In the Country of Last Things

by Paul Auster

'That is how it works in the City. Every time you think you know the answer to a question, you discover that the question makes no sense . . .'

This is the story of Anna Blume and her journey to find her lost brother, William, in the unnamed City. Like the City itself, however, it is a journey that is doomed, and so all that is left is Anna's unwritten account of what happened.

Paul Auster takes us to an unspecified and devastated world in which the self disappears amidst the horrors that surround us. But this is not just an imaginary, futuristic world: like the settings of Kafka stories, it is one that echoes our own, and in doing so addresses some of our darker legacies.

In the Country of Last Things is a tense, psychological take on the dystopian novel. It continues Auster's deep exploration of his central themes: the modern city, the mysteries of storytelling, and the elusive and unstable nature of truth.

Genres: Fiction, Dystopia, Science Fiction, Novels, American, Post Apocalyptic, Literature

188 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Paul Auster is the bestselling author of Report from the Interior, Winter Journal, Sunset Park, Invisible, The Book of Illusions, and The New York Trilogy, among many other works. He has been awarded the Prince of Asturias Prize for Literature, the Prix Médicis Étranger, the Independent Spirit Award, and the Premio Napoli. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Reviews

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have friends who, when entering my library for the first time, see my collection of Auster novels and say, "Oh my God! You read Auster!" I have other friends who, when entering my library for the first time, see my collection of Auster novels and say, "Oh my God! You read Auster!?" One way spoken in surprise and delight, the other in surprise and derision. Yes, Auster polarizes.

And I get why people don't like him. Many of his novels have a self-referential shtick that I can see as being off-putting to some readers. I once had dinner with a friend in L.A., a card carrying Austerhater, and I was trying to convince him of the merits of Leviathan. I kept coming at him in different ways, trying to sell my way around his objections, but no sale. At one point he actually said, "If you don't stop talking about that shit book I won't tell you about an amazing book I've just finished that I was going to recommend to you." This friend, despite his Auster issues, has really good recommendations (this is years before GR, mind you, his influence is waning thanks to my new chums) - I took the bait, dropped the Auster pitch and received the recommendation for The Fortress of Solitude. I was never going to convince this friend of Auster's merits, so I consider it a good trade.

But after having completed this beautiful and haunting novel, I will go to the mat for Auster on this one. A fully imagined vision of hell, ItCoLT is a meticulously and beautifully written book of a dystopian country that is only a few shades of horrible away from life on any of Earth's locales. Auster's use of the first person narrator (penning her thoughts to a family she may never see again) leading the reader through a tale of horror in a nameless country works. We are invested in Anna Blume from the opening pages. Good and evil, right and wrong - they are worthless considerations in a land where humanity is an anachronism. Huxley opined, "Maybe this planet is another planet's hell." Auster takes that premise to the next place, our hell, and creates a setting that is so clear, so horrible, one can't help but feel like one's been there after reading Anna Blume's missive.

I'm going to buy another copy of this book and give it to my Auster hating friend for his birthday. If he doesn't like it, I will revoke his literary friend status.

[Ahmad Sharabiani · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the Country of Last Things, Paul Auster

The novel takes the form of a letter from a young woman named Anna Blume.

Anna has ventured into an unnamed city that has collapsed into chaos and disorder.

In this environment, no industry takes place and most of the population collects garbage or scavenges for objects to resell.

Anna has entered the city to search for her brother William, a journalist, and it is suggested that the Blumes come from a world to the East which has not collapsed. ...


تاریخ نخستین خوانش روز نهم ماه جولای سال 2004میلادی

عنوان: ک‍ش‍ور آخ‍ری‍ن‌ه‍ا؛ نویسنده: پ‍ل‌ اس‍ت‍ر؛ مت‍رج‍م خ‍ج‍س‍ت‍ه‌ ک‍ی‍ه‍ان‌؛ تهران، افق، 1381؛ در 173ص؛ شابک 9643690156؛ چاپ دوم 1382؛ چاپ سوم 1384؛ چاپ چهارم 1386؛ چاپ پنجم 1388؛ چاپ ششم 1390؛ چاپ هفتم 1393؛ ویرایش دیگر 1395؛ در 229ص؛ شابک 9786003531222؛ چاپ دیگر 1398؛ موضوع داستانهای نویسندگان ایالات متحده آمریکا - سده 20م

رمان «کشور آخرین‌ها» اثری از «پل استر» است؛ این رمان نخستین بار در سال 1986میلادی منتشر شد؛ زندگی دختر جوانی به نام «آنا بلوم» است که در جستجوی برادر گم شده ی خویش به شهری ناشناس سفر می‌کند شهری که منبع سوختش مدفوع و اجساد انسان‌هاست و پس از مدتی مأیوس از یافتن برادر، بی‌پول و بی خانمان در شهری مصیبت زده روزگار را سپری می‌کند؛ او برای فرار از بی خانمانی دعوت پیر زنی ناشناس را می‌پذیرد، ولی با شوهر شرور و متجاوز او روبرو می‌شود، و حلقه‌های مصیبت یکی پس از دیگری تکرار می‌شوند؛ خوانشگر با واقعیت‌ها و رویدادهائی روبرو می‌شود که پایانی ندارند، و خطی را ترسیم می‌کنند که به نقطه آغاز برمیگردد؛ شخصیت‌های این رمان آدمهائی هستند که همه چیز خود را از دست می‌دهند؛ در کشور آخرین‌ها فرایند ویرانی به همه چیز رنگ نیستی می‌زند و واکنش شخصیت‌ها در برابر شرایط طاقت فرسا کاملاً غیرعادی است

نقل از متن: (او نوشته بود بعضی‌ها آن قدر لاغر ‌می‌‌شوند، که گاهی وقت‌ها باد آنها را با خود ‌می‌‌برد؛ بادهای شهر وحشی و بی‌امانند؛ معمولا آدم‌های خیلی لاغر، دو سه نفری با هم حرکت ‌می‌‌کنند، و خود را با طناب و زنجیر به همدیگر ‌می‌‌بندند، تا بتوانند هنگام وزش باد ثابت بمانند؛ دیگران از بیرون رفتن صرف نظر ‌می‌‌کنند؛ در گوشه و کنار خانه چمباتمه ‌می‌‌زنند، و پایه‌ ی ‌میز، یا وسیله ی دیگری را ‌می‌‌چسبند؛ برای آنها حتی آسمان صاف هم، خالی از خطر نیست؛ فکر ‌می‌کنند بهتر است آرام در گوشه‌ ای بمانند، تا باد آنها را نبرد، و به سنگ‌ها نکوبد.؛

همچنین بعضی‌ها آنقدر به کم غذایی عادت ‌می‌کنند، که دست آخر اصلا نمی‌توانند چیزی بخورند؛ اما وضع آن‌هایی که با گرسنگی ‌می‌جنگند، از این هم بدتر است؛ فکر کردن زیاد به غذا، تنها مایه ی مزاحمت است؛ با وجود این، بعضی‌ها دچار وسواس اند، مدام غذا ‌می‌خواهند، و برای به دست آوردن کمترین مقدار غذا، بزرگترین ریسک‌ها را به جان ‌می‌خرند، اما هرچه بیابند برایشان کافی نیست؛ آن‌ها سیری ناپذیرند؛ مثل حیوانات غذا را با سرعت گاز ‌می‌زنند، و ‌می‌‌بلعند، با انگشت‌های استخوانیشان قطعه‌ ها را ‌می‌درند، و آرواره‌های لرزانشان، هرگز از حرکت باز نمی‌ماند؛ بیشتر غذا از چانه شان پایین ‌می‌ریزد، و آنچه را هم فرومی‌دهند، معمولا پس از چند دقیقه، استفراغ ‌می‌کنند؛ نوعی مرگ آرام است؛ گویی غذا آتش، یا یکجور دیوانگی‌ست، که آن‌ها را از درون ‌می‌سوزاند؛ فکر ‌می‌کنند برای زنده ماندن است، که غذا ‌می‌خورند، ولی دست آخر خودشان هستند، که خورده ‌می‌شوند)؛ پایان نقل

تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 18/04/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی

[Jenna ❤ ❀ ❤ · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The weather is in constant flux. A day of sun followed by a day of rain, a day of snow followed by a day of fog, warm then cool, wind then stillness, a stretch of bitter cold, and then today, in the middle of winter, an afternoon of fragrant light, warm to the point of merely sweaters."

In the Country of Last Things was published in 1987 and set sometime in the future. That future could be close at hand, going by those couple of sentences. They perfectly describe the winters we've been having in Northeastern USA (where I'm guessing this book takes place), so different from when I was a kid.  It never says in this book just why civilization collapsed but no doubt the erratic climate change did not help, even if it was not solely responsible.

The book is written in the form of a letter and the first 20 or so pages were irksome for me. This is because the letter's author is trying to get the recipient to imagine what it is like to be in this place and writes in the second person. I enjoyed the book much more when it switched to first person.

