more sibling who writes -- a sister, I think.

Darconville's Cat is a PoMo novel, pretty well regarded by its (relatively few) readers. But its literary merits were mostly eclipsed by a lawsuit filed by Alex Theroux's ex-girlfriend, who claimed the book was a defamatory and easily decoded roman a clef intended mainly as a vengeful attack on her reputation. If so, he must really have hated her, as it is a very long book; alas, I forget how the case turned out, which probably means that the publisher settled rather than fighting an extended legal battle. At the time, though, PEN and other authorial organizations paid close attention because it was a test case for the liability of publishers when their authors were sued -- in several other cases around that time (late 70s/early 80s) the publishers refused to pay legal fees on the grounds that the authors in question had in some way misrepresented themselves.

:) BRocket :)

Igu Soni

10-Apr-2010, 19:19

Elmore leonard-freaky Deaky ***00
Whuch one's your favourite? I read Pagan Babies a while back, and want to pick up another soon.

Mirabell

11-Apr-2010, 00:12

The Right Hand of Sleep, John Wray

9 Stories, J.D. Salinger

kpjayan

11-Apr-2010, 06:19

Hopscotch - Julio Cortazar : Superb.

JTolle

11-Apr-2010, 07:17

Mirabell, would you recommend anything by the other Therouxs?

I've had Laura Warholic; or, the Sexual Intellectual looming on my bookshelf for about a year now. Got it mostly cause W. Gass recommended A. Theroux a ways back. Taken dips in it now and again, and it appears to be beautiful and solid, but damn me if it's not imposing at 876 pages (I mitigated its massiveness by placing it between Ellison's new one and Mason and Dixon) but seeing that you like Vollmann (who I've had the worst luck in reading) and that 876 is only in the mid-to-higher end of his book lengths, you might like it.

Also, just can't kick the poetry addiction (something about the lightness of poetry collections, just can't get devoted to longer books it seems) so I've read:

People on a Bridge--Wislawa Szymborska *****
District and Circle--Seamus Heaney *****
Evening Train--Denise Levertov ***** (Been resistant to her work for a while, but this one broke me)
Duino Elegies and The Sonnets to Orpheus--Rainer Maria Rilke *****+ (second time on Sonnets, first time on Elegies; Rilke's just downright tear-worthy)

and some books I've squeezed through:

Dreamers--Knut Hamsun ****0
The Tale of the Unknown Island--Jose Saramago ****0
The Lemoine Affair--Marcel Proust **000 (mostly rated so down because it did not, in any way, quench my Proust craving, though not surprising since it was all pastiche)

learna

11-Apr-2010, 09:43

"Disgrace", J.M. Coetzee.

Coetzee found the precise title ( in a very real sense).

Bjorn

11-Apr-2010, 09:57

Neil Gaiman, The Absolute Sandman vol 3 (UK) *****

Mostly made up of the arcs "Brief Lives" and "World's End", it feels like the series is really finding its footing here; less about plot, more about exploring the characters and their roles, and Gaiman is starting to realise all that you can do when your main characters are, by definition, metaphors.

Sibyl

11-Apr-2010, 10:23

James Baldwin - Tell me how long the train's been gone ***00

Baldwin wants to say too much in this novel and because of that some characters don't get enough pages. There's not enough Christopher.

saliotthomas

11-Apr-2010, 12:53

Whuch one's your favourite? I read Pagan Babies a while back, and want to pick up another soon.

Dunno much about Elmore, i read too of his and like then.
You should try Donald Westlake who is the inspiration of the man.
The Ax is cool among cool.

Igu Soni

11-Apr-2010, 13:40

Dunno much about Elmore, i read too of his and like then.
You should try Donald Westlake who is the inspiration of the man.
The Ax is cool among cool.
Thanks. I'll check him out.

Daniel del Real

11-Apr-2010, 19:12

Hopscotch - Julio Cortazar : Superb.

