Uvi Poznansky's Blog, page 274
June 7, 2012
5-Star Bookreview for Apart From Love by Gaiven Clairmont
A new 5-star review of Apart From Love, this time by Gaiven Clairmont, the author of Reality, Dreams and Nightmares, appeared on Amazon:
"There are rare novels that complete capture you from the first sentence and leave you wanting to the very last word. Apart From love is that type of novel it has a central romantic plot between a son and his step-mother but yet still brings powerful themes into play and shows the battle of guilt one feels when one is forced into choosing the betrayal of another or the betrayal of oneself. The tone is light hearted in some and dark with a mist of the mysterious in others. Is Ben going to betray his dying father for the women he feels he deserves? Is Ben's father pulling the strings for an improbable romance flared in the air of infidelity and what about Ben's father's tapes?
Uvi clearly has what it takes to make a name for herself with novels that reflect deep and not shallow issues you have to go beneath the surface to capture the true beauty of this novel which is a rarity among new indie writers I applaud her sincerely and wish her the very best, she has a fan in me and i'm delighted and honoured to be given the chance to read such sterling work BRAVO and definitely worth 5-stars."
"There are rare novels that complete capture you from the first sentence and leave you wanting to the very last word. Apart From love is that type of novel it has a central romantic plot between a son and his step-mother but yet still brings powerful themes into play and shows the battle of guilt one feels when one is forced into choosing the betrayal of another or the betrayal of oneself. The tone is light hearted in some and dark with a mist of the mysterious in others. Is Ben going to betray his dying father for the women he feels he deserves? Is Ben's father pulling the strings for an improbable romance flared in the air of infidelity and what about Ben's father's tapes?
Uvi clearly has what it takes to make a name for herself with novels that reflect deep and not shallow issues you have to go beneath the surface to capture the true beauty of this novel which is a rarity among new indie writers I applaud her sincerely and wish her the very best, she has a fan in me and i'm delighted and honoured to be given the chance to read such sterling work BRAVO and definitely worth 5-stars."
June 6, 2012
Lost in Translation: A Poem by my Father
Reparations Written by Zeev Kachel Translated from Hebrew by Uvi Poznansky
You're asking me to put here in writing, once more,
All that I lost, my esteemed counselor?
To list in detail, then describe and refine
And bring two witnesses tomorrow to sign?
My father's gold watch--I could just hear the sound
Had three lids that were shining
Reflected in it I could see us, standing around
All faces aglow and rejoicing.
The watch also had a heavy gold chain
Coiled twice over, over his vein
The tips of it hands gave a hint of a spark
Shooting green glow, right into the dark
It ticked, counting years for each girl and boy
Marking seasons, holidays, morning and night
I remember Sabbath candles flickering with joy
Sparkling brightly, like starlight.
You're asking me to record, on paper to pour
All that I lost, my esteemed counselor?
There was an old synagogue my grandpa had built
Burning scrolls, flying ash, dying spirit
Ancient Torah aflame, letters lifting, all gilt
Thou shall not kill, shall not steal, shall not covet
There was my sister. She was delicate, tender
In her eyes I remember a twinkle
Her name was Batia, my beloved little sister
She grew up--and then--it was simple:
She grew up and married, gave birth to a son
with a blue glint in his eyes, and a dimple
And blond hair, like a pure 'Aryan'--
The murderers, they threw him right into the Nile
There were aunts, there were uncles, boys and girls in our midst
The murderers decreed: they should not exist
You're asking me to record, on paper to pour
All that I lost, my esteemed counselor?
I demand to return, reopen that door
Find parents and sister, each girl and boy
Back there in that synagogue, with that spirit of yore
Sabbath candles aflame, father's voice filled with joy.
It's not property I ask for, not mere pieces of land--
Hebrew school, friends around, all of us in one band
With hope that inspired to survive, to withstand.
Bring the murderers to trial, that is what I demand.
You will not understand; it's of no great import--
I demand that which had been cut short.
For those of you young enough, or lucky enough not to know, Reparations refers to money paid by the German government to holocaust survivors, to compensate them for property confiscated by the Nazi regime.
The poem appears on the opening page of Ropes, Separation, Tear (Hebrew Edition) which was published by me earlier this year in memory of my father. If you can read poetry in Hebrew, take a 'look inside' the book on Amazon. And please forgive the translation, which is the art of compromise between content, rhythm and rhyme.
The watercolor painting here is called 'The Bard'; I painted it after his passing, from memory.
The Tape Recorder and the Memory Problem
Play. Rewind. Stop. Eject.
