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What are we reading? 25th October 2021
CCCubbon wrote: "AB76 wrote: " To The Islands by Randolph Stow highlights the plight of Aboriginal populations in Western Australia and the calculated indifference towards the population via census inumerations ast..."i agree, i noticed evidence or racism in the mid 1990s and disparaging references to Redfern, a multi-cultural community in Sydney, were a byword for anti-first peoples jokes i heard a lot
Machenbach wrote: "Paul wrote: "Yes/no, in initial phases it looks like vaccinated and unvaccinated people shed virus at equal levels. But, vaccinated folks spread virus for much shorter periods. The immunocompromise..."i like the idea of a shepherds hut in the Carpathians too!
AB76 wrote: "i like the idea of a shepherds hut in the Carpathians too!"Not for me in winter I'm afraid.😀
Regarding books, I have just finished Camilleri's The Sicilian Method. Bit daft but enjoyable enough for a little light crime reading. I have now moved on to
It is written as a day to day diary but the years jump about all over the place. I am at January 20th which talks/writes? about the first Commons Sitting of Parliament in 1265 but for 19th January it talks of the Sumptuary Laws governing the sort of clothes various levels of society were allowed to wear. brought in by Edward III in 1363! (No bling for the plebs!)
I am enjoying this very much so far, but can't really recommend some of the cures suggested:
For the headache that cometh of cold. Take incense and pigeon's dung and wheat four, an ounce of each, and temper (mix) with the white of an egg; and whereso the head acheth, bind it, and it shall vanish anon
Think I'll stick with paracetamol.
Machenbach wrote: "AB76 wrote: "i like the idea of a shepherds hut in the Carpathians too!"Hey, me and Ioan Ciobanu shook on a deal right, so don't you dare gazump me with an extra bottle of țuică."
hahahaha, i was going to offer some ciorba de burta with the tuica!
FranHunny wrote: "I got Agatha Christie Marple - two quite different Miss Marples by looks (and I think the late Geraldine McEwan was quite a good Marple, "the prim and birdlike character Christie created in her novels")Do you mean you have two different series?
I'm with giveusaclue on this one - Joan Hickson was the definitive Miss Marple, and 'birdlike' definitely describes her shrewd looks. McEwan seemed totally wrong in the role to me, though of course that was in part down to the scriptwriters who appeared to have never read the originals. According to them, Marple had a boyfriend who perished in the war... and didn't she smoke as well? As if!
Machenbach wrote: "Russell wrote: "Don Quixote, Part 2In this second half the comedy continues apace. There is again a long string of entertaining episodes and knightly adventures. One or two are so inside-out that..."
I'm with you and Sydney on this - indeed, Russell's post has made me consider possibly tackling this monument, as he made it sound not only interesting, but surprisingly modern. We'll see.
The German Lesson by Siegfried Lenz
I feel this is a very inadequate, clumsy and incoherent review, but, what the heck...
On a windy day in April 1943 a man on a bike, his son behind him on the rack, makes his way along the dyke to the outlying farmhouse where the man who is referred to by everybody as "the painter" lives and works. Jens Ole Jepsen, the policeman, and Max Nansen, the painter, have been friends for a long time. They grew up in the same place, when Jens was nine Nansen, eight years older, saved him from drowning.
This time, Jens is on official duty however: to deliver a letter from Berlin. From the moment of delivery Max Ludwig Nansen would not be allowed to paint anymore. He also has to inform Max, that he, Jens, was tasked to make sure he kept to the ban.
An awkward meeting. Still, they part as friends....
Ten years later. A reform institution for young offenders. The German lesson.Write an essay on "The Joys of Duty". Siggi Jepsen, 20, thinks about his father. Overwhelmed by his memories he doesn't know where to start. He hands in a blank notebook. The punishment for this perceived disobedience: solitary confinement until he has delivered.
He starts to write. Filling notebook after notebook. The punishment soon turns into something different altogether.
