Mark Reece's Blog, page 19

Review- Memoirs of a geisha

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This book is novelistic in the best possible way. That is, the tone is always heightened; it is passionate in a somewhat otherworldly way. Every aspect of the lives it portrays, even the mundane and squalid ones, are clearly meant as part of a narrative. That is what makes it a compelling work of art.

The central character, Chiyo (as she is known at the start of the book), is taken as a young girl from the small fishing village she grew up, after a local businessman notices how beautiful she is. She is sent to Kyoto to train as a geisha, where she is immediately subject to harsh discipline, in a world where the madam of the okiya (geisha establishment) where she is being trained, thinks nothing of sticking her fingers into the girls under her care to check whether they have had sex.

Chiyo suffers terrible bullying by an older geisha living with her- Hatsumomo- and while waiting to see if she will be trained, a chance encounter with a kind man on the street (known as 'The Chairman') is often on her thoughts, setting up a romantic sub-plot that runs throughout the novel.

The novel is made by its sophisticated characterization. Chiyo is at first unquestionably sympathetic. Bullies are most frightening in small worlds- and the world of Chiyo's okiya is very small indeed. Hatsumomo is spiteful and malicious, and the reader is cheered by each of Chiyo's tiny victories over her adversary. Chiyo is a clever girl, often thinking and speaking in extended metaphors, which both makes her endearing, and annoys some of the people around her.

However, after a time, a more complex picture emerges. Politics- in the form of the establishment of a military government in Japan in the run up to the second world war, then the war itself, feature in Chiyo's mind only allusively, as idle thoughts, before she returns her focus on becoming a more successful geisha. It is at this point that Chiyo's obsession with The Chairman and the social niceties of Kyoto society start to seem like willfully contrived ignorance, rather than innocence, as they did when Chiyo entered her okiya as a young girl. Chiyo seems beset by a poverty of ambition- her training has taught her that the best she can hope for in life is to obtain a wealthy male 'danna' (patron), and despite her sometime rebelliousness, she has accepted that without question.

It is at this point that the reader starts to notice that Chiyo has become devious in her social interactions and cannot give a straight answer to any question asked of her. It is her geisha training that is in part responsible for making her this way, of course. It is this subtle switch, from an unabashed sympathetic character to a flawed but in some ways still admirable one, that makes Chiyo an interesting protagonist.

Many of the other characters are also vividly portrayed, such as Mother, the head of Chiyo's okiya, who is money grubbing and cunning. Auntie, another important character in the okiya is described in hilariously memorable terms. She is hideously mean and ugly, with skin damaged by cosmetics, who treats her servants like slaves, forcing them to rub her feet, amongst other, less agreeable tasks. I haven't read a more memorably physically repulsive character since the eponymous antagonists of Roald Dahl's 'The Twits'.

The language used throughout the book is elegant and refined, reflecting the rarefied society in which the book is based, and also of the geisha themselves, where cleverness in conversation and turn of phrase is valued. Despite the complexity of the book, with its multiple characters and themes, it is very readable. It's certainly a book that I felt compelled to read multiple chapters of during every sitting. And that is the reason why I would unhesitatingly recommend the book to anyone, whether or not they have an interest in Japanese culture.



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Review- Hell and Damnation

Hell and Damnation: A Sinner's Guide to Eternal Torment by Marq de Villiers

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Hell and Damnation examines different ideas of hell comparatively, with chapters on the purported rulers of hell, the various types of tortures that are inflicted there, and other questions, such as the amount of time that people sent to hell are supposed to stay there.

The book is fun in places- it is certainly true, as the author points out, that a great deal more imagination has been devoted to imagining what hell is like than to the various paradises. A number of common themes emerge, such as bridges and gates, and heroes traveling to hell to bring back lost friends or lovers. The rules by which hell are said to operate often appear curiously bureaucratic. In one chapter, the author describes Assyrian ideas of the afterlife, in which gods have to send messengers between the various heavens and hells, as the deities are not allowed to step outside their domains.

Another idea that is commonplace amongst the more modern ideas of hell is that of equivalence- the suggestion that punishments would 'fit' the wrongdoing. This is a curious idea, as if there are malevolent beings torturing people, there is no obvious reason why they would be bound by equivalence. Surely, a wholly evil being would not try to make a punishment fit in any reasonable way. This idea seems to me to be redolent of industrial modernity, where many aspects of life are divided into increments- for example, pay per hour, trains running according to schedule, and so forth.

There are some negatives to the book, however. Firstly, there is a heavier focus on Christianity that I would have preferred in a comparative work. Also, and somewhat oddly, the author references Daily Mail articles several times throughout the book, in a way that feels like settling scores. Obviously, tabloid newspapers print rubbish sometimes. It was not clear what those references added, and the book would probably have been better if they were editing out.

The tone is also distracting at times. The author feels the need to add regular sarcastic comments, almost as if he was worried that the reader might start to take the various depictions of hell too seriously. These were unnecessary, and, more importantly, were often more annoying than funny.

