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Weekly TLS
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What are we reading? 21 November 2022
Will catch up on other comments later...In the meantime, Lehrter Station is book 5 of David Downing's 'John Russell' series. This is well up to the usual standard - indeed, the series has gained strength as it has gone on.
It is the end of 1945; Russell and his German girlfriend Effi had escaped to London, but are unsettled and feel drawn to their old home in Berlin... the Russians come calling and 'persuade' Russell to return to carry out some vetting of comrades on their behalf. Russell agrees, but also signs up to act as a double agent with the Americans.
What makes the series worth reading is the character of Russell - an English/American dual national, who regards Berlin as his 'home' - he has a German ex-wife and son, and currently a German girlfriend of long standing. He is a former Communist who hates the Nazis but is disillusioned with both Stalinist Soviet Russia and with US capitalism... so, no strong ties to any ideology and suitably cynical about them all. This allows a critical view of all parties involved, and many shades of grey regarding the moral choices made by the various characters.
It also allows for reporting of many issues which may not be common knowledge; for example, I was not aware that the Americans had interned many 'ordinary' Germans in camps where - because they were the 'defeated nation' - food rations were pitifully inadequate. This was news to me:
On March 20, 1945, President Roosevelt was warned that the JCS 1067 was not severe enough: it would let the Germans "stew in their own juice". Roosevelt's response was "Let them have soup kitchens! Let their economy sink!" Asked if he wanted the German people to starve, he replied, "Why not?"[31]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_in...
(Two wrongs do not make a right, as they say.)
As for the story - there are a few threads: Russell and Effi are looking for the Jewish father of Effi's unofficially adopted 'orphan' girl; and Russell gets involved in an attempt to bring to book an ex-Nazi black marketeer... here there are shades of the brilliant Graham Greene-scripted film 'The Third Man', and at one point Russell finds himself in Vienna, contemplating the big wheel which plays a significant part in one of that movie's key scenes.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041959/...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSeez...
The other main thread has to do with the Jewish exodus to Palestine, and their plans to set up a Jewish homeland... understandable, but also problematic. No easy answers here. I also learned of the existence of 'Nakam' - a Jewish revenge group who wanted to kill 6 million Germans in retaliation for the Holocaust. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nakam
Well worth a read.
Storm wrote: "Re resolutions. I and some friends for the last few years have chosen one word/phrase resolutions, such as, discipline, or focus, which refer to one of our negative tendencies. We have found it les..."I can't be bothered with resolutions... I'm with Oscar Wilde:
“I can resist anything except temptation.”
https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/1874...
AB76 wrote: "Irish literature is a rich treasure of styles and expression, i have been interested in the nationalist authors who came of age at the time of the Easter Rising and the Civil War, especially Liam O..."I haven't read those two, but very much enjoyed another Cork author, Frank O'Connor, many years ago. He specialised in short story collections, for example My Oedipus Complex and Other Stories and Guests of the Nation. The latter collection contains much based on personal experience:
In 1918 O'Connor joined the First Brigade of the Irish Republican Army and served in combat during the Irish War of Independence. He opposed the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921 and joined the Anti-Treaty IRA during the Irish Civil War, working in a small propaganda unit in Cork City. He was one of twelve thousand Anti-Treaty combatants who were interned by the government of the new Irish Free State. In February 1923, O'Connor was imprisoned in Cork City Gaol and in April moved to Gormanston, County Meath where he was held until just before Christmas.[6] War is a major theme in most stories of O'Connor's first published collection, Guests of the Nation, 1931.
Somewhere in that collection - or possibly an autobiography - O'Connor describes the irony of being held in an internment camp by the 'winners' of the Irish Civil War, and (as a native speaker of Gaelic) being asked to teach the language to (probably) Dublin natives who were monoglot English speakers!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_O...
Another Irish writer I read and enjoyed a long time ago was 'wild man' Brendan Behan. His Borstal Boy and The Quare Fellow & The Hostage impressed me back then.A quick perusal of Wikipedia reminds me of how witty he could be, and why I liked his writing:
(I'm)"a drinker with a writing problem" and "I only drink on two occasions—when I'm thirsty and when I'm not"
Unfortunately, the drink and diabetes got the better of him, and he didn't make old bones.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brendan...
Georg wrote: "Bill wrote: I’m no fan of artists “palling around” with politicians or lending their talent to political events.Politicians and events are one thing. They come and go. What are your views on arti..."