Here and there, barely noticeable at first, these words punctuate the text of my novel Apart From Love. Why? Let me give you a glimpse, a brief insight into the unique ideas behind writing this novel:
In most stories, the author knows it all. She hovers from above, seeing through the guts, hearts and minds of all her characters. So all you have to do is look up at her, and their motives will be reflected back to you. Not so here. I like the directness of first-person narrative, so the story is told in two voices: that of Ben, a twenty seven years old dropout student, and that of Anita, a twenty six years old girl, married to his father. They take turns telling their most intimate thoughts, directly to you. Well, not to you: to a tape recorder.
Why did I introduce the tape recorder? The simple answer is that it is a device that stands for the listener. It lets me take myself as the author entirely out of the picture. I am not there telling you the plot--Ben and Anita are. He interpret events in his own way, through the lens of his particular family history, and his understanding is flawed and biased, and changes along the arc of the story. By the same token, so does she. You get two versions of the events, but the truth lies in the gap between them. You become the one hovering from above, hoping that somehow they can close that gap, somehow the two viewpoints can become one.
But there is a more complex, and more subtle answer. The tape recorder also stands for the memory problem in this book. It becomes a metaphor for fighting forgetfulness. With Ben's mom languishing in a home for Alzheimer's patients, his father becomes obsessed with 'capturing moments', preserving the present so you can recall it one day, and not letting the past slip through your memory.
Thus the commands Play, Rewind, Stop, and Eject become, eventually, overloaded with meanings: Rewind becomes "Look back, find that event in the past, remember it." Play means "Stay here in the moment, talk about it with all your senses fully aware of how it feels." Stop means "Consider another direction." and Eject means "Time to go."
Here and there, barely noticeable at first, these words punctuate the text of my novel Apart From Love. Why? Let me give you a glimpse, a brief insight into the unique ideas behind writing this novel:
In most stories, the author knows it all. She hovers from above, seeing through the guts, hearts and minds of all her characters. So all you have to do is look up at her, and their motives will be reflected back to you. Not so here. I like the directness of first-person narrative, so the story is told in two voices: that of Ben, a twenty seven years old dropout student, and that of Anita, a twenty six years old girl, married to his father. They take turns telling their most intimate thoughts, directly to you. Well, not to you: to a tape recorder.
Why did I introduce the tape recorder? The simple answer is that it is a device that stands for the listener. It lets me take myself as the author entirely out of the picture. I am not there telling you the plot--Ben and Anita are. He interpret events in his own way, through the lens of his particular family history, and his understanding is flawed and biased, and changes along the arc of the story. By the same token, so does she. You get two versions of the events, but the truth lies in the gap between them. You become the one hovering from above, hoping that somehow they can close that gap, somehow the two viewpoints can become one.
But there is a more complex, and more subtle answer. The tape recorder also stands for the memory problem in this book. It becomes a metaphor for fighting forgetfulness. With Ben's mom languishing in a home for Alzheimer's patients, his father becomes obsessed with 'capturing moments', preserving the present so you can recall it one day, and not letting the past slip through your memory.
Thus the commands Play, Rewind, Stop, and Eject become, eventually, overloaded with meanings: Rewind becomes "Look back, find that event in the past, remember it." Play means "Stay here in the moment, talk about it with all your senses fully aware of how it feels." Stop means "Consider another direction." and Eject means "Time to go."
June 4, 2012
Rolling Paper Band
I am truly enamored with paper. I love folding it, rolling it, cutting it, spilling ink and paint on it, and studying the reflections it gives off. At times it stares back at me, especially when I can find no words to write on its pure, white surface. Here's how a simple, quick sketch of a nude transformed itself in my mind into a rolling paper band.
You will notice that this is no simple transformation, as the paper band goes deep into the internals of the body, which is no longer solid. Also, I staged the figure in an environment where light drizzles from above in glowing colors, and shadows of the paper band are cast all the way down, nearly reaching you.
You will notice that this is no simple transformation, as the paper band goes deep into the internals of the body, which is no longer solid. Also, I staged the figure in an environment where light drizzles from above in glowing colors, and shadows of the paper band are cast all the way down, nearly reaching you.
My Guest Post on Indie Author News
Today my Guest-Post was published on Indie Author News blog. My post discusses the creative process of writing a novel: Should it flow in a linear or cyclical way, at what point do you need to figure out the end, and how to pace through the chapters. It starts:
"During the year of writing of my recent novel, Apart From Love, I discovered several ways of advancing the story. Here are some of them; perhaps you will find that they would work for you, too..."
To read the complete article click here.
"During the year of writing of my recent novel, Apart From Love, I discovered several ways of advancing the story. Here are some of them; perhaps you will find that they would work for you, too..."
To read the complete article click here.
June 2, 2012
Cancan Girls: The Composition Process
A couple of days ago I posted my watercolor painting, Cancan Girls, as the source of inspiration for the three Rosenblatt Sisters in my novel, Apart From Love. Now let me go a few steps backwards and give you a glimpse into the composition process of that painting.