Glad you like it. A challenging novel for the reader with a singular variety of characters. Although this is a great novel I still find the ultimate Cortazar strenght in his short stories.

kpjayan

12-Apr-2010, 05:21

Yes, and I am still gathering my thoughts.. It is a complex novel.

I still find the ultimate Cortazar strenght in his short stories.

I haven't read any. Could you suggest some ?

learna

12-Apr-2010, 08:27

Three short stories by Woody Allen:"The Kugelmass Episode", "Punishment" and "I appeal to graduates".

sirena

12-Apr-2010, 09:44

Through the Looking Glass & What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll ***00

Daniel del Real

12-Apr-2010, 17:55

Yes, and I am still gathering my thoughts.. It is a complex novel.

I haven't read any. Could you suggest some ?

There's many titles in my mind, but all of them in Spanish. Don't have the names of the English translations but I've read here there's an edition in English of the best Cortazar short stories. That would work I guess.

Manuel76

13-Apr-2010, 21:33

Los detectives salvajes- Roberto Bola?o ***00+
Liked it, but felt somewhat dissapointed.

Zazie dans le metro- Raymond Queneau ****0
Funny story about a foul-mouthed girl. It starts great but ends like a mixture of Pagnol and Ionesco.

In cold Blood- Truman Capote****0+
Loved it. Very well written. Only drawback: with all its honesty and effort in being objective, Truman Capote becomes too fascinated with the killers.

Mirabell

13-Apr-2010, 23:02

The New X-Men Ultimate Collection Vol. 1, Grant Morrison et al.

wow. It's just. wow.

sirena

14-Apr-2010, 09:19

Love in the Time of Cholera - Gabriel Garc?a M?rquez ****0

Igu Soni

14-Apr-2010, 12:14

The Devil's Delusion, David Berlinski (the first twenty pages) -***** (as in negative five stars)
I can summarise what I thought of (the first twenty pages of) this book in one quote by Daniel Dennett: "There is nothing I hate more than a bad argument for a view I hold dear." He understands nothing of the claims people like Richard Dawkins are making, so he starts denouncing them by quoting Sam Harris saying that the Holocaust was the culminated effect of Jews being unwilling to integrate and then talks about Harris' support for Hitler. That's where I knew this book was not worth my time. Or anyone's, for that matter.
I'm no great supporter of Dawkins myself, but he does make some good points, and Berlinski actually fits into one of the moulds Dawkins once drew up to describe his detractors.

Basically, I just have one thing to say:
DO NOT READ IT! EVEN THE FIRST TWENTY PAGES, FOR YOU'LL NEED SOMETHING TO TAKE OUT THE PUTRID TASTE IN YOUR MOUTH, BAD, AND WILL END UP COMING OVER HERE AND WRITING SOMETHING LIKE THIS.

Clarissa

14-Apr-2010, 12:35

SlowRain

14-Apr-2010, 13:17

Love in the Time of Cholera - Gabriel Garc?a M?rquez ****0
I loved this book. It was a great discussion of love from almost every angle, and it had Garcia M?rquez's almost fairy-tale-like narrative. Can't say I was attached to any of the characters, but I was partial to the doctor.

Igu Soni

14-Apr-2010, 16:44

Thanks for the warning.

Personally, I find Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens both more than coherent in their argumentation against established religions - even if I disagree on some factors. Read The God Delusion (Dawkins) and God is not great (Hitchens) and have to admit to being impressed by the inteligence of the arguments they both advanced.

I've read the Dawkins, but have no interest in reading the Hitchens, because I think it's going to be more of the same.
I, too, have comparatively little respect for Western religion, because it seems to me that mysticism has been done much better by the Easterns. I value the Westerners more for science and analytic philosophy than for these things.
Back to the point, I found that Dawkins made some patently absurd claims: that religion turned people militant, and that taking away religion will mean greater peace. A claim ably disproved by Hitler and Stalin.
Berlinski points out the last claim, but then mixes correlation and causality by saying that all twentieth-century genocide was because of atheism.

Finally, sorry for the rant. And in the wrong thread, at that.