Anna, our narrator, has gone to look for her brother in some unnamed city where life is but a fragment of what it once was. People are starving, there is chaos and violence everywhere. People squat in burned out buildings. What government still exists is mainly just concerned with collecting corpses and human waste for fuel. They dole out a miniscule amount of food but aren't very concerned with keeping order or helping the citizens. In order to survive, Anna becomes a scavenger, searching for any old scrap of thing that she can take to be upcycled. An orange peel, a torn pair of underwear, a nub of pencil. Anything can be put to use in this place where there is no new production and everything is scarce.

Paul Auster describes the hopelessness and despair of this place, painting such a brilliant picture of the bleak cityscape, the fight for survival, the despondency and fear all around. He conveys so much in this short book (just under 200 pages), his writing brilliant.  A big thank you to my GR friend Hanneke for her enticing review without which I might never have learned of this book. I'm so glad I read it! Fans of post-apocalyptic fiction will most likely enjoy this one.

[Araz Goran · Rating 3 out of 5]

عندما تعبر الحياة في متاهة الموت، عندما يكون ذلك الموت هو الطريق الأوحد للنجاة والانعتاق من شرارة تلك الحياة الشرهة لألتهام أصغر دقائق الإنسانية والوجود، حين يضمحل القناع الذي يرتديه ذاك الوحش المسمى في عُرف الطبيعة إنساناً.. يكون حينها الموت والحياة جبهة واحدة يقاتل فيها ذلك الكائن البائس أبشع أنواع الجنون والإضمحلال في وادي العدم...




يحاول أوستر هنا أن يضع الحد الفاصل بين ما يسمى حضارة وبين مايمكن أن يحدث من إنهيار يجرف كل ماهو واقعاً مألوفاً في حياتنا المعاصر، يسرد أوستر التفاصيل الأولية لمعنى أن ترتدي هذه الحياة حلتها البشعة التي تمارس سلطتها بعيداً عن تلك الأزياء المبهجة التي تسمى قانوناً وإنسانية بنواحي عديدة من صور ومشاهد لا يتصور العقل يوماً أنها قد تحدث بسبب غياب أبسط مقومات الحضارة، بلد كامل
كما يصفه أوستر في حالة من الهيجان والعنف وكسر كل المفاهيم الأخلاقية للمجتمع، عالمٌ يحتوي لا يبدو مألوفاً يتصارع فيها الناس على لقمة صغيرة قد لا يُسد بها جوع، يتقاتلون من أجل قطعة ملابس رثة لا تجنبهم على أية حال برد الشتاء القاسي .. ذلك الشتاء نفسه عندما يشاهد الناس فيه إحتراق إحدى المباني يتدفقون إلى تلك الحرائق لا لإجل إنقاذ حياة المحاصرين هناك، بل من أجل الحصول على بعض التدفئة من جراء حرارة ووهج ذلك الاحتراق الذي يتراكم فيه صراخ الأرواح المحترقة والأجساد الملتهبة.. ينضم الناس إلى جماعات تمارس الركض لمسافات بعيدة لأجل الحصول على موت سريع نتيجة الأعياء الكامن في الركض الجنوني.. وليس غريباً أن ترى هناك إناساً يقفزون من سطوح الأبينة الشاهقة،يهبطون وهم في كامل أناقتهم !! ..




هذه الرواية مرعبة في تفاصيلها في عالمها في تشاؤمها أيضاً.. كل شئ ليس منهاراً بل على حافة الإنهيار وهذا ما يجعل الأمر أكثر سوءاً وبشاعة وعذاباً نفسياً لا ينتهي ومفارقة لكل أنواع المباهج.. حيث الحياة الوحيدة التي بما فيها من السقم والشقاء والعذاب ليست مضمونة.. هنا دائمة تكون على حافة شئ ما، قلقاً، راغبة في الإنتهاء من كل هذا العبث.. القراءة في هذه الرواية أشبه بالمرور في نفق ضبابي كئيب قابع غي اللامكان.. كأنها إحدى أبشع الكوابيس التي تراها في فترات مرضك..




تتساءل أخيراً... متى تصل الحياة إلى النقطة التي يقال فيها أنها لا تستحق أن تُعاش، أنا لا اتحدث هنا عن لحضات الغضب او الاكتئاب واليأس، بل الحياة حين تكون كالجحيم يتمادى فيها الالم الجسدي والنفسي معاً.. متى يمكن أن نقول أن الموت أفضل من الحياة ونحن في كامل لياقاتنا العقلية..




الرواية تبرز جوانب غير من متطرقة هذا النمط من القصص التشاؤمية المستقبلية، هي لا تبحث عن سرد قصصي بقدر ما ندخل في تفاصيل وأسرار الشخصيات وعالمهم الصغير الذي يلتحم دائماً مع العالم الكبير في نسيج يبدو واقعياً جداً بعض الأحيان وفي أوقات أخرى تبدو ملفقة ومجرد سرد وملئ الرواية بتفاصيل لا تتلائم مع سياق الرواية.. النصف الثاني لم يكن بمستوى القسم الأول منها حيث أكتفى أوستر أن يدقق في تفاصيل معينة ويسرد كعادته تلك التفاصيل التي أضعفت كثيراً من قيمة الرواية.. على كل حال تستحق القراءة لما فيها من تجربة روائية مم��زة ودخول في عوالم جديدة لم نحظى بالدخول فيها من قبل....

[Ian "Marvin" Graye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Post-Apocalyptic Apocrypha

I don’t normally seek out post-apocalyptic novels, but Paul Auster’s novel is one to treasure.

Even though it is an early work, I felt I was in the hands of a master.

It is both beautifully written and wise.

It’s easy to read, but it’s not so easily “readable” that I could read it without turning the telly off.

Although its style is sparse and economical, there’s a lot happening beneath the surface.

Still, Auster carefully manages exactly how much he wants us to know and what he wants to remain unclear or open for conjecture.

This transforms the reader into a literary detective, a sifter of clues and memories.

Anna’s Epistle to An Unnamed Friend

The story is told in the voice of 19 year old Anna Blume in the form of a long letter to a friend who isn’t identified (but might be a little sister or a childhhod friend).

The letter is a summary of her time in a post-apocalyptic city, written hurriedly in the last days before she expects to escape it illegally.

I’m not sure how appropriate or successful the epistolary format was.

There is only one long 190 page letter written in a blue notebook, not an exchange of correspondence.

We only get one point of view. It could just as readily have been a journal, apart from the fact that it’s addressed to one particular person.

A Letter Never Sent?

Was her letter ever sent?

It’s not clear whether the letter was ever delivered or read. It's quite possible that it wasn't.

This could be an inevitable consequence of the choice of epistolary format.

Normally, this format would dictate that the novel must work internally within the letter.

We can only assume that someone “found” or received it, even if it wasn’t the addressee for whom it was intended.

However, in the first few pages, there are some clues.

Phrases like ”she wrote” and “her letter continued” are interposed into the letter.

Perhaps, they are intended to suggest that somebody other than we readers might have found the letter and read it, if not necessarily the addressee.

However, ultimately, whether or not it was read by the right person, Auster implicitly makes the point that it was worth writing (if only because ultimately he wrote it!).

An Incomprehensible Apocalypse

As you would expect, Paul Auster doesn’t tell us a lot about the nature of the Apocalypse itself. It’s cloaked in mystery.

The novel is more concerned with its aftermath.

Anna Blume arrived in the city by foreign charity ship, 12 months after the Apocalypse occurred.

She comes from a different country to the east, possibly England.

There are opportunities to reveal where she comes from (presumably she has a foreign accent, but nobody comments on it; Victoria, one of the people she meets on the way, has sent her children to England to escape the Apocalypse, but they don't appear to discuss this common interest).

It seems strange that nothing is made of these opportunities to disclose her origins, although Anna might not have thought them important enough.

A Report Never Filed

Anna is looking for her older brother, William, a journalist who had previously come to report on the events for a newspaper, but has since gone missing.

It’s not clear how much reporting has got through to the rest of the world. Not much by the sound of it.

A Collapse of Epidemic Proportions

Only when Anna has been in the city for some time does she learn that:

"...some kind of epidemic had broken out there. The city government had come in, walled off the area, and burned everything down to the ground.

"Or so the story went. I have since learned not to take the things I am told too seriously.

"It’s not that people make a point of lying to you, it’s just that where the past is concerned, the truth tends to get obscured rather quickly.

“Legends crop up within a matter of hours, tall tales circulate, and the facts are soon buried under a mountain of outlandish theories."

It’s not clear whether the epidemic was the primary cause of the Apocalypse or whether it was an after-effect.

Auster refers to the Apocalypse occasionally as a “collapse”, which suggests that it might have been just as much a social phenomenon, as a natural or even man-made disaster, though there is some sense of past destruction and imminent war.

He also mentions “the Troubles”, which were violent political disputes, although it’s unclear whether they preceded or followed the Apocalypse.

Whatever the physical cause of the Apocalypse, it’s clear that not only have many buildings collapsed, but the social order of the city has collapsed into barely-controlled anarchy.