The danger for an artist expressing a political opinion is that things change and historical remarks can come back to bite.
Unlike Richard III, I appear to be "in a giving vein" this week. Here's another firewall-bypassing "gift article" link, Michael Dirda on "Why read old books? A case for the classic, the unusual, the neglected."https://wapo.st/3U5ZW0P
In the arts, especially, education consists of seeing how deeply the past informs the present. Knowing what earlier generations accomplished conveys perspective, the capacity to recognize the new from the retrograde, the original from the pastiche. In literature, the popularity of “annotated editions” of various classics shows how much we still value basic contextual information about earlier historical periods — and, paradoxically, how much we have forgotten of what was once traditional cultural literacy.
The great books are great because they speak to us, generation after generation. They are things of beauty, joys forever — most of the time. Of course, some old books will make you angry at the prejudices they take for granted and occasionally endorse. No matter. Read them anyway. Recognizing bigotry and racism doesn’t mean you condone them. What matters is acquiring knowledge, broadening mental horizons, viewing the world through eyes other than your own.
Just done with Urgent Matters by Paula Rodríguez from Pushkin Vertigo and translated from the Spanish (Argentina) by Sarah Moses.
In the heart of Buenos Aires there is a serious train crash.
Amongst the dead, dying and seriously injured is Hugo, a murderer on the run. Though he is an atheist, it is with some irony that he offers a prayer to St Expeditus, the Patron Saint of Urgent Matters.
Meanwhile at Hugo's home, his partner Marta and her 13 year old daughter, Evelyn, are in a fluster. She has had a visit from the Detective invesitgating Hugo. After she gets no reply from him, she hotfoots it to her sister, Mónica's house in Colón, with Evelyn. Mónica is in charge of the slot machines in the casino, with a sideline of sex toy sales by mail-order from home.
It isn't long before Mónica and Marta's mother, Olga, is involved. She is a fiercely matriarchal figure who assumes charge, and is soon on national TV talking about the disappearance of the supposedly framed Hugo.
This isn't really a crime novel at all. Rather it is an examination of these key characters under pressure. Its noirish elements are strong, as is the dry humour which is mostly concerned with the cynical suggestion of relgious intervention at the most inappropriate of times.
It has many strengths, and for the most, is a thoroughly entertaining read. But it fizzles out with a splutter rather than a bellow, leaving an ultimate feeling of dissatisfaction, which is a pity, as for 90% of the piece I couldn't fault it.
scarletnoir wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Irish literature is a rich treasure of styles and expression, i have been interested in the nationalist authors who came of age at the time of the Easter Rising and the Civil War, espe..."Thanks for that, O'Connor has been vaguely on my radar but havent read anything by him yet
Picture Chicago just as a snowstorm hits. A young lad, 20 years old, has left the return home from his girl-friend’s family house late. She has been helping him study Spanish for a test the next day. He had hoped for an invitation to stay over, but with strict parents no such luck, so with the transport system already suspended, and pretty much nobody outside as the snow comes in heavy, in unsuitable clothing, he sets out to walk home.
After a while, to warm up, he stops at a seedy bar, the only place left open it seems. Surely it’s a myth that the Bears drink there, but when he walks in, sure enough, they are there.
Being underage though, it’s a brief stay.
Back outside, one of the few vehicles still on the road, a solo driver of a limo, offers him a lift. The snow is that heavy now that to stop may mean the vehicle won’t get moving again; could be he has been picked up as the driver may need someone to push.
This is Stuart Dybek’s Córdoba, a short story from his collection Ecstatic Cahoots: Fifty Short Stories , named from a Fitzgerald quote.
The story of long remembered chance encounters has a novelistic quality to it. It is rich in atmosphere, humour and completely engaging.
If I ever despair of contemporary American writing, which seems quite often these days, I reach for Dybek.
This book is a collection of 50 pieces, some flash fiction and some longer pieces. All are good, some very good, and a few, like this, quite exceptional.
If you’ve not come across Dybek before, what better on a cold winter’s day, than to seek out you local library that stocks it, settle into a quiet corner using their heating and lighting, and read this.
Gpfr wrote: "Good afternoon to all.I'm sorry, but it's a very brief introduction today. I'm rather 'under the weather' with a full-blown cough and cold..."
I hope you are feeling better by now... wrt this and another comment in the thread, it appears that COVID can adversely affect our immune systems over the longer term... I haven't been able to find the article/link, though. So, COVID sufferers need to be extra careful of other infections...
