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What Are We Reading? 12 April 2021
Retallack is brilliant on 19th century Germany in
He has the inquiring mind of all the great historians, nothing is final , opinions are numerous and involve sensible discussion. He took part in the Washington project to upload huge amounts of german documents online in the "German history in documents and images" project :
https://ghdi.ghi-dc.org/about.cfm?lan...
The chapter i am currently reading is on the 1866 German civil war as Retallack calls it, with the Prussian occupation of Dresden and the slow pressure applied by Bismarck to finalise Saxony joining the confederation. His main study is of the Saxon Royal family and how Kaiser Johann surivived being on the wrong side in the 1866 conflict., Fascinating
scarletnoir wrote: "it also seems to be less efficient in immuno-de/su-pressed people than the Pfizer one."Well, as I belong in that group - and have not been indoors in a shop or pub or anything, really... apart from bubbled family members - for more than a year, that's a bit concerning!"
Super briefly as between meetings, and as I don't know why you might be immuno-compromised...
The picture is very preliminary at present, but it seems that:
- people on hemodialysis fare almost as well as "healthy" people
- the story is quite different with people who have had transplants (see e.g. here https://twitter.com/Dorry_Segev/statu... and the link to their paper) - many are starting to advocate for 3 jabs in those cases
- of those with auto-immune diseases, results are encouraging, except if they take some very specific treatments: please see this https://ard.bmj.com/content/early/202....
More studies are quite advanced in the pipeline that will help draw a much clearer picture. In the mean time, 2 jabs is the absolute minimum, and keep being as safe as possible - distance, mask and hand-washing!
Under This Terrible Sun by Carlos Busqued, translated by Megan McDowell.
I'll remember this book fondly, not least because it came along after a run of 6 stinkers, and it is a long time since that has happened.
This is subtle noir, and a fine example of the genre; short sharp sentences, simple flawed characters with mysterious uncertain morals, a slow reveal plot, and of course, gritty and tough.
The characters however disparate, have two things in common, they smoke a huge amount of weed and watch nature documentaries; the latter, a hidden bonus to the book, learning (for example) of the first sightings and legend of Kraken (giant squid). It is perhaps symbolic that the harsh existence of the creatures featured mirrors the cruel environment of characters in this Chaco region of northern Argentina.
The novel's strength is in addressing the question of what staves away despair in such an amoral and unstable world, and will the repetitive monotony of doom our players are caught up in be broken.
Well, I've been on a reading spree these last two weeks. First I read a very short novel - Bellow's Seize the Day - and then a very long one - DeLillo's Underworld - which suited me fine (the latter is a masterpiece, BTW). Lately, re-read Auster's "City of Glass" and devoured The Space Merchants by Pohl & Kornbluth, an SF novel with a compelling plot and a slightly disappointing denouement. Currently reading Dangling Man, another Bellow. Oh, and had a haircut.Gotta love these lockdowns.
Hushpuppy wrote: "scarletnoir wrote: "it also seems to be less efficient in immuno-de/su-pressed people than the Pfizer one."Well, as I belong in that group - and have not been indoors in a shop or pub or anything..."
Thanks - I'm being pretty careful (as you can guess)... I see that one product I received - but a number of years ago - does reduce antibody production. Still, if I meet no-one (or practically no-one), I won't catch it! So, I'm cool.
Slawkenbergius wrote: "...The Space Merchants by Pohl & Kornbluth...First mention ever of this, I think - one of my favourite SF novels, before I stopped reading the genre more or less completely... am I right in thinking that this is the one in which an artificially grown 'meat' called 'chicken little' is produced? (It's a long time since I read it...)
Never got on with Bellow, and am wary of committing to DeLillo - probably not my sort of thing.
Slawkenbergius wrote: "devoured The Space Merchants by Pohl & Kornbluth."Ah, interesting. It's been decades since I read any Frederik Pohl (and I can't remember which of his I had read). I might have to track this one down
Hushpuppy wrote: "@Paul, you're on fine form, there have been some truly inspired reviews from you lately!"Thanks! That's good to hear. I've felt a bit of a malaise lately (the science gawds aren't shining on me at the moment*), so I'm happy that the reading (and noisy punk kids) are diverting.
* moment=6 months
After a sojourn in the genteel world of Barbara Pym, it's back to blood and guts with another James Crumley - Bordersnakes. Of course, I am enjoying it hugely - but this isn't a review. I just wanted to comment on the fascinating language used - Crumley really does use very specific terms, which are definitely meaningless to an UK English speaker, and may well baffle Americans too, for all I know... thus:"I took the GED before the Army turned me loose, then worked my way through college at Mountain States doing the night shift pulling the green chains at the local lumber mill, and spending summers gandy dancing for the railroad..."
