Recently finished books?

[JTolle]

Hugo von Hofmannsthal, The Lord Chandos Letter

I am reminded: absolutely adoring Elizabeth Costello​! Only I hope that the word "adoring" doesn't lead anyone to believe it's a cuddly book.

[Daniel del Real]

Antonio Tabucchi, Indian Nocturne +

[Baudelaire Theorist]

Couple of days ago I finished Olga Tokarczuks short story collection "Der Schrank", at mere 110 pages a nice 2-hours-read, (German translation by Esther Kinsky), "Szafa" that is in original plus some additional stories where I could not discover if they have been published somewhere else or been translated into English. (most likely not).

Again there is this typical trademark of Tokarczuk, a fine tuned mixture of philosophy and psychology, worlds between fantasy and reality, myth and dream. A couple who moves into a new flat; a developer of computer games playing God and creating/destroying worlds (the motif of Genesis once again like in "Primeval and other times"); a young woman who with her newborn son and her mother looking for the father of her child; a bank clerk hearing a voice in her dream who tells her that she is loved and travels all over Poland to meet the man she believes belongs to this voice. But the most impressive story is the one of a maid in a behemoth of a hotel imaging the belongings of the guests are coming to life, inventing stories and lifes.

Absurd, strange and disturbing as those stories may seem they have a quiet, meditative strength full of character, different as they are. Not as impressive as her novels but still clearly above average. But me loves everything by Tokarczuk, no matter what.

Those who have read this already: please ignore it then

Asko Sahlberg - The Brothers (Finish Original: He, translated into English by Fleur Jeremiah and Emily Jeremiah), a Shakespearian epic just in 100 pages; poetic, compact, measured - more later.

Cees Nooteboom - Paradies verloren (Dutch Original: Paradijs verloren, translated into German by Helga van Beuningen). (more later).

The latest three books I have read/finished.

[pigeonweather]

The Literary Conference - Cesar Aira

This was my initial encounter with Cesar Aira and a very happy one at that. I loved the way he leads you on, lulling you into a sense that now you think you know what's going on and then, out of the blue (so to speak), the story takes a leap in an entirely different direction. In the end you find he's led you up a sort of storytold pyramid to a most sublime and ridiculous conclusion.

[lenz]

I like your word, "storytold." It sounds like a literal translation of a non-English word. Is it? Or, did it just leap out of the blue and insist on existing?

[kpjayan]

Cees Nooteboom - Paradies verloren (Dutch Original: Paradijs verloren, translated into German by Helga van Beuningen). (more later).

How did you like it ? This was my first Nooteboom and I though I started at a wrong place, reading Nooteboom.

[Worldeater]

Antal Szerb-The Pendragon legend


This was a good fun to read, didnt expect another "Journey by moonlight'' so i wasn't disappointed.

[Hamlet]

Douglas Coupland, Canadian writer, I've recently finished Generation A, an easy read and makss sense of our current world of internet and technology, and the digital overdrive, what I liked about Coupland's book is how it puts forward reading as one of the defences against the electronic chatter and bubble of the web and the wired world in general.

He treats his characters with respect.

I've read two of his novels now, and so have ordered a third one, he seems very relevant to our modern lives and he's fun.

However, have started two classics, DECAMERON, and ORLANDO FURIOSI, so Coupland will follow these, I seem to be mxing the modern and the ancient, and it works quite well, light/heavier...

[Liam]

It's Furioso, actually, and good luck, that book bored me to tears--

[Hamlet]

That's rude.

It is, and I should have my laptop closer, and 'get' these typos!

It's probably not my thing, either, but I'm interested in reading it nonetheless.

[kpjayan]

Vicki Leon - Working IX to V : Non - Fiction. Curious collections of 'professions' that existed during the Greek-Roman hay days.

Isaac Bashevis Singer - The King of the Fields : This is my first book of Isaac Singer. I understand this was last work of fiction. I dont know if I missed something, but this was way too disappointing. A Polish Fable of tribes - changes in the civilisation - the hunters turning into farmers , arrival of Jewish and Christian believes...

[pesahson]

Isaac Bashevis Singer - The King of the Fields : This is my first book of Isaac Singer. I understand this was last work of fiction. I dont know if I missed something, but this was way too disappointing. A Polish Fable of tribes - changes in the civilisation - the hunters turning into farmers , arrival of Jewish and Christian believes...

I haven't read that one but I quite enjoyed Gimpel the Fool. I prefer his stories where the tales are about the supernatural then the everyday life of Jews in pre-war Poland, which, it seems, you didn't enjoy immensly either. "Shadows on the Hudson" is one I haven't read, either. From friends who read it, I heard nothing but praise. It's about Jewish immigrants in New York after the war. If you want to give Singer another try, maybe give this book a go.

[kpjayan]

Thank you pesahson. Some readers refer "The King of the Fields" is about the creation of modern Poland ( if that interest you), from the hunters to a civilization of farmers. It said the world "pola" means field.

[Worldeater]

Joseph Roth-The legend of the holy drinker
Joseph Roth-Weights and measures

[kpjayan]

Ferdinand Oyono - Houseboy : Colonial literature from Africa. Originaly written in 1956 , four years prior to the independence of Cameroon. Importantbook when it was pblished, and may be significant for historians of African and colonial Literature. Reading the the book now after 55 years of its publication, one is not moved s much as I was expecting it to be.

[sirena]

The Small House at Allington - Anthony Trollope

[Daniel del Real]

Here are some books I've finished during last month:

Herta Müller, Even Back Then, the Fox Was the Hunter
Paul Auster, Invisible
Amos Oz, The Same Sea
Raymond Carver, Begginers +
Jorge Luis Borges, Para las Seis Cuerdas +
Jorge Luis Borges, Elogio de la Sombra

[Hemmo]

Just finished a long biography of Louis XIV (about whom I knew nothing) by Francois Bluche. It took me forever - which I guess says it all. Will shortly finish 'Mangeclous' by Albert Cohen. Not seen much on here about him and I'll post as soon as I finish...

[kpjayan]

Closely Observed Trains - Bohumil Hrabal : I've read this book at least 3 times, in last 4-5 days. Sweet gem of a book. Brilliant.

[Daniel del Real]

Closely Observed Trains - Bohumil Hrabal : I've read this book at least 3 times, in last 4-5 days. Sweet gem of a book. Brilliant.

I've always wanted to get round Hrabal with no results. Probably I should start with this one.