Mark Saha's Blog - Posts Tagged "books"
Books that mattered to me …
If I had to pick one novel that most impressed me it has to be War and Peace, though it takes some work to appreciate it. What I admired most was the breadth of human experience about which he wrote so intimately and well. Tolstoy served in the Crimean War and used that experience to write like Hemingway, bringing a sense of absolute realty to the combat portions. (Hemingway in boasting of writers he had beat, grudgingly admitted “I didn’t beat the Russians.”) Those who read accounts of Napoleon’s invasion of Russia will know the snapshots in Tolstoy’s story are not random but taken from specific actual events in the chronology. But he wrote with equal ability of family; a personal favorite moment is young Natasha attending the opera in Moscow at sixteen. She is so dazzled that she shakes with excitement and flushes with embarrassment but, Tolstoy writes, is unaware it is those very qualities that wins the hearts of Muscovites and make her the talk of the evening. We see her grow from a mischievous and intelligent child into an adult mother with thoroughly conventional views, which is a little sad. But it is this distance between war and peace and his ability to write of each with insight that impressed me.
I liked Scott Fitzgerald’s prose but notice (or imagine I do) how his experience in Hollywood affected it. His early works (e.g., “The Offshore Pirate”) seem to me a poet boldly writing in prose. The movies made him into more of an empiricist, telling the story in more conventional terms of what we see and what people say. “Tender is the Night” frustrates me because it might have been his best work, but is clearly marred by his drinking and struggle with Zelda’s breakdown. There is a Hollywood screenwriter who claims he actually wrote small portions of it, when Scott called him over in the middle of the night to try to make sense of passages which had become hopelessly confused. Scott’s “Basil and Josephine” stories won my heart shamelessly, and “The Pat Hobby Stories” are quite insightful about Hollywood under the studio system.
Somerset Maugham’s “Of Human Bondage” deeply affected me in undergraduate days as a study of how little we control when, how, and with whom we fall in love. I was disappointed by his attempt to depict young Philip as intellectual by having him study philosophy. It seemed obvious to me Maugham had merely consulted a few standard philosophy texts to extract “famous quotes” by “great philosophers”; there is nothing critical or original in Philip’s grappling with the subject to suggest his understanding is more than rote and superficial. Looking back, it was probably unfair of me to find this so annoying in a book that otherwise taught me much about life.
Charles Mackay’s “Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds” (1841) hugely influenced me in college, and persuaded me there is nothing so fantastic that someone somewhere will not believe it. In addition to the spectacular lunacies such as witchcraft and the Crusades, he explores mundane silliness like “the politics of hair and beard” and slang expressions that come and go in the cities -- in his day, “quoz” and “there he goes with his eye out.” This book is public domain so finding an unabridged copy can be a challenge. Many editions are edited to include only financial hysterias as a cautionary tale for investors, but do not warn the buyer of substantial omissions.
William Lecky’s “Rise of Rationalism in Europe” (1865) is a more scholarly companion to Mackay. Lecky concludes that once a hysteria takes off on a rip (e.g., the witch mania), it is immune to reason, but eventually burns out when people simply lose interest. He points out that abundant evidence for existence of witches has never been disproven -- authority of scripture, eye-witness accounts, signed confessions, transcripts of court testimony, etc. Today, Lecky writes, people simply no longer think such evidence worth considering.
Russell’s “History of Western Philosophy” influenced me because he does not simply treat the views of various philosophers in the abstract, but places each in his own time to expose ulterior motives that influenced his thinking. This originated as a series of lectures for art students at the Barnes Institute, and reads more like lectures in its presentation than material laid out for a book.
I liked Scott Fitzgerald’s prose but notice (or imagine I do) how his experience in Hollywood affected it. His early works (e.g., “The Offshore Pirate”) seem to me a poet boldly writing in prose. The movies made him into more of an empiricist, telling the story in more conventional terms of what we see and what people say. “Tender is the Night” frustrates me because it might have been his best work, but is clearly marred by his drinking and struggle with Zelda’s breakdown. There is a Hollywood screenwriter who claims he actually wrote small portions of it, when Scott called him over in the middle of the night to try to make sense of passages which had become hopelessly confused. Scott’s “Basil and Josephine” stories won my heart shamelessly, and “The Pat Hobby Stories” are quite insightful about Hollywood under the studio system.