CCCubbon wrote: "I read with interested the discussions towards the end of the last thread but will not comment as it is finished."Same here, except to say that as far as I understood/recall it my views would align with those of AB, georg and others on the matter.
Bill wrote: "Though I’m pretty unforgiving when it comes to living authors, under the assumption that patronizing them only underwrites their bad behavior, I generally consider that death cancels any failings in their personal lives."A pretty sensible POV, though in extreme cases one might be tempted to make an exception. No examples spring immediately to mind, but there may be some... basically, though, a work should be judged on its merits and not on the moral/immoral character of its creator.
CCCubbon wrote: "(Shelley) had a liking for young girls aged about sixteen and was a believer in ‘free love’"Convenient attitudes for an older man!
Greenfairy wrote: "The elements of a detective story/ police procedural are all there and it isn't a bad story but it suffers from Americanisms ."Getting idiom right can be important - a few years ago, I read a Scandi-noir translated by an American - it was fine using US terms for the Scandi part - just as valid as UK English - but half the book was set in London, where having 'English' characters mouth dialogue sprinkled with 'US-only' terms was a disaster as far as I was concerned.
Gpfr wrote: "I've started the latest Freyja and Huldar: The Fallout by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir."It's on my TBR list - book 6 - I have read 1-5.
With respect to 'listening' to music as opposed to having it as background - I can do both, but it's easier to 'listen' at a concert. At home, there can be possible interruptions from the 'phone, the dog, the doorbell etc. so it can be tricky to 'listen' to a long piece without distractions.Also, when I am becoming familiar with a new piece, I like to play it often in a short space of time - even if concentration is less than 100%, in this way it sort of gets absorbed into the subconscious - or so I find, anyway. Focused listening is the way to go for a full appreciation, though.
Lljones wrote: "So I've mentioned before that I resolved for 2022 New Year's to buy no books. I actually made three resolutions last year (perhaps for the first time-I'm not all that big on self-discipline) and he..."I'll tackle smoking - as one who was attached to cigarettes for far too long. Navigating Part D Medicare (drug plan) is not good for my BP. This year I'm going to have to make an appointment soonest because my drug provider (one with more stars than others) has decided not to cover a specialty inhaler I use. I'm going to have to see about the possibility of getting an exception or find a substitute. (And don't even mention Medicare Advantage as the only winners there appear to be members of big pharma (there is no little pharma!)
I have succumbed to oldies in paperback recentlly. First it was Grave Matters and now it's Sweet and Low which I must have missed first time around.
scarletnoir wrote: "With respect to 'listening' to music as opposed to having it as background - I can do both, but it's easier to 'listen' at a concert. At home, there can be possible interruptions from the 'phone, t..."Up my music alley, Freddie Mercury now has a Blue Plaque thanks to English Heritage. I'm going to ask google how I can download from a library CD to an MP3 player. It would be a great companion to have Bohemian Rhapsody to holler along with on longish journeys.
Bill wrote: "Justin Steffman, a professional authenticator who runs a Facebook group for collectors, said the autograph was most likely created by an autopen. The machine, which recreates signatures, is used by universities, celebrities and, most notably, the White House"The mechanized signature thing sounded familiar to me: I thought Margaret Atwood had used it some time ago. But it sounds from this article like like Atwood had a different book-signing technology which she helped design. Hers sounds more hands-on, but I don't know if the technology is sufficiently glitch-free to be widely used.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/200...
Andy wrote: "Just done with Urgent Matters by Paula Rodríguez from Pushkin Vertigo and translated from the Spanish (Argentina) by Sarah Moses...."has the Lake Rivieira climate resorted to its normal wonders Andy, or is it still a balmy 20c up there?
scarletnoir wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Irish literature is a rich treasure of styles and expression, i have been interested in the nationalist authors who came of age at the time of the Easter Rising and the Civil War, espe..."I've been reading a Frank O'Connor book lately: Collected Stories. It doesn't contain all his stories but it does cover his entire career with selections from most of the individual short story collections published during his lifetime. I'd rate him as one of the best ever to have worked with the form.
