What are we reading? 19th January 2022

[Hushpuppy]

AB76 wrote: "While A Man of the The People by Chinua Achebe(1966) is witty and cutting in its satire on african corruption, its lavicious tone is starting to get rather tedious."

Very good to know AB, thanks a lot. I'll focus on reading another book on Nigeria when I get to it! PatLux, who is really quite knowledgeable about Nigeria, has recommended Ben Okri's The Famished Road. And there was in the same thread some ringing endorsement of Welcome to Lagos by Chibundu Onuzo by Alby/Rick and tiojo.

[AB76]

Hushpuppy wrote: "AB76 wrote: "While A Man of the The People by Chinua Achebe(1966) is witty and cutting in its satire on african corruption, its lavicious tone is starting to get rather tedious."

Very good to know..."

yes, Nigeria has a rich vein of literary talent from the 1950s onwards, i never liked Okri, i remember i was at school when he won that prize and the book was hyped by teachers, so i decided to read it and utterly hated it!

The funniest writer from Nigeria is Ekwensi and who is rather behind Soyinka,Amadi and Achebe in the public eye, which is a shame

From the other side of Africa(Kenya), Thiongo's "Matagari" is well worth a read, one of his many novels written in his own tongue rather than english since the early 80s

[Andy]

Hushpuppy wrote: "Andy wrote: "And I've just finished Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung"

I remember Alwynne reviewed it too not too long ago (you can find it on the book's GR page), and while she might have had a few more..."
Well, we agree on that…

[Georg]

AB76 wrote(#216): "Georg wrote: "AB76 wrote (#214): "While A Man of the The People by Chinua Achebe(1966) is witty and cutting in its satire on african corruption, its lavicious tone is starting to get rather tedious..."

Ah, these men "lacking morals"! Outliers, aliens from another planet, no doubt. Because there has been no sexism (or racism) on our planet since time memorial.

[Hushpuppy]

AB76 wrote: "The funniest writer from Nigeria is Ekwensi and who is rather behind Soyinka,Amadi and Achebe in the public eye, which is a shame"

That's a great tip, thanks a lot AB!

Btw, my f-i-l (a Wicklow man if you remember) has absolutely loved The Hungry Grass that I got him for his birthday a few months ago following your very strong recommendation.

[Georg]

AB76 wrote (#219): "Hushpuppy wrote: "AB76 wrote: "While A Man of the The People by Chinua Achebe(1966) is witty and cutting in its satire on african corruption, its lavicious tone is starting to get rather tedious."
..."

I am with you on "The Famished Road". Ditched it after about 20 pages. It was part of my personal learning experience about Booker winners.

[AB76]

Hushpuppy wrote: "AB76 wrote: "The funniest writer from Nigeria is Ekwensi and who is rather behind Soyinka,Amadi and Achebe in the public eye, which is a shame"

That's a great tip, thanks a lot AB!

Btw, my f-i-l..."

great to here this Hush, glad he liked it, this is where the TLS comes into its own, spreading books among the families of the posters on here. It was my best read of last year!

and yes i remembered he was from Wicklow where the novel is set

[Hushpuppy]

I've just seen that the Guardian has yet another new monthly book series, focusing on a given writer: "Where to start with". To kick the serie off is Janice Hallett on Agatha Christie: https://www.theguardian.com/books/202...

[Fuzzywuzz]

giveusaclue wrote: "FrancesBurgundy wrote: "Fuzzywuzz wrote: "For years, in my head, I read the word 'awry' as 'oree' .."

Me too Fuzz. I thought it came from 'awe'. I also thought 'misled' was the past tense of 'misl..."

Oh yes! I must also mention hyperbole.

[Fuzzywuzz]

Georg wrote: "On pronounciation:

I really didn't understand the problem with "awry" [ooree]. Now I've listened to the pronounciation. Same with epitome....
I am sure I will always read/write them with the wron..."

When my family and I moved to Ireland in the late 1980's, we were lost and my dad pulled up and asked where 'Youghal' was. My dad pronounced it as you-gull. It is locally pronounced 'yall'.

[Berkley]

scarletnoir wrote: "
Let's just say that I identified far more with Ivan than Alyosha, but the idea that the latter was to plot an assassination attempt on the tsar in the unwritten second novel makes him - in retrospect - far more interesting, and worthy of comparison with the characters in Camus' 'Les Justes':."

One is reminded of Robbespierre's reputation for high-minded moral values, seemingly so much at odds with his later behaviour during the Terror - but of course, not really.