Like the surviving inhabitants, readers have to piece together the clues, and even then it isn’t clear how reliable they are.

The City of Destruction

Auster does not name the city in the novel, although many consider it to be New York.

It contains a National Library, but I doubt whether it is intended to be Washington, because it seems to be a port, and we learn that there is nothing on the same continent east of it.

None of the street names are recognisable, although “Circus Street” might just be Broadway.

Even though Anna comes from a place that has been unaffected, she lacks knowledge about the continent that the city is on.

Again, she has to rely on what she has been told:

"This country is enormous, you understand, and there’s no telling where he might have gone. Beyond the agricultural zone to the west, there are supposedly several hundred miles of desert. Beyond that, however, one hears talk of more cities, of mountain ranges, of mines and factories, of vast territories stretching all the way to a second ocean."

Whether or not this is America, why doesn’t she seem to have greater knowledge of the continent? Has the knowledge of the rest of the world been affected as well?

Wide is the Gate and Broad is the Road

Some clues as to the scope and design of the novel can be found in the epigram:

"Not a great while ago, passing through the gate of dreams, I visited that region of earth in which lies the famous City of Destruction."

Nathaniel Hawthorne

This quotation comes from Hawthorne’s short story, “The Celestial Railroad”, which is an allegory about the people of a city who try to build a shortcut between their own city and Heaven, between “The City of Destruction” and “The Celestial City”.

Hawthorne based his story on John Bunyan’s “The Pilgrim’s Progress”, the full title of which is “The Pilgrim's Progress from This World to That Which Is to Come”.

Both works are concerned with the proper way to get to Heaven, which is itself described in the Bible:

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."

Matthew 7:13-14

A Secular Pilgrim's Progress

The novel isn’t overtly Christian or religious (even though Anna describes herself as Jewish). However, there is an underlying morality at work.

Without any obvious clues, there’s a sense that the city was doing something "wrong", that it had started to step out too confidently and aggressively for its own good, that it deserved to decline and fall, and therefore that it had it coming to it.

Perhaps, it’s been punished for being immoral, greedy and inconsiderate, if not necessarily being irreligious.

In the wake of the Apocalypse, there’s a sense in which humanity has to reconstruct itself without the aid of institutional religion.

After her arrival, Anna is quickly reduced to the level of a local inhabitant.

She has to make her way back to virtue, happiness and fulfilment, and her letter describes a secular pilgrimage of sorts.

The Getting of Wisdom

Anna has to piece together every resource available to her, whether spiritual or worldly, to survive.

In the process, she gains some awareness, knowledge and wisdom, even if it could be taken away from her at any moment.

She starts by describing issues of subsistence, the hunger from which everyone suffers:

"You must get used to doing with as little as you can. By wanting less, you are content with less, and the less you need, the better off you are.

"That is what the city does to you. It turns your thoughts inside out. It makes you want to live, and at the same time it tries to take your life away from you."

Out of Order

Then she describes the social structures that have emerged to fill the void left by the Apocalypse: Runners, Leapers, Smilers, Crawlers, Dreamers, Fecalists, Resurrection Agents, Vultures, Tollists.

Where there is no longer any authority, there is now desperate tribalism, bare aggression and raw power.

Sickness prevails. Death is everywhere.

Even within the confines of the Library, many of the books have been stolen for fuel.

Those that remain have been scattered all over the floor.

They are "out of order" and therefore useless.

Like everybody else, Anna is left to her own devices. Or almost.

Populating the City

Having set the scene, Anna introduces the people she has allowed into her life in the city.

She makes friends and loses them, whether to death or fate or circumstance.

Still, the company of others gives her both love and hope, if only temporarily.

Every act of friendship is more valuable, given the circumstances in which it occurs.

At times, it seems that the novel is an allegory about the Holocaust, where even in the worst and most evil of conditions the beauty of humanity can still shine through.

Eventually, her band of accomplices resolves itself down to the comforting Sam Farr (who she had hoped would lead her to William), the charitable Victoria Woburn (who maintains a hospital in memory of her father) and the eccentric Boris Stepanovich.

A Persona of Indifference Becomes a Persona of Benevolence

Anna and Sam start a relationship, only to be parted, without knowing whether the other is alive.

Sam hibernates:

"I gave up trying to be anyone. The object of my life was to remove myself from my surroundings, to live in a place where nothing could hurt me anymore. One by one, I tried to abandon my attachments, to let go of all the things I ever cared about. The idea was to achieve indifference, an indifference so powerful and sublime that it would protect me from further assault. I said good-bye to you, Anna..."

Yet one day, he stumbles into Victoria’s hospital where Anna is now working.

Reunited at last, he takes on the role of doctor, and the patients start to trust him with their problems:

"It was like being a confessor, he said, and little by little he began to appreciate the good that comes when people are allowed to unburden themselves – the salutary effect of speaking words, of releasing words that tell the story of what happened to them."

So Sam transitions from non-attachment to engagement with life and, by doing so, he reinvigorates Anna as well.

An Escape Never Made?

At the end of the novel, Anna’s unlikely "bande a part" is poised to escape the city.

So Anna writes her letter in the days leading up to their departure.

We never know whether they succeeded or what happened to them subsequently.

A Collection of Last Things

While there might be a tragedy inherent in this story, it also says something about the role of story-telling and writing.

Life is ephemeral. It happens, and once it has happened, it moves into the past and ceases to be:

"These are the last things, she wrote. One by one they disappear and never come back...When you live in the city, you learn to take nothing for granted. Close your eyes for a moment, turn around to look at something else, and the thing that was before you is suddenly gone. Nothing lasts, you see, not even the thoughts inside you. And you mustn’t waste your time looking for them. Once a thing is gone, that is the end of it."

If thoughts can’t survive, then neither can memories.

Memories require a human to maintain and transmit them.

Absent people, the memories die, and the reality that once was is no more.

Just as people deny the Holocaust, once the memories cease, people start to forget or deny the underlying factuality.

A Recollection of Lasting Things

Still, Anna feels the compulsion to write, to preserve these memories, to create an amulet:

"I am not sure why I am writing to you now...But suddenly, after all this time, I feel there is something to say, and if I don’t quickly write it down, my head will burst. It doesn’t matter if you read it. It doesn’t even matter if I send it – assuming that could be done. Perhaps it comes down to this. I am writing to you because you know nothing. Because you are far away from me and know nothing."

Towards the end, Anna pictures her letter as “one last thing to remember me by”.

The notebook could end up as a thing sitting on a shelf above a bed, one last thing that might last.

Boris the Chameleon

Anna owes some of this change of approach to the flamboyant, charlatan-like Boris Stepanovich.

At first, she is captivated by, but sceptical about, his tale-telling and his constant metamorphosis:

"One by one, he took on the roles of clown and scoundrel and philosopher."

Unlike anyone else she has met, his character shifts:

"A man must live from moment to moment, and who cares what you were last month if you know who you are today?"

Yet Boris is a sentimentalist at heart, if a wily one.

Without words and memories, who would know what they are today anyway?

He says of a precious tea cup:

"The set has suffered the fate of the years…and yet, for all of that, a single remnant has survived, a final link to the past. Treat it gently, my friend. You are holding my memories in your hand."

Hats Off to Boris

Anna gets another clue from Boris' love of ornate hats:

”Boris explained that he liked to wear hats because they kept his thoughts from flying out of his head. If we both wore them while we drank our tea, then we were bound to have more intelligent and stimulating conversations.”

Equally, perhaps, society needs memories, to be truly civilized.

Civilisation is what separates us from mere subsistence, whether in a ghetto or a garret.

So, ultimately, Boris too revitalises Anna:

"We became dear friends, and I owe Boris a debt for his compassion, for the devious and persistent attack he launched on the strongholds of my sadness."

Likewise, Boris becomes the inspiration for the escape plan:

"Make plans. Consider the possibilities. Act."

Humanity must not just embrace contemplation, it must embrace action to survive.

Promise to Write

Anna promises to write to her friend when they get out of the city of destruction.

We never find out whether she got out safely, or survived, or posted her letter, or ever wrote again.

Hear Me Calling You

Still, we are lucky to have read her epistle of engagement and action and persistence and humanity.

She did not just call out into the blankness, or scream into a vast and terrible void.

She did not just create one of the last things that will disappear, she created something that will last.

She did not write in vain.

The "you" she was writing to has become the "we" who have read Paul Auster's novel.

It is we who have heard her call.

