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What Are We Reading? 28 February 2022
@AB – I can’t seem to find now your piece on “Aftermath” by Harald Jähner but it looks really interesting and I’ve ordered a copy.
Russell wrote: "@AB – I can’t seem to find now your piece on “Aftermath” by Harald Jähner but it looks really interesting and I’ve ordered a copy."hi Russ, i deleted it by accident last night and had failed to save or copy a draft like i usually do!
On so many levels its a perfect portrait of Germany as it struggled to find its feet in the mid 1940s and then on into the miracle of the early 1950s, fuelled by Marshall Plan investment and German hard work and savvy.
Importantly this comes from Germany, in translation, its not an Anglo-Saxon perspective and has numerous quotations and excerpts from authors who are not so well known in the english-speaking world. The style is light but the content is deep and thoughtful, with Jahner supplying a subtle commentary on behaviour and norms in times of great disruption.
The chapter i just read included the re-habilitation of Nazi's back into the civil service and government in 1951 and the interesting fact that a federal gov consultant on youth and anti social behaviour had been an SS officer dealing with gangs in Krakow during WW2.
I had my eye on a few german language, newly translated books about 1945-1950 for an Xmas present but not "Aftermath" thankfully my dad found "Aftermath" and bought it for me, it wasnt on my radar. A great xmas present!
Georg wrote: "AB76 wrote (#202): "Georg wrote: "AB76 wrote (#202): "Georg wrote: "Machenbach wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Tam, still nothing on why Walser started to write in micro script style from "Walks With Walser"...."i thought Walsers comment in the book that his writing had virtually stopped when he realised a lot of the newspapers and editors he wrote for no longer existed or were dead, the legacy of the Nazi years, was very sad
Jean Luc Persecuted by CF Ramuz is another masterpiece by the Swiss French writer.One of his earliest translated novels, from 1909,it follows in his sharp, brief and stark style the life of a man blighted by bad luck, however the downbeat tone is leavened by the descriptions of nature, swiss french mountain life and the strange phrasing of Ramuz.
Very few writers leave such an impact from their style as Ramuz does, i'm half way through and i want more, more. He is always sparing with words, so the effect is starker and harsher in some ways. I would love to read this in French and to study the Vaudois dialect but my french has been declining for years, like my German, neither has ever been good enough for reading, for conversation yes.
AB76 wrote: "Russell wrote: "@AB – I can’t seem to find now your piece on “Aftermath” by Harald Jähner but it looks really interesting and I’ve ordered a copy."hi Russ, i deleted it by accident last night and..."
Thanks for the recommendation. I hadn’t heard of this before and have now ordered it in German for my husband, who was born in Germany in 1948. I look forward to reading it, too.
Diana wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Russell wrote: "@AB – I can’t seem to find now your piece on “Aftermath” by Harald Jähner but it looks really interesting and I’ve ordered a copy."hi Russ, i deleted it by accident l..."
i think its impressive to see this and other german language books about the period translated into english and i hope it will start a new trend
SydneyH wrote: "MK wrote: "Help! I didn't copy down where to find WWR ..."https://www.theguardian.com/books/202...
Thanks - heading back to google instead of using the Guardian one is worth remembering.
If ..."
AB76 wrote: "Diana wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Russell wrote: "@AB – I can’t seem to find now your piece on “Aftermath” by Harald Jähner but it looks really interesting and I’ve ordered a copy."hi Russ, i deleted it..."
Yes, indeed
AB76 wrote: "...“Aftermath” by Harald Jähner... deleted it by accident last night..."
You certainly said enough to get me looking forward to it.
@Diana – I do hope you will pass on to us in due course your husband’s thoughts as well as your own.
You certainly said enough to get me looking forward to it.
@Diana – I do hope you will pass on to us in due course your husband’s thoughts as well as your own.
Russell wrote: "AB76 wrote: "...“Aftermath” by Harald Jähner... deleted it by accident last night..."You certainly said enough to get me looking forward to it.