Clarisa, have you read Dawkins' The Blind Watchmaker? It's a beautiful book. Much better, in my opinion, than The God Delusion.

Clarissa

14-Apr-2010, 17:05

More crimes have been committed in the name of God than for any other reason. Be it the Crusades, the religious massacres of Catholic by Protestants and vice versa, the constant massacres of the Jews - you name it, it was in the name of a peaceloving God.
Whenever any politician says 'Gott mit uns' or the equivalent in any language, I shudder. Hitler may have turned away from religion (not sure that is strictly true despite all his Pagan festivals), but without support from the RC Church, he would never have been able to go so far.

GWBush also claimed to be doing God's calling with the Irak War (excuse, of course, to get hold of the oil, which he could hardly admit. God's calling sounds better!)

As for Stalin:

One account states that Stalin's reversal on bans against the church during World War II (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stalin_in_World_War_II) followed a sign that he believed he received from heaven.

Bjorn

14-Apr-2010, 17:35

A House By The Tearside, V?nus Khoury-Ghata (Lebanon) ***00

Autobiographical account of a family disintegrating in the years leading up to the civil war. Not bad. Not great.

Igu Soni

14-Apr-2010, 18:33

More crimes have been committed in the name of God than for any other reason. Be it the Crusades, the religious massacres of Catholic by Protestants and vice versa, the constant massacres of the Jews - you name it, it was in the name of a peaceloving God.
Whenever any politician says 'Gott mit uns' or the equivalent in any language, I shudder. Hitler may have turned away from religion (not sure that is strictly true despite all his Pagan festivals), but without support from the RC Church, he would never have been able to go so far.

GWBush also claimed to be doing God's calling with the Irak War (excuse, of course, to get hold of the oil, which he could hardly admit. God's calling sounds better!)

As for Stalin:

Well, true. But it hardly proves that religion is the only militancy creator. While Stalin might have been religious, he was given the influence he had by an economic philosophy overtly against religion. And while Hitler did get help from the church, there's no reason to believe he would have been much less successful if the Vatican had been a million miles away from the territories he was invading.

Stiffelio

15-Apr-2010, 05:58

Alessandro Baricco: Seta (Silk) ***00.

A lyrical story of love and obsession, told in a simple, fable-like language. My first Baricco. Interesting albeit lightweight.

johnw1

15-Apr-2010, 13:09

I've read the Dawkins, but have no interest in reading the Hitchens, because I think it's going to be more of the same.

Although they are similar in terms of their hatred towards religion, Hitchens' writing on religion is different - and better - than Dawkins. He has got to be one of the most eloquent, elegant speakers/writers in the English language around today. As well as his style being more aesthetically impressive, he also comes from a different perspective with his far superior grasp of history, theology, philosophy and literature... Overall I'd say Hitchens is a must read if you want to hear the arguments of the 'New Atheists' in their most convincing form.

e joseph

15-Apr-2010, 13:17

The Ask - Sam Lipsyte
Lipsyte writes like I would write if I could write. Acerbically hilarious. One of the funniest books I've ever read. First chapter excerpt here:
Book Review: 'The Ask' by Sam Lipsyte -- White-Collar Misery Made Funny In 'The Ask' : NPR (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125026832)

Bjorn

15-Apr-2010, 17:45

Georges Perec, Ellis Island And The People Of America (France) ***00

Daniel del Real

15-Apr-2010, 21:12

I loved this book. It was a great discussion of love from almost every angle, and it had Garcia M?rquez's almost fairy-tale-like narrative. Can't say I was attached to any of the characters, but I was partial to the doctor.

I love that book. I've read it three times and enjoyed every single one. I've always had trouble thinking which book I liked the most from GGM, if this one ir Cien A?os de Soleadad. Everytime I re-read one I think the recently read is superior than the other. Last one I read is Cien A?os, so I'm right now partial to it :p

Alessandro Baricco: Seta (Silk) ***00.

A lyrical story of love and obsession, told in a simple, fable-like language. My first Baricco. Interesting albeit lightweight.