[Nahed.E · Rating 4 out of 5]

على المرء أن يتعود على الإكتفاء بأقل قدرٍ ممكن ، فكلما قل ما يُريده رضي بالقليل و قلت حاجته و أصبح في حالٍ أفضل
هذا ما تفعله المدينة بك ؛ إنها تقلب أفكارك رأساً على عقب ، تجعلك ترغب بالحياة ، و في الوقت نفسه تحاول أن تنزع منك الحياة ، ولا مفر من هذا
فإما أن تفعل أو لا تفعل . و إذا فعلت ، لن تستطيع أن تتأكد من قدرتك على القيام به في المرة التالية . و إذا لم تفعل ، فلن تفعل أبداً
..
فعلي الرغم مما تفترض ، فإن الحقائق لا يمكن عكسها ، ومجرد كونك قادراً علي الدخول ، لا يعني أن في استطاعتك الخروج ، فالمداخل لا تتحول إلي مخارج ، ولا شئ يضمن أن يبقي الباب الذي اجتزته قبل برهة في مكانه عندما تستدير لتبحث عنه من جديد ، هكذا هو الحال في هذه المدينة ، كلما اعتقدت أنك تعرف جواب السؤال ، تكتشف أن السؤال لا معني له
إنني أضع قدمًا أمام الأخرى، ومن ثَم القَدم الأخرى أمام الأولى، ومن ثَم آمل في أن
أتمكَّن من فعل ذلك من جديد ، لا أكثر
!

***

هذه من أغرب الروايات التي قراتها في حياتي
بداية من الصفحات الأولي وصولاً إلي الصفحة الأخيرة وأنا أحيا في مدينة من أغرب المدن التي يمكن تخيلها
ولكننا لا نتخيلها انها عصرنا كله ، بكل ما فيه من سلبيات
هي العصر الغريب الذي لايدوم فيه شئ ، وكأننا كلنا بكل ما توصلنا إليه نحيا علي ريشة طائرة في مهب عاصفة عاتية ، أو كأننا فرع شجرة تحمله الأمواج بين ظلمات صخور لا تنتهي وكهوف تظهر وتختفي لا تجد لها بداية ولا تعرف لها نهاية ، ولا تفهم لماذا ظهرت أو لماذا اختفت !

تخيل أنك تحيا في مدينة شوارعها تظهر وتختفي فجأة ، فالباب الذي دخلت منه لن تجده مرة ثانية حين تستدير لتغلقه ! والشارع الذي سرت فيه أمس لن تجده غدا ، والشخص الذي صافحته ، لن يبق طويلا ليرد السلام

تخيل لو أن مدينتك بلا شوارع وبلا أزقة ، وسكانها عصابات ، وفقراء ومرضي ومشردين ، فلا توجد عقول ولا مشاعر ، ولا ذاكرة أيضاً
فقبل مجيئك لهذه المدينة لا يوجد شئ
وبعدها لن يوجد شئ
فلا قبل ولا بعد ولا أثناء
ولا سبيل إلي الخارج أو إلي ما حول أو إلي الداخل
أنت هناك ولا حل لذلك
سوي أن تنسي ما حدث وما سوف يحدث قبل أن يحدث
!
هي رواية لا تسمح لك بأن تلتقط أنفاسك فأنت تحيا في عالم غريب ابتدعه بول استير ولا يسمح لك بالهرب ابدا فأنت اسير صفحاته إلي أن تنتهي

ولكنها فقدت معي نجمة واحدة لبعض الفقرات التي وردت في الرواية وكان من الممكن عدم اللجوء إليها علي الإطلاق ، فلم تزد شيئاً في طبيعة الأحداث وحذفها لم يكن لينقص شيئاً من جودة الرواية

[Hanneke · Rating 5 out of 5]

The description of Paul Auster of a post-apocalyptic world in this novel seems for me the most plausible I have ever encountered in a dystopian novel.

Young Anne Blume arrives in a devastated city on an aid ship from somewhere obviously much safer and enters an imploded city. She arrives in this desastrous world to look for her brother whom she did not hear from for a year. The name of the city is nowhere mentioned nor in what country it is situated, but it must be New York. It is soon clear that life is in such a chaos that she will have to gather all her strength to stay alive and she must also realize the fact that she will only by sheer luck find out what happened to her brother, as all official means of communications are extinct. She will have to adapt to join the crowd of hungry scavengers, avoid being robbed of the tiniest possession, eat any little morsel of food she can find and take care to find a safe sleeping place at night. People’s most precious possession is a shopping cart which you have to chain to your waist against thiefs. There is no electricity, buildings collapse overnight, dead bodies line the streets. The dead are naked, their clothes are robbed within five minutes. Life for Anne, and the few companions she meets, consists of learning how to be the smartest, never lose attention and to be invisible if needed. Showing or receiving compassion is very rare, but proved to be life saving for Anne in a few instances.

This book made a big impact on me. I think it was really too close for comfort. If things would spin out of control, it could be only a few steps further into the future that we could be roaming the streets like the slowly dying people in this novel. Such a terrifying thought. From now on, this dystopian novel of Paul Auster will stay with me as the most realistic one I have ever read.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This post-apocolyptic novel about a young woman who enters a ruined city to search for her brother is infused with pending doom. There may be no escape. Yet a sense of deep humanity is always present - even in the midst of horror, Anna finds connection and love. Not as complex or layered as Auster's later works, but still compelling.

[Dalia Nourelden · Rating 3 out of 5]

نحن دائماً موجودون في النهاية , دائماً نقف على حافة اللحظة الأخيرة , ولماذا ينبغي أن نتوقع أن نكون مختلفين الآن ؟

الرواية عبارة رسالة طويلة من آنا بلوم إلى صديقها بعد ان ذهبت من أجل البحث عن أخيها الصحفي المفقود ويليام

رواية دستوبيا . رواية سوداوية مخيفة. الحياة فى واحدة من اسوأ صورها ، البشر فى اسوأ حالاتهم ، حين تسيطر عليه الرغبة فى البقاء ويتناسى انسانيته وعقله ومشاعره

ماذا سيحدث حين تنتهى الحياة التى عهدناها . لم يعد هناك اى شئ ، الجميع يفعل اى شئ من اجل ان يسد رمقه ، لا ان يشبع ، لا الوصول للشبع هذا حلم بعيد ، ان يأكل فقط مايبقيه على قيد الحياة. ان يجد اى اسمال بالية ليرتديها لكنها لاتحميه من البرد القارس . وخلال ذلك قد يتجرد من انسانيته ، قد يقوم بأشياء لم يكن ابدا ليقوم بها فى احواله العادية . تسرق ، تقتل ، تنزع ملابس ومقتنيات الأموات .





كل الاشياء تتداعي . كل شئ ينسى . لم يعد شيئا كما كان





لا يوجد قانون ، لايوجد سوى الفقر والفوضى وانعدام الأمان و الموت الذى يحيط بك . فالجثث مرتمية فى الشوارع تنتظر ان تلتقط وتحرق .
‏
‏واما ان تموت جوعا او قتلا او قد تختار انت طريقة قتلك يمكن ان تنضم لنوادى الاغتيال او تلتحق بالعدائيين ( ليس العدو الذى تعرفه نوع آخر مختلف عدو حتي الموت ) او تلقى نفسك منتحرا من اعلى احد البنايات او ان كنت تمتلك المال يمكنك الالتحاق بعيادات القتل الرحيم واختيار طريقة موتك .
‏
تحكى أنا في رسالتها الكثير مما آلت اليه الاحوال في هذه المدينة التي يبدو انها وقد انعزلت عن كل العالم وتواجه وحدها نهاية العالم .


“على المرء أن يتعود على الإكتفاء بأقل قدرٍ ممكن ، فكلما قل ما يُريده رضي بالقليل و قلت حاجته ، و أصبح في حالٍ أفضل .
هذا ما تفعله المدينة بك ؛ إنها تقلب أفكارك رأساً على عقب ، تجعلك ترغب بالحياة ، و في الوقت نفسه تحاول أن تنزع منك الحياة ، ولا مفر من هذا .
فإما أن تفعل أو لا تفعل . و إذا فعلت ، لن تستطيع أن تتأكد من قدرتك على القيام به في المرة التالية . و إذا لم تفعل ، فلن تفعل أبداً


بدأت فى الاندماج اكثر مع الرواية حين انتقلت آنا من الحديث عن شكل الحياة وماآلت اليه الامور لما حدث معها اثناء محاولتها للاستمرار فى الحياة ، والأشخاص الذين التقتهم .

هناك أشياء كثيرة أشعر بالخجل منها. أحياناْ لا تبدو لي حياتي أكثر من سلسلة من الندامات، والانعطافات الخاطئة، والأخطاء التي لا تُغتَفَر. هذه هي المشكلة عندما تبدأ بالنظر إلى الوراء. إنكَ ترى نفسك كما كُنتَ، وتشعر بالرعب. لكنَّ الأوان قد فات الآن على الاعتذار، أنا أدركُ هذا. فات الأوان على أي شيء ما عدا مواصلة ما أعمل.”

النهاية مفتوحة وقد تكون مناسبة للرواية . تركها بول اوستر لنتخيل ماذا سيحدث ؟
‏

٣٠ / ١١/ ٢٠٢٠

[Violet wells · Rating 4 out of 5]

The account in the form of a letter of a girl who has gone to look for her missing brother in a dystopian city where everything that provides a sense of self is vanishing.