@Diana – I do hope you will pass on to us in due c..."
excellent russ, the other german language books studying that period in translation that i have yet to read are:
Swansong: Collective Diary of the Last Days of the Reich(Kempowski)
Promise Me Yopu'll Shoot Yourself (Florian Huber)- a study of one town
Eight Days in May: How Germanys War Ended(Volker Ulrich)
plus studies by Ian Kershaw and anglo authors
Machenbach wrote(#220): "Georg wrote: "Nothing in his medical notes suggests that he ever displayed symptoms of schizophrenia. But why would a hack not love to use a buzz-word like that? Chances are your readers will never..."Do you remember where you read that? Afaik there was never a diagnosis. When he was first admitted to Waldau in 1929, at the behest of his sister Lisa, he showed what we would now call symptoms of a severe depressive episode with auditory hallucinations (aka hearing voices which is not uncommon). It was the only psychotic symptom he ever displayed.. And if I am allowed a digression here: I am very much with you on the point of him downplaying or exaggerating his symptoms. Because 20 years later, on his annual assessment, he spoke about hearing voices. I am sure he was lying through his teeth: yes, the voices were sometimes unpleasant, but didn't bother him greatly, he had become used to them, yadda, yadda...Auditory hallucinations are usually extremely distressful. I really think he manipulated his doctors at times.
Back to the subject: while his diagnosis was as elusive as his person in his lifetime every psychiatrist nowadays could make an educated guess: odd personality traits x depressive disorder x anxiety x ack of success as a writer x non-existing (?) love life x stretches of poverty with all the trimmings. No delusions, accepts he is ill (aka insight). Doesn't give you a clear diagnosis but very much rules out schizophrenia.
And in my eyes: if you are a journalist writing about such a complex person as Walser do your bloody homework first.
What you said about Bernofsky makes her sound very much like my kind of woman (I'd rather said "girl" but that might cause offence even when it comes from a woman ;-))
Re Sebald: I think there is a secret brotherhood (no sister- or, as far as I can see atm siblingshood) of people who have, somehow, fallen out of life. They recognize, even sense each other, irrespective of time and place. They bond, naturally, instinctively, regardless of time and place. Some stop to "function" at some point, like Walser. Or Hölderlin. Some function very well, like Sebald. It does not matter. They are all outsiders. Though I'd rather call them outists.
Just caught up with the fact that Waterstones have acquired Blackwells. I guess that means that, in due course, Blackwells will start charging postage for their books.
In the past I’ve expressed admiration for painters who risk producing kitsch but manage, on most occasions at least, to avoid it. I’m thinking, for example, of Symbolists, Pre-Raphaelites, Fuseli, Böcklin, and Friedrich. Gustav Moreau is the only one who comes to mind who approaches the line without, perhaps, ever crossing over. Of course, where that line between kitsch and art is drawn is subjective – on one side is the uncanny, the sublime, the enigmatic, on the other the cloying, sentimental, and silly. I’m afraid that for me Bouguereau’s fantasies tend to fall on the kitsch side of the line, though his technical skill is breath-taking. Lubricious, yes, (unlike Kenneth Clark, I’m not sure that’s necessarily disqualifying – consider some works of Titian) but at the same time antiseptic; one may get diabetes from his nymphs but never venereal disease. He can also exemplify the sentimental side of kitsch:
One of the images @Robert posted (Eros and Psyche?) reminded me of this item of 20th century schlock:
giveusaclue wrote: "Just caught up with the fact that Waterstones have acquired Blackwells. I guess that means that, in due course, Blckwells will start charging postage for their books."Oh darn. I've been looking at Blackwell's as an alternative to Book Depository which is owned by the dreaded Amazon. I hadn't actually ordered any books as yet. Guess it's wait and see.
giveusaclue wrote: "Just caught up with the fact that Waterstones have acquired Blackwells. I guess that means that, in due course, Blckwells will start charging postage for their books."i hope not....it may give waterstones more clout vs amazon but its a sad day
When I left my audio player in the car (listening to another (I'm working my way through them) of Georgette Heyer's mysteries), I found I needed an accompaniment to my breakfast, so i found Donna Leon in a wide ranging (opera, dogs, the kindness of Germans, Trollope, and more) talk which is also about her latest Brunetti. It's available here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhgsA...A couple of quotes - A man who tastes honey, will lick his fingers (speaking about the top salaries at non-profits where more donations go to pockets than to the intended recipients).