Really enjoyed the third instalment of Vaseem Khan’s Malabar House series set in Bombay after Independence, The Lost Man of Bombay. Persis, the first female police inspector, is a brilliant creation, and allows Khan to combine insights into the struggle women faced trying to be taken seriously by men at work (and of course, still do) as well as timely non British views on the Raj and Empire. This is one paragraph that resonated loud and clear for me:Sometimes I wonder what we might have built had the British chosen to treat us as equals not inferiors, as a nation to be developed, instead of merely plundered. The great civilising mission they spoke about was a comforting lie, a tale to help them sleep better at night. They came here for bounty, and when they left, they were like schoolboys, fleeing a ransacked sweet shop, pockets loaded down with all they could carry.
I shall have to stop buying books for a while for twice recently I have thought ‘that looks interesting in someone’s recommendation only to find it buried in my tbr pile.
Berkley wrote: "scarletnoir wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Irish literature is a rich treasure of styles and expression, i have been interested in the nationalist authors who came of age at the time of the Easter Rising and..."another Irish writer of that same generation, coming of age in the 1916-22 conflicts, is Peader O'Donnell, who wrote about Donegal, which is the furthest northern county in Eire, wild and remote, underpopulated and somewhat cut off from things since 1921 and the creation of Northern Ireland removed the historical trade links with Londonderry/Derry.
O' Donnell is badly out of print right now, i have two moth eaten novels of his i secured and i aim to read his novel of Donegal Islanders soon
Bill wrote(#57): "Unlike Richard III, I appear to be "in a giving vein" this week. Here's another firewall-bypassing "gift article" link, Michael Dirda on "Why read old books? A case for the classic, the unusual, th..."Many thanks for the Dirda link, Bill (I've really missed you and your links! (please note that I am very parsimonious when it comes to exclamation marks )) (as opposed to brackets ;-))
Best of all: links with links...!
The Luftwaffe Diaries is a fascinating study of that arm of the German military during WW2. The amount of inter-forces in fighting and odd decisions by Hitler and Goering would drive anyone mad.Paratroop legend Kurt Student had organised and planned the crushing of Malta with a massive patatroop offensive but due to the usual muddle at the top, it never happened and Malta remained a crucial pebble in the Allied offence on Rommels heel.
What also becomes clear is how much toll the Luftwaffe support of the invasions of Poland, France and Russia took on the brave pilots, always with something missing or a lack of parts and equipment in tandem. The diaries make clear how the Battle of Britain was lost, also interesting entries on the jovial WW1 ace Ernst Udet(who committed suicide) and the awkward Hans Jeschonnek(who also committed suicide).
My reading about Nazi Germany is always fascinating and interesting, it is good to see all these books in translation, to see the mighty German armed forces from within and how close in some cases this island came to a very bleak future under Nazi rule
CCCubbon wrote: "I shall have to stop buying books for a while for twice recently I have thought ‘that looks interesting in someone’s recommendation only to find it buried in my tbr pile."its an addiction we all suffer from CCC, i am trying to avoid any new purchases before Xmas and to stop the trigger finger online and in shops!
Andy wrote: "I am actively trying to track down some of his littlest known and most difficult to get hold of novels, in an attempt to get to know him better."Having read (probably) all the Maigrets, I can say that the standard of the later books was consistently good, whereas the early ones varied quite a bit, often tending towards melodrama. Later on, psychological issues and interview dialogues played a key role. He always tended to be good at atmosphere from the beginning.
I can't say if the same applies to the 'romans durs', but it seems likely - I agree with your views on 'M. Monde Vanishes' and 'Sunday'.
CCCubbon wrote: "I shall have to stop buying books for a while for twice recently I have thought ‘that looks interesting in someone’s recommendation only to find it buried in my tbr pile."When I find a duplicate - as I have recently done because of my ongoing (seems like forever) reshelving effort - I remind myself that I don't buy Manolo shoes. I much prefer readable 2nd hand books. Thanks for the chuckle - 😊
Anyway that's my excuse! And I have in my calendar a note that the Mercer Island Library is having a book sale in the next couple of weeks. For reference that's where MacKenzie Scott (Jeff Bezos Ex) lives as well as Paul Allen (of Microsoft fame) did. So I expect to find some 'above average' bargains there.
MK wrote: "...now it's Sweet and Low which I must have missed first time around.When I was a youngster, I read quite a few of Lathen's books - I admit that I would find it very difficult to read mysteries in which the 'hero' is a banker nowadays, after the last 20 years or so!