There’s a constant sense of an author discovering and enjoying his talent in this short novel. He doesn’t waste energy on making his world logically plausible or itemising how the apocalyptic disaster happened. We’re very much in an existential twilight zone world. The tone essentially is one of macabre playfulness. There’s lots of black humour as for example in the many cults (often of a suicidal nature) that have formed to deal with the growing hopelessness of the situation. My favourite were “The Runners”. The runners run as fast as they can, waving their arms about wildly until they simply drop dead. Like jogging taken to a whole new level in other words. There’s lots of parody of our contemporary world – every scavenger has a supermarket trolley, his or her most precious possession, tied to her waist like an umbilical cord. "That is what the city does to you. It turns your thoughts inside out. It makes you want to live, and at the same time it tries to take your life away from you."

But along with the humour there’s also a chilling evocation of the Nazi ghettos and concentration camps. Ann eventually finds herself in Woburn House, a privileged enclave which calls to mind the morally dubious benefits of belonging to the Jewish council in the ghetto. Auster’s prose, as ever, is sparse, almost beaurocratic in its conclusive rejection of the colour purple. In the Country of Last Things is an enjoyable thought provoking read though not on the level of the fabulous The New York Trilogy.

[Jessaka]

There is a river that howls through a darkened forest. First it flows one way and then another. And when it untangles itself it disappears, to where, I do not know.

The above introduction came to me while reading this book, a book that speaks of a very strange world, more strange than my very words. It is a world that I do not understand, nor do I wish to understand it. Pages upon pages describe this world even before the story begins. People commit suicide just to escape it. Death by running. Death is seen in every doorway and on the streets with bodies stripped of clothing and all other possessions. It is as if they never belonged to them in the first place. Family members take their loved one’s gold teeth to sell in the markets, to buy rotten or fake food for themselves. Eggs filled with sawdust. Then the garbage pickers take those naked bodies away along with the buckets of sewage that has been placed on the streets. Then they are into energy to light the houses. Like those who have died, I wish to escape, but I am getting somewhat drawn in, much like a moth to a flame.

What are these last things that caused the author to place these words in the title of his book? Last of Civilization? Last of your sanity? Last of your Family? Last of everything you own as it can be stolen, everything you buy to eat can be rotten.

A woman is looking for her brother. Where he is, even he does not know. When she finds him, will she even know it? She comes to this town and is subjected to a haircut to make her bald, unattractive to men. The fear is that they will rape her for her very beauty. Do men in this world really care that much as to whether a woman is beautiful or not? After this, she begins to pleasure herself. There is a reason why these acts are done in private. Some don’t wish to see or hear about it, much less read it. I decide then that this is the LAST of the book for me, and I didn’t even have to do a death run in order to leave this horrid world. I only had to close the book.

[Mohamed Bayomi · Rating 3 out of 5]

مدينة الاشياء الاخيرة تبدو خيالية ، تحمل مستقبل البشرية ، لكنها في الحقيقة وفي العمق تبدو اقرب مما تبدو ، استطيع ان اقول اننا نحيا او نموت - فلا فرق - داخلها ، فقط انظر حولك لن تجد سوى العزلة والوحدة والانانية ، الحالمون مننا يتحدثون لغة الاشباح والواقعيون لا يتحدثون مجانا ،ستجد العدائين و الواثبين وحاملي الدلاء و جامعي الخردة ، فعربة التسوق هي شعار وجوهر عصرنا ، تلك هي حياتنا وتلك هي مدينتنا

[7jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anna Blume writes in a notebook her account of her time in an unnamed city where she arrived by a foreign aid ship, 19 and a know-it-all, looking for her brother, William. It is addressed to an unnamed friend-from-childhood, and we know pretty early her search is futile. The story becomes not just her story, but a story of things ending, things decaying, like vanishing into thin air or something.

The city is not named, nor the country she came from, nor the country she arrived to. But you can pretty much guess (the city is on east coast, the country expands westwise, she crosses a sea, talk of her childhood life suggests UK to me - I feel this city is a form of New York).

Something has happened to the city and to the country. I guess the economy has fallen apart (the current is 'glot' here), politically the government falls apart very often, the houses and the streets are not cared for, the weather changes wildly (including having 5-6 month long winter at least once). There is a 'build a wall' project, that thankfully falls apart due to economical/political reasons, there's sudden tolls across the street that you have to avoid. The food is scarce, no children are born, the dead are left in the street to collect. No planes have been seen in the sky for years (some even don't remember/believe in them); the rich have left the country (mostly), no ships beyond aid ships have arrived for years.
Yet people arrive regularly from the west (seems like outside things are not much better). You can earn money from being a scavenger, or join groups for different forms of suicide/repentance (the description of the Runners is what made me try reading this first time around).

The description of the city comes first, in the book, some of the information of which is above. You have to piece things together to understand even a bit why this city (and the country) are in such a mess - mess that one could see being a 'near future' thing. Anna's story is simple yet an example of one arrival's life of surviving in the city (not all who arrive in the city from any direction are lucky, especially if they are not smart with it, or don't have enough money/connections).

The book ends with her notebook pages ending, her handwriting getting smaller (she says) as she comes to the end. There's no knowing if she even gets to send this letter-notebooks (she doubts it), nor if the plan to leave the city towards west succeeds, even with the permits, but the openness of the ending makes things seem hopeful.
This is a book (and a notebook) full of endings and vanishings, and how one accepts it or not; besides these themes, I loved the mood the story had - the end has come, but what an interesting way this world does it! All the characters, and the city, do it well.

[Mohamed Samy · Rating 4 out of 5]

جرعة كآبة ولكن ممتعة من بول اوستر..
ادب الديستوبيا..احساس باليأس حتى وان كنت متمسكا بالامل ،عالم كئيب اسود فى كل تفاصيله تخيلته بلا الوان رسمه بول اوستر بدقة وحرفية يجعلك تجرى مع العدائين وتقفز منتحرا مع الواثبين هذا وان كنت ستجد جمع القمامة والخردة عملا عظيما تتمنى لو انك تأخذ الإجازة اللازمة لكى تصبح عضوا عاملا مع الكناسين..
ستعرف اشياءا عن نوادى الاغتيال وعيادات القتل الرحيم فى بلاد لم يعد فيها فعلا الا الأشياء الاخيرة ما ستجده اليوم لن تجده غدا وما وجدته امس لم يكن موجودا فى السابق.
اتمنى ان ارى الرواية مسلسلا او فيلما ويا حبذا لو جاء من مخرج فيلم the road حتى يصبح لانتحارى سببا مقنعا


"وتابعت اردد لنفسى ينبغى ان لا ارغب فى اى شيء،ان لا امتلك اى شيء،ان لا اكون شيئا، وما كان فى وسعى تصور حلا اكثر مثالية من ذلك، وفى النهاية قاربت ان اعيش حياة صخرة"

[Asmaa Essam · Rating 4 out of 5]

(إن كنت لم تقرأ الرواية بعد أنصحك بعدم إستكمال المراجعة لما بها من حرق للأحداث)


حاولت قراءة هذه الرواية كثيراً وكل مرة كنت أشعر بالضياع وعدم الإستيعاب في بداية القصة إلى أن أخذت القرار بتكملتها وهنا فهمت ما يحدث ..
هي رواية من نوع "الديستوبيا" أي أدب المدينة المدمرة
آنا بلوم تبحث عن أخيها في المدينة التي دمرها الوباء على أمل أن تجده ولكنها تُفاجأ بما آل له الحال هناك وبما اضطررت إلى خوضه من أجل البقاء حية
وتأتي رحلتها في النجاة والهروب إلى اللاشيء في عالم خالٍ من الأخلاق مليء بالجوع والشرور والنفوس المعذبة

هناك ملاحظات وأفكار عدة أود مشاركاتها بهذه المراجعة :-

- هناك فكرة مرعبة أعترتني قبيل النهاية .. أثناء قراءتي للرسالة كان هناك بعض الإطمئنان بداخلي لأنني اعتقدت بأن الرسالة وصلت للشخص الذي كانت تحاول آنا الكتابة له وربما كنا سنجد رد له بالنهاية .. ولكن المُرعب هنا أن لا رد!! لا شيء يثبت بأن القصة فعلاً آلت إلى صاحبها .. إذاً فمن يقرا؟ أهو صاحب الرسالة في بلاد آنا الأصلية؟ وإن كان هكذا فعلاً .. فكيف وصلت؟ هل نجت آنا أم استطاع أحدهم توصيلها؟
أم يقرأها شخص ما وجدها على الطرقات .. وإن كان ذلك حقيقي فماذا حدث لآنا؟ هل ماتت أم نجت وفقدت الرسالة؟
أم الذي يقرأ هنا .. هو نحن
ولا أحد غيرنا؟
قد يصيبني الجنون بسبب تلك النقطة

- وهذا يأخذنا إلى النقطة التالية ..
النهاية
لأول مرة تبدو لي النهاية المفتوحة واقعية ومرضية إلى حد غريب
أنتهت القصة بإنتهاء الأوارق بالدفتر .. وليس نهاية الأحداث
هنا يبدو الأمر أكثر منطقية .. أليس كذلك؟
نحن من وجد الدفتر وقرأه للنهاية وليس بوسعنا أن نعلم ما هو أكثر
أيضاً أرى ان النهاية ملحمية عظيمة .. ففي المدينة لا شيء سوى الهروب إلى الأبد
ولا نهاية محتومة
قد تنجو إن حالفك الحظ
قد تموت
وقد تظل تهرب إلى الأبد
تحزم آنا مع أصدقاءها الأمتعة إستعداداً للرحيل وخوض مغامرة أخرى في محاولة للنجاة لن نعلم أبداً أي شيء عنها

- المدينة تفعل بك كل شيء ولن تهديك إلى أي شيء
أعجبني تصوير "بول أوستر" للمدينة التي اقتربت للنهاية وتصوير العالم اللأخلاقي وما قد يفعله بالبشر
أو ما قد فعله بآنا بلوم
هكذا تجد الفرق من خلال قصة آنا
فانظر من كانت حين بدأت الرحلة ومن أصبحت في نهاية الدفتر
كل هؤلاء الجثث المرتمية في شوارع المدينة وعمال تجميع الأشياء الأخيرة وعمال محارق الجثث وكل أبطال هذه المدينة ..
قد كانوا أناس طبيعين قبل أن تتدمر المدينة
أنت لا تعلم من انت حقاً حتى تحل الكارثة!