From memory, even at the end of The Brothers Karamazov isn't Alyosha already planning to liberate his brother Dmitri from the police guard at some point on their journey to Siberia, or do I have that wrong?

[Berkley]

scarletnoir wrote: "CCCubbon wrote: "We could set up a special film topic here on gr, keep it with the poem, photos - use gr for those particular passions."

Indeed - why not, if enough people are interested?"

I'm all for a film discussion forum, or whatever the correct term is. Since they re-opened theatres back in June last year until they closed them again a few weeks ago, I thnk I've seen around 20 movies, not counting what I've watched on tv or on the computer screen at home. They're supposed to re-open again in a week or two.

[MK]

Georg wrote: "Yoshi wrote (#190): "scarletnoir wrote: "Machenbach wrote: "The narrator of Before and During is clearly related to the Dostoyevskyan 'type' - his sudden blackouts and memory loss an echo (ironic?)..."

Book editors must have some sort of checklist. They certainly ought to add - Would a map enhance this product?

I've just finished The Apocalypse Factory: Plutonium and the Making of the Atomic Age, and, even though I generally have a mapin my head of Hanford (where the innards of scads of atomic bombs were made), it would have been so much better if I had had a real map (had to google one) that I could refer to.

Otherwise, though, it was really interesting and makes me want to do a return trip if the EPA ever opens them up again. I went on one about 15 years ago and was amazed what was done so many years ago. And disgusted too, as the clean-up will take many lifetimes.

[MK]

Silesian StationMK wrote: "Georg wrote: "Yoshi wrote (#190): "scarletnoir wrote: "Machenbach wrote: "The narrator of Before and During is clearly related to the Dostoyevskyan 'type' - his sudden blackouts and memory loss an ..."

@scarletnoir - I remember your mentioning Bernie Gunther and wonder if you have ever checked out David Downing's 'Berlin Station' (as in train stations) mysteries. The first is Zoo Station and war finally begins at the end of the second book, Silesian Station which I have just finished on audio. Spying in involved. i'm looking forward to the next one.

[SydneyH]

To be perfectly honest, when I came across Adalbert Stifter’s Rock Crystal on the New York Review of Books website, I found it completely irresistible. The text, which was translated by Marianne Moore and Elizabeth Mayer, has a beautiful cover and title, and an introduction by W.H. Auden. So this underwhelming experience is really my own fault. The novella is very light, with lots of descriptive passages covering the winter months in a mountain town, which to me seemed the realm of a fairytale. This is a very slight work of fiction, but I finished it in two sittings, so I wasn't greatly inconvenienced. Auden spoke highly of Stifter, so the author may have better works than this one.
Now turning to The Black Spider by Jeremias Gotthelf, another from the NYRB.

[[deleted user]]

Berkley wrote: "scarletnoir wrote: "Let's just say that I identified far more with Ivan than Alyosha..."
From memory, even at the end of The Brothers Karamazov isn't Alyosha already planning to liberate his brother Dmitri from the police guard at some point on their journey to Siberia, or do I have that wrong?"

There is such a plan, only it is conceived by Ivan, who because he is seriously ill can’t go himself to explain it to Dmitri, so he explains it to Katerina, who doubts she will be able to persuade Dmitri, so she explains it to Alyosha, who she thinks has a better chance of getting Dmitri to agree, which Alyosha goes to do, only Dmitri has a different idea…

[Berkley]

Russell wrote: "There is such a plan, only it is conceived by Ivan, who because he is seriously ill can’t go himself to explain it to Dmitri, so he explains it to Katerina, who doubts she will be able to persuade Dmitri, so she explains it to Alyosha, who she thinks has a better chance of getting Dmitri to agree, which Alyosha goes to do, only Dmitri has a different idea…"

Thanks. So I suppose one might see this willingness to consider such a plan or be involved with it as Alyosha's first step on the road to more radical anti-authority or political activity, even though this particular scheme was motivated by personal rather than political feelings.

[CCCubbon]

Berkley wrote: "scarletnoir wrote: "CCCubbon wrote: "We could set up a special film topic here on gr, keep it with the poem, photos - use gr for those particular passions."

Indeed - why not, if enough people are ..."
Would you or Scarlet like to set up the special film topic to try it out?

