Flights - Background and General (Mar 2019)

[Hugh]

Our moderator pick for March/April is the winner of last year's Man Booker International Prize. The translation by Jennifer Croft is the third Tokarczuk novel to reach an English-speaking audience, after House of Day, House of Night and Primeval and Other Times. A fourth one Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead was published last year and has recently been longlisted for this years MBI prize. Another major work The Books of Jacob is also in the pipeline.

Flights is an unusual hybrid of linked short stories and other even shorter fragments, some factual and some fictional, linked by a loose theme of travel.

A few reviews (which may contain spoilers, though the nature of the book renders spoilers somewhat meaningless!):
https://www.theguardian.com/books/201...
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/14/bo...
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/20...
https://www.washingtonpost.com/entert...
https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-...
https://chireviewofbooks.com/2018/08/...
https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/bo...
https://www.ft.com/content/efae24e2-6...
https://www.lrb.co.uk/v39/n19/adam-ma...

I am aware that some of you will already have discussed this book extensively, but I thought it was worth revisiting here. Who will be joining? Have you read anything else by Tokarczuk.

[Marc]

Count me in. This will be my first Tokarczuk.

[Kristina]

I am very excited to discuss flights.

Altough it is my first Tokarczuk, it is not my first encounter with the author. During my literature classes (I did study Polish studies) we did discuss her as an example of modern Polish writer. I remember having heard her public book reading on a different book (can't remember the title). This was during a summer school and there was a panel discussion with Tokarczuk on her writing process. Very interesting. Also, if I am not mistaken, she is politically interested and criticised the current Polish government regarding their culture politics.

[Lia]

I’ve read this before; I don’t know if I’ll have time to reread this but I look forward to reading your discussion.

I’ve also read her short story, The Ugliest Woman in the World, which I really like. I haven’t read anything else by Tokarczuk.

[Whitney]

I'll be joining, but probably running behind a little. I picked up a copy last year, and have only just started. But even after 3 pages I'm pretty sure I'm going to love it.

[Hugh]

Thanks. This one was my second Tokarczuk and one of my favourite books of last year. I read Primeval and Other Times a couple of years older and found it odd and a little confusing, and have also now read Drive Your Plow and House of Day, House of Night. I will be looking out for The Books of Jacob as soon as it is available.

[LindaJ^]

I read this last year in connection with the 2018 MBI prize. I thought it was creative and well written, but sort of a slog to get through, although I'm not sure why. I will not be re-reading but will follow the commentary and comment if I can.

[Navi]

I plan on joining in on the discussion. I hope to start reading this weekend.

[Linda]

I picked this book up at the library when I saw that it was the moderator pick, so I’m hoping to fit it in. I’ll probably not start reading until another week or so. I remember being curious about it when I read a few reviews last year. This will be my first book by this author.

[Mark]

Yay Olga! Nobel comes through!