You WHAT?
So, then - thanks to Dr Google: GED = general equivalency degree (or diploma)
"pulling the green chains" - just have a look: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_w30...
"gandy dancing" - not appearing in some sort of bizarre cabaret, but bloody hard physical labour (again) as explained here: https://www.urbandictionary.com/defin...
Even better, with songs to keep the rhythm:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=025QQ...
I suppose too much of this sort of thing would get annoying, but in context it is simply fascinating to see the richness of language and of cultural variation. It's why Crumley rises way above the level of most noir writers. He knows language, and uses it well.
scarletnoir wrote:Wow. GED I knew, otherwise I would a google translator in order to understand that passage
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Wow. GED I knew, otherwise I would a google translator in order to understand that passage"
Unusual for me, but I got all three...my father worked the green chains in various lumber mills, and a great-uncle was a gandy dancer.
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I've read 3 or 4 DeLillo titles, with mixed result. I've intended to read Underworld for eons, being a baseball nut. It's in one of the boxes I've packed up from my brother's shelves, so maybe I'll get to it soon.
Someone over at the real TLS was a big fan, I think - Natasha?
Lljones wrote: "Slawkenbergius wrote: ",,,and then a very long one - DeLillo's Underworld - which suited me fine (the latter..."I've read 3 or 4 DeLillo titles, with mixed result. I've intended to read [book:Und..."
arent we the "real" TLS, we resurrected a disbanded forum!
i say "we", i mean you and justine LL...you resurrected it!
scarletnoir wrote: am I right in thinking that this is the one in which an artificially grown 'meat' called 'chicken little' is produced?"Yep, that's the one. Took me some time to understand what 'Chicken Little' was about.
Paul wrote: "Ah, interesting. It's been decades since I read any Frederik Pohl (and I can't remember which of his I had read)."
The Space Merchants is such a lame title, and misleading too... It started as a first draft by Pohl named 'Fall Campaign', and after he completed it with Kornbluth it became 'Gravy Planet' and it was as such it was first published in three instalments in Galaxy magazine. It only acquired the definitive title when it was first released as a separate volume by Ballantine Books.
Lljones wrote: "Someone over at the real TLS was a big fan, I think - Natasha?"A gent of undeniable good taste, Natasha is.
There's a lot going one in Underworld and the scope of the narrative is sometimes vertigo-inducing. A novel in a riveting prose style and an original structure. The themes DeLillo grapples with are very serious - not unlike in White Noise -, but he always manages to insert humour into the end product. As I expected, a highly thought-provoking piece of fiction.
Slawkenbergius wrote: " Bellow's Seize the Day - and then a very long one - DeLillo's Underworld"What have you made of the Bellow titles? I enjoyed Underworld when I read it, though I didn't find it as stylistically riveting as you did.
@LL, the beginning is devoted to baseball, so you could just read the first fifty pages or so. I think it's probably the highlight of the book. I think Natasha was a devotee of Libra, though I don't recall where I heard/read that.
I'm not a big baseball fan myself and also find the semi-mystical reverence accorded to it in American culture a little annoying at times, so Underworld isn't high on my list of DeLillo novels to read, though I imagine I'll get to it eventually.Space Merchants has a great concept - and in SF I sometimes feel that that's half the battle!
scarletnoir wrote: "Slawkenbergius wrote: "...The Space Merchants by Pohl & Kornbluth...First mention ever of this, I think - "
I mentioned The Space Merchants back at the beginning of the year in relation to an actual news story.
SydneyH wrote: "@LL, the beginning is devoted to baseball, so you could just read the first fifty pages or so. I think it's probably the highlight of the book."That section was later published as a separate book: Pafko at the Wall (pre-Underworld it first appeared on its own in an issue of Harper's).
Slawkenbergius wrote: "Lljones wrote: "Someone over at the real TLS was a big fan, I think - Natasha?"A gent of undeniable good taste, Natasha is."
Undeniably. Nilpferd is also a big fan, I remember his review of it...
You had quite the reading spree! Seize The Day was the one Bellow that I stopped a bit less than halfway through 2 years ago (I know, I know, that's only about 40 pages in! I can hear @SydneyH's thoughts from here); not that I didn't like it, but perhaps it didn't grab my attention enough. I might give it another try in a year when my attention span is a bit less challenged than at the moment!
Edit: forgot to say that even if TMW is a vocal supporter of DeLillo, he didn't seem to like Underworld for some reason...
scarletnoir wrote: "I see that one product I received - but a number of years ago - does reduce antibody production"Please do not take my word for it as this is really not my domain of expertise, but I would have thought that, in these studies, what mattered was if people were taking these products concurrently with the administration of the vaccine...
