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The House of Certain Death
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The House of Certain Death is set in a crumbling mansion in Cairos old city, where an ensemble cast of melon sellers, stove repairmen, street cleaners, monkey trainers, and their wives all bicker and philosophize while waiting for the roof to fall on their heads; and there is indeed a suggestion of class conflict between the tenants and their landlorda recurring villain in
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The House of Certain Death by Albert Cossery; New Dirrections 1949; Translated by Stuart B. Kaiser.
My review may, perhaps, be a little biased, since I adore Cossery's writing. I have yet to meet an author whose descriptive language is as poetic, his prose so direct yet flowery. Comparing this book to his other works, however, I must admit that Mr. Kaiser's translation was perhaps not the best for Cossery's style, especially compared to Thomas W. Cushing's translation of Proud Beggars. I'm basing ...more
My review may, perhaps, be a little biased, since I adore Cossery's writing. I have yet to meet an author whose descriptive language is as poetic, his prose so direct yet flowery. Comparing this book to his other works, however, I must admit that Mr. Kaiser's translation was perhaps not the best for Cossery's style, especially compared to Thomas W. Cushing's translation of Proud Beggars. I'm basing ...more
Oct 17, 2009
Mounir
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
arabic-translation,
literature-francais
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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Spitse parabel over de morele strijd tussen de straatarme bewoners en de perfide huisbaas van een gammele, op instorten staande huurkazerne in een buitenwijk van Caïro. Cossery's romandebuut is een ode aan de luiheid, een pleidooi voor onverzettelijkheid, een aanklacht tegen de ongelijkheid in de wereld. Cossery - bij leven een goede vriend van Camus - toont zijn scherp oog voor het absurde, voor de allerkleinste maar betekenisvolle details in zijn nauwgezette, geciseleerde, beschrijvende
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Druhá Cosseryho kniha znovu přivádí do zchudlého pouštního města, ve kterém žijí stále stejné postavy, jako v příbězích předcházejících Bohem zapomenutých lidí, tak v pozdějších Hrdých žebrácích. Vlastně s třetí knihou, kterou od Cosseryho čtu, si uvědomuji, že se jedná o jedno universum, které zaplňuje každou novou dějovou linkou v jakékoli své knize.
Tentokrát mnohem více než o jedince jde o komunitu obyvatel domu, který se má co chvíli zbortit. Jeho nájemníci jsou líčení více méně jen na ...more
Tentokrát mnohem více než o jedince jde o komunitu obyvatel domu, který se má co chvíli zbortit. Jeho nájemníci jsou líčení více méně jen na ...more
مشكلة الترجمة
Primeiro romance de Albert Cossery, "A Casa da Morte Certa" aborda questões sociais que são recorrentes na obra do autor. História construída em mosaico, à volta das personagens que habitam um prédio decadente, é um consistente retrato da miséria que tem, por vezes, um inesperado sentido de humor que toca o leitor. A condição social e a distância deste mundo parecem irrelevantes, quando o condão de Cossery nos consegue aproximar, com tanta inteligência, do íntimo das suas personagens. Um belo
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رواية عبقرية
مكتوبة بالفرنسية و لكنها تصف حال افقر مكان في مصر و حال فقراء المصريين و استغلال المالكين لهم
يذكر ان البير قصيري يكتب نوعا من الادب يسمي أدب الكسل حيث يسيطر الكسل علي معظم أبطال رواياته
و لكن في هذه الرواية انه يضيف روح التمرد و الثورة الدفينة داخل هولاء الاشخاص
"- انني اعرف رجل دفن حيا , و كان يعرف الكثير
- و ماذا كان يعرف
- كان يعرف كيف يسكت جيداً " ...more
مكتوبة بالفرنسية و لكنها تصف حال افقر مكان في مصر و حال فقراء المصريين و استغلال المالكين لهم
يذكر ان البير قصيري يكتب نوعا من الادب يسمي أدب الكسل حيث يسيطر الكسل علي معظم أبطال رواياته
و لكن في هذه الرواية انه يضيف روح التمرد و الثورة الدفينة داخل هولاء الاشخاص
"- انني اعرف رجل دفن حيا , و كان يعرف الكثير
- و ماذا كان يعرف
- كان يعرف كيف يسكت جيداً " ...more
قرأتها من حوال 5 سنين وبقرأها تاني "رواية عبقرية" شخصياته حقيقية فعلا وحسيت فيها إسقاطات خصوصا "عبد العال وسي خليل"
ألبير مبدع خسارة ان أعماله مش منتشرة
ألبير مبدع خسارة ان أعماله مش منتشرة
Lê-se que nem dentada em melancia fresca depois de mergulhar em pelota no mar (gélido, atlântico) e rebolar na areia quente enquanto Clifford Brown destapa o seu trompete debaixo de uma sombrinha enorme e colorida; antes, talvez tenhamos bebido três caipirinhas, beijado uma criatura humana e gritado aos céus um humilde agradecimento pelo milagre da vida. Claro que esta visão um tanto mimada e burguesa nada tem a ver com Cossery ou com o seu Egipto; mas às vezes as palavras fogem-nos dos dedos
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"Para eles, o mundo não tinha mudado. Permaneciam confundidos nas mesmas trevas. Apesar da proximidade da morte, continuavam a ignorar as ricas extensões da vida e nenhuma revolta troava nas suas almas.