Lenz's writing is extraordinarily descriptive. So much so that, while reading, I saw a film.
Long camera takes, slow swipes, zoom in, cut.
The bleak, sparsely populated landscape with it's peat bogs, drainage ditches, ruffled hedges, sheltered from the sea only by the dyke, exposed to the northwesterly winds, the rain, the sleet...
The people who have been shaped by this harsh environment.
I can see why my (impatient) teenage self found this book boring: the slow pace, no "action", no drama, not much dialogue. I couldn't read the language between the lines; or feel the tension and the undercurrents. That the drama played out underneath the surface.
I might be wrong but I feel that Lenz's novel is too often reduced to "being about" the antagonists Jens and Max in the context of the Nazi system. Let's call it a kneejerk reaction, triggered by, maybe, the (too?) obviously metaphorical title. Compounded by the Nolde connection.
This novel is, first and foremost, a "Bildungsroman" in the classic tradition. The first and the last chapter feature its "hero", Siggi Jepsen. Alpha and omega.
"The German Lesson" (the real one) marks a turning point for him. He has always been an object. Now he becomes the author of his own life, a subject. So my take on the title would go against the metaphorical grain.
One regular poster here (not me!) has repeatedly dismissed German novels for their lack of humour.
Well, I found quite a lot of subtle mockery and sarcasm, mainly in the Borstal scenes.
This book first hooked me with its beautiful prose. Then it pulled me in with the story. Some days later I am still examining the intricate construction of the net Lenz wove so expertly to catch his readers.
Seeing that the words"masterpiece" and "poetic" in a review more often than not stand for "overwrought/pretentious/contrived" I am loath to use them here.
I'll just call it a great book.
scarletnoir wrote: "FranHunny wrote: "I got Agatha Christie Marple - two quite different Miss Marples by looks (and I think the late Geraldine McEwan was quite a good Marple, "the prim and birdlike character Christie ..."Geraldine McEwan got right up my nose as Miss Marple, Julia Mackenizie was better, but Hickson was by far the best. I love the way her mouth pursed a little when she was thinking.
Georg wrote: "The German Lesson by Siegfried LenzI feel this is a very inadequate, clumsy and incoherent review, but, what the heck...
On a windy day in April 1943 a man on..."
sadly any english translations i can find are overpriced and it looks like one of Lenz's that has fallen out of favour as there are better priced translations of other novels by him
In The New Yorker: Parul Sehgal reviews Everything and Less: The Novel in the Age of Amazon by Mark McGurl, a look at how amazon.com and its subsidiaries, including Goodreads, is changing the nature of fiction. The bottom line: more genre writing (to attract likely readers) containing serial characters and cliffhanger endings (to keep them reading). Everywhere he looks, he finds allegories for Amazon. Zombie fiction—the genre he says is most in demand—might represent how Amazon regards its customers, all insatiable appetite. Meanwhile, the Adult Baby Diaper Lover (A.B.D.L.) books might be “the quintessential Amazonian genre of literature.” A typical story—take “Seduce, Dominate, Diaper,” by Mommy Claire—stars an alpha male now blissfully subdued by the maternal ministrations of the book’s heroine. The man’s infantilization exemplifies the customer’s dependence on Amazon, which, like any good mother of an infant, seeks to “minimize the delay between demand and gratification.” There’s also a thrilling edge to Mommy—a threat of punishment, of bondage—which acts as “a helpful reminder that Amazon’s customer obsession is ultimately an investment in its own market power.”https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/20...
AB76 wrote: "Georg wrote: "The German Lesson by Siegfried LenzI feel this is a very inadequate, clumsy and incoherent review, but, what the heck...
On a windy day in April..."
https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/Bo...
giveusaclue wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Georg wrote: "The German Lesson by Siegfried LenzI feel this is a very inadequate, clumsy and incoherent review, but, what the heck...
