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What I'm Reading OCTOBER 2013
Larry wrote: "J. wrote: "Good translators are underpaid and under appreciated. I've read some absolutely wonderful translations that achieved the spirit of the original. These are rare."Years ago (too many) I did some research on the translators of the French writer Gautier as part of a paper on his English-language reputation. These translators were almost entirely of the period before it became possible to make a living at it -- roughly, before 1950. It was quite difficult to find more than scraps of information about ordinary working translators before that. It was a sorry, hand-to-mouth life. (Some of what I found out can be read on p6-7 of the paper at http://ocotilloarts.com/Gautier/gtrav... )
I had hopes of actually running one of them to earth, a woman going by the pseudonym M.M. Ripley. Because of some letters in a publisher's archive I was able to get an address for her in a Boston rooming-house. By checking the city directories for that period I hoped to obtain her real name, but alas -- directories are compiled in October, and she always managed to arrive from her summer in Europe in November, so was never listed. Likely she was educated in one of the genteel undergraduate finishing schools of the time, and it possible to see her life-style gradually deteriorate until she was forced to stop her travels and settle on Long Island, by which time she had no reputation on which to trade and disappeared into obscurity.
The translations these people made were bought for a flat fee, so it is always more economical for publishers to continue to use them rather than commission new ones. A great deal of what is on the market today is the work of such people.
Larry, just finished German Requiem. Enjoyed it! As for translations, I wish Gregory Rabassa had done more of Marquez's novels.
Robert wrote: "Larry, just finished German Requiem. Enjoyed it! As for translations, I wish Gregory Rabassa had done more of Marquez's novels."Robert, I am glad to hear that you liked A German Requiem. I have to confess that I have never read Marquez. I've started One Hundred Years of Solitude twice but put it down both times. I know I'll go back to it.
Larry wrote: "I have to confess that I have never read Marquez. I've started One Hundred Years of Solitude twice but put it down both times."So nice to know I'm not the only one!
I've probably read it six or seven times. It's one of the few perfect novels ever written; the translation is as good as the original, according to Marquez himself.
Speaking of Marquez in the original, we read his Chronicle of a Death Foretold in college Spanish class (a long generation ago), which I didn't really care for, but wasn't really into reading much fiction back then.
John wrote: "Speaking of Marquez in the original, we read his Chronicle of a Death Foretold in college Spanish class (a long generation ago), which I didn't really care for, but wasn't really into reading much ..."I much prefer Chronicle to. 100 Years.
Didn't Marquez also write A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings? I loved that.
Oh, my gosh, I just started reading Pretty Birds by Scott Simon for book club. Not sure I'm going to make it all the way through. The writing is crass, and f-bombs are dropping everywhere. I think there's a good story in there somewhere, but the author can't get past his fixation with everyone's ass to tell it!I can't believe it has so many good comments. Sigh. Maybe it gets better . . .
Robert wrote: "Larry, just finished German Requiem. Enjoyed it! As for translations, I wish Gregory Rabassa had done more of Marquez's novels."This was a Rabassa translation, not Marquez, but I loved it:
A God Strolling in the Cool of the Evening by Mário de Carvalho
Yes, he us good! He fund some of Jorge Amado too.
I was going to mention Amado, as we read Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon for Latin American History class back in college.
I'm about halfway through Tim O'Brien's Going After Cacciato and losing steam. It's an incredible let-down to realize that about half of the book is imagined, that much of it is a soldier sitting through a long night and constructing scenes in his head. (Of course, the response would be, 'The whole thing's made up, Geoff; it's a novel. But the reader simply can't fully believe in the chapters that are 'imagined' because we know they are. And they simply aren't as well written, as if O'Brien himself can't quite fully invest himself in them.)
Geoff wrote: "I'm about halfway through Tim O'Brien's Going After Cacciato and losing steam. It's an incredible let-down to realize that about half of the book is imagined, that much of it is a soldier sitting ..."Geoff, I never read that one. I was incredibly moved by O'Brien's The Things They Carried and If I Die in a Combat Zone: Box Me Up and Ship Me Home, but the reason that I never even tried GOING AFTER CACCIATO, regardless of the many reviews that praised it, was because of the imaginary scenes that at least one reviewer mentioned.
I read GOING AFTER CACCIATO for a book group some years back. I found it difficult going (esp. after the big reveal) and certainly wouldn't have finished if I'd been reading it on my own. However, I was able to get quite a bit of enjoyment from it by digging through the intricate layers for meaning. There's an extended scene near the end that seemed to give me a clue to the whole book. That felt like a win.
Just finished Burial Rites. It is a historical novel based on the life of Agnes Magnusdottir, the last person to be executed in Iceland in 1830. It is a heart-wrenching story, but Hannah Kent does a wonderful job. I recommend it highly. I read it in two days.
I've just finished Six Bad Poems by Christopher Reid. How lovely to find a new poetry collection that’s also a story. I have a particular soft spot for this type of poetry and Six Bad Poems is a page turner. Enjoy these wonderful observations about literary life in London.