Somerset Maugham’s “Of Human Bondage” deeply affected me in undergraduate days as a study of how little we control when, how, and with whom we fall in love. I was disappointed by his attempt to depict young Philip as intellectual by having him study philosophy. It seemed obvious to me Maugham had merely consulted a few standard philosophy texts to extract “famous quotes” by “great philosophers”; there is nothing critical or original in Philip’s grappling with the subject to suggest his understanding is more than rote and superficial. Looking back, it was probably unfair of me to find this so annoying in a book that otherwise taught me much about life.
Charles Mackay’s “Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds” (1841) hugely influenced me in college, and persuaded me there is nothing so fantastic that someone somewhere will not believe it. In addition to the spectacular lunacies such as witchcraft and the Crusades, he explores mundane silliness like “the politics of hair and beard” and slang expressions that come and go in the cities -- in his day, “quoz” and “there he goes with his eye out.” This book is public domain so finding an unabridged copy can be a challenge. Many editions are edited to include only financial hysterias as a cautionary tale for investors, but do not warn the buyer of substantial omissions.
William Lecky’s “Rise of Rationalism in Europe” (1865) is a more scholarly companion to Mackay. Lecky concludes that once a hysteria takes off on a rip (e.g., the witch mania), it is immune to reason, but eventually burns out when people simply lose interest. He points out that abundant evidence for existence of witches has never been disproven -- authority of scripture, eye-witness accounts, signed confessions, transcripts of court testimony, etc. Today, Lecky writes, people simply no longer think such evidence worth considering.
Russell’s “History of Western Philosophy” influenced me because he does not simply treat the views of various philosophers in the abstract, but places each in his own time to expose ulterior motives that influenced his thinking. This originated as a series of lectures for art students at the Barnes Institute, and reads more like lectures in its presentation than material laid out for a book.
The Homeless at Santa Monica Library
It was inevitable, I suppose.
It’s pretty obvious to anyone who doesn’t live under a rock that the Los Angeles area is in the midst of a growing and catastrophic homeless crisis. Because I go daily to the Santa Monica Main Library, where I write in a study room, I’ve witnessed an evolving change as a compassionate policy reaches limits.
The library opens at 10 a.m., but if you arrive a little before, you can’t get within fifteen yards of the door. The homeless, many with possessions in several plastic trash bags, lay on the sidewalk waiting to get inside. When the door opens, there is a rush as these homeless occupy pretty much all the available study desks and tables, stack their trash bags on tables and floor, plug in cell phones to recharge, and go to sleep. They are a mixed lot. Many are elderly lost looking women. Several are sinister looking men who wear sunglasses and heavy sweaters with hoods drawn in 80 degree humid weather, and lurk among the shelves. Often there is standing room only in the restrooms.
The Bookmark Café in the courtyard used to open at 8 am. One could buy breakfast there, and eat at an umbrella table alongside the reflection pool. But the homeless with their trash bags occupied all the tables, so patrons had no place to sit, and the café did no business. The Bookmark Café now opens at 10 am like the library.
Santa Monica is among the most compassionate of California cities for the homeless. I have noticed by comparison, in my daily walks, that the Los Angeles Public Library in Venice will not allow me to use their restroom. You have to have an LA library card, and present it at the desk, to get a restroom key.
But over the past several months Santa Monica’s policy has begun to crumble under the sheer staggering proportions of this human tragedy:
The periodicals wing, with its many study desks and tables, is now closed to the public “due to recent incidents of vandalism.” The Santa Monica Collection room and its study desks is also closed to the public for that reason.
Then came yesterday:
When I entered the front door, access to the library was blocked by a table. A little slip of a Japanese woman stood there, with two huge uniformed guards standing behind her for protection. She handed me a flier, and said I had to agree to the rules therein to be admitted.
Here is a sample from the new list of prohibited behaviors in Santa Monica Library:
> Engaging in or threatening physical assault or abuse
> Threatening or harassing other patrons or staff, including but not limited to verbal threats, stalking, offensive staring or touching.
> Displaying a weapon of any type, including firearms, knife, sword, or similar item.
> Brandishing any object (e.g. baseball bat or golf club) in a threatening manner
> Lewd conduct as defined by Penal Code 647a
> Blocking aisles or access to library facilities, furnishings, or equipment
> Sleeping in the library or on library grounds
> Using restrooms for bathing, shaving or washing of hair or clothing
> Placing feet on tables, chairs, or against walls.