Yeah, same thing I though when I read it. Novecento and Sin Sangre are way better but not as famous as this one. I've always wanted to read Oceano Mar, this will be my next Baricco.

Sibyl

16-Apr-2010, 10:50

Charlotte Mutsaers - Rachels rokje ***00

I felt like I should love it, but didn't really, just a bit.

sirena

16-Apr-2010, 15:27

A Passage to India - Edward Morgan Forster ****0

Bjorn

16-Apr-2010, 18:40

Ragnar Thoursie, S?nger fr?n ?ldreomsorgen (Songs from the old folks' home) (Sweden) ****0

I don't read much poetry, but this was excellent. Grizzled old modernist Thoursie was 90 when he wrote this collection of short poems about old age, knowing your body is shutting down, that everything you do might be the last time you do it, depending on strangers to wash you and cook for you, remembering your childhood clearer than last week since nothing much happens anymore, watching the other old folks around you falling asleep... and yet there's a sense of humour and acceptance about it that just makes it even more powerful.

Manuel76

16-Apr-2010, 20:58

La duchesse de Langeais- Balzac ***00

A 160 pages novel from the most romantic and delirant Balzac. After a 60 pages introduction the action developes slowly but at the same time includes violence, romantic heroes, a misterious and powerful masonric society, a most beautiful duchess, nuns, kidnapping, royal balls...

Balzac alternates the most exagerated passions with some of his most extended analysis on aristocracy and french society under Restoration.

After all it seems to be a kind of erotic fantasy, it seems that Balzac was rejected by a Marquise de Castries. The plot includes everything the feverish mind of a vengeful lover can imagine in his most desperate hours to punish the lady (and by the way himself).

But now and then we find that hypnotic quality Balzac exhibits in his later and better novels.

The style is that of the pre-Goriot Balzac (before 1934), romantic plot with little development but important consecuences, tight structure, elaborate language and sometimes endless descriptions. It seems that Balzac was still learning, testing, finding his way.

Daniel del Real

16-Apr-2010, 23:00

http://www.worldliteratureforum.com/forum/images/flags/gb.gif Susan Hill, The Woman in Black ****0
This is a good manual on how to write a good ghost story. The atmosphere it recreates is just unbeliveable, really set you in the place. A very subtle but efficient way to manage suspense and terror.

waxwing

17-Apr-2010, 05:10

As A Man Grows Older by Italo Svevo *****

Title offered by James Joyce, Svevo's English tutor and friend. It's about an ordinary man's infinite capacity for self-delusion as he confronts love and death head-on. I found it a magnificent novel.

Sibyl

17-Apr-2010, 11:08

Joost Zwagerman - Duel ***00

I didn't expect much and wasn't disappointed. At least it was better than last year's free book.

saliotthomas

17-Apr-2010, 13:14

The Captain's daughter-Puchkine ****0

Mirabell

17-Apr-2010, 14:02

Whores for Gloria, William T. Vollmann

Mirabell

17-Apr-2010, 14:06

e joseph

17-Apr-2010, 19:46

Yeah Johnny is constantly pushing Lipsyte.
Then I really like that guy's taste. Last I spied he was talking up Edisto, which I ended up reading and really liking. Lipsyte I'd never heard of before spotting the review I posted above and one or two others; looking forward to checking out Home Land next. The dark self-deprecating humor and the way he phrases I thought were great.

Refus de Sejour

18-Apr-2010, 02:37

Jos? Saramago: The Double.
Trans. Margaret Jull Costa
***00 and a half.

I'm still pondering this one. Sufficient to say, my reading experience changed significantly from around half way through. I'll post something on the Saramago thread once I've worked it all out in my mind.