[Veufveuve]

Continuing my policy of reading what is already in the apartment that I've not yet read, I've just finished Brandon Taylor's "Filthy Animals." Nominally a short story collection, at least the half the stories focus on the lives of Lionel, Sophie and Charles across the span of few short days, set in Madison, Wisconsin. Together they would comprise a decent length novella. The other unrelated stories feature similar demographics (American twenty-somethings, mostly gay/queer, often Black), some, but not all, also set in Madison. It's fair to say I'm probably not the target audience the publishers had in mind (I wouldn't want to presume anything about any author's intent). It was left at our place by my daughter (23), who is probably much more what the publishers envisioned.

I enjoyed it a lot. The man can write. I suspect many people would find the characters intensely irritating (They very often are. The hipness quotient is high), but I believed them and their lives and their thoughts, feelings and choices, messy and nonsensical as they frequently are, because, like I said, the man can write.

All that said, my daughter says she prefers, by some margin, his debut novel, "Real Life."

As an aside, I love being able to discuss and share books and reading with an adult child.

[scarletnoir]

Hushpuppy wrote: "Btw, my f-i-l (a Wicklow man if you remember) has absolutely loved The Hungry Grass..."

I guess this is an SF dystopian novel, along the lines of The Day of the Triffids - or perhaps similar in a description of voracious plant life to 'The Little Shop of Horrors'...?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QETfA...

[scarletnoir]

MK wrote: "@scarletnoir - I remember your mentioning Bernie Gunther and wonder if you have ever checked out David Downing's 'Berlin Station' (as in train stations) mysteries."

Thanks for that - I've had a quick look, and may give the series a try. I rather lost interest in spy stories after Bond/early Smiley/Deighton's unnamed character (Harry Palmer in the films), because the world moved on to perestroika etc., but a historical setting may make the books appealing to me.

Maybe with Putin in the Kremlin, it's time for the genre to be dusted off again...

[scarletnoir]

Berkley wrote: "Russell wrote: "There is such a plan, only it is conceived by Ivan, who because he is seriously ill can’t go himself to explain it to Dmitri, so he explains it to Katerina, who doubts she will be a..."

Haha! It's just as well Russell answered this - far too long ago for me to remember all those twists and turns!

[scarletnoir]

CCCubbon wrote: "Would you or Scarlet like to set up the special film topic to try it out?"

Since I am more or less shielding, I haven't seen the inside of a cinema for two years - and in any case am hampered by the small number I can visit locally. I'd feel like a fraud!

Happy to contribute to discussions, though.

[AB76]

SydneyH wrote: "To be perfectly honest, when I came across Adalbert Stifter’s Rock Crystal on the New York Review of Books website, I found it completely irresistible. The text, which was translated by Marianne Mo..."

The Black Spider is excellent, you will enjoy it

[Slawkenbergius]

Machenbach wrote: "Very interesting review, thanks."

My pleasure! This novel is not among Bellows's most discussed, but, as Sydney rightly said, it's an ideal gateway to Bellovian fiction, being more accessible than most of his other works and dealing by-and-large with the same topics.

[Slawkenbergius]

On 2nd February Ulysses: The 1922 Text will be one hundred years old! and I can see no better way to celebrate the event than to give it the customary reread treatment as a homage to Joyce's outstanding feat of letters.

[Georg]

SydneyH wrote: "To be perfectly honest, when I came across Adalbert Stifter’s Rock Crystal on the New York Review of Books website, I found it completely irresistible. The text, which was translated by Marianne Mo..."

To be perfectly honest: I thought it was pure kitsch.

And the premise is completely ridiculous. Sending your small children over a mountain on Christmas Eve. And then back home again. Why would you even think about the possibility of snowfall in winter, you've only lived there since you were born after all.

I am sure he writes very well. Otherwise this story would not have survived. But, first impressions again, I never wanted to read anything else by him.

"The Black Spider" is also a morality tale. But it is wonderfully gothic with it.

[CCCubbon]

scarletnoir wrote: "CCCubbon wrote: "Would you or Scarlet like to set up the special film topic to try it out?"

Since I am more or less shielding, I haven't seen the inside of a cinema for two years - and in any case..."

I only watch films on tv, thought all would count in general discussion.

[AB76]

CCCubbon wrote: "scarletnoir wrote: "CCCubbon wrote: "Would you or Scarlet like to set up the special film topic to try it out?"