On a windy..."
thanks for that...much better than the prices i was getting quoted, it was annoying cos i remember seeing the novel at a much cheaper price a few years ago. After endorsement by Georg, i'm glad i could get it for under a fiver
AB76 wrote: "giveusaclue wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Georg wrote: "The German Lesson by Siegfried LenzI feel this is a very inadequate, clumsy and incoherent review, but, what the..."
You're welcome, hope it is still in stock!!
giveusaclue wrote: "scarletnoir wrote: "FranHunny wrote: "I got Agatha Christie Marple
Definitely agree that Joan Hickson is way out in front as Miss Marple. She could do comedy as well as drama. I saw a clip once from a black and white 1930s movie in which she had a very small part as a rather vulgar waitress, cigarette stuck in the side of her mouth, serving the two stars seated at a table and completely stealing the scene.
Definitely agree that Joan Hickson is way out in front as Miss Marple. She could do comedy as well as drama. I saw a clip once from a black and white 1930s movie in which she had a very small part as a rather vulgar waitress, cigarette stuck in the side of her mouth, serving the two stars seated at a table and completely stealing the scene.
Georg wrote: "The German Lesson by Siegfried Lenz[..."
Very interesting review, thanks Georg. I just found and ordered a copy on the US abebooks site, price $4.
Very interesting review, thanks Georg. I just found and ordered a copy on the US abebooks site, price $4.
Have finished Vargas Llosa's The Feast of the Goat, and found myself leafing back through the book, savoring his narrative timing, and re-reading his dialogues. The punishment of the assassins is harrowing, but the story of the assassins and the fate of the country is certainly worth a look.
Robert wrote: "Vargas Llosa's The Feast of the Goat"A glorious book, and easily my favourite Vargas Llosa of the few I have read. It also fit into my vague island-related novels interest.
# 102 scarletnoir wrote: " As I have no knowledge of the historical context, I would not have been put off by any inaccuracies ..."
Ah, scarlet, I hope I didn't give the impression that I was able to assess the novel in the light of my knowledge of the period. I don't have any such knowledge; I'm just incredibly picky when it comes to historical fiction. I don't really know why one novel will work for me, and another not.
(And Joan Hickson most definitely rules.)
Ah, scarlet, I hope I didn't give the impression that I was able to assess the novel in the light of my knowledge of the period. I don't have any such knowledge; I'm just incredibly picky when it comes to historical fiction. I don't really know why one novel will work for me, and another not.
(And Joan Hickson most definitely rules.)
FranHunny wrote: "Hi all ..."
Very nice to see you, Fran. I hope all's well with you.
Very nice to see you, Fran. I hope all's well with you.
Mod
I have this vague memory that my elder siblings and parents witnessed the Aurora Borealis once, before I was born or before my memory anyway. I may have made this memory up, though; my older brother can't confirm.
Mod
Animals first entered the imagination as messengers and promises.
--John Berger, Why Look at Animals?
I had planned to read Elizabeth Strout's latest next, but I reached out and pulled up Susan Orlean's On Animals instead. I've read some of these collected essays before, but look forward to the new ones.
Berger's epigraph led me to a) miss @kmir, and b) order Berger's book.
Anne wrote: "Ah, scarlet, I hope I didn't give the impression that I was able to assess the novel in the light of my knowledge of the period. I don't have any such knowledge; I'm just incredibly picky when it comes to historical fiction. I don't really know why one novel will work for me, and another not.(And Joan Hickson most definitely rules.).."
No, you didn't give a false impression - I was just attempting to guess why you didn't like it! On this occasion, it seems I come out on the side of the majority - in your reading group, at least.
It can, indeed, be hard at times to determine why certain books work/don't work for us, but discussing these issues here with all the contributors has definitely helped me to find explanations and justifications for my reactions.
As for Joan Hickson - she is so far ahead, there is no point in comparing her interpretation with other 'Miss Marples'!