Igu Soni

18-Apr-2010, 09:39

Peeping Tom

19-Apr-2010, 00:51

The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov, translated from the Russian by Mirra Ginsburg. This is the first time I?ve read Bulgakov. What a pleasure! Excellent. *****

JTolle

19-Apr-2010, 07:46

Getting my "nobel speculation" on it seems:

Largo Desolato--Vaclav Havel ****0
Child of G-d--Cormac McCarthy ****0
The Art of the Novel--Milan Kundera *****++ (One of the most profoundly impacting works of criticism I've ever read. Don't agree with everything he says, but it's damn close, and he knows so much, so well it's hard for me to even formulate arguments against his theories.)

and a classic:

A Farewell to Arms--Ernest Hemingway *****

learna

19-Apr-2010, 10:39

"The Slynx" by Tatyana Tolstaya.

I don't like to say about that book in stars. It has an unusual plot:

The Slynx : The New Yorker (http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2003/01/13/030113crbn_brieflynoted1)

and a wonderful style ( I wonder how it can be translated: Tolstaya plays with folk words and remodels them in her own way like a juggler).

Bjorn

19-Apr-2010, 11:50

Neil Gaiman, The Absolute Sandman vol 4 (UK) *****

Thus concludeth my Sandman (partial re-) read. That's how to plot a comic series, people. While every serial stands nicely on its own, they all (well, almost all) add up to the conclusion.

Sif

19-Apr-2010, 21:08

I've never read any of Gaiman's graphic novels but I've read all his regular novels. I love what I've read...for the most part, some more than others but I have yet to touch the Sandman series. I feel kind of intimidated by it.

Stevie B

19-Apr-2010, 22:21

Finally got around to reading Orwell's 1984. Around the middle of the book, I was feeling a bit frustrated by the lengthy and, at times, monotonous descriptions of Big Brother and society. By the time the novel ended, however, I found myself heavily invested in the character of Winston Smith. The conclusion had a strong impact that I think will always remain with me. ****0

Daniel del Real

19-Apr-2010, 23:56

http://www.worldliteratureforum.com/forum/images/flags/ar.gif Andres Neuman, El Viajero del Siglo (The Traveler of the Century) ***00

A really ambitious project that does not deliver as expected. The author tries to narrate a novel chronologically situated in the XIX century with a romantic style but discussing about todays situations and problems. At the end nothing seems to fit and the experiment fails. The start is too slow and boring, gets better at the middle but the end does not justify the time spent reading a 500+ page novel. The weakest Alfaguara Novel Prize I've read in years.

kpjayan

20-Apr-2010, 09:50

The Art of the Novel--Milan Kundera *****++ (One of the most profoundly impacting works of criticism I've ever read. Don't agree with everything he says, but it's damn close, and he knows so much, so well it's hard for me to even formulate arguments against his theories.)

You should now read the follow up books.. 'Testaments betrayed' and 'the curtain'. The second one, especially.

JTolle

20-Apr-2010, 18:20

You should now read the follow up books.. 'Testaments betrayed' and 'the curtain'.

THX. Just started The Curtain

Refus de Sejour

21-Apr-2010, 04:09

lenz

21-Apr-2010, 04:57

The Slynx is an excellent future-dystopian novel. I must read it again because all I remember is the staple food, mice. Thousands of mice.

JTolle

21-Apr-2010, 05:23

I've just been devouring everything by Rilke lately, even combing two loves by reading W. Gass' Reading Rilke: Reflections on the Problems of Translation. He's officially my favorite German poet, above Celan and even Holderlin.

Letters to a Young Poet--Rainer Maria Rilke ***** (very moving, very insightful, a must read for anyone wishing to become a poet)
Diving Into the Wreck--Adrienne Rich ****0+ (strong, emotionally brutal, difficult poems, much better than An Atlas of the Difficult World)
From Our House--Lee Martin ***00
The Lover--Marguerite Duras ***** (absolutely stunning! loved it from start to finish, and her style is so fresh and unique, so spare and poetic! the last section had me stifling tears for a whole minute)

sirena

21-Apr-2010, 07:55

http://www.worldliteratureforum.com/forum/images/flags/es.gif Cold Skin - Albert S?nchez Pi?ol ****0

learna

21-Apr-2010, 10:05

It sounds really interesting, thanks for bringing it to my attention.

