Agreed, still Via Gemito remains high on the TBR. Maybe I’m being cynical but 6 different books in 6 different languages from 6 different countries from 3 continents looks like literary merit may not have been the only consideration.
Agreed, seems a light enough list. The 2 standouts for me are Solenoid and Praiseworthy. Both authors seem to be getting a lot of recognition at the moment. I haven’t read Alexis Wright yet and only Blinding by Cartarescu which I thought was outstanding. Has anyone read Solenoid?
Yes I agree the Starnone book jumped off the list for me as the most interesting, also. I’ve read him before and liked his writing a lot. Also Kadare is kind of fascinating, if he won I believe he’d be the first repeat winner( he was the very first winner when the prize was awarded for a body of...
I just bought Mourning by Halfon, will be very interested to see if it’s as good. Cancion is on the Dublin International literary longlist ( shortlist to be announced in a few weeks) as is Crooked Plow.
Haven’t read any of them, disappointing not to see Cancion by Eduardo Halfon on the list, just finished it and it’s great, will post a review when I get a chance.
Thank you for your response and I will indeed read those reviews. I found it very interesting your reference to patience and a demanding read. The Peninsula in the edition I have is small, pocket sized and just over 100 pages. I thought I would read it in a few sittings but it took we well over...
The Peninsula, Julian Gracq
I know very little about Gracq but I found this book very impressive. A man waits for his girlfriend / mistress at a station, she telegrams to say she’ll be late and he spends the day driving around rural Brittany revisiting his old childhood holiday spots. That’s it...
I thought Summertime was the best of the trilogy. Highly innovative, written by a fictional biographer of the now deceased Coetzee who visits old lovers and friends as well as fragments of Coetzee’s diaries in researching his biography. Again a very unflattering portrait of the artist. A truly...
Let’s hope so, this is on the short term TBR list for me. It would be great if he can go out with a masterpiece, the interview he just did seems to suggest this will be his last book.
Yes ( and I did mean English, sorry I should have specified) but I believe he has about 40 or so books to his name? I’m open to correction there. Yes 10 is a good number but still only about 25% of his work. I’m far from a reliable source here so happy to be corrected.
I just wish more of Le Clezio’s books were translated. I don’t understand why that has not happened. His translator C. Dickson has done a great job on the books I’ve read. The more I think of it I’m convinced he’s one of the truly great Nobel winners of this century.
The African is another wonderful book by Le Clezio, similar themes of childhood memories ( including unreliable memories) and freedom from post War Europe in Africa as a young child. It’s a small book and beautifully written. Also explores themes of relationship with a difficult father and the...
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.