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Red Eclipse
160 pages, Hardcover
First published August 27, 1989
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September 25, 2023
"By the winner of the 1985 Somerset Maugham Award for "By the Fisheries" and author of "Blue Rock", this novel explores inner states and incorporates the imaginary notebooks of Baudelaire's black mistress, Jeanne Duval." (Taken from an Amazon listing so probably taken from the flyleaf of the hardback edition).
I hated this book, which didn't surprise me because I have struggled through a number of very tiresome books by this author. I only keep picking up Reed's books because he won a number of literary awards and I am trying to discover why - one of the answers may be found in the derails of his 1985 Somerset Maugham award - which is always plastered all over Reed's prose works - was in fact awarded for his poetry. That element of mis-direction that isn't quite a lie but certainly deceives is typical of much of Reed's output and particularly apparent in his claims to have translated the following works: Ibrahim Nasrallah, Praries of Fever ; Ghassan Kanafani, All That’s Left to You; Hamza Bogary, The Sheltered Quarter; and Nizar Qabbani, On Entering the Sea. In fact only all these works there is a lead translator who has translated the work from Arabic, the language in which they are written Reed is down as a secondary translator but that would appear to be as a translator of these works from French. So what he says is not a lie but it is not the truth, it is a misrepresentation, if only by omission.
Authors who perpetuate and use misunderstanding to create a false impression are little better than snake oil salesmen.
THis book is awful and I warn you in advance that you will regret the time wasted on it.
I hated this book, which didn't surprise me because I have struggled through a number of very tiresome books by this author. I only keep picking up Reed's books because he won a number of literary awards and I am trying to discover why - one of the answers may be found in the derails of his 1985 Somerset Maugham award - which is always plastered all over Reed's prose works - was in fact awarded for his poetry. That element of mis-direction that isn't quite a lie but certainly deceives is typical of much of Reed's output and particularly apparent in his claims to have translated the following works: Ibrahim Nasrallah, Praries of Fever ; Ghassan Kanafani, All That’s Left to You; Hamza Bogary, The Sheltered Quarter; and Nizar Qabbani, On Entering the Sea. In fact only all these works there is a lead translator who has translated the work from Arabic, the language in which they are written Reed is down as a secondary translator but that would appear to be as a translator of these works from French. So what he says is not a lie but it is not the truth, it is a misrepresentation, if only by omission.
Authors who perpetuate and use misunderstanding to create a false impression are little better than snake oil salesmen.
THis book is awful and I warn you in advance that you will regret the time wasted on it.
Displaying 1 of 1 review