- قرأت جزء من الرواية في ساعتين أو أكثر متواصلين وكنت قد غرقت في الأحداث وفي هذا العالم العجيب لدرجة إنني حين أنهيت من ذلك الجزء جعلت انظر لكل شيء من حولي بشيء من الإستغراب والإمتنان في وقت واحد
فكرة إني أمتلك كل ما لا يمتلكه .. أو يبحث عنه أهل المدينة كانت فكرة أذهلتني .. حتى الأشياء الصغيرة من حولي أصبح لها قيمة
أيضاً كان لدي شعور بالعدمية والإحساس بالنهاية كأنني كنت أعيش بالفعل في تلك المدينة

- رغم كآبة القصة ..
ورغم أنها بدأت باليأس وانتهت باليأس
إلا أن هناك شيئاً إيجابياً أحببته ..
بدأت آنا الرحلة وحدها .. ولكن لم تكلمها وحيدة
وهذا في حد ذاته يدع بشيء من الأمل بالنسبة لي


أحببت كم أثارت الرسالة بنفسي كم هائل من التساؤلات والخواطر
وهذا إن دل يدل على عبقرية "بول أوستر" وفلسفته العميقة في وصف الأحداث وإثارة التساؤلات في العقول
كانت هذه تجربتي الأولى مع "أوستر" ولن تكون أبداً الأخيرة ♥

[Ola Al-Najres · Rating 3 out of 5]

بين أدب الديستوبيا وأدب ما بعد الكارثة يكتب لنا أوستر عن بلاد الأشياء الأخيرة، التي تنحدر ببطء باتجاه العدم، بلاد استهلكت طاقتها للحياة وبدأت مرحلة الاحتضار البطيء، لافظة أنفاسها الأخيرة جوعاً ومرضاً وانحداراً إنسانياً، بلاد تستنزف ساكنيها حتى الرمق الأخير، لتعيد تدويرهم في المحارق كوقود لمواصلة تقدمها نحو العدم، في محاكاة مأساوية لما يفعله العالم بنا كل يوم ...

يُفضل أوستر أن يقودنا في الضباب، فلا هوية هذه البلاد معروفة، ولا السبب الذي قادها إلى هذا المصير، بينما يُوضح ببشاعة تراجع القيم الإنسانية والأخلاقية لتُقدم الصدارة للبقاء على قيد الحياة، برغم غياب كل أشكال الكرامة والرفاهية التي تجعل المرء يتمسك في الحياة أصلاً ..

لا شيء ينكسر هنا بسرعة تفوق سرعة انكسار القلب ..

هل هناك نهاية للألم أو بداية للأمل؟ الحقيقة خاتمة أوستر كانت تحمل الوجهين ولك ك��ارئ حرية اختيار ما يلائم رؤيتك للعالم حولك، مع ضرورة تذكيرك أن الألم والأمل جزء من أي رؤية أو عالم قد تنتمي إليهم ...

وبالنسبة لي، وبالرغم من رؤيتي التشاؤية المتبناة مؤخراً، إلا أنني لا أفضل أدب الديستوبيا وكانت قراءتي للرواية كغمامة ثقيلة حملت إلي ذكرياتي السيئة مع رواية يوتوبيا لأحمد خالد توفيق .

الرواية عبارة عن رسالة طويلة للبطلة آنا موجهة إلى صديقها القديم الذي لم تذكر اسمه، لكن ولأنها ذكرت في الرواية أنّ الرب هو صديقها الوحيد ، ولأنها طلبت في ختام رسالتها الفرصة لعيش يوم واحد آخر، داهمتني فكرة أنها كانت تخاطب الإله كل ذلك الوقت، ولم أحاول البحث والتأكد من فكرتي هذه، لأن مجرد التفكير بها مدّني بشعور دافئ خفف من وطأة سوداوية الرواية على نفسي . 💙

[Andrew Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anna Blume has travelled to an unnamed place. She’s looking for her brother who came here too, on a journalistic assignment some time ago. She’d arrived on an aid ship, which gives us some clue as to what she’d have been likely to find here, it’s a desperate place and it’s far from safe. We learn of Anna’s plight through a letter she’s written to a old friend – in fact ‘letter’ might be understating it, it’s more a series of journal entries. The city Anna finds herself in is disappearing around her street by street, food is scarce and punishments for transgressions are harsh, meted out by no nonsense enforcers. Anna writes that beatings are commonplace, and every now and then you hear of a murder.

It’s clear that Anna has been in this place for some time now, probably for a number of years. We learn that babies aren’t born here anymore and conditions are so desperate that Euthanasia Clinics offer the opportunity to buy your own death – an assassin is assigned and you will be killed at a future point but in a way and at a time unknown to you. Groups of people run through the city screaming at the top of their voices until they drop from exhaustion. Anna explains that the point is to die as quickly as possible, to drive yourself so hard that your heart cannot stand it.

Given the meagre amount of food available, for the majority (the non-rich) survival, for those that want it, depends on earning sufficient to buy just about enough to stay alive. For most this means scavenging: either garbage collecting or object hunting. Anna has become an object hunter and has also managed to find a place to stay, she’s keeping her head above water but barely so, and so far there’s no sign of her brother.

I thought I had already read all of Auster’s novels but I’d somehow missed this one. First published in 1987 it’s a short dystopian tale with, in truth, little in terms of a discernible plot. But it is rich in atmosphere and, as you’d expect from Auster, it’s very well written. Though it’s a piece which left me with many more questions than answers I do have a feeling it’s going to haunt me for some time. I wouldn’t consider it one of the author’s very best works but such is the quality of this writer I still believe it’s worth seeking out.

[Nada Elshabrawy · Rating 5 out of 5]

رسمياً, بول أوستر من كُتابي المفضلين, مبروك عليا :)

[Menia · Rating 3 out of 5]

readathon 17: 39 βιβλίο με μετα-αποκαλυπτικό θέμα
3,5 αστεράκια
αν και στην αρχή ψιλοκουράστηκα, μόλις ξεκίνησε ο αγώνας της ηρωίδας μου άρεσε,
βέβαια στο είδος αυτό (δυστοπικό), η ιστορία μόνο ζοφερή είναι αλλά από εκεί και μετά ο τρόπος παρουσίασης σε κάνει να θες να δεις αν τα κατάφερε ο ήρωας ή σε αφήνει παντελώς αδιάφορο.
στην περίπτωση του βιβλίου αυτού όντως ήθελα να μάθω αν θα τα καταφέρει η γλυκιά μας Άννα.

[Maciek · Rating 4 out of 5]

When you live in the city, you learn to take nothing for granted. Close your eyes for a moment, turn around to look at something else, and the thing that was before you is suddenly gone. Nothing lasts, you see, not even the thoughts inside you.

Paul Auster's last novel, Sunset Park, opens with the main protagonist working for a south Florida realty company which deals with cleaning out reposessed homes; his name is Miles Heller, he's 28 and he takes photographs of abandoned things, the innumerable things the previous homeowners left behind when they were evicted. Set in the recession of 2008 and taking place in Florida and New York, the novel features a cast of characters whose stories intervine as they strive to survive after the economic collapse.

In The Country of Last Things is an earlier work, and one where the conditions are much more dire. Although the time period and the location are never specified, we can guess that the storyline is set in roughly contemporary times after something went wrong, and caused an unnamed City (which is most likely modeled after New York) to become a separate country, the Country of Last Things. The last things are the all things which keep disappearing one by one: whole streets and buildings implode or are destroyed, taking their inhabitants and their posessions with them. Babies are not born anymore, and human bodies and waste have become precious commodities which the officials use for generating energy; burial is treated as a serious crime. Although a government is in power it is never stable and does not hold power over the city, which is ruled by the underworld; on the streets the strong rule over the weak. Scavenging is common, but one must buy the license from a license from the underworld to become a legitimate scavenger, and not get assaulted by the "inspectors". People with shopping carts populate the streets, hunting for what is still there. A large percent of the population is homeless, but most homes are no better than the streets: stripped from furniture, without heating. Leaving the city seems to be impossible,with travel permits being ridiculously expensive and government officials hunting down those who want to exit illegally.

