Recently Begun Books

[Daniel del Real]

Finally tackling Joseph Roth's alleged masterpiece The Radetzky March. Right now, by page 150, although it's a good novel with the distinctive beauty of Roth's prose, don't see anything truly great on it. In fact, so far, it's a little inferior to most of Roth's I've read before. Still early on the plot, so I hope it turns better as expected.

[John]

The Birds by Petter Hitchcock.

[pesahson]

Finally tackling Joseph Roth's alleged masterpiece The Radetzky March. Right now, by page 150, although it's a good novel with the distinctive beauty of Roth's prose, don't see anything truly great on it. In fact, so far, it's a little inferior to most of Roth's I've read before. Still early on the plot, so I hope it turns better as expected.

I'll be interested to know what you think of it once you've finished it. It was my first attempt at Joseph Roth and I couldn't finish it. Maybe it was the wrong time, but it put me off reading other works of Roth. But since you write that it might be inferior to his other novels, I might give him a go again.

[Flint]

Leaving the Atocha Station, by Ben Lerner

[Daniel del Real]

I'll be interested to know what you think of it once you've finished it. It was my first attempt at Joseph Roth and I couldn't finish it. Maybe it was the wrong time, but it put me off reading other works of Roth. But since you write that it might be inferior to his other novels, I might give him a go again.

Well, I finished it, and to be honest it wasn't what I expected. It is a good novel, don't get me wrong, but after reading so many Roth's novels I think that the field in which he excels is the short novel or nouvelle; Radetzky March, being twice or even longer than his average works, seems a little wasted at some moments. The book has some moments that makes it look as a XIX century novel, which fits many great authors, but not Roth in my opinion. I can understand why you didn't finish it being your first novel by him, but I really recommend to give him another shot with Job, Tarabas, Hotel Savoy, The Emperor's Tomb,etc. You won't regret it as he is such a glorious prosist.

[pesahson]

Well, I finished it, and to be honest it wasn't what I expected. It is a good novel, don't get me wrong, but after reading so many Roth's novels I think that the field in which he excels is the short novel or nouvelle; Radetzky March, being twice or even longer than his average works, seems a little wasted at some moments. The book has some moments that makes it look as a XIX century novel, which fits many great authors, but not Roth in my opinion. I can understand why you didn't finish it being your first novel by him, but I really recommend to give him another shot with Job, Tarabas, Hotel Savoy, The Emperor's Tomb,etc. You won't regret it as he is such a glorious prosist.

Thanks for the replay. I won't cross him out from my TRL entirely then .

[kpjayan]

In the 60's K M Munshi, one of the leading Gujarati Writer, activist and educationinst, began writing an 8 volume book on Hindu diety 'Krishna', in line with the scriptures. He passed away before the completion of the 8th and final volume of the book. To me it will be a revisit of the epic ( mostly connected to 'Mahabharata' , the Bhagavatha). I'm not going to read all 7 books ( the 7th contains the unfinished 8th volume as well) in one go, but will finish them in next few months.

Here is the wiki on K M Munshi : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanaiyalal_Maneklal_Munshi

About the book(s) : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krishnavatara

[Eric]

I've started reading a novel entitled "Meie pole süüdi" (We're not Guilty) about a father who is summoned to the prosecutor's office to be told that his son who is 18 years old, has killed a pensioner on the street in some ill-defined quarrel or other. The son has been going downhill for some time. But the father feels it is unjust that the parents are being blamed in part for the son's behaviour.

This is a novel that was first published in 1984, and was written by Raimond Kaugver (1926-1992), an Estonian who spent some of his life in labour camps in the Russian Vorkutá and who also, no doubt, felt that he was not guilty of anything and did not deserve to spend the years 1945 to 1950 in the Gulag.

The narrative style is straightforward (so far, at least), not the convoluted ratiocinations of Jaan Kross, but more like a TV drama about social problems. The problems discussed as being prevalent in Soviet Estonia are as real today in the West as they were in the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

*

A word more about the author. Raimond Kaugver fled to Finland during World War Two, but unlike those who were fleeing westwards, returned to Estonia in 1944. People returning from Finland were suspected by the paranoid Soviet authorities (Stalin was still alive) of being spies or similar. So Kaugver was sent to Siberia on his return. From 1950-1960, when he had been released from the camps, he started out as a tram-driver (just about the only job an ex-convict could get) and worked in a coal mine, but by dint of hard work he worked his way up in society so that by 1961 he had managed to become a full-time writer. He had to write quite a lot for the "desk drawer" as it is termed. In other words, there were things you simply could not publish in the Soviet Union in those days. So the novels he did publish openly were about social problems in the general sense, while what he wrote in secret described life in the labour camps. These latter books were only published once the Soviet Union had collapsed and independence had been restored in Estonia from 1991 onwards.

[kpjayan]

Started MVLL's "the Dream of the Celt". Finished a third of it already ( the Congo part) and so far I'm liking it. It is far far better than his previous one ( bad, bad girl !). Hope it stays good..

[Daniel del Real]

Started MVLL's "the Dream of the Celt". Finished a third of it already ( the Congo part) and so far I'm liking it. It is far far better than his previous one ( bad, bad girl !). Hope it stays good..

It does! It was a very decent comeback after the terrible girl. There's a lot of people that love the early complex structured Vargas Llosa, in novels like The Green House or Conversations in the Cathedral. I personally prefer his later stage that has a more straightforward prose and where he digs into History looking for fascinating characters like Antonio Conseleiro, Leonidas Trujillo, Paul Gaugin, Flora Tristán and more recently Roger Casement.

[Daniel del Real]

Just started The Door by Magda Szabó. Finally I'm able to read this woman again, who left a great impression with the first title I read. Hope it goes even better this time.

[kpjayan]

Just started The Door by Magda Szabó. Finally I'm able to read this woman again, who left a great impression with the first title I read. Hope it goes even better this time.

The Door is good. It is not complex in structure, but very subtle way of looking at a unique relationship. Few characters live with you for a long time.

[Daniel del Real]

The Door is good. It is not complex in structure, but very subtle way of looking at a unique relationship. Few characters live with you for a long time.

I know! This woman Emerenc is starting to annoy me in a way like Melville's Bartleby did.

[Eric]

Sorry, but who's the lady Emerenc? A literary Catalonian Madonna, or a Hungarian? Or even someone in a Szabó novel.

[Elie]

I know! This woman Emerenc is starting to annoy me in a way like Melville's Bartleby did.

I would have cheerfully banged together the heads of the two central characters when I read it.

[Daniel del Real]

I would have cheerfully banged together the heads of the two central characters when I read it.

Yeah, totally get you. Going around page 200 and the novel is just getting better. Can't wait to finish it. Damn day job!

[Leonid]

I'm just starting Ur uherrak by my favorite Basque novelist, Aingeru Epaltza: http://www.amazon.co.jp/Ur-uherrak-A.../dp/8476811411.

[Flint]

Are you reading it in Basque or in translation?

[Leonid]

Are you reading it in Basque or in translation?

I am reading in the original, though I believe there is a Spanish translation. Basque is a rewarding language for those willing to make the effort to learn it.

[Flint]

Effort indeed. I know something about the language (not the language, but about the language, haha) and it is very hard to learn - only comparable in my experience to Hungarian - for those of us who speak Indoeuropean languages.