Georg wrote: "The German Lesson by Siegfried LenzI feel this is a very inadequate, clumsy and incoherent review, but, what the heck...
On a windy day in April 1943 a man on..."
Thanks for that very interesting review... and also thanks to giveusaclue for the link to an affordable second-hand copy, which I have ordered. It does sound fascinating - I hope the novel survives translation.
As for 'the Nolde connection' - that had me checking Wikipedia, to remind myself... Nolde was an antisemitic Nazi supporter, whose works were banned by the Nazis - some poetic justice there - and who was refused permission to paint, even in private. (He surreptitiously produced watercolours, which he hid.) I wonder if he reassessed his earlier convictions in the light of those experiences?
The fact that the artist had to hide his work brought back a long-buried memory of a Welsh poet and good friend of my grandfather's - T E Nicholas - who, though a Communist was accused of being a fascist and locked up during WW2. My grandmother used to tell me how Nicholas wrote poems on toilet paper while in prison, and had them smuggled out - confirmed by his Wikipedia entry:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_...
I daresay there are many other examples of surreptitious prison writing and/or painting!
Anne wrote: "FranHunny wrote: "Hi all ..."Very nice to see you, Fran. I hope all's well with you."
We'll see on Monday. Boss exposed me to cold air in a meeting for about an hour. While one can walk for hours in lower degrees, one is then better clad than I was.
SydneyH wrote: "Robert wrote: "Vargas Llosa's The Feast of the Goat"A glorious book, and easily my favourite Vargas Llosa of the few I have read. It also fit into my vague island-related novels interest."
On the island reading idea:have you read any Haitian novels, Jacques Romain was a writer in the 1930s and 1940s you may be interested in? i read another classic novel about Haitians working in the Dominican Republic called "General Sun, Mr Brother"(1955) by Jacques Stephen Alexis
Mod
Good to see you! I hope you haven't suffered ill effects.
Mod
Field Grey by Philip KerrIn 1954, Bernie Gunther is in Cuba and is about to leave Cuba for Haiti as is, incidentally, a fiftyish English novelist, Señor Greene. However, Gunther's boat is stopped by a US Navy patrol boat and he is taken to Guantanamo. The story goes back and forth between 1954 and his experiences during and just after the war, including in France and the USSR. I got a little confused from time to time, but as always this is a gripping read.
Except for the first three, I haven't read the Bernie Gunther books in order. I've got two left to go: Prague Fatale and Metropolis.
AB76 wrote: "Jacques Romain was a writer in the 1930s and 1940s you may be interested in?"I'm not familiar with him. Any texts in particular?
SydneyH wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Jacques Romain was a writer in the 1930s and 1940s you may be interested in?"I'm not familiar with him. Any texts in particular?"
Masters of the Dew is considered his best work
scarletnoir wrote: "Georg wrote: "The German Lesson by Siegfried LenzI feel this is a very inadequate, clumsy and incoherent review, but, what the heck...
On a windy day in April..."
en.wiki is much to lenient with Nolde.
He was incredibly lucky to be included in the "Entartete Kunst" exhibition (though when it went on tour his works were removed, he did have friends in high places).
This made it easy to paint himself as a victim after 45.
The "Malverbot" was a lie. He was, from 41, not allowed to buy artists materials (which he got from friends), to exhibit, or to sell his works.
Until 41 his works sold extremely well in Germany. While 99.3% of artists earned less than 1000 RM/month his yearly income was up to 80 000 RM.
In 1933 he wrongly denounced Max Pechstein as a Jew. When Pechstein asked him to renounce, mentioning the danger for himself and his family, he refused.
In the same year he made plans for a "resettlement" of the Jewish population in special territories, a project he wanted to submit to the Führer.
After 45 all the racist and antisemitic passages were purged from the four volumes of his autobiography.
He died, a highly respected man, a victim of prosecution by the Nazis, in 1956. It took about 30 more years before the truth started to come to light.