It is based on several quick sketches of a model in cancan costume, which she (a woman of many talents) had sewn by herself. Unlike other models, trained to pose for a long time without moving a muscle, this one could not sit still, not even for a moment! Without being cute, or shapely in any way, she certainly had a presence in the room. This cancan girl kept humming, sometimes under her breath, sometimes with full-throated giggles, barely able to contain her bustling energy--which truly endeared her to me. So right away I knew that these sketches would lead me to something special.
I took them and tried various ways of combining them on paper. By that I mean, combining her various poses in space, so the farther figures would be smaller, and the closer ones--larger, so as to suggest a perspective. Also, I wanted to create a story of a relationship between the figures. Finally I came up with an arrangement that suggested an outsider, set against a group of tightly knit group. The figures exchanged looks between them, examining her with curiosity, suspicion, even enmity--even though all of them sprang from the same mold: an amazingly animated model...
It is based on several quick sketches of a model in cancan costume, which she (a woman of many talents) had sewn by herself. Unlike other models, trained to pose for a long time without moving a muscle, this one could not sit still, not even for a moment! Without being cute, or shapely in any way, she certainly had a presence in the room. This cancan girl kept humming, sometimes under her breath, sometimes with full-throated giggles, barely able to contain her bustling energy--which truly endeared her to me. So right away I knew that these sketches would lead me to something special.
I took them and tried various ways of combining them on paper. By that I mean, combining her various poses in space, so the farther figures would be smaller, and the closer ones--larger, so as to suggest a perspective. Also, I wanted to create a story of a relationship between the figures. Finally I came up with an arrangement that suggested an outsider, set against a group of tightly knit group. The figures exchanged looks between them, examining her with curiosity, suspicion, even enmity--even though all of them sprang from the same mold: an amazingly animated model...
June 1, 2012
New 5* Review of Apart From Love on Goodreads
New review of Apart From Love, this time by Jeffrey Scott, author of Finding Drake, a coming of age story of a young boy taking care of his ill grandfather, who is suffering from Alzheimers.
"As one who knows Alzheimer's and its affect on the family all too well, I took great interest in this novel’s approach to the subject. While Alzheimer’s manifests in its victims with common symptoms (and many peculiar symptoms as well), its manifestation in the immediate families is anything but common. Apart From Love displays in vivid, eloquent prose how one micro family is touched by a disease that strips all but the shell of a human from his or her loved ones.
Told primarily from two perspectives – Ben's, who returns home from a decade-long hiatus to learn that his mother no longer knows him due to the disease; and Anita’s, the mistress-turned-spouse who learns she is effectively the physically replacement of her husband Lenny’s dying ex wife – Apart From Love brings the reader deep into the thoughts and emotions of well-developed characters. It is not a plot heavy story; rather, it’s more of a Shakespearean tragedy centered around a growing attraction between Ben and Anita (who is Ben’s age), and around Lenny’s obsession with recreating his family image through writing.
This book was a pleasure to read, and its author is an artisan with words. I hope to see more of her work in the future."
This review can be found on Goodreads.
"As one who knows Alzheimer's and its affect on the family all too well, I took great interest in this novel’s approach to the subject. While Alzheimer’s manifests in its victims with common symptoms (and many peculiar symptoms as well), its manifestation in the immediate families is anything but common. Apart From Love displays in vivid, eloquent prose how one micro family is touched by a disease that strips all but the shell of a human from his or her loved ones.
Told primarily from two perspectives – Ben's, who returns home from a decade-long hiatus to learn that his mother no longer knows him due to the disease; and Anita’s, the mistress-turned-spouse who learns she is effectively the physically replacement of her husband Lenny’s dying ex wife – Apart From Love brings the reader deep into the thoughts and emotions of well-developed characters. It is not a plot heavy story; rather, it’s more of a Shakespearean tragedy centered around a growing attraction between Ben and Anita (who is Ben’s age), and around Lenny’s obsession with recreating his family image through writing.
This book was a pleasure to read, and its author is an artisan with words. I hope to see more of her work in the future."
This review can be found on Goodreads.
May 31, 2012
The Three Rosenblatt Sisters
"Having fled from Poland during World War II, the three Rosenblatt sisters arrived in Paris, where they discovered glamor, or at least the chance for it.
They bleached their hair super blond, so as to put the shtetl, and the horrors they must have suffered, right out of their mind, along with the old way of life.
Around the same time, they changed their names to Brigitte, Monique, and Veronique. Along with their names, they threw out a few other things which had failed to serve them: their long, dark skirts, and their modesty.
Wearing frilly underwear and black stockings, they auditioned for a show at a nightclub, a highly acclaimed nightclub called the Folies Bergère—only to be rejected, because sadly, their dance routine was too nice and conservative; which made them furious, and even more driven to make it.