Refus de Sejour, I hope that you will like that book but Tolstaya writes in different styles and her essays and short stories are wonderful, as well.

lenz; The Slynx is an excellent future-dystopian novel. I must read it again because all I remember is the staple food, mice. Thousands of mice.Unfortunately, Tolstaya's manner of remodelling of words is lost a lot because it is simply untraslatable.

Lenz, do you remember:

It would be nice to have the meat, too. Mice, mice, and more mice—he was fed up with them. ? :)

lenz

21-Apr-2010, 10:24

Lenz, do you remember:

Quote:
It would be nice to have the meat, too. Mice, mice, and more mice?he was fed up with them.
? :)

Sounds familliar. Now I've got a craving for mice!

sirena

22-Apr-2010, 08:22

http://www.worldliteratureforum.com/forum/images/flags/jp.gif Kafka on the Shore - Haruki Murakami **000

Loki

22-Apr-2010, 10:46

Just read Everyman, the medieval morality play, if that can be considered "finished book". Anyway, what happens is pretty clear and the aim is even more clear. In the beginning it made me laugh (so to speak) to see characters such as Good Deeds, Goods, etc.
By the way, does anybody know how to read Elckerlijc (http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elckerlijc) by any chance? It is supposed to be the inspiration for Everyman (it could be the other way round as far as we know). It's Flemish.

Sibyl

22-Apr-2010, 14:18

I read Elckerlijc years ago, for a class. I still have my copy, but can't remember much of the story.

peter_d

22-Apr-2010, 15:12

It's Flemish.

I doubt whether there was a language called Flemish in the 15th century. The piece was written close to the Belgian town of Diest. But I think the language would qualify as Middelnederlands, a version of Dutch/Flemish used in the Middle Ages. But if there are any experts on this around here, please correct me if I'm wrong.

Sibyl

22-Apr-2010, 15:42

I doubt whether there was a language called Flemish in the 15th century. The piece was written close to the Belgian town of Diest. But I think the language would qualify as Middelnederlands, a version of Dutch/Flemish used in the Middle Ages. But if there are any experts on this around here, please correct me if I'm wrong.
Yes, Elckerlijc is written in Middelnederlands.

Loki

22-Apr-2010, 17:19

peter_d

22-Apr-2010, 20:54

I'm sorry, that's what Wikipedia told me; couldn't know it was wrong.
Anyway, does anybody happen to know how to pronounce it?

Let's give it a try. I think "Al-ker-leek" would come close.

waxwing

22-Apr-2010, 23:42

The Confessions of Noa Weber by Gail Hareven **000

I found the central conceit of this novel, an intelligent woman's life-long (17-48yo) worship of a shit of a guy, to be highly implausible and downright irritating. However the novel has won some awards, including the recent Best Translated - the reviewers found a poetic transcendence in the love story.

Loki

23-Apr-2010, 07:50

Let's give it a try. I think "Al-ker-leek" would come close.

Ok, thank you very much.
I don't think anyone will ever ask me that name, and even if they do, they won't say nothing if I mispronounce it (I hope)!

Sibyl

23-Apr-2010, 10:31

Jane Austen - Sense and sensibility ****0 (reread)

lenz

24-Apr-2010, 00:38

Nikolski by Nicolas Dickner, trans. Lazer Lederhendler.

Charming, well-written. I found the plot or series of plots confusing at first but kept going until they all sort of fused nicely and in a strangely satisfying way.

Winner of the Governor General's (of Canada) Award for Translation (French to English)

Winner of Canada Reads a CBC Radio literary popularity contest.