Since I am more or less shielding, I haven't seen the inside of a cinema for two yea..."

havent been to cinema since covid hit, i usually watch streamed movies, last night i enjoyed "the invisible man" with elizabeth moss starring. she is a brilliant actress, great range

[Gpfr]

CCCubbon wrote: "scarletnoir wrote: "CCCubbon wrote: "Would you or Scarlet like to set up the special film topic to try it out?"

Since I am more or less shielding, I haven't seen the inside of a cinema for two yea..."

"I only watch films on tv, thought all would count in general discussion"

I'll set one up.

[Gpfr]

The film topic is open.

[CCCubbon]

Thank you G. I have added last night’s view

[Georg]

Machenbach wrote (#230): "Georg wrote: "It is contentious to say it for various reasons, but I have always been with Yoko Ono's statement "Woman is the n*****r of the world"."

Oh no, that's really quite a lot more than mer..."

Re your first paragraph:

Afaik "contentious" means, more or less, having an opinion that is not shared/contradicted/contested by others. Is there a cut-off point where/when an opinion becomes "quite a bit more than contentious", In short: what does "more than contentious" mean in plain English?

Re the second:

I have only quoted YO. Shouldn't your reproach about conflagrating the sufferings of one group with those of another be adressed to her, rather than the parrot? Could there be a wee problem, considering that she is, by contemporary definition, not only a PoC, but a WoC?

Apart from that: I think when she used "world" she thought of something a little bit larger than the Anglosphere+Europe.

And no: I haven't heard about the Bette Middler story.

[Shelflife_wasBooklooker]

Fathers and Sons: I am sorry to have missed out on this book so far, but how very good to have read it now, as an oldie (in the young protagonists' views), at least. Many thanks for the repeated recommends here on eTL&S. Adding my recommendation to many others now.
@ Anastasia: I imagine I might have liked Bazarov at fifteen as well! I knew someone like him ('cepting the attitudes to women and art) when I was eighteen and liked him A LOT, I am afraid, though I always felt much too soft and conciliatory in comparison to him.

@ Slawkenbergius: Glad you found your temporary way out of the Melmoth Behemoth! Great review.

@ Reen: Loved your description of leaving a note on your mother's word of the day, and her reactions to it. Beautiful.

Many other posts and discussions of interest this week, but off to a little birthday gathering soon. Our present? A book, of course. (Music related.)

Yesterday, I learnt a lot about collotypy (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collotype) and was shown various beautiful prints. I also heard that there are only very few places left which produce collotypes - Leipzig and Kyoto, but that demand for these high-quality prints is very high in China, so a new collotype printing facility recently openend in Beijing.

[Gpfr]

People were talking earlier about favourite words. In the Tim Dowling comments today, someone gave a very nice one:
apricity = the warmth of the sun in winter.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/words...

[AB76]

Machenbach wrote: "SydneyH wrote: "which to me seemed the realm of a fairytale. This is a very slight work of fiction."

Oh, it's a shame that you were underwhelmed. It definitely has the air of fairytale or folktale..."

i loved "The Bachelors" and at some point in the year i will be reading "Motley Stones" which is a collection of his short fiction, including Rock Crystal

[[deleted user]]

Berkley wrote: "...So I suppose one might see this willingness to consider such a plan or be involved with it as Alyosha's first step on the road to more radical anti-authority or political activity, even though this particular scheme was motivated by personal rather than political feelings."

Yes, though I see that only now. At the time it seemed more like Alyosha just wanting to bring goodness and happiness where he can. It is significant for him that it can be done in such a way that the guards will not get into serious trouble.

[Anastasia]

@Shelflife I'm so glad you enjoyed Fathers and Sons :) any plans for your next read?

[scarletnoir]

CCCubbon wrote: "I only watch films on tv, thought all would count in general discussion."

Of course - but it makes more sense to me for someone who actually watches new films as well to take care of this... and I know that many new films are released by streaming nowadays, but only on pay-TV, which by and large I don't get.

Anyway, I see that Gpfr has set up the thread - so, good!

Thanks for that!

[AB76]

I just finished Kim Joyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam Joo and it has left me thinking and pondering.

In accessible, direct prose, via translation, a young Korean woman describes her life and the experiences she has had as a woman, in a world where men are the chosen ones. Sons are favoured, daughters are not, a quote is referred to in the text by a woman "my first was a girl, so i was nervous till i found out the sex of the second one"

Some of the sexism and mysogny in the novel are familiar to me from women i know and have worked with but Nam-Joo is brilliant at making you realise that in modern, developed and prosperous South Korea, the system is still significantly more rigged for men, behind Europe,Oceania or North America. Although i would say every country in the world still has far to go!