On translation: a mediocre translation would spoil Lenz's novel. There are some positive comments on the translation in GR. If there is only one it should be ok.
Thanks for the TE Nicholas link. I love to read about people like him (Nye Bevan is one of my 'heroes'). Incredible, these trumped up charges...
I must re-read "How Green Was My Valley" some time soon....
.
Another "cure," for an infected wound, from A Year in the Life of Medieval England:A powder for fester, right good. Take a toad or an adder and a weasel or a mole and a cock-raven and burn them in a pot that is new, all to powder and put it in the fester.
As you would!
Georg wrote: "scarletnoir wrote: "Georg wrote: "The German Lesson by Siegfried LenzI feel this is a very inadequate, clumsy and incoherent review, but, what the heck...
On ..."
Didnt Mutti Merkel have a situation with a Nolde painting in her office a few years ago?
Georg wrote: "scarletnoir wrote: "Georg wrote: "The German Lesson by Siegfried LenzI feel this is a very inadequate, clumsy and incoherent review, but, what the heck...
On ..."
Thank you for that additional information on Nolde. Fortunately, I don't much care for his paintings, so don't need to swallow hard before 'enjoying' them! (His drawings look better...)
As for T E Nicholas - I definitely met him a few times as a kid, but don't have a clear memory... though I do remember seeing a small room improbably stuffed with uncomfortable-looking bardic chairs, which he'd won.
On looking carefully at his published works, I was surprised to see that the recipient of his 'Open letter' condemning WW1 was one 'D J Davies' - my grandfather's name and initials - but this was a 'Mr' whereas my forebear had a doctorate (PhD in German - he spent 3 years in the country, and was not surprisingly strongly opposed to the war.) So - who knows?
Gpfr wrote: " Field Grey by Philip KerrIn 1954, Bernie Gunther is in Cuba and is about to leave Cuba for Haiti as is, incidentally, a fiftyish English novelist, Señor Greene. Ho..."
An excellent series - I had forgotten the details of this book, including the appearance of Mr Greene (!). I do recall enjoying it hugely, though.
Raymond Williams was a staple of my uni years, although i didnt know him before i started studying but then he dropped off my radar, i lost the thumb eared book i had read to death and was not suffciently confident in his fiction to order "Border Country" when Parthian re-issued itHowever the bookseller paper, inserted into my copy of the NS, back in the spring advertised a re-issue of his essays on welsh issues now called Who Speaks For Wales
and i have just started to read the essays, which so far are very interesting.I always feel Wales gets neglected among the four nations of the UK and am glad to resume my reading relationship with the great man. I'm not a fan of any nationalism but i do admire the welsh identity with the language and culture, which seems stronger than the Scots and Irish flirtation with Gaelic
Lljones wrote: "Animals first entered the imagination as messengers and promises. --John Berger, Why Look at Animals?
I had planned to read Elizabeth Strout's latest next, but I reached out and pulled up Susan ..."
Thank you for your work on this site. Much appreciated.
scarletnoir wrote: "
by Bohumil Hrabal, trans. Edith PargeterMemory is a funny thing... a very long time ago, I saw the film based on this short novella - 'Closely Observed..."
Hrabel's I Served the King of England is also good-- a picaresque novel, with flashes of philosophy.
Mod
Thanks for the thanks, Robert. Any hope for viewing the Northern Lights tonight in your neck of the woods? Crystal clear skies here in Portland at the moment; for me the only challenge will be staying awake until after dark!
Are there any fans of Bernard Malamud here? I'm wondering which is a better starting point out of the Assistant or The Fixer.
Mod
Aah, Malamud!
Malamud was still in place at Oregon State University when my recently-late brother began his English Lit studies at University of Oregon, ~50 miles away. My bro introduced me to Malamud at a very early age; I can't think of one without the other.
It has been many years since I've read Malamud. My first choice would be The Natural, of course, being a baseball fan. I think my brother (though also a baseball fan) would vote for The Fixer. I wish I could call my bro and ask him.