Btw, nice Crumley quotes there!
Berkley wrote: "I'm not a big baseball fan myself and also find the semi-mystical reverence accorded to it in American culture a little annoying at times, so Underworld isn't high on my list of DeLillo novels to r..."Rounders on steroids!
Finished reading Death in the Dolomites by David P Wagner, the second in the Rick Montoya series. Crime novel with scenery and cuisine thrown in!I'm about to startDeadly Cry the latest in Angela Marsons' Kim Stone series.
Shelflife_wasBooklooker wrote: "Jane Austen, Persuasion - @Hushpuppy, @lass, @gpfr: Watched the 1995 film today, thanks again for the recommendation! I had seen it soon after it came out, apparently… my memory could be much bette..."Poor Molly gets dragged into everything. Older photos show her against a backdrop of the railings of Trinity College but she was moved some years ago to make way from the tram, only around the corner mind you. No one in Dublin, bar some breast oglers, passes much heed of her. As for cycling ... well, yes, this is the spitting image of me heading out most days.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/202...
Reen wrote: "Shelflife_wasBooklooker wrote: "Jane Austen, Persuasion - @Hushpuppy, @lass, @gpfr: Watched the 1995 film today, thanks again for the recommendation! I had seen it soon after it came out, apparentl..."when I was briefly in Dublin many years ago I encountered a statue of 'The mermaid of the Liffey' only to find out that she had been, colloquially, downgraded, quite quickly, to the 'floozy in the jacuzzi' and then apparently reached rock bottom as 'the hoor in the sewer'. Is she still there? and has she perhaps managed to reclaim herself?
I do hope so. It reminds me of an early piece of feminist postcard proselytizing of the 70's. "A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle". Perhaps the mermaid rode off on her bicycle... to reclaim new and exciting foreign shores... in the end?
AB wrote: “Retallack is brilliant on 19th century Germany…”
Sold. I have ordered a copy.
Sold. I have ordered a copy.
AB76 wrote: "giveusaclue wrote: "AB76 wrote: "giveusaclue wrote: "AB76 wrote: "good news about second jab,looks like the under 40s may get a choice of jabs when they get called now..."Reports that EU may not ..."
I have had my first shot of Pfizer, and am awaiting the second. I certainly hope that they have a clue....
Robert wrote: "AB76 wrote: "giveusaclue wrote: "AB76 wrote: "giveusaclue wrote: "AB76 wrote: "good news about second jab,looks like the under 40s may get a choice of jabs when they get called now..."Reports tha..."
Still on the waiting list, waiting here patiently.
Slawkenbergius wrote: "scarletnoir wrote: am I right in thinking that this is the one in which an artificially grown 'meat' called 'chicken little' is produced?"Yep, that's the one. Took me some time to understand what..."
Your post reminded me that I had seen the term "chicken little" somewhere else, so this time I took the trouble to google it. It has a meaning, and an origin in a folk tale:
Definition: one who warns of or predicts calamity especially without justification
Synonyms:
Cassandra, doomsayer, doomsdayer, doomster
Folk tale origin:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henny_P...
It seems that Pohl and Kornbluth were having a bit of a joke at the reader's expense, though it went way over my head when I read the book.
Bill wrote: "I mentioned The Space Merchants back at the beginning of the year in relation to an actual news story."Ah, OK - I either missed it, or forgot!
Tam wrote: "...when I was briefly in Dublin many years ago I encountered a statue...As one does. The statue I recall best from my wanderings in that city is the Oscar Wilde memorial - unforgettable, though I am still not sure if that is for good or bad reasons!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_W...
While I am about it (Dublin), I know that some of you care a great deal about 'books as objects' - not really my thing, usually, but I was tremendously impressed with the Chester Beatty collection, which includes a large number of beautiful illustrated manuscripts etc. - highly recommended to anyone with that interest:
https://chesterbeatty.ie/
SydneyH wrote: "I enjoyed Underworld when I read it, though I didn't find it as stylistically riveting as you did."I like his style, and the fact that he blends easily demotic with literary terms (he's not the only one out there doing it; Pynchon and even Bellow are masters of the register crossover. A heritage of Jimmy Joyce, maybe?)
But there is something I particularly enjoyed in the way he wrote Underworld: the fact that he uses repetition of phrases and sentences spirally (the words are never repeated exactly the same way) so as to convey a certain state of mind. He used it extensively in the chapter dealing more specifically with Nick Shay's mother, an elderly lady who is gradually losing her autonomy, The alternate repetitions help suggest how her capacities start to wane and get mangled. I think he had recourse to the same device when Klara Sax remembers events from her distant past. And it adds a certain cadence to the narrative.