I just finished Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness. I couldn't put it down. Cahalan did a great job writing her story. It's amazing to think how many people have been given easy diagnoses that are completely wrong. How many people could be helped and cured if they could just have a doctor who will not give up on them.
Ruth wrote: "Don't get me wrong, people. I can see the usefulness of a Kindle. I have one myself. But if I'm not traveling, I much prefer a real book on real paper. And by and large a used book usually costs l..."I felt the same way, Ruth. But my current work hours are 2 pm to 11 pm. I do most of my reading in bed and now prefer the an ebook version so that I can forego the dreaded book light. I had to break down and buy a second Kindle since my first didn't have the illumination feature. It's so easy to tuck it into my pocketbook and have it with me where ever I am.
I went to a Kindle, kicking and screaming, NO! Don't take my real books away!! But now, it's just so much more convenient. I am never without my books. And as someone else mentioned, I have so many to choose from for whatever mood I'm in.
On this paper book vs. Kindle matter, one thing that hasn't been mentioned much is the access to periodicals on the Kindle. I read two newspapers and seven other periodicals and love having access to them. It's not without a few problems/bugs. I have mentioned that between my wife and myself we have four Kindles. Last weekend, the Saturday Washington Post came in to our Kindles with a Sunday date on it. On Sunday, our two newer Kindles (a Paperwhite and a Kindle Fire HD) both thought we had already received the Sunday paper and wouldn't load the actual Sunday Washington Posts.) For some reason, the older Kindles handled this glitch fine and accepted the downloading of the actual Sunday edition fine.It did take a few weeks to adjust to reading the newspapers on Kindles. I would NEVER go back now to actual paper editions. It took no time at all to adjust to reading the non-newspaper periodicals (The Economist, the American Scholar, The New York Review of Books, Science News, Cash: A Weekly Guide to Taking Charge of Your Finances, Time, and Fantasy and Science Fiction: the Extended Edition.) I preferred reading these on my Kindle right away.
SO the enhanced choice that Angela mentions as a feature is one that extends way beyond a large set of books. It's the current AND past issues of periodicals also. When I have one of my Kindles, I truly have a library with me. It's not perfect, but it is great.
OTOH, after being a 50 year subscriber to Newsweek. I've let my subscription lapse, now that it's electronic only.
Ruth wrote: "OTOH, after being a 50 year subscriber to Newsweek. I've let my subscription lapse, now that it's electronic only."Ruth,
I'm reading it on the Zinio platform. It's a sad, sad shadow of itself. I read it in about 5 minutes each week. I think Newsweek actually peaked in terms of quality when Jon Meacham took over as editor. I loved what his conception of Newsweek should be. The reading public did not. The longer he stayed, the more subscriptions plunged ... As for U.S. news weeklies, Time is not that much better. Luckily for me and my tastes, The Economist gives me what I want in terms of a news weekly. Not cheap though.
Forty years ago I came to our marriage with a Newsweek subscription. Leif brought Time. We argued to a standstill and since then have subscribed to both. But last month Newsweek expired and we let it. Neither of us was reading it. We use an iPad.
Ruth wrote: "Forty years ago I came to our marriage with a Newsweek subscription. Leif brought Time. We argued to a standstill and since then have subscribed to both. But last month Newsweek expired and we let ...":-)
I started Stanley Ellin's The Eighth Circle, a crime novel published in 1958 and winner of the 1959 Edgar Award for the best mystery of the year. In my spreadsheet that I keep on my reading, I note whether the book is from my own holdings of approx. 2,000 books, the library, or a Kindle book. The Ellin book is one that I own and had purchased a few months ago using Amazon from a UK used bookseller. I was surprised to see that it was the first book from my own holdings that I am reading in 2013. Moreover, there was only one book in 2012 that I read that was not a book from the library or on my Kindle. Clearly, the books that I actually own must be getting lonely for my company.
Charles wrote: "Years ago (too many) I did some research on the translators of the French writer Gautier as part of a paper on his English-language reputation. These translators were almost entirely of the period before it became possible to make a living at it -- roughly, before 1950. It was quite difficult to find more than scraps of information about ordinary working translators before that. It was a sorry, hand-to-mouth life. ... I had hopes of actually running one of them to earth, a woman going by the pseudonym M.M. Ripley. Because of some letters in a publisher's archive I was able to get an address for her in a Boston rooming-house. "Great posting, Charles. I truly appreciate how you have reminded us about several aspects of translation and the lives of translators.
Re-reading Heinlein's The Past Through Tomorrow. Still magnificent.
I'm about 1/3 of the way through Can You Forgive Her?, first in Trollope's Palliser series; so far, I prefer Barchester.
I just started reading The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri. It is going gud so far!!! seems promising too
Robert wrote: "Re-reading Heinlein's The Past Through Tomorrow. Still magnificent."Robert, you know how I feel about this. Magnificent is the right word. I think that I've read everything that Heinlein published, with the one exception being the very early novel of his that you helped publish. And I will read that in the near future.