So with clenched teeth, they learned how to lift their skirts, and flap them about in a highly erotic, flirtatious manner. After several months of hard, painstaking work, the three sisters finally became an overnight sensation.
They ended up joining a cheaply produced show in the nightclub district of Montmartre. Their fame spread. They became known for their fancy cancan costumes, which left them practically naked."
Excerpt from Apart From Love
This is watercolor painting on Yupo paper, which is non-absorbant. Thus, it lends itself to creating wonderful puddles of color, just as if someone with muddy boots has just paced across the floor and went off through the edge, disappearing into the frame of the painting...
To hear the radio interview about my published work click here.
They bleached their hair super blond, so as to put the shtetl, and the horrors they must have suffered, right out of their mind, along with the old way of life.
Around the same time, they changed their names to Brigitte, Monique, and Veronique. Along with their names, they threw out a few other things which had failed to serve them: their long, dark skirts, and their modesty.
Wearing frilly underwear and black stockings, they auditioned for a show at a nightclub, a highly acclaimed nightclub called the Folies Bergère—only to be rejected, because sadly, their dance routine was too nice and conservative; which made them furious, and even more driven to make it.
So with clenched teeth, they learned how to lift their skirts, and flap them about in a highly erotic, flirtatious manner. After several months of hard, painstaking work, the three sisters finally became an overnight sensation.
They ended up joining a cheaply produced show in the nightclub district of Montmartre. Their fame spread. They became known for their fancy cancan costumes, which left them practically naked."
Excerpt from Apart From Love
This is watercolor painting on Yupo paper, which is non-absorbant. Thus, it lends itself to creating wonderful puddles of color, just as if someone with muddy boots has just paced across the floor and went off through the edge, disappearing into the frame of the painting...
To hear the radio interview about my published work click here.
Enter to Win: My Summer Giveaway
The countdown begins: Only four days from now, on June 4, 2012, you will be able to enter your name in my summer giveaway! Listed as 37 out of 1,122 books in Best Independent Novels, and 22 out of 346 authors in New Authors to Read, Apart From Love represents the very best I have to offer. The most intimate thoughts, hopes and fears of the characters that have been living in my head for an entire year are printed here, on these pages, formed into a spellbinding mystery and bound in a beautifully designed, artistic cover based on my oil painting.
Three paperback edition copies of my book will be offered in the giveaway. The lucky winners--you could be one of them!--will be announced by Goodreads on August 30, 2012. So beginning June 4, 2012, here's what to do: if you have not yet read Apart From Love, or if you wish to win one more copy, perhaps as a gift for someone special, just click here and then click the Enter to Win button. Even before the giveaway start date, you can take a look inside the book, and read the rave reviews on a variety of reading sites: Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Goodreads. If you want to go even deeper, you can join my Q&A Group to engage in conversation with me and with readers of my work.
Three paperback edition copies of my book will be offered in the giveaway. The lucky winners--you could be one of them!--will be announced by Goodreads on August 30, 2012. So beginning June 4, 2012, here's what to do: if you have not yet read Apart From Love, or if you wish to win one more copy, perhaps as a gift for someone special, just click here and then click the Enter to Win button. Even before the giveaway start date, you can take a look inside the book, and read the rave reviews on a variety of reading sites: Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Goodreads. If you want to go even deeper, you can join my Q&A Group to engage in conversation with me and with readers of my work.
May 29, 2012
How Can we Solve the Availability Problem of Books on Amazon
About a week ago I sounded the alarm, pointing out of the signs of the Availability Problem of Books on Amazon. Some dismiss it as non-existent, some think it's a kink easily fixed, and others--me included--see it as a serious problem: a problem here to stay, one we authors must contend with.
Since then I found an interesting article. It describes the problem with a focus on the relationship between Amazon and Lightning Source, the leading provider of POD books, and offers an interesting solution. You can easily replace 'Lightning Source' with your own provider, and you can see that the outline of the problem remains the same--except of course CreateSpace, Amazon's own provider.
The solution proposed in this article is interesting, but requires some work on you part. The basic idea is to take advantage of the way Amazon supports books published by its own CreateSpace, while 'guiding' it, by means of price competition, to match the price of your book to its offering by your POD provider, so the profitability remains the same.
Check it out: In Pursuit of Plan B by Aaron Shepard.
Since then I found an interesting article. It describes the problem with a focus on the relationship between Amazon and Lightning Source, the leading provider of POD books, and offers an interesting solution. You can easily replace 'Lightning Source' with your own provider, and you can see that the outline of the problem remains the same--except of course CreateSpace, Amazon's own provider.
The solution proposed in this article is interesting, but requires some work on you part. The basic idea is to take advantage of the way Amazon supports books published by its own CreateSpace, while 'guiding' it, by means of price competition, to match the price of your book to its offering by your POD provider, so the profitability remains the same.
Check it out: In Pursuit of Plan B by Aaron Shepard.