(...)
Mas, no fundo dele, alguma coisa tende a monopolizar, a dissuadir a vontade egoísta do outro. Apesar de tudo, quer tê-lo junto de todos os outros, para que a revolta seja o desejo de todos, a vontade inquebrantável de todos. A necessidade de vencer em comum impõe aos seus músculos um vigor ...more
(...)
Mas, no fundo dele, alguma coisa tende a monopolizar, a dissuadir a vontade egoísta do outro. Apesar de tudo, quer tê-lo junto de todos os outros, para que a revolta seja o desejo de todos, a vontade inquebrantável de todos. A necessidade de vencer em comum impõe aos seus músculos um vigor ...more
مقدرتش أكملها لسوء الترجمة رغم أن الرواية تبدو جميلة جدا.
Aug 24, 2010
Frank
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
french,
20th-century
Ook goed, maar minder luchtig spottend dan 'The Jokers', dat helaas nog niet in het Nederlands is vertaald. Meer woede, onverholen woede over de vuiligheid en de armoe van het leven. Of van de mens... whatever.
De kinderen brengen het grootste deel van hun tijd buiten door. In de steeg en omgeving organiseren ze spelletjes, diefstalletjes en knokpartijen. Hun dag is goedgevuld. Wanneer de avond valt gaan ze bekaf naar huis, waar ze de heftige verwensingen van hun moeder over zich heen krijgen....more
The best thing about it was the title. Another chapter from the same Cossery book--and then it winds up being a darksome allegory about class struggle. It did have more humor than usual for him though--almost slapstick in places (although the endless rounds of kvetching by peasants didn't really go anywhere). Replete with the usual awful lines: "...the wretched life of a child martyrized by the criminal will of man." And a good one: "Across the rooftops one could see the sky, stretched out like
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Há um ano que aguardava este primeiro encontro com Albert Cossery, na expectativa de que fosse mais um dos autores da interessante vaga existencialista. É, no entanto, mais do que isso: faz-nos ver a inevitabilidade e a falta de importância dada às coisas relevantes, mas também nos leva a pensar, a revoltar, a agir. A saltar das páginas do livro para olhar à nossa volta e tentar compreender um pouco melhor o mundo que nos rodeia.
http://leiturasmarginais.blogspot.pt/...
http://leiturasmarginais.blogspot.pt/...
spare, Beckettian novella about a dilapidated house that is going to collapse at any minute - very amusing, but turns into a political manifesto at the end (reminded me of Sinclair's The Jungle)
الرواية جميلة تربط الواقع المعيشي بالسياسي وربما هي عمل أدبي توقع بثورة الشعب ولكن الترجمة ركيكة لم تستطع أن تنقل الحوار والوصف الأدبي إلى روح اللغة العربية.. ولا حتى إلى روح اللغة الفرنسية
الترجمة مش كويسة قوي بس كـ رواية الرواية قوية جدًا و رغم أنها قديمة إلا أنها فيها اسقااط كبير على حال الشعب المصري بجد ^^
...more
الترجمة تائهة بين العامية المصرية و ارتباطها بأبطال الرواية و بين الفرنسية اللغة المترجم عنها
أول مرة أقرا لألبير قصيري قصة حياته غريبة مصري عاش طول عمره في فرنسا فبيكتب عن مصر بس بالفرنساوي. الرواية ظريفة وكان فيها حتت مضحكة وسوداوية في نفس الوقت .. الترجمة بس سيئة جدا.
...more
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Albert Cossery (November 3, 1913 June 22, 2008) was an Egyptian-born French writer of Greek Orthodox Syrian and Lebanese descent, born in Cairo.
Son of small property owners in Cairo, at the age of 17, inspired by reading Honoré de Balzac, Albert Cossery ( Arabic: البرت قصيري) emigrated to Paris. He came there to continue his studies which he never did devote himself to, writing and settled ...more
Son of small property owners in Cairo, at the age of 17, inspired by reading Honoré de Balzac, Albert Cossery ( Arabic: البرت قصيري) emigrated to Paris. He came there to continue his studies which he never did devote himself to, writing and settled ...more
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