Into this world comes Anna Blume, a woman looking for her brother, William. William has been sent to write a book on the city - but contact with him has vanished, and the man whom William's editors sent to find him has also disappeared. Desperate, Anna enters the city and as she tries to survive in a world where nothing is produced and everything is running out she realizes the hopelesness of her quests. Yet, Anna refuses to give up, and continues her search. The novel is a first person account written by her as a letter to an unspecified acquaintance, a friend from time before. She doesn't even know if the letter will ever be read, but she continues, refusing to give up and vanish, become yet another Last Thing.

All of Paul Auster's fiction deals with the struggle of the Self against the absurd world ruled by chance and accident, the overwhelming effect the compilation of events has on the individual, the intensity with which his protagonists are affected by what they cannot control. These themes are prominent in in The Country of Last Things as well, which is arguably his darkest novel: set in a world literally ending, where individuality is almost completely eliminated and people are reduced to what they can scavenge. Throughout her journey through the City with its ever changing landscape, Anna will meet several quirky characters, each of which will serve a purpose in her journey and affect her in some way. Although some of Anna's observations about life border on banal, It's hard to not sympathize with her and root for her cause, however hopeless it may be.

Paul Auster is a talented talespinner and his polished prose is elegant and flows smoothly. Although short in lenght, the novel is finely crafted and features a convincingly drawn post-apocalyptic environment, detailed enough to prevent the novel from sinking into the bog of run of the mill post-apocalyptic fiction. Like other dystopian works it can also be read as an allegory of contemporary world of here and now: opressive governments, shortage of money and food, eviction, suicide. Although it deals with these bleak themes, I felt that the ultimate message is the one of hope - even if it seems unreasonable and pointless; Anna's journal is a success of creation in a world of destruction. By reading the novel we feel that she has succeeded and her efforts were not in vain - her journal has been found and read, and will continue to be read. We pass it on, and it continues to exist, sendings its message and her in it ever onwards, never becoming a Last Thing, helping to keep Anna in our memory and thought and preventing her from disappearing into oblivion.

This is the first novel I've read in 2013. A great way to start the year!

[Alyazi · Rating 5 out of 5]

هذا غامض جداً .. غامض بطريقة مريبة .. مخيفة ، أن تقرأ وصفاً دقيقاً مقلقاً لبلدٍ من هذا النوع ، وحين أقول من هذا النوع فأنا أعني نوعاً فريداً جديداً ابتكره بول أوستر - بالنسبة لي على الأقل - بلاد بول أوستر الغامضة هذه التي تطفو على بحر من جثثها وقاذوراتها ، على وعيها الجديد بالمحيط من حولها ، تمتلك قائمة جديدة بالمهام البشرية و الأعمال المطلوبة من العامة بأجور تبقي على الحياة لعدة سنوات ( مكسن و غذاء ساخن كل يوم ) ، قائمة غرائبية أطول بالجرائم المُعاقب عليها بصرامة شديدة كـ دفن الجثث دون تسليمها للدولة ، نعم ليست السرقة و القتل ضمن القائمة أبداً ، لأنها ولسبب ما جزء لا تجزأ من الوجود ، من الحضارة الإنسانية المُتهالكة ، من الحياة اليومية ، حيث تُبارك الحكومة مؤسسات تُساعد مجموعة من مواطنيها على الإنتحار بطرق مبتكرة جديدة ، كالموت منهكاً من الركض !

حين استمر أوستر طوال الصفحات الأربعين الأولى يصف بدقة متناهية كل ما ذكر أعلاه و يزيد كثيراً جداً ، جعلني أنتظر اللحظة الحاسمة التي ستتغير بها الأمور ويبدأ في سرد أحداث روايته ، ليس لشعورٍ بالملل ، إلا أن البلاغة العالية ( التي تمتع بها المترجم ) في وصف أفكار بول أوستر عن بلدته تلك ، جعلني أشعر بقرفٍ حقيقي من الوهم ، من اللاشيء الذي خلقه بول أوستر من العدم .. العدم ؟ قد لا يبدو هذا وصفاً دقيقاً إذا تحرينا ذلك ، بول أوستر لم يأتي بأي شيء من العدم إنه فقط كان يقول ببساطة : أن هذه هي الأشياء الأخيرة للعالم الكامل ، للإنسانية ، للحضارة !

الأشياء التي سنقف على أطلالها يوماً ، نصنعها بأيدينا كل يوم ، نبحث عنها بشكل محموم ، ونخرجها مباركين أنفسنا غير آبهين بالنهاية المحتومة ، باللحظة التي تتداعى فيها الأشياء ونعود إلى نقطة الصفر .

[وضحى · Rating 5 out of 5]

هي لا تفسح لك المجال بالتقاط أنفاسك هذه الرواية. يحدث أن تتجرعها-بمرارة- في جلسة أو اثنتين لترمي بها على رفّ المكتبة، ساخطاً على فضاعة هذا العالم-أو ذاك في الرواية، فلا فرق حقاً- ولاعنًا پول أوستر على عبثه المتمادي في داخلك وبهذه الجرأة اللامتوقعة!
هي رواية بائسة بؤس رواية العمى لسراماغو، والتي تركتني لأسابيع أكيل لهذا البرتغالي أشنع الشتائم-إلا ما يخص أمه طبعاً- على تلك الفوضى المريعة.
هي رواية مرعبة كالرعب المتفشي في رواية 1984 لجورج أورويل الذي زرع في قلوبنا شبح الأخ الأكبر الذي يراقب بلا هوادة.
هي رواية صاغها بول أوستر بأروع ما يكون السرد تنامياً وتمازجًا في جميع مسارحها وشخوصها. وبالرغم من الفضاعة المسبلة على جسد الرواية فإن هناك ما يجعلك على أتم انسجام مع الأحداث، ربما وعيك بحسن طالعك الذي يذكّرك بأنك متفرج على هذه القسوة لا غير..
آنا بلوم، بطلة الرواية ، تكتب إلى صديق قديم هجرته منذ سنوات، ركبت سفينة ما ورحلت بحثاً عن أخيها وليام، تكتب إلى هذا الصديق المجهول ما آلت إليه حالها في هذي البلاد التي يتداعى فيها كل شيء بقصدٍ أو بدونه. تسقط الأشياء مغشياً عليها تماماً كأجساد البشر التي تعاني شح مقومات الحياة.
تروي ببطء مرير ما حدث لها من اللحظة التي قررت -بعناد المراهقة التي كانت - أن تعثر فيها على وليام، وحتى الأصيل الذي تربعت فيه على أرضية غرفة ما لتكتب أحداث حياتها الميتة، في بلاد الأشياء الأخيرة. لا نية لي بكشف الكثير ولكن هناك نصيحة بائسة أن لا تفوِّت هذه الرواية.

[Wafa · Rating 4 out of 5]

في برنامج لطالما أثار عجبي على قناة
National Geographic Abu Dhabi
يُظهر مجموعة من الأشخاص يستعدون لمواجهة نهاية العالم
بطريقتهم الخاصة


المجهزون لليوم الأسود

المراجعة
******
تشيع في الغرب روايات من نوع
Post-Apocalyptic Apocrypha
وهي الروايات التي تكشف الحجاب عن نهاية العالم

لم أكن أعتقد يوما أن مثل هذه الروايات قد تجذبني
لقراءتها .. لكن انغماسي في الرواية أولا ثم القراءة عنها ثانيا هو
ما جعلني أعرف هذا النوع من الروايات

الرواية
*****

بغض النظر عن النوع التي تنتمي إليه هذه الرواية فإنها ليست أبدا كأي من الروايات التي قرأتها سابقا
هذه رواية ذات حالة فريدة ومتفردة ذات وصف وأسلوب روائي ممتع يصطحبك إلى عالم غير متخيل ابدا بثوان معدودة .. يجعلك تعيش هاهناك لحظات ثم ينتقل هذا العالم معك لأيام بعد انتهاؤك من الرواية

يوجد في مخيلتي صورة لمدينتين متخيلتين وهما مدينة العمى لساراماجو ومدينة بيروت في كوابيس غادة السمان
الآن انضمت مدينة آنا بلوم إليهما

لا سوداوية مثل سوداو��ة هذه المدينة

مايو 30، 2015

[Dagio_maya · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Questa è Anna Blum,
la tua vecchia amica da un altro mondo"


Il genere distopico non solo mette in scena le angosce e le paure più recondite ma mette anche a dura prova tutta una serie di certezze a cui quotidianamente ci aggrappiamo.
Ritengo sia importante esercitarsi nella presa di coscienza della fragilità delle cose.
Fermarsi a ripensare a ciò che diamo per scontato può aiutare a vivere in un modo più significativo.
Questo è quello che cerco nella lettura del genere distopico.