Sif

24-Apr-2010, 01:11

The Bridge on the Drina by Ivo Andric (I haven't figured out how to make the accent code things work on this laptop yet :confused: ) I loved this book. The only constant character in the book was the bridge, all human characters were transient and only mentioned in the context of the bridge, making for an interesting focus. And the history of this region has always confused me a little bit so it was nice to get at least a small handle on it. And it was full of all kinds of wonderful little gems, profound statements just kind of tucked into the narrative, one of my favorites being: "Forgetfulness heals everything and song is the most beautiful manner of forgetting, for in song man feels only what he loves. *****

And I also finished The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum by Heinrich Boll. I thought it was a great little book, I loved the humour, the sense of satire. It was the first Boll book I've read and I will definitely read more. ****0

DreamQueen

24-Apr-2010, 03:03

Forbidden Colors - Yukio Mishima - ***00+
Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves - P.G. Wodehouse - ****0
Good Omens - Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman - ****0+

Sibyl

24-Apr-2010, 09:41

Heleen Van Royen - De mannentester *0000

Random thoughts infused with sex. Is some sort of consistent plot really too much to ask for?

Loki

24-Apr-2010, 11:43

Pideme la luna, Care Santos.
Well, I had to choose among other Spanish books, and I chose this one because it wasn't so long and I thought it would be rather easy to read. The plot didn't sound good enough, but as I have little time to read I picked up the quickest one to read.
It's a novel for young people, written in a very simple style. There were some surprises and a sort of twist at the end of the book, which actually I had foreseen: it was pretty obvious.
Blanca, the protagonist and narrator for most of the book, irritated me sometimes. Her behaviour was rather unacceptable, no matter what she went through in her childhood. I mean, I may have been sympathetic towards her sometimes, but on the whole I think she exaggerated.
In the end, I think it was a rather simple story, but it was sometimes funny. I can say it was a "relaxing" reading.
Sorry about all this comment, I guess nobody has ever read this book, but still I wanted to say my opinion.

sirena

24-Apr-2010, 16:49

The Bridge on the Drina by Ivo Andric (I haven't figured out how to make the accent code things work on this laptop yet :confused: ) I loved this book. The only constant character in the book was the bridge, all human characters were transient and only mentioned in the context of the bridge, making for an interesting focus. And the history of this region has always confused me a little bit so it was nice to get at least a small handle on it. And it was full of all kinds of wonderful little gems, profound statements just kind of tucked into the narrative, one of my favorites being: "Forgetfulness heals everything and song is the most beautiful manner of forgetting, for in song man feels only what he loves. *****

I'm a huge fan of Ivo Andrić. I suggest you to read his novel Chronicles of Travnik. In my opinion, it's even better than The Bridge on the Drina.:)

sirena

24-Apr-2010, 16:51

http://www.worldliteratureforum.com/forum/images/flags/gb.gif Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe - George Eliot ****0

Mirabell

24-Apr-2010, 23:43

The Ginger Man, J.P. Donleavy

Das Signal steht auf Fahrt, Irmtraud Morgner

Clarissa

25-Apr-2010, 07:00

Sif

25-Apr-2010, 13:58

I'm a huge fan of Ivo Andrić. I suggest you to read his novel Chronicles of Travnik. In my opinion, it's even better than The Bridge on the Drina.:)

Ooh, I had missed this response...I will do that, I will add it to my amazon list right now. I loved his writing so I'm very anxious to read more....I checked it out and I couldn't find anything with that name but I did a little searching and it looks like Bosnian Chronicle is the book I'm looking for, just with a different name. I also added a short story collection of his, The Slave Girl and Other Stories.

e joseph

25-Apr-2010, 14:08

A few days in hospital, took the third tome of the Millenium trilogy by Steig Larsson, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest, with me. Not great lit. but an easy read with lots of surprises and wellpaced. Some of the translation seemed a bit awkward and there are a few repetitions but ideal when one is stuck in bed for a few days and is not really up to any intellectual challenges.
Hope all is well. And hope there are no more hospitalizations in the future as you're finished the trilogy...

As for me, The Question of Bruno by Aleksandar Hemon. Enjoyable. I found the first few stories kinda lacking, but it picked up about midway through the book. I've heard Blind Josef Pronek and the Dead Souls (the centerpiece of the story collection) referred to as a "perfect novella". It wasn't, but it was good. "A Coin" though...now that's a great short story. In all, recommendable.

