Recent Purchases/Borrowings

Bartleby

Moderator
Went to this huge book event which happens every two years here in Rio called Bienal do Livro (many authors come, and you can attend some of their talks or get an autograph, and overall it's basically an enormous book shop). Anyway, got these books by a total of what could be converted to about 14 dollars (The Door, by Magda Szabó; a collection of short stories by Mia Couto; Mariana Enriquez's novel Our Share of Night; and a selection from Ivan Bunin's short stories, spanning his whole career) :

20230901_225622.jpg
 

Daniel del Real

Moderator
?? The Parisian by Isabella Hammad

Hey Dave, did you get to read this novel? I had the chance to meet her a few days ago and I was very impressed with her lecture, so young and talented. Spanish translation was available but it was too expensive, plus I prefer to read it in English.
 

tiganeasca

Moderator
Hey Dave, did you get to read this novel? I had the chance to meet her a few days ago and I was very impressed with her lecture, so young and talented. Spanish translation was available but it was too expensive, plus I prefer to read it in English.
Nope, not yet. Now I'll be waiting for your report!
 

Stewart

Administrator
Staff member
On a side note, since late last year I’ve been buying up limited edition books from Tartarus Press in the UK. Not too many as they’re £40-£45 a pop. Usually there’s only 300-350 copies made, but they’re beautifully made.

Here’s an example of the printed boards under the dust jacket.IMG_2672.jpegIMG_2673.jpeg
 

Cleanthess

Dinanukht wannabe
The Needle and the Damage Done (by the Nobel Speculation and the Chinese Lit threads):

Jon Fosse: Ylajali
Rafael Cadenas: Contestaciones and En Torno a Basho
Shen Congwen: Border Town
Zhang Wei: September's Fable
Qian Zhongshu: Humans, beasts and ghosts
Jia Pingwa: L'art perdu des fours anciens
 

Rodica

Active member
Samuel Beckett-Murphy, Watt, Dream of Fair to Middling Women

Mircea Cărtărescu-Theodoros

Georgi Gospodinov -Natural Novel

Irene Vallejo-Papyrus: The Invention of Books in the Ancient World

Vladimir Sorokin-The Blizzard

Iv the naiv-Uibesc
 

Attachments

  • IMG_8803.jpeg
    IMG_8803.jpeg
    431.4 KB · Views: 8

Benny Profane

Well-known member
Samuel Beckett-Murphy, Watt, Dream of Fair to Middling Women

Mircea Cărtărescu-Theodoros

Georgi Gospodinov -Natural Novel

Irene Vallejo-Papyrus: The Invention of Books in the Ancient World

Vladimir Sorokin-The Blizzard

Iv the naiv-Uibesc
Are you Romanian?
 

Benny Profane

Well-known member
Well, my recent purchases include the Complete Drama of Joaquim Cardozo (available here - unfortunately in Portuguese), a great (and obscure) writer from Brazil, and my borrowings include The Collected Works by João Cabral de Melo Neto (Aguilar Edition) and Complete Works by Cruz e Sousa, a Brazilian black poet, known here as Black Diamond.
His poems are akin to Paul Laurence Dunbar.
 
Last edited:

Benny Profane

Well-known member
Thank you, I have really enjoyed reading the comments these days. I get excited when I read about writers I haven't heard of.
It's my pleasure! :)
Well, if you could tell us about Romanian Literature (including unknown and obscure names) for us, I'd thank you so much! ;)

Unfortunalety, I only know Mircea Eliade, Hertha Müller, Zaharia Stancu, Eugene Ionesco, Tristan Tzara, Panaït Istrati, Norman Manea, Mircea Cărtărescu, Matei Vișniec and Ana Blandiana. :(
 
Last edited:

Rodica

Active member
Marco Lucchesi and Joaquim Cardozo were mentioned in the Word of Liberty, an article written by George Popescu entitled "A coffee for Marin Sorescu". I have to search more.
I found Education by Stone by Joao Cabral de Melo.
 

Benny Profane

Well-known member
Marco Lucchesi and Joaquim Cardozo were mentioned in the Word of Liberty, an article written by George Popescu entitled "A coffee for Marin Sorescu". I have to search more.
I found Education by Stone by Joao Cabral de Melo.
Joaquim Cardozo is an outstanding Brazilian writer. He was Engineer/Architet and his works including plays, art criticism, a collection of short stories and, of course, poetry. His beautiful poem "Visão do Último Trem Subindo ao Céu" [Vision of the Last Train Upraising the Sky] is a masterpiece.
My edition (borrowed from a local library):

IMG_20231006_212745_967.jpg
 

Rodica

Active member
It's my pleasure! :)
Well, if you could tell us about Romanian Literature (including unknown and obscure names) for us, I'd thank you so much! ;)

Unfortunalety, I only know Mircea Eliade, Hertha Müller, Zaharia Stancu, Eugene Ionesco, Tristan Tzara, Panaït Istrati, Norman Manea, Mircea Cărtărescu, Matei Vișniec and Ana Blandiana. :(
Among those who I am sure have books written or translated into other languages and were not mentioned by you are: Emil Cioran, Paul Celan, Doina Ruști, Neagu Djuvara, Andrei Oișteanu. Now I'm reading Kaspar Hauser's Childhood by Bogdan-Alexandru Stănescu (he also wrote Abraxas). Last week I read Disco Titanic written by Radu Pavel Gheo. I will make a list ☺️
 

Benny Profane

Well-known member
Among those who I am sure have books written or translated into other languages and were not mentioned by you are: Emil Cioran, Paul Celan, Doina Ruști, Neagu Djuvara, Andrei Oișteanu. Now I'm reading Kaspar Hauser's Childhood by Bogdan-Alexandru Stănescu (he also wrote Abraxas). Last week I read Disco Titanic written by Radu Pavel Gheo. I will make a list ☺️
Of course, Emil Cioran (the nihilist philosopher) and "the French" Paul Celan who wrote in German.
By the way, the discussions about Celan's nationality was a motive of strong controversy here last month. LOL!

Thank you for these new names. :)
 
Top