L'avvio di questa storia è un po' lento e dà l'impressione di un mancato decollo ma così non è.
Anna Blum è partita diciannovenne per cercare il fratello scomparso in un territorio noto per essere messo sottosopra da sommosse popolari ed avvicendamenti repentini nell'amministrazione.
Un luogo, insomma, instabile e dove non è raccomandabile vivere...

E' un racconto epistolare.
Una lunga lettera che Anna scrive ad un amico dei tempi passati.
Al lettore non è dato sapere né se questa lettera sarà spedita nè se arriverà a destinazione poichè Anna ormai da tempo è prigioniera nel paese delle ultime cose:

"Non credo che vi sia un modo possibile per farti giungere questa lettera.
È come urlare nel vuoto, come gridare in un vasto e terribile spazio vuoto."

Un territorio dove regna il caos, la sopraffazione e dove sovrana è la morte.


"Poco per volta, la città ti deruba di ogni certezza. Non può mai esservi un percorso fisso e puoi sopravvivere solo se niente ti è necessario."

Come il suo nome bifronte -Anna- così questa storia dichiara che ogni inizio è la fine ed ogni fine è l'inizio.
Così, ciclicamente, vede scomparire davanti a sè ogni cosa ed ogni affetto ed è costretta a ricominciare sempre da capo.


"Chiudi gli occhi per un attimo, ti giri a guardare qualcos'altro e la cosa che era dinanzi a te è sparita all'improvviso. Niente dura, vedi, neppure i pensieri dentro di te. E non devi sprecare tempo a cercarli. Quando una cosa sparisce, finisce.".


Nessuna magia, nessuna alchimia.
Il mondo in cui Anna si trova è figlio della rabbia e dell'egoismo dell'uomo e che a nulla porta se non alla graduale e sistematica distruzione della società come la conosciamo.
A tutto ci si abitua e si trovano soluzioni.
La vita si riadatta alle mancanze e intanto insegna a non dare nulla per scontato.
Neppure la vita stessa.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Existential tale of a woman, Anna, who moves to an unnamed country to find her brother and ends up in a quest for survival in an economically-collapsed urban dystopia. As with a fairy tale, everything is boiled down to bare essentials, rendered in the compelling voice that evolves in Anna's journal. But there is richness in the spareness, and I couldn't help but be drawn into rooting for her as some kind of advocate for humanity. As with McCarthy's The Road, written over 20 years later, we don't know what caused civilization to end or how pervasive it is, and here the reader also gets focused on what essence of human nature can live on in the ruins as some kind of beacon against the darkness. Anna's progression from scavenger of discarded objects ("last things"), to a supporter of a journalist recording people's stories, and finally to a key contributor to a hopeless respite effort for the homeless seems some sort of allegory of cultural response to disasters. One piquant response of one character to the situation is to escape into building ever tinier ships in bottles, which possibly stands in for a satirical take of the poverty of art to make up for loss. As Anna begins to run out of space in the journal, she is reminded of this when she is forced to write in tinier letters in order to complete her story.

[Mohammad Ali Shamekhi · Rating 4 out of 5]

من که باهاش کلی حال کردم. البته کتابی نیست که تفریحی بشینی و بخونی - خصوصا اوایلش که زیادم قصه نداره و توصیفاش می چربه به داستانش؛ اما برای من جهانش و فضاسازیاش کوبنده بود. من از استر تا حالا فقط سه گانه ی نیویورک رو خوندم و بین این کتاب و اون سه تا این رو بهتر می دونم - اونا زیادی اندیشمندانه بودن؛ اما اینجا ادبی بودن خیلی بیشتر از فلسفی حرف زدن بارزه - در عین اینکه اندیشمندانه است در خفا - و فک کنم آدم داستان می خونه واسه جنبه ی ادبیش

ترجمه اش هم معقول و خوبه. مطلقا بی اشتباه نیست اما من اشتباه قابل ذکری ندیدم

[Mahmoud Masoud · Rating 4 out of 5]

رواية ( فظيعة ) ، حاسس كأن أوستر كان بيضرب بمطرقة فوق رأسي ..

[Kristijan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ovo je za sada treća "ozbiljnija" knjiga o postapokaliptičnoj Zemlji koja me je ostavila bez teksta. Prvo me je oduševio "Put" Kormaka Makartija, a zatim "The Pesthouse" Džima Krejsa. Nisam sumnjao u Pola Ostera. On me je svojevremeno "kupio" "Njujorškom trilogijom", tako da sam sigurnim korakom ušetao u njegovu postapokalipsu, i iz nje izašao apsolutno zadovoljan ali i poprilično uznemiren...

Dok čitaju ovaj Osteov roman, čitaoci u stvari čitaju pismo glavnog lika, Ane Blum (da li je to možda antiteza Džojsovog Bluma), upućeno starom prijatelju iz detinjstva. Ona mu objašnjava kako i zašto je iz kakve-takve sigurnosti otišla na već nesigurno tlo da bi pronašla brata. Na bratovljevoj adresi više ne postoji ni zgrada, a ona u rukama čuva blago - sliku poslednje osobe koja je znala nešto o njemu, i ona kreće u potragu za bilo kojim od njih dvojice. Ana se upušta u to, žrtvujući sebe i usput učeći nove lekcije uvek na onaj teži način. Dok u svom pismu bude opisivala svoju borbu za opstanak, zaljubljivanje, borbu za goli život, gubitak voljene osobe,... opisivaće i svakodnevnu rutinu, ruine nekadašnjeg sveta, otpad koji ima ogromnu vrednost, život koji ima minimalnu vrednost, ali i nove klanove: trkače, skakače, grabljivice,... koji su slika novog čovečanstva.

Oster nam u ovom romanu ne daje direktan opis apokalipse. Njegov naglasak je na onome šta je usledilo, ali pre svega na ljudima. On opisuje zemlju nakon kolapsa, propast, ruine, prašinu, pepeo, ali njega najviše interesuju ljudske ruine. Kao i Makarti, pokušava da dokuči da li u opštem ludilu klica ljudskosti (humanizma) može da se razvije u nešto dobro i lepo, ili će ona biti zatomljena i uništena. Dakle, ono što je najbolje u ovom romanu jesu Osterovi likovi. Pošto je roman poprilično kratak, on nije dozvolio svim likovima da se podjednako razviju. Najdominantniji su glavni lik, Ana, i Boris Stepanovič (jedan od onih likova koji plivaju i u mutnim vodama).

Oster je zasigurno majstor svog zanata. Čini se kako je ovo svoje delo majstorski iskalibrirao, odsekao sve viškove, izbrusio sve neravnine, oduvao svu prašinu sa rečenica i uklonio talog... Iako ima otvoren kraj, roman je kompaktan, jezgrovit, i udara i u mozak i u srca čitalaca... Često se vratim ovom romanu u mislima i pitam hoćemo li i mi jednog dana završiti ovako... Ovo je jedna poprilično realna slika mogućeg kraja čovečanstva.

[Roula · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 αστερια!!
Συνηθως δε μου αρεσουν καθολου τα dystopian novels αλλα οτα ειναι ενα austerικο dystopian novel τοτε αλλαζει το πραγμα! αυτος ο ανθρωπος εχει ενα μοναδικο ταλεντο να σε τραβαει μεσα στην ιστορια με το πως χειριζεται το λογο.ετσι ακομη και ενα βιβλιο που κανονικα θεματολογικα δε με αφορουσε ,το απολαυσα οσο δεν περιμενα .η περιγραφη του auster για το πως θα μπορουσε να ειναι ο κοσμος αν ολα τελικα πανε στραβα, ειναι τρομακτικα και ανατριχιαστικα αληθινη ...
επισης: HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAUL AUSTER!!! μα τι ωραια που εκατσε ολο αυτο..:))

[Juanjo Aranda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Me ha costado bastante terminarlo, a pesar de ser cortito. Empezó resultándome curiosa la descripción del mundo donde vive la protagonista, pero en el momento que empezó a centrarse en su historia personal se me haciendo cada vez más cuesta arriba la lectura y al final me he acabado aburriendo bastante.

La protagonista cuenta su historia en una carta, y eso hace que apenas haya diálogos y que la narración sea muy monótona. No he conectado con la historia y ni siquiera tenía mucho interés por saber que pasaría con la chica al final.

Sí que tiene algunas situaciones que llaman más la atención que otras y puedes apreciar el drama que esta viviendo Anna en el país de las últimas cosas. También nos deja el autor alguna frase bastante interesante, pero poco más.

Durante el libro hay tres partes diferenciadas, con tres sucesos que cambian el devenir de la protagonista. Probablemente esto también haya ido de más a menos. El primero de esos sucesos es el que más me ha gustado. El final tampoco ha sido nada del otro mundo. La chica acaba la carta en el momento actual que está viviendo justo al final de la tercera parte y deja un final abierto.
Poco más que destacar.