But where these repetitions really get to their paroxysm is
spoiler alert
when Nick accidentally shoots his friend George Manza and his feelings are described in a turmoil of shock, confusion and dismay.
Then the thing went off and the noise busted through the room and even with the chair and body flying he had the thumbmark of George’s face furrowed in his mind.
The way the man said no when he asked if it was loaded.
He asked if the gun was loaded and the man said no and the smile was all about the risk, of course, the spirit of the dare of what they were doing.
He felt the trigger pull and then the gun went off and he was left there thinking weakly he didn’t do it.
But first he pointed the gun at the man’s head and asked if it was loaded.
Then he felt the trigger pull and heard the gun go off and the man and chair went different ways.
And the way the man said no when he asked if it was loaded.
He asked if the thing was loaded and the man said no and now he has a weapon in his hands that has just apparently been fired.
He force-squeezed the trigger and looked into the smile on the other man’s face.
But first he posed with the gun and pointed it at the man and asked if it was loaded.
Then the noise busted through the room and he stood there thinking weakly he didn’t do it.
But first he force-squeezed the trigger and saw into the smile and it seemed to have the spirit of a dare.
Why would the man say no if it was loaded?
But first why would he point the gun at the man’s head?
He pointed the gun at the man’s head and asked if it was loaded.
Then he felt the action of the trigger and saw into the slyness of the smile.
giveusaclue wrote: "Rounders on steroids!..."Oh, but rounders is so much more exciting, at least how we used to play it in Bolton.
Hushpuppy wrote: "You had quite the reading spree! Seize The Day was the one Bellow that I stopped a bit less than halfway through 2 years ago "Yes, I remember that. Admittedly, Seize the Day doesn't have the most exciting first pages, but it has the merit of bulding the action in a non-stop crescendo of suspense and emotional claustrophobia up until the end of the book. The climax really is in the last paragraphs. And it's an open finale.
Slawkenbergius wrote: "I like his style, and the fact that he blends easily demotic with literary term..."Yeah, I think that's what I dislike about it :) What I did like about Underworld was the representation of the Cold War period, complete with the threat of nuclear war, which is something that my generation just sort of missed. I also was pretty awestruck by the depiction of the Bronx in New York City, at a time of absolute poverty. Seize the Day didn't quite agree with me, but there was just enough in it to make me persevere with Bellow.
I finished a couple of books this week.First, thanks to Lass for drawing my attention to Letters to Alice: On First Reading Jane Austen. It was an enjoyable read, an introduction to literary appreciation and what it is to be a writer. There's a lot of humour in it too. However, it's a bit dated for today's audience of youths starting on an English Literature degree - the fact that it's a series of letters (we're already well past emails), and now can google everything. But still, I wouldn't have turned my nose up at the offer to buy me a "word processor" (laptop), nor to fund studying in America.
The other discovery was The Invoice by Swedish actor/writer Jonas Karlsson. It was just the sort of book to cheer me up during Covid. Essentially about happiness, it's premise is kafkaesque, it's nicely written, and it did make me think of some of the Swedes I've met.
SydneyH wrote: "What I did like about Underworld was the representation of the Cold War period, complete with the threat of nuclear war, which is something that my generation just sort of missed."Indeed. Paranoia is a huge subtext in Underworld. Sign of the times.
I also enjoyed the way we learn the connection between the different characters and how they meet and interact. And of course, the story of the famous baseball passing from hand to hand, from a young black boy living in the Bronx in 1951 to Nick Shay working in Arizona in the '90s.
Lljones wrote: "Unusual for me, but I got all three...my father worked the green chains in various lumber mills, and a great-uncle was a gandy dancer."I did wonder whether the terms would be widely understood in the US... "green chains" being linked to lumber mills, I thought that the term may only be understood in parts where logging is common... the railroad went everywhere (more or less), but the "gandy dancers" have now been replaced by machines, so maybe the younger generation don't know the term...?
But - machines don't sing.