And since she has not been in a bookstore for 2 years, she is taking an empty suitcase when she goes to London soon for events. She said she feels like a cocaine addict who will once again be able to get her fix.
For those of you who are proficient in German, you may want to keep an eye out for a book of essays which will be published in the fall.
Bill wrote: "In the past I’ve expressed admiration for painters who risk producing kitsch but manage, on most occasions at least, to avoid it. I’m thinking, for example, of Symbolists, Pre-Raphaelites, Fuseli, ..."I agree with you Bill, I really don't like the 'perfect' concoctions of the lubricious, though I think that is a word that I have not used before, at any stage of my life. I'm proud of the wrinkles I have attained with age... I have lived, whatever the consequences might be, and so I am what I have lived.
If I had been plagued by either of those pesky cherubs, I would have given them a good push away, probably, for just being annoying... I was going to use the word 'swatting', but it, apparently, has taken a on a whole new meaning of it own, since I last used it!.. probably 30+ years or so ago... (and mostly in relation to mosquitos) I would far rather see human beings in all their rounded, lived-in glory, warts, etc. and all...
Delighted to have read a few of my scoops from Oxfam browsing in last 6 months, the delight is always finding penguin specials and studies of the world, that are almost preserved in aspic, smells of past owners and shelves.Just finished The Police by Ben Whitaker (1964), a study of the police in the UK by a future Labour MP. As usual with books from this era in the specials range it was wonderfully written and intellectual, asking interesting questions and leaving the answers to be revisited again and again. (i couldnt find this on goodreads though so its not in my "read" list
Next is a Pelican Latin American Library book from 1969 on Brazil called The People and The Power by Miguel Arraes, an exiled Brazilian politician during the military dictatorship. It seems he wrote it in french during time in Algiers and i looking foward to reading it. It was in a set of similar titles, many of which were more generalist, though i bagged this for 99p and a diary of a french priest who lived among the poor for a few years in Brazil.
Oxfam bookshops...a joy!
AB76 wrote: "Just finished The Police by Ben Whitaker (1964), a study of the police in the UK by a future Labour MP. As usual with books from this era in the specials range it was wonderfully written and intellectual, asking interesting questions and leaving the answers to be revisited again and again. (i couldnt find this on goodreads though so its not in my "read" list."This one AB:
giveusaclue wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Just finished The Police by Ben Whitaker (1964), a study of the police in the UK by a future Labour MP. As usual with books from this era in the specials range it was wonderfully writt..."thanks giveusaclue but thats actually a later book he wrote
Machenbach wrote: "Bill wrote: "I’m afraid that for me Bouguereau’s fantasies tend to fall on the kitsch side of the line, though his technical skill is breath-taking. Lubricious, yes, (unlike Kenneth Clark, I’m not ..."Sir Kenneth had his gig; I have mine. I'd enjoying seeing the originals hanging on the wall. (If I had a chance to view them, I might even look up the word "lubricious.")
SydneyH wrote: "MK wrote: "Help! I didn't copy down where to find WWR ..."https://www.theguardian.com/books/202...
If ..."
It works!
Robert wrote: "(If I had a chance to view them, I might even look up the word "lubricious.")"I think it was while reading a biography of Mozart a long time ago I had to look up the word "concupiscence" and it's done yeoman's work for me ever since.
giveusaclue wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Just finished The Police by Ben Whitaker (1964), a study of the police in the UK by a future Labour MP. As usual with books from this era in the specials range it was wonderfully writt..."Was that book set in Scotland? I believe that the same writer did a book on a California police department.
Russell wrote: "Improbability is another. I mean, why would a satyr be reluctant to go and play with four laughing nymphs?"Playing hard to get?
Georg wrote: "scarletnoir wrote: "
by Antonio TabucchiI have no idea what the original word for "maintains" is...