Also, Molloy by Samuel Beckett, which I'm still wrapping my brain around. In a good way.

saliotthomas

25-Apr-2010, 14:26

A few days in hospital, took the third tome of the Millenium trilogy by Steig Larsson, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest, with me. Not great lit. but an easy read with lots of surprises and wellpaced. Some of the translation seemed a bit awkward and there are a few repetitions but ideal when one is stuck in bed for a few days and is not really up to any intellectual challenges.

Same as Joseph, hope all if well for you.

As for Larsson, you don't have to justify yourself for most of his detractors have not read him.

I'm right in the middle of Salammbo by Flaubert, and very impressed.
To think it is the same author who wrote Bovary and the education is amazing.
Why so few have read this is also a mystery.

Clarissa

25-Apr-2010, 14:56

Thanks for the good wishes e joseph and saliotthomas and, yes, I'm OK again.

Salammb? and Trois Contes were both setbooks in my last year at school. Not Bovary, they probably thought it was too risqu? for our young minds.

However, the set books gave me a taste for Flaubert - I particularly remember the story Une Vie from the Trois Contes. Today, I can appreciate how modern it still is. Unlike Maupassant who tells a good story and tells it well but his themes seem distinctly dated to me.

Do have a look at Trois Contes. I think you might enjoy it.

saliotthomas

25-Apr-2010, 15:02

I think i read Trois contes but a re-read would not hurt.
Une vie left a terrible impression of a wasted life and slow destruction, a good but very depressing novel.

Mirabell

25-Apr-2010, 15:03

Thanks for the good wishes e joseph and saliotthomas and, yes, I'm OK again.

excellent news. *hugs*

Clarissa

25-Apr-2010, 15:06

Vielen herzlichen Dank!:)

Beth

25-Apr-2010, 17:08

Whew. Finally finished The Great Fire by Shirley Hazzard. It was too impressionistic to get a good grip on, too hauntingly lovely to abandon. An exquisitely bewildering read. Will do a search here to see what others think...

Sibyl

26-Apr-2010, 12:56

Italo Calvino - The non-existent knight ****0

Not too complicated, but still interesting. I lent it to my brother. He is not really a reader so I'm curious to see what he thinks of it.

sirena

26-Apr-2010, 13:14

http://www.worldliteratureforum.com/forum/images/flags/jp.gif A Personal Matter - Kenzaburō Ōe ****0

Peeping Tom

26-Apr-2010, 17:21

The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa, translated from the Japanese by Stephen Snyder. This is a little gem of a novel, quiet and beautiful. *****

saliotthomas

26-Apr-2010, 17:40

The Dog of the south-Charles Portis***00

sirena

26-Apr-2010, 17:43

The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa, translated from the Japanese by Stephen Snyder. This is a little gem of a novel, quiet and beautiful. *****

Today I borrowed in a library collection of his 4 short-stories: The Diving Pool; Cafeteria in the Evening; Pregnancy Diary; Dormitory.
Have you read any of these?

Daniel del Real

26-Apr-2010, 22:58

Hope all is well. And hope there are no more hospitalizations in the future as you're finished the trilogy...

As for me, The Question of Bruno by Aleksandar Hemon. Enjoyable. I found the first few stories kinda lacking, but it picked up about midway through the book. I've heard Blind Josef Pronek and the Dead Souls (the centerpiece of the story collection) referred to as a "perfect novella". It wasn't, but it was good. "A Coin" though...now that's a great short story. In all, recommendable.

Also, Molloy by Samuel Beckett, which I'm still wrapping my brain around. In a good way.

I want to go back to Hemon. I was really impressed with the Lazarus Project, even though it took me some time to get engaged with the book. Could you say more about The Question of Bruno?

The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa, translated from the Japanese by Stephen Snyder. This is a little gem of a novel, quiet and beautiful. *****

I've heard really good reviews from this novel. Looking forward to read it.