Russell wrote: "AB wrote: “Retallack is brilliant on 19th century Germany…”Sold. I have ordered a copy."
good stuff Russ! It should be a very interesting read...as a history graduate, i love books like this that are assuming previous or detailed knowledge and argue back and forth with established theories and ideas that have emerged over time
detailed history books that go from A-Z, in a linear fashion are great if its a new topic/area you have no knowledge about but are not usually my cup of tea. Popular history i find very hard to digest, it always feels treacly and light, neatly packaged and sealed....good for soup or a ready meal not for something weighty
Georg wrote: "His popularity was largely due to his verbosity. He did not hold anything back and he did not challenge his readers. There are hardly any hints or insinuations in his prose, his narrative doesn't know the indirect and he almost always foregoes irony.""Hmm, that's definitely a useful piece of information. I might have to leave Wasserman for other days, I'm not lucid or wakeful enough to read a wordy psychological treatise
SydneyH wrote: "Slawkenbergius wrote: "I like his style, and the fact that he blends easily demotic with literary term..."Yeah, I think that's what I dislike about it :) What I did like about Underworld was the ..."
Glad you enjoyed Fay Weldon’s Letters to Alice. Thought it may not hold up too well with younger people reading it today. My copy was from ‘84, before Fay herself got a few “pelters” a few years ago, for “adjusting” her views on society. I saw her at the Ed Bookfest about that time, and though memory is a bit hazy, she was “ good value for money! I don’t think she ever felt comfortable “ toeing the party line”, so to speak.
Tam wrote: "Reen wrote: "Shelflife_wasBooklooker wrote: "Jane Austen, Persuasion - @Hushpuppy, @lass, @gpfr: Watched the 1995 film today, thanks again for the recommendation! I had seen it soon after it came o..."Anna Livia Plurabelle to give her her original name (from Joyce's Finnegan's Wake) was actually a much loved landmark on O'Connell Street where she was propped up in a sort of throne-line edifice. She was removed to faciliate redevelopment of the street in the early 2000s and went into storage before being rehomed in The Croppies Memorial Park opposite the Guinness Brewery and near Heuston Station. It's a quiet spot, not much happens there ... and she's now obliged to hold herself up in some kind of boat pose yoga move. She's lovely I think and deserves a better pitch but maybe she likes the relative peace and enjoys not being used as a urinal. I pass her on my way to work on Merrion Square (opposite Merrion Park where I sometimes bump into Oscar (hello Scarlet) at lunchtime or if I need ten minutes time out from my colleagues) if I drive to work.
https://excellentstreetimages.com/in-...
As scarlet.. (Dublinese for being mortified on your own or another's behalf - "scarlet for him") notes, the Chester Beatty is an amazing spot in the grounds of Dublin Castle, the collections are incredible and if you don't find something in them to your liking (you'd be hard pressed not to), there's a very good café and museum shop there too.
Surely some here will enjoy this Edo online exhibition https://chesterbeatty.ie/
Follow the Silk Road... https://www.silkroadcafe.ie/
I should point out I don't work for the tourist board.
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Thanks for this! I've just had a quick look - will take more time later - & have sent the link to my daughter who will love it.
Vietnam is the topic of my latest modern novel, well written in 1975 (lol)The Odd Angry Shot
was written by an australian SAS veteran who served with the 60,000 other Aussies deployed to Vietnam (3,000 New Zealanders too)Not much is known in the UK of the aussie involvement and this short novel won the Aussie National Book Award in 1975
Should be an intense read
Robert wrote: "I have had my first shot of Pfizer, and am awaiting the second. I certainly hope that they have a clue...."We all hope that, but I had better not say any more...........😀
scarletnoir wrote: "It seems that Pohl and Kornbluth were having a bit of a joke at the reader's expense, though it went way over my head when I read the book."Mine too. The only bell Chicken Little rang was this one.
AB76 wrote: "Vietnam is the topic of my latest modern novel, well written in 1975 (lol)The Odd Angry Shot
was written by an australian SAS veteran who served with the 6..."Well if the (not bad) film is anything to go by, you'll find it a bit of a hoot. They do occasionally do some shooting...
Mention of The Space Merchants reminds me that I have long had, unread, a copy of the same authors' Gladiator-at-Law. I'll have to get to it soon, as that's the second time this year it's been brought to mind, the first being a reference by "America's mayor" to "trial by combat" back in January.
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Franzen's narrative is full. Overly full... I've come to treasure the empty spaces in books, the unasked questions, the unresolved conflicts, that leave space for me to walk alongside the character. With Franzen, there was no room for me."
Interesting.
I quite like Franzen - he's not boring, anyway - but this comment reminds me strongly of the opening chapters of Elmer Gantry by Sinclair Lewis, in which an uninteresting but charismatic drunk and his Svengali-like 'friend' are introduced. In that book, we are told absolutely everything about a boring character... I stopped reading pretty quickly (perhaps too soon?). It didn't stop Lewis from being the first American to win a Nobel for literature, though!
Does the book get any better? Possibly (the reverse is too horrible to contemplate). But I rather doubt it.