From Wikipedia: Pereira Maintains (Italian: Sostiene Pereira) is a 1994 novel by the Italian writer Antonio Tabucchi. It is also known as Pereira Declares and Declares Pereira. My Italian is non-existent, so I can't offer any illumination on possible translations...
Whatever the exact meaning, it felt like both a slightly distancing technique, and also as if Pereira was making a statement (to some authority?) some time after the events had elapsed. I found it interesting... clearly, it irritated some readers, to judge by reviews on GR and Amazon.
It is also one of those books I have bought from time to time based in part on the title: "Pereira Maintains" intrigued me - what does this Pereira maintain? I wanted to find out.
I have now ordered a copy of another Tabucchi, where I not only like the title but also the cover illustration (there are several editions, but this is the one I wanted):
Something about both the title and cover appealed to me - I'm not sure what!
Just read a first to me book by author M A Comley To Die For.I don't think I will be reading any more of hers. Badly thought through, if a guy had been murdered then his friend had just been abducted would the detective squad really go off home for the evening? Too many uses of the word "sniggered," unlikely behaviour from the characters and a totally unbelievable ending.
Sorry, not for me. And I can't find it to add to My Books, which is perhaps a message in itself!
Grump over.
scarletnoir wrote: "Russell wrote: "Improbability is another. I mean, why would a satyr be reluctant to go and play with four laughing nymphs?"Playing hard to get?"
He may fear being teased and dumped in the water. You know, the Alberich and Rhinemaidens situation.
Robert wrote: "giveusaclue wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Just finished The Police by Ben Whitaker (1964), a study of the police in the UK by a future Labour MP. As usual with books from this era in the specials range it w..."he looks at the entire UK police force in the early 1960s and did mention some american examples, if he wrote on on US policing that would be interesting to find. it wasnt set in scotland, non-fiction
Having finished the excellent Ramuz novel Jean Luc Persecuted, i now move on to Canadian fiction and Margaret Laurence.I read her second novel "A Jest Of God"a few years back and now i move back to her debut work The Stone Angel (1964)
set in rural South Manitoba where Laurence grew up. A region of great religious diversity, significant Mennonite and Uniate populations(mostly immigrants from Russia and Ukraine).
AB76 wrote: "Having finished the excellent Ramuz novel Jean Luc Persecuted, i now move on to Canadian fiction and Margaret Laurence.I read her second novel "A Jest Of God"a few years back and now i move back..."
The Stone Angel was, I thought, very good. A sort of Canadian Willa Cather with a little more human contact
Paul wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Having finished the excellent Ramuz novel Jean Luc Persecuted, i now move on to Canadian fiction and Margaret Laurence.I read her second novel "A Jest Of God"a few years back and now..."
that sounds just my thing Paul, thanks. I loved "A Jest Of God" a few years back.
A couple from me..The Boy Who Saw True: The Time-Honoured Classic of the Paranormal with an introduction from Cyril Scott
This was recommended ages ago on TLS by someone... MB? Ongley? Bill?
Originally published in 1953, this is the allegedly true diary of a young Victorian boy with clairvoyant gifts. The boy remains anonymous (as to why, see the quote below) and is about 12 years old, frail and in poor health, home-schooled and mollycoddled, but deeply sensitive. His writing improves as the book progresses, as he has a new tutor who he gets on with well.
The boy introduces his various guides and spirits he meets, including his ghostly grandfather who parents him better than his own. These entities play their part in his education also. Interestingly, one of them, who he considers a good friend, is Jesus; but the sort of religion Jesus subscribes to is one of reincarnation, more Buddhist than anything else. Frustratingly, the book ends abruptly as the boy loses interest in keeping his diary, though this does add to its authenticity; would not a hoax have a tidy ending?
Either way, this is an absolutely fascinating book. The paranormal is only a small part of the enjoyment of it; there is the philosophical turn it takes midway through as to the meaning of life and what happens after death, there is period detail described in quite a unique way, and the boy writes with a tender and innocent humour.
The following details supplied by the diarist’s widow should now be stated. Before his death, his wife persuaded him to let the diary be published. But he made certain stipulations. It was not to be printed till several years after his death, and some names were to be altered…
…he refused to let any more high-sounding [title] be used than the one this bares; nor was the author’s identity to be mentioned.
