Recently Begun Books

[Daniel del Real]

I was also not a fan of The Face of Another. It's not a long book, but it took me a while to finish it because I was always reluctant to pick it up again. I liked The Ark Sakura more, but it still doesn't compare to The Woman in the Dunes, a novel I appreciated more the second time around. By the way, the film is available on archive.org. I'm looking forward to watching it soon.

You mean the movie for The Face of Another? I also watched it this week, and although I didn't find it great, it's way more fluid than the book.

 

[Stevie B]

You mean the movie for The Face of Another? I also watched it this week, and although I didn't find it great, it's way more fluid than the book.

I meant "The Woman in the Dunes" film. I didn't know a film had been made of the other novel.

 

[Daniel del Real]

I meant "The Woman in the Dunes" film. I didn't know a film had been made of the other novel.

Yes, I watched in YouTube, however, the subtitles are in Spanish so there's no point in sending you the link. It was filmed only two years after The woman in the dunes.

 

[Daniel del Real]

Murakami Haruki, The City and its Uncertain Walls

 

[Stevie B]

Yes, I watched in YouTube, however, the subtitles are in Spanish so there's no point in sending you the link. It was filmed only two years after The woman in the dunes.

I just noticed a subtitled English version is also available on Archive.org. I watched the first fifteen minutes. I'll probably finish the film at some point, but I wasn't loving it.

 

[Leseratte]

Yes, I watched in YouTube, however, the subtitles are in Spanish so there's no point in sending you the link. It was filmed only two years after The woman in the dunes.

I had a look but didn't find this version in the net. It would be kind if you could post this link for the Spanish readers, Daniel, if it is allowed of course.

 

[alik-vit]

Alan Wallach, Exhibiting Contradiction: Essays on the Art Museum in the United States.

 

[Daniel del Real]

I had a look but didn't find this version in the net. It would be kind if you could post this link for the Spanish readers, Daniel, if it is allowed of course.

Of course! Here you go:

 

[Daniel del Real]

I just noticed a subtitled English version is also available on Archive.org. I watched the first fifteen minutes. I'll probably finish the film at some point, but I wasn't loving it.

The rest is pretty much the same, quite mediocre, just like the novel.

 

[Ленин]

Murakami Haruki, The City and its Uncertain Walls

I'm curious to read your thoughts on this one.

 

[Leseratte]

Of course! Here you go:

Thanks, Daniel!

 

[alik-vit]

Carol Duncan, "A Matter of Class: John Cotton Dana, Progressive Reform, and the Newark Museum". I'm half a book in and it's very solid and vsry interesting research in best traditions of "revisionist", "new" or "left" art history.

 

[tiganeasca]

?? Anjana Appachana, Incantations

??/?? Abdulrazak Gurnah, Admiring Silence

 

[Daniel del Real]

Sei Shōnagon, The Pillow Book

 

[Liam]

Sei Shōnagon, The Pillow Book

One of the most aesthetically perfect texts ever composed! Would love to hear your thoughts on it after you're done

 

[Daniel del Real]

One of the most aesthetically perfect texts ever composed! Would love to hear your thoughts on it after you're done

It's a hard text to approach. Even though I have some experience reading Japanese literature it's set in a very ancient time in which things were very different. There is a distance the reader has to surpass, not only cultural but also chronological.
Now, this lady is kind of annoying sometimes. I'm reading it for a course and I now understand why the professor said it's like taking a look to the diary of a Kardashian from a thousand years ago

 

[nagisa]

It's a hard text to approach. Even though I have some experience reading Japanese literature it's set in a very ancient time in which things were very different. There is a distance the reader has to surpass, not only cultural but also chronological.
Now, this lady is kind of annoying sometimes. I'm reading it for a course and I now understand why the professor said it's like taking a look to the diary of a Kardashian from a thousand years ago

There is the cultural and chronological distance, sure — but also a shocking contemporaneity. It's a kind of millenium-old blog of a Kardashian hanger-on!

A book I keep near my pillow, as prescribed.

 

[Benny Profane]

Forgive me for my late participation, guys, because I've been having less time to participate here.

Well, there are some points I'd like to do it:

First, about Kōbō Abe and Hiroshi Teshigahara, I think they are as Kobe and Shaq (former NBA's players), ie they did together some masterpieces as Women in Dunes, Pitfall and The Face of Another. The Man Without a Map is the weakest film by both, I confess, but it is above average.

The Face of Another hit me and made me think about the impressions of persornal and external image by a person in view of the society judgments.
Women in Dunes and Pitfall are claustrophobic!
The Man Without a Map is tedious, but it's a good film!

I haven't read the books by Abe yet, then I can't judge them, but these films by both are just brilliant!

Second, about The Pillowbook. I confess that I laughed tough when I saw the definition by your professor, Daniel! LOL!!!

I was thinking about the upper classes and brilliant books about it. In Search of Lost Time goes to the same way.
It's a book about frivolity, ego striffes and many other unpleasant things. But Proust narrated them with some mastery and dived the dept of human soul.
I believe that Shōnagon did the same, although I haven't read it, I know about the plot and the writing techniques by her.
Futhermore, Peter Greenaway adapted The Pillowbook into a conceptual film. I loved this film! It's a fine, wonderful and lugubrious film!
I do recommend it!

Greenaway and Jarman are my best favorite Avant-Garde British directors! They are genious!

And my third and final point, yes, it's possible to do some masterpieces about futility and trivial things!

Edit: The wiki about The Pillowbook (film): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pillow_Book_(film) and the iconic song by U2 which belongs to the soundtrack of this film:

 

[Benny Profane]

And my current reading: ??Dante Milano - Obra Reunida [Collected Works].

I started it on Sunday.

 

[tiganeasca]

?? Philippe Claudel, Dog Island

?? Elechi Amadi, The Concubine