The novel ends with a clever touch and the chilling conclusion that still the situation continues on and on in South Korea.

[AB76]

I have cautiously purchasd a contempary political book about the UK, am not keen on reading anything about our PM and his tories, which excludes many of the political books currently published

Sebastian Paynes Broken Heartlands is about the Red Wall that fell to the Tories in the disastrous 2019 election. I hope it will be a sensible objective look at these working class northern seats and why they turned Conservative, some for the first time in their history, without the Brexit or Corbyn bogeyman being inserted into every anecdote or sneering "told you so's"

The blurb trumpets "plus interviewswith Boris Johnson and others", which made me feel ill. I think i may not finish this one but it looked the best political book out there which was based on the last 2-3 years

[Georg]

Machenbach wrote: "Georg wrote: " Is there a cut-off point where/when an opinion becomes "quite a bit more than contentious", In short: what does "more than contentious" mean in plain English?"

OK, it means 'offensi..."

Almost 250 years ago Friedrich Schiller wrote his most memorable line: "Allow freedom of thought, Sire!"*

Since then numerous people in numerous countries have fought for that right. And I'm prepared to fight tooth and nail before I give it up to reactionary puritans.

You, as a white MAN (if you do not identify with one +/- the other you can ignore this post), have the right to propose that you are a worthier women's right advocate than I, a white woman. Same old, same old. We women, black or white, need to be rescued by men. Not that anybody has ever had the idea of asking us, black or white, what we think...


My opinion is offensive? Who are you to judge? And on what authority do you base that judgement?




* Don Karlos

[CCCubbon]

I sent some more books to my younger great grandchildren this week
Puddles, muddles and cuddles by TrishNolan
For the soon to be 3 year old, a proper bookworm , carries one around with him all the time.
Arthur the Always King by Kevin Crossley Holland
For one of the twins (9) and utterly Dark and the Face of the deep by Phillip Reeve for the other.
Arthur: The Always King
Utterly Dark and the Face of the Deep

[Hushpuppy]

Georg wrote: "Since then numerous people in numerous countries have fought for that right. And I'm prepared to fight tooth and nail before I give it up to reactionary puritans. ."

Casting yourself as the defender of women's rights now I see. You know whose opinions on this issue it would have been interesting to hear from? Women of colour. We had sadly only two on this forum, and you single-handedly drove both of them away.

Your lack of self-awareness, your repeated attempts at casting yourself as the perpetual victim when you are always the one attacking and offending, is astounding. You are a shit-stirrer, who revels in provoking and spewing bile, whether here or on the Guardian.

You offend me. What you write offends me. I am offended that you would think you speak in the name of my gender. I would rather have that white MAN, as you write, as an ally, any time.

[AB76]

I am glad to say that A Man of the People by Chinua Achebe was a good read in the end, especially the final third dealing with a local election campaign in the Eastern region, that within days of this novel being finished in the mid 60s, broke off from Nigeria and sparked the Biafran War.

The themes of corruption are well drawn, with wit and menace, including the hired thugs, small town goons and the process where Nigeria collapsed into civil war.

[Anastasia]

@Georg Elser just a casual observer and a white woman here. Most of the time you're looking for fight and are trying to pick up on Mach (and whoever doesn't agree with you) in pretty much every discussion thread. You're acting really assertive and entitled, which disappoints me deeply :)

I suggest you look for other, healthier ways to vent your frustration.

[AB76]

Anastasia wrote: "@Georg Elser just a casual observer and a white woman here. Most of the time you're looking for fight and are trying to pick up on Mach (and whoever doesn't agree with you) in pretty much every dis..."

i have noticed this tendency too Georg, where comments seem provocative and continuously nit-picking. Its a shame and is a feature of your responses and has been for the last 3-4 years

[Anastasia]

@AB76 re Broken Heartlands: I have a bad feeling about this

[AB76]

Anastasia wrote: "@AB76 re Broken Heartlands: I have a bad feeling about this"

me too....i think it could be painful...lol

[AB76]

New books to begin, two female writers:

Southern Steel by Dymphna Cusack, a 1950s Australian novel of the largest coal port in the world, Newcastle in New South Wales, set during WW2

Under The Sign of Saturn: Essays by Susan Sontag. I was balancing up a Gornick, a Didion or a Sontag and decided to go for the great Susan, though Didion's passing almost changed my mind