The boy describes many of his spiritual encounters to his much-loved tutor, Mr Passmore, who is something of a father figure. This quote amuses me much..
When the Lama had gone, Mr Patmore scratched his head, and said “That’ll take a bit of thinking over."
and The Book of Trespass: Crossing the Lines that Divide Us by Nick Hayes Nick Hayes, a writer and political cartoonist, on the left side of centre, has spent considerable time wandering around the British outdoors, on foot and by kayak, with an increasing urge to venture past the ‘Keep Out’ signs and get access to the vast grounds of aristocrats and private estates.
This desire really resonates with me. Our local landowners are United Utilities, and much more so the Lowther family, or Lonsdale Estates as they are known. On a snowy day recently I had a run in with the new Forest Manager. I was 'trespassing', quite intentionally, on a favourite bit of ground doing of course, no harm to anyone or anything.
In The Book of Trespass Hayes takes us round England, with much more emphasis on the south unfortunately for my liking, often following old public rights of way that have long ceased to exist and climbing walls and fences to large private estates in order to show the reality of England’s landscape today.
There is much more than you would expect in this book though, as he delves into the wider issues of land ownership, a notable example is in the Cockroach chapter when he considers the very timely issue of refugees.
If it isn't clear already, Hayes is a strong advocate for increasing public access to land and a fierce critic of those in power who have found ways to take possession of public land and then fence it off to deny access. Generally it is a mild mannered approach he uses, seeking the elusive meeting with a wealthy landowner, but he does bare his teeth at the Daily Mail, so much so that it is hard not to see things from his way.
I will read this again. Its perfect to pick chapters out from. I did read it as an ebook, but will look for a decent secondhand copy.
Machenbach wrote: "MK wrote: "i found Donna Leon in a wide ranging (opera, dogs, the kindness of Germans, Trollope, and more) talk which is also about her latest Brunetti."I bought my mum "the latest Brunetti" the o..."
Perhaps you could steer her to the You Tube video. It really was a wide ranging talk. If you don't have the link, search for Poisoned Pen Bookstore. I think most mystery authors stop in there one way or another. Martin Walker will be talking there about his new Bruno one day next week.
...and Bloody Baudelaire by R.B. Russell
A pleasingly strange read from Mr Russell, who heads up Tartarus Press.
As much as it is a paddle in supernatural waters it is an enjoyable window into 1920s society.
It concerns Lucian Miller and the time he spent at a mansion house an obnoxious artist, Gerald, and his young wife, Miranda. Obsessed with the 19th century French poet, Charles Baudelaire, Gerald earns a living by mainly solely painting nudes of his partner. Miller sees through this rather estranged relationship and soon himself becomes infatuated by Miranda. A relationship ensues.
The characters are hard to warm to, decadent, pretentious and bored with life and each other.
This short tale however is well worth the time, the enjoyment being in the period and the understated supernatural element.
Remember Marie Yovanovitch? David Ignatius has a review of her memoir in today's Washington Post. (Hope you haven't used up the 1 or 2 freebies from them this month.)Lessons from the Edge: A Memoir
Mod
Crossed Skis by Carol Carnac
My latest British Library Crime Classic.
It's 1951 and a group of 8 women and 8 men travel from London to Austria for 2 weeks of skiing every day and dancing every night. They don't all know each other, some are friends or acquaintances of friends. Meanwhile in London, there is a fire in a boarding house and a mysterious death. C.I.D. soon come to suspect there is a link.
Edith Caroline Rivett was a prolific writer of mysteries, first under the pen name E.C.R. Lorac, then Carol Carnac. This novel was published in 1952. I enjoyed it a lot.
Gpfr wrote: "Crossed Skis by Carol Carnac
My latest British Library Crime Classic.
It's 1951 and a group of 8 women and 8 men travel from London to Austria for 2 weeks of skii..."
I read this last year. Lorac is good. Enjoyed your review.
I notice the British Library have just reissued another of hers, Post After Post-Mortem: An Oxfordshire Mystery.