Look forward to your reviews.
(Edit: just double-checked my brother's book db: three Malamuds on his shelves include The Fixer, The Assistant, and The Natural.)
Lljones wrote: "I think my brother (though also a baseball fan) would vote for The Fixer."Thanks. I noted that Harold Bloom recommended The Stories and The Fixer, while James Wood recommended The Stories and The Assistant. I've clearly seen Malamud's name on a thousand lists before, but somehow never quite absorbed it, though I think I might like him.
CCCubbon wrote: "AB76 wrote: " To The Islands by Randolph Stow highlights the plight of Aboriginal populations in Western Australia and the calculated indifference towards the population via census inumerations ast..."I think many people underestimate the scale of anti-indigenous racism in former colonies like Australia and my own country, Canada: it's really the most pervasive and the most historically significant form of racism in many of those countries, with the huge exception of the US, where it tends to be eclipsed by their specific historical experience of institutionalised African slavery.
Russell wrote: "Don Quixote, Part 2In this second half the comedy continues apace. There is again a long string of entertaining episodes and knightly adventures. One or two are so inside-out that they might have..."
Just wanted to echo the praises you've already received from others for this perceptive review of Part 2.
On the bowdlerisation problem, it's such a disappointment, because otherwise I'd be inclined to read Smollet's translation.
FranHunny wrote: "Hi all, have not been busy with books much - just want to drop in and say I am still alive, still without COVID and since June fully vacced. I have started new a self-help book: the 1% method - u..."
Good to see you back, FranHunny!
Georg wrote: "The German Lesson by Siegfried LenzI feel this is a very inadequate, clumsy and incoherent review, but, what the heck...
On a windy day in April 1943 a man on..."
I'm convinced, definitely want to read this. Any other Siegfried Lenz books recommended?
AB76 wrote: "On the island reading idea:have you read any Haitian novels, Jacques Romain was a writer in the 1930s and 1940s you may be interested in? i read another classic novel about Haitians working in the Dominican Republic called "General Sun, Mr Brother"(1955) by Jacques Stephen Alexis "Not familiar with either of those writers. I've been feeling the need to read more Haitian literature lately, glad to learn of these two names.
I liked this poem on PotW that whomightitbe posted , pasted it over on poems and now here for I have been trying to match words with the descriptionsPretty Words
Bookman, October 1921
Poets make pets of pretty, docile words:
I love smooth words, like gold-enamelled fish
Which circle slowly with a silken swish,
And tender ones, like downy-feathered birds:
Words shy and dappled, deep-eyed deer in herds,
Come to my hand, and playful if I wish,
Or purring softly at a silver dish,
Blue Persian kittens, fed on cream and curds.
I love bright words, words up and singing early;
Words that are luminous in the dark, and sing;
Warm lazy words, white cattle under trees;
I love words opalescent, cool, and pearly,
Like midsummer moths, and honied words like bees,
Gilded and sticky, with a little sting.
I've been reading John Banville's articles on Philip Roth and I came across this lovely post from 2011, in which a writer discusses the awkward situation of writing his PhD on Banville ... while he is still alive and living nearby: https://themillions.com/2011/06/worki...
Berkley wrote: "AB76 wrote: "On the island reading idea:have you read any Haitian novels, Jacques Romain was a writer in the 1930s and 1940s you may be interested in? i read another classic novel about Haitians wo..."The Alexis novel is interesting as it looks at the poverty of Haiti and the desperate seasonal workers who move accross the Dominican Republic border to work, where they are seen as second class citizens. Its written in the 1950s and i would recommend that first
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Th..."
I visited Australia three times, the last in 2006 so I am hoping it has changed now. The prejudice and antipathy towards the Aboriginal people amongst many white Australians shocked me.
There is racial discrimination here but nothing like as bad as I witnessed there at that time. Got myself thrown out of one house for standing up to complain.