The epilogue openly gives way to commentary, and is often shallow. More newspaper columns are quoted with no obvious justification, certainly not the intellectual weight of the columnists. Furthermore, I wonder whether the author misrepresents atheism somewhat with dogmatic comments. When a proposition is by definition unfalsifiable, such as the existence of many types of hell, then trying to falsify it may be a foolish move.

Putting all those negatives aside however, by bringing stories together from various different traditions, the book does add something to the subject, and I would recommend it to that extent.



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Birmingham Royal Ballet perform Swan Lake

The recent BRB performance of Swan Lake was the first time I've seen that ballet performed, which feels like an admission of a character flaw.

There was a lovely central performance by Miki Mizutani as Odette/Odile, and a sign that the BRB will retain all its best qualities under the new director, Carlos Acosta.

The sets seem to have been improved in recent performances. There was a memorable end to the third act, with a dramatic explosion at the conclusion of the ballroom scene. However, for me, the overall highlight was the start of the fourth act, when the curtain raised to reveal a stage covered with smoke, out of which rose the swans. The swans were beautifully skilled dancers.

It appears that the management transition has taken place without a hitch.

Review- Wisden 2019

Wisden Cricketers' Almanack 2019 by Lawrence Booth

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I read the 2019 edition of Wisden some time after it was published, which hardly matters, as the quality of the writing is a good as ever. The format has remained broadly similar for several years now. I could almost recommend it to someone who doesn't like cricket- but only almost. Naturally, it contains a lot of statistics and match reports.

Somehow, it's hard to imagine a book of this nature, with its broad scope, being written about any other type of sport. It's particularly good about the zaniness that goes on at the edges of the cricket world, replete with falling advertising boards and the feats of teams comprised entirely of pensioners.

Even when one hasn't had time to see much cricket, one makes time to read Wisden.



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Review- The Tale of the Unknown Island

The Tale of the Unknown Island by José Saramago

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The Tale of the Unknown Island is a short story with a depth beyond most novels. It starts with an hilarious description of the bureaucracy of a kingdom, in which there is a long chain of command to request favours from the king. From that moment, we are in classic Saramago territory.

A man bypasses the system to demand a boat from the king, who is taken aback by the direct request and feels obliged to grant it to avoid the anger of a watching crowd. The man claims to want the boat to search for the 'unknown island'. The king's cleaning lady is so taken by the request that she leaves her job to follow him.

The relationship between the petitioner and the cleaning lady is depicted with a light elegance. It develops so indirectly that one is hardly aware of how it has happened by the end of the story. And the final twist is a real delight.

The book is also beautifully illustrated. A short but charming addition to the Saramago canon.



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Russian state ballet at Wolverhampton grand theatre

Over the last few days, the Russian State Ballet (RSB) company has been carrying out a series of performances at Wolverhampton grand theatre, of which I saw Sleeping Beauty.

It's an interesting change to see a theatre company other than Birmingham Royal Ballet in a West Midlands theatre, and the RSB does not disappoint. The dancers had a wonderfully light touch, and the music was sublime.

The supporting aspects of the performance were also memorable, particularly the costumes and the set. There were several rapid changes of background, and at various points in the performance, the curtain cut the stage in half, with the dancers using only the front part of the stage. This skillfully focused attention on particular dancers. The use of lighting at the back of the stage to highlight mood or a change in the time of day was also highly effective.

I didn't quite understand why there were scenes from little red riding hood and Cinderella, but that doesn't matter greater. It was great to see a foreign ballet company in the midlands, and even better that it was such an accomplished one.

Review- The Stone Raft

The Stone Raft by José Saramago

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Like all Saramago's books, The Stone Raft starts with a fantastical premise- that the Iberian peninsula has split apart from the rest of Europe and is floating out to sea. Meanwhile, three men and two women meet up with each other after hearing that each of them have developed a whimsical superpower- for example, one of the men can feel tremors in the earth. The five then set out on a journey across Spain and Portugal as the two countries face exile from Europe and social collapse.

Saramago's style utilizes only commas and full stops as punctuation. Furthermore, the prose is consistently illusive and filled with asides. Oftentimes, a curious idiom is used without explanation, as if to suggest that it is commonly used in this world, then other idioms will be used to say a similar thing, or the opposite thing, then there will be an ironic comment about its truthfulness. At first, the style seems ponderous, however, after a time, the characters in the story become readily identifiable, even without directly attributable speech. In this way, Saramago's style is not simply a quirk or eccentricity, but helps to build a sense of wonder and sets the tone for the story.

Few writers are as careful about the characterization of animals as Saramago, and that is never more apparent than in this novel. Both the dog that accompanies (and sometimes leads) the characters, and also their two horses, are described with delicate and loving care. Much effort is given in particular to the naming of the dog, with the characters, and of course, the author, recognizing the importance of doing so.