Gpfr wrote: "Crossed Skis by Carol Carnac
My latest British Library Crime Classic.
It's 1951 and a group of 8 women and 8 men travel from London to Austria for 2 weeks of skii..."
I read this for the December 2021 “Shedunnit” (podcast) book club.
The group has read and discussed (online) quite a few Golden Age classic crime novels. The podcast (created and hosted by Caroline Crampton) is very informative and enjoyable.
Some news or no news on three Ukrainian writers and historians, culled from some googling:Andrey Kurkov fled Kiev for Western Ukraine, he is currently staying in Lvov. Not eligible to fight as he is 60, he says he will do so if needed. In an interview with The Irish Times, Kurkov made this interesting point:
“In Europe everybody knows what Russia is about, but in Latin America there are thousands of bots on the internet spreading information that Ukrainians are Nazis and that it’s an anti-Semitic state... I’m trying to give as many interviews as possible in Latin America, about the real situation, about the president of Ukraine, who is a Jewish, Russian-speaking guy, who was voted in with 73 per cent of votes.”
Serhiy Zhadan is currently in Kharkov fighting in the streets with the civil defence. I wish i had read more of his novels now
No sign of Serhii Plokhy, the historian but am not sure he lives in Ukraine, he might be at Harvard.
Slava Ukraini!
And these Russian authors have signed a letter urging Russians to tell the truth about the war in Ukraine:
As well as Alexievich, the Russian authors are: Vladimir Sorokin, one of the most popular writers in modern Russian literature; Lyudmila Ulitskaya, the 2014 winner of the Austrian state prize for European Literature; the science fiction writer Dmitry Glukhovsky; the satirist Victor Shenderovich; the poet Maria Stepanova; Alexander Ilichevsky, who won the Russian Booker prize in 2007 for his novel Matisse; Mikhail Shishkin, who won the Russian Booker in 2000; Maxim Osipov, a cardiologist as well as a writer; Sergei Lebedev; Liza Alexandrova-Zorina; Sascha Filipenko; Alisa Ganieva; Viktar Martinovich; Alexander Genis; Lev Rubinstein; and Boris Akunin.
"She made a great deal of money in her time and she spent it lavishly. Speaking of herself and her colleagues at the Metropolitan she said: 'We were a race of giants.' Quite true, and in case you don't know it, being a giant is a very expensive business. The cost of food and drink, not merely for oneself but for one's fellow-giants and one's scores of attendant gnomes, is a very considerable item. And the cost of jewels for a female giant is really fabulous."--Robertson Davies, "Emma Calve."
AB76 wrote: "Robert wrote: "giveusaclue wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Just finished The Police by Ben Whitaker (1964), a study of the police in the UK by a future Labour MP. As usual with books from this era in the spec..."There was a book on the San Diego police department written by an English writer who'd previously done a study on the British police. The name is lost in the mists of time.
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She's made numerous appearances on MSNBC this past week. An impressive, even formidable, woman...
A note on the news: Natural disasters, like earthquakes, so often bring out compassion in others. It is the man-made disasters, like war and revolution, that free us to bring misery to strangers.
Mod
Whenever Davies' name pops up, I'm pleased to remember there are a few of his titles I haven't read. Must revisit him soon.
I'm on the trail of his One Half of Robertson Davies, a collection of lectures, talks, and short stories. Remarkable quartet of talks on evil in literature, and his "What Will the Age of Aquarius Bring?"
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Lives of Houses edited by Kate Kennedy and Hermione LeeYesterday I read the "In brief" book reviews and saw that one of them was for this book which I'd bought on Thursday, not having heard anything about it before. It consists of 'essays on the houses of great writers, artists, composers and politicians of the past.'
https://www.theguardian.com/books/202...
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I have just finished this short novel - thanks to whoever recommended it - I assume someone did, though the search facility failed to turn..."
I am also a fan of Pereira (and so is booklooker/shelflife iirc)
I have no idea what the original word for "maintains" is (Slawkenbergius?)
The German title is "Erklärt Pereira". Meaning asserts, or declares. That always "felt" closer to the meaning for me.