> Sitting or lying on the floor
> Using the library while shirtless, barefoot or without shoes.
> Using the library while ones bodily hygiene is so noxious that it prevents others from library use.
> Misusing library property (e.g. using books as a footstool or pillow)
> Bringing any bicycle, shopping cart, or other wheeled devices to carry personal property into the library
> Bringing sleeping bags, tarps, bed rolls, mats, or blankets into the library.
> Using the library while under the influence of alcohol or drugs or other controlled substances.
Clearly, it seems to me, the tragedy of the homeless must not be even on the radar of the government, if things have reached the point that these unfortunates must seek refuge in libraries and public parks intended for other purposes. There are no winners here.
It’s pretty obvious to anyone who doesn’t live under a rock that the Los Angeles area is in the midst of a growing and catastrophic homeless crisis. Because I go daily to the Santa Monica Main Library, where I write in a study room, I’ve witnessed an evolving change as a compassionate policy reaches limits.
The library opens at 10 a.m., but if you arrive a little before, you can’t get within fifteen yards of the door. The homeless, many with possessions in several plastic trash bags, lay on the sidewalk waiting to get inside. When the door opens, there is a rush as these homeless occupy pretty much all the available study desks and tables, stack their trash bags on tables and floor, plug in cell phones to recharge, and go to sleep. They are a mixed lot. Many are elderly lost looking women. Several are sinister looking men who wear sunglasses and heavy sweaters with hoods drawn in 80 degree humid weather, and lurk among the shelves. Often there is standing room only in the restrooms.
The Bookmark Café in the courtyard used to open at 8 am. One could buy breakfast there, and eat at an umbrella table alongside the reflection pool. But the homeless with their trash bags occupied all the tables, so patrons had no place to sit, and the café did no business. The Bookmark Café now opens at 10 am like the library.
Santa Monica is among the most compassionate of California cities for the homeless. I have noticed by comparison, in my daily walks, that the Los Angeles Public Library in Venice will not allow me to use their restroom. You have to have an LA library card, and present it at the desk, to get a restroom key.
But over the past several months Santa Monica’s policy has begun to crumble under the sheer staggering proportions of this human tragedy:
The periodicals wing, with its many study desks and tables, is now closed to the public “due to recent incidents of vandalism.” The Santa Monica Collection room and its study desks is also closed to the public for that reason.
Then came yesterday:
When I entered the front door, access to the library was blocked by a table. A little slip of a Japanese woman stood there, with two huge uniformed guards standing behind her for protection. She handed me a flier, and said I had to agree to the rules therein to be admitted.
Here is a sample from the new list of prohibited behaviors in Santa Monica Library:
> Engaging in or threatening physical assault or abuse
> Threatening or harassing other patrons or staff, including but not limited to verbal threats, stalking, offensive staring or touching.
> Displaying a weapon of any type, including firearms, knife, sword, or similar item.
> Brandishing any object (e.g. baseball bat or golf club) in a threatening manner
> Lewd conduct as defined by Penal Code 647a
> Blocking aisles or access to library facilities, furnishings, or equipment
> Sleeping in the library or on library grounds
> Using restrooms for bathing, shaving or washing of hair or clothing
> Placing feet on tables, chairs, or against walls.
> Sitting or lying on the floor
> Using the library while shirtless, barefoot or without shoes.
> Using the library while ones bodily hygiene is so noxious that it prevents others from library use.
> Misusing library property (e.g. using books as a footstool or pillow)
> Bringing any bicycle, shopping cart, or other wheeled devices to carry personal property into the library
> Bringing sleeping bags, tarps, bed rolls, mats, or blankets into the library.
> Using the library while under the influence of alcohol or drugs or other controlled substances.
Clearly, it seems to me, the tragedy of the homeless must not be even on the radar of the government, if things have reached the point that these unfortunates must seek refuge in libraries and public parks intended for other purposes. There are no winners here.
Santa Monica Daily Press reviews Lost Horses
A neighbor passed along a copy of my Lost Horses to columnist Jack Neworth of the Santa Monica Daily Press.
https://www.smdp.com/laughing-matters...
https://www.smdp.com/laughing-matters...
Lost Horses Giveaway
For anyone interested, I’m offering 10 signed copies of Lost Horses on a Goodreads Giveaway that runs Nov 10 – Dec 10 2019.
You can enter here --
https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh...
You can enter here --
https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh...