John wrote: "I'm about 1/3 of the way through Can You Forgive Her?, first in Trollope's Palliser series; so far, I prefer Barchester."I like the Barchester series better than the Palliser as well. But they're both pretty great!
Larry, I wouldn't suggest anybody but a completist read it. For us, it's like looking at blueprints. Thrilling, knowing what's coming, but hard for the unaware.
Paakhi wrote: "I just started reading The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri. It is going gud so far!!! seems promising too"I just finished The Lowland. It was not my favorite of hers but still very good.
I just finished Karin Fossum's "The Indian Bride"--I've read several of her mysteries in translation and hope to read more. These are not typical who-dun-its but interesting character studies, especially her protagonist Inspector Konrad Sejer.
Mixed emotions about Tenth of December. Don't quite know what to say. I will ponder it over tonight, and try to be ready for discussion tomorrow.
Ruth, could your husband read Fossum in the original Norwegian? One always wonders about translations, how much is due to the translator, if the original is a lot better...
Carol wrote: "Mixed emotions about Tenth of December. Don't quite know what to say. I will ponder it over tonight, and try to be ready for discussion tomorrow."Have to admit I gave up after the second story. Since I have so many books I want to read, and really could not get involved in these stories, I decided to move on.
I started reading Of Human Bondage, which I'm enjoying very much, but took a break from it this weekend to read Bird by Bird. I needed a reminder that writing is messy and first drafts can suck. (I'm mired in the man-does-this-suck phase of a first draft.) I find Ann Lamott very comforting.
Beth wrote: "I started reading Of Human Bondage, which I'm enjoying very much, but took a break from it this weekend to read Bird by Bird. I needed a reminder that writing is messy and first drafts can suck. (I..."I'm taking a wonderful online writing workshop, and our teacher calls first drafts "draft-y", because they may not be "shitty" as Anne calls them (although I love that book). Hang in with the draftiness! :-)
Sara wrote: "Beth wrote: "I started reading Of Human Bondage, which I'm enjoying very much, but took a break from it this weekend to read Bird by Bird. I needed a reminder that writing is messy and first drafts..."I love it! And thank you--day by day, right? That's how it's done. And then I can fix it all :-)
No comment on current reading except to say that A.A. Milne's stories of Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends have given me and my family many hours of pleasure over the years. Why this comment today? Because it's Pooh's birthday!!! "Pooh’s birthday date is a matter of some confusion. It is widely accepted that since Winnie-the-Pooh was 1st published on 14th October, 1926 by Methuen therefore this date is Pooh’s birthday and is officially recognized as the day when Pooh celebrates his birthday. "
Here's a link: "http://www.just-pooh.com/pooh.html"
Joan wrote: "Ruth, could your husband read Fossum in the original Norwegian? One always wonders about translations, how much is due to the translator, if the original is a lot better..."Norwegian is his native tongue, so yes. But hardly he ever reads novels.
Beth wrote: "I started reading Of Human Bondage, which I'm enjoying very much, but took a break from it this weekend to read Bird by Bird. I needed a reminder that writing is messy and first drafts can suck. (I..."Beth, I had forgotten about Bird by Bird. That was such a humorous and wonderful book. Thanks for helping me remember it. Anne Lamont is a great writer.
DonnaR wrote: "Paakhi wrote: "I just started reading The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri. It is going gud so far!!! seems promising too"I just finished The Lowland. It was not my favorite of hers but still very good."
Hi Donna Thankyou!! I have often heard such a remark.. could you suggest to me some other interesting reading from Jhumpa Lahiri from your favorites perhaps??
Thanks
Paakhi wrote: "DonnaR wrote: "Paakhi wrote: "I just started reading The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri. It is going gud so far!!! seems promising too"I just finished The Lowland. It was not my favorite of hers but s..."
Paakhi, my favorite is Interpreter of Maladies, a book of short stories. Each story line has a perfect arc, in my opinion. She writes about immigrants to and from India and there is an overarching theme of "home." Great writing! There are glimpses of that crisp writing in The Lowland but many places where it is less so.
Geoff wrote: "I'm about halfway through Tim O'Brien's Going After Cacciato and losing steam. It's an incredible let-down to realize that about half of the book is imagined, that much of it is a soldier sitting ..."Puzzled. I read the "trailer" -- a story published in Antaeus before the book came out. I remember the excitement about that. We all thought it was a story and entirely invented, albeit from experience, and took it that way. True when I read the book some years later I found it a bit limp. I never thought it was more than a stretched-out story.
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Constant Reader
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I most definitely agree that many books do not lend themselves to kindle reading. I am happy that we don't have to choose between the book and the kindle. I like my kindle for on the go reading--I no longer have to have an extra bag for books when I travel, and I always have something to read when I am stuck in traffic or somewhere without a book. Fortunately, it doesn't look like books are going to die a quick death.