It is not clear whether the characters' abilities are connected to what is happening, although the authorities are suspicious nevertheless. As is often the case with Saramago's stories, there is a deft satirical touch on display. Villagers and government officials are suspicious of the characters and their motivations, whereas the prime minister of Portugal is concerned about the reputation of the countries women and their virtue. Meanwhile, the British government declares its intention to defend Gibraltar wherever it ends up, while the president of the United States worries that if countries move around too much, then geo-political strategizing will become impossible. The tone is apt, and very funny on occasions.

Ultimately, this is a book that is hard to categorize. On the one hand, the theme of 'journeys' is often present, whether in the life of individuals, or of countries. The novel also contains some social satire, such as the fear that results when groups of frightened residents occupy a series of hotels. The link between the characters' abilities and the wider events might be said to be a comment on causality- on the danger of making inferences linking events without due cause. However, the book would hardly be improved by being neatly categorized. It is such a pleasure and a delight to read. To my mind, Saramago is plainly the outstanding author of the twentieth century.



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Review- Silk

Silk by Alessandro Baricco

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is a stylish and mesmerizing book. Written in a series of very short chapters, many less than a page long, it tells the story of Herve Joncour, who travels to Japan to buy silkworms to supply mills in a French town. The book is very short- probably less than novella length, and the chapters form what are essentially a set of interconnected prose poems. The tone is very reserved, and there is more subtext than text. For example, the second chapters ends with these three sentences:

Lavilledieu was the name of the town inhabited by Herve Joncour.
Helene was that of his wife.
They had no children.

It is thus made apparent that there is a distance, or even a quiet sadness, in the relationship between Joncour and his wife. The prose sometimes reminded me of haiku, in the way that consecutive sentences change focus to create implicit metaphors or similes.

Joncour's reserved nature is beautifully illustrated by the hazy nature of the writing, which is always covered by a delicate veil. At one point, Joncour is described in this way:

It will have been noted that such people observe their destiny much as most people tend to observe a rainy day.

When traveling to Japan, Joncour meets an important man in a village, with whom he establishes a partnership based on the sale of silkworm eggs. Joncour glances the man's concubine, and although they do not speak, they form a relationship of sorts that provides the narrative focus of the story.

The centrepiece of the book is a love letter between the two that is astonishing in tone and provenance. To say more would be to give too much away.

The book could easily be read in one sitting, and many times in a lifetime.



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Review- The Canterbury Tales

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


After not having read The Canterbury Tales for many years, I had forgotten almost all the stories and could read them as if new, which I found to be a very happy state. This is a wonderful book, and a good translation by Neville Coghill, who unobtrusively modernizes the language in a way that maintains the rhythm of the poetry.

A party are going on a pilgrimage to Canterbury, containing people of many social classes, including a knight, various members of the clergy, and working men. Some members of the party have professions that no longer exist, such as the 'Pardoner'- who makes a living out of selling Papal pardons. The party members agree to a competition to tell a number of stories each, with a grand meal granted to the winner. Chaucer employs a wide poetic range in granting a distinct voice to each of the party members. He creates a genuine sense of a rumbustious party- not an easy task when the characters of party members are reflected only indirectly, through the stories they tell.

The tales are a mix of elegant romances, morality tales, stories with a religious theme, and bawdy anecdotes. Chaucer shows a lot of skill in creating an overarching narrative by the way the different tales relate to each other. For example, some of the characters are rivals and make the protagonist of their story the profession of their enemy, then proceed to make the story an example of the folly of (say) a miller or a friar. Their rival then retaliates by making the anti-hero of their story an even more foolish example of their enemy's profession.

The tone over the course of the book is very well judged. Ostentatious virtue can taste acrid, and Chaucer carefully balances tales of virtuous wives with bawdy, humorous stories. In fact, the treatment of the virtue of women is one of the most intriguing aspects of the overarching narrative. Many of the tales give as their exemplar meek and self-sacrificing wives who passively submit to circumstance and kill themselves rather than be dishonored. However, one of the party, the wife of Bath, strikes a very different note. After telling the others that she has been married five times, she proceeds to expound on the merits of wives mastering their husbands. It is not clear who, if anyone, is speaking with Chaucer's voice, and each perspective is given persuasively. This is why this set of poems is such a compelling work of art.

The Canterbury Tales is an elegant, witty, and joyous work that achieves both a high level of realism, and poetic magic. It will be dilemma as to whether to wait such a time before re-reading it.



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Review- Murphy

Murphy by Samuel Beckett

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


I enjoy Beckett's plays, but I found this novel to be unreadable. The writing is too dense and lacks beauty.

Also, I have a limited tolerance for the type of solipsistic protagonist on display in this book, who aims for sensory deprivation and annihilation. Why, I wonder, do some people imagine that 'the universe' owes them a meaning to exist? That has always struck me as tremendously arrogant. Other animals don't seem to need any kind of ultimate meaning.

Nor does such a belief very often lead to enjoyable books being written.



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