Wide River Revisited
Here is a recent but not uncommon example of the mischief depicted in my Lost Horses story “Wide River”:
https://www.foxnews.com/us/alabama-ve...
https://www.foxnews.com/us/alabama-ve...
EQUUS FILM & ARTS FEST AWARDS
WINNERS OF THE 2021 9th ANNUAL EQUUS FILM & ARTS FEST AWARDS
The WINNIE Awards
The Literary
Equine Fiction Western: Mark Saha – Lady Joe
Equine Fiction Western Runner-Up: Amy Campbell - Breaker: Tales of the Outlaw Mages
Short Stories: Mark Saha - Lost Horses
http://nebula.wsimg.com/c6854b91a3ec2...
The WINNIE Awards
The Literary
Equine Fiction Western: Mark Saha – Lady Joe
Equine Fiction Western Runner-Up: Amy Campbell - Breaker: Tales of the Outlaw Mages
Short Stories: Mark Saha - Lost Horses
http://nebula.wsimg.com/c6854b91a3ec2...
FREE DOWNLOAD PROMOTION
Lost Horses – Seven American Stories
FREE KINDLE DOWNLOADS PROMOTION:
WEDNESDAY, January 26, 2022, 12:00 AM PST THROUGH SUNDAY, January 30, 2022, 11:59 PM PST
https://rb.gy/wqrfjk
Amazon/Goodreads and other reviews deeply appreciated.
Winner of the 2021 EQUUS Film & Arts Fest Literary Award for Short Stories.
The Blind Horse > Johnny Wexler’s old gray gelding may be blind and useless but is aggravatingly intent on living out its time on this earth like anybody else.
The Getaway of Eddie Lee Jessup > Seventeen-year-old Nathan Osterhaus joins Sheriff Holloway's posse on the trail of a murderer and learns about love from the daughter of a river ferry operator.
Why Men Cheat in August > A middle-aged married man terrified of teenaged girls since adolescence is drafted to investigate the morals of a young cutting horse rider.
Whiskey Creek > Gus Harlan lost everything to the bottle except his beloved horse Misty and is now sued by activists who deem him unfit to possess an animal companion.
Wide River > When the country goes into recession people start selling off horses, and a young college student hired to front for a kill buyer meets a girl who thinks he works for an animal rescue ranch.
Grandpa Goes To Mexico > A quixotic old man under the care of grandchildren escapes for Mexico on horseback to find the young Hispanic girl who was smitten with him in his youth.
Lost Horses > A country crossroads store owner refuses to remove a horse trough, considered a public nuisance and safety hazard, because he believes the horse is going to make a comeback.
FREE KINDLE DOWNLOADS PROMOTION:
WEDNESDAY, January 26, 2022, 12:00 AM PST THROUGH SUNDAY, January 30, 2022, 11:59 PM PST
https://rb.gy/wqrfjk
Amazon/Goodreads and other reviews deeply appreciated.
Winner of the 2021 EQUUS Film & Arts Fest Literary Award for Short Stories.
The Blind Horse > Johnny Wexler’s old gray gelding may be blind and useless but is aggravatingly intent on living out its time on this earth like anybody else.
The Getaway of Eddie Lee Jessup > Seventeen-year-old Nathan Osterhaus joins Sheriff Holloway's posse on the trail of a murderer and learns about love from the daughter of a river ferry operator.
Why Men Cheat in August > A middle-aged married man terrified of teenaged girls since adolescence is drafted to investigate the morals of a young cutting horse rider.
Whiskey Creek > Gus Harlan lost everything to the bottle except his beloved horse Misty and is now sued by activists who deem him unfit to possess an animal companion.
Wide River > When the country goes into recession people start selling off horses, and a young college student hired to front for a kill buyer meets a girl who thinks he works for an animal rescue ranch.
Grandpa Goes To Mexico > A quixotic old man under the care of grandchildren escapes for Mexico on horseback to find the young Hispanic girl who was smitten with him in his youth.
Lost Horses > A country crossroads store owner refuses to remove a horse trough, considered a public nuisance and safety hazard, because he believes the horse is going to make a comeback.
WIDE RIVER
“Wide River” from my short story collection Lost Horses is reprinted on the U.K. site Fiction on the Web this morning. Readers comments are welcomed and appreciated...
https://www.fictionontheweb.co.uk/
https://www.fictionontheweb.co.uk/