(I also just learned that 'Lathen' is/was in fact two people:
Emma Lathen is the pen name of two American businesswomen: economic analyst Mary Jane Latsis (July 12, 1927 – October 29, 1997) and attorney Martha Henissart (born 1929). The pseudonym is constructed from two authors' names:[1] "M" of Mary and "Ma" of Martha, plus "Lat" of Latsis and "Hen" of Henissart.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_La... )
MK wrote: "It would be a great companion to have Bohemian Rhapsody to holler along with on longish journeys."... so long as you have a high-pitched voice!
Berkley wrote: "I've been reading a Frank O'Connor book lately: ...I'd rate him as one of the best ever to have worked with the form."I agree with you... though I read them a long time ago, but I doubt that even a re-reading would cause any major revision in my opinion as might happen in some cases.
AB76 wrote: "The Luftwaffe Diaries is a fascinating study of that arm of the German military during WW2. The amount of inter-forces in fighting and odd decisions by Hitler and Goering would drive anyone mad.P..."
About Malta. I went there with a group of Brits about 15 years ago. It's a fascinating place (even if now quite corrupt). After the trip I read The Kappillan of Malta
which, when asked, I list as one of my two favorite books and is well worth anyone's book time. I caution, though, to have a box of Kleenex handy. After all Malta is the only people (group) I know of that was presented with the George Cross.Other all-time favorite is Erskine Childers' The Riddle of the Sands.
AB76 wrote: "...interesting entries on the jovial WW1 ace Ernst Udet(who committed suicide..."This event is referred to in one of the John Russell/David Downing books I've been reading, but I have forgotten which one... in that book, blame for Udet's suicide is placed firmly at the door of the Nazis... Wikipedia lists several versions and theories, but concludes with Evidence indicates that Udet's unhappy relationship with Göring, Erhard Milch, and the Nazi Party in general was the cause of a mental breakdown. Who knows?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernst_U...
AB76 wrote: "Andy wrote: "Just done with Urgent Matters by Paula Rodríguez from Pushkin Vertigo and translated from the Spanish (Argentina) by Sarah Moses.[bookcover:Urgent Matt..."The winds and rains of November AB, pretty predictable now, hovering around 10C..
CCCubbon wrote: "I shall have to stop buying books for a while for twice recently I have thought ‘that looks interesting in someone’s recommendation only to find it buried in my tbr pile."I was about to write how a conjunction of several things has dried up my book buying to almost nothing:
• The ongoing threat of COVID has completely stopped me from attending used book sales, removing my main source of temptation.
• My present attitude of not being particularly enthusiastic about most things that I’ve been reading (though, more out of habit, I always have a book ongoing and am enjoying Shakespeare Apocrypha, which I’ll finish today).
• Not wanting to read anything being newly published. I’m more than contented reading only the reviews. The only recent nonfiction book which really tempted me was The Facemaker: One Surgeon's Battle to Mend the Disfigured Soldiers of World War I, which was available at my local library (it was good, but felt a bit padded). The most recent novel I read, Mr Beethoven, which, from its description, seemed like a book written especially for someone like me, was a great disappointment; I really felt that the author had no point in writing it.
As I say, I was going to write about my nonexistent book buying, but then I got an email from Bookshop.org: free shipping for Black Friday, and I remembered a recently published book I wanted to get: Conversations with Goethe (despite the (ugh!) Andy Warhol cover). So here I go, buying a book just as I was about to boast of having lost the need to do so.
scarletnoir wrote: "Andy wrote: "I am actively trying to track down some of his littlest known and most difficult to get hold of novels, in an attempt to get to know him better."Having read (probably) all the Maigre..."
I think it does SN.
I spent yesterday afternoon putting a spreadsheet together of all 106, though that number is not quite correct. I have found some others, and some have two or even more, titles, especially if they have been translated twice, or more.
For example, Dirty Snow and The Snow Was Dirty.
I've read 32. I have another 35 or so, either used copies I have picked up in the last decade or so, or that are on the Internet Archive. The rest I have to keep my eyes out for. Not sure I will ever get round to reading them all, but I will try..
Just done with The Curse Of The Wise Woman by Lord Dunsany
Lord Dunsany, Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett, the 18th Baron of Dunsany, was a prolific Irish writer and dramatist in the first half of the 20th century. His work is cited by many current fantasy authors as being inspirational, not least Neil Gaiman and Guillermo del Toro.
His books sold better after his death (1957), in the second half of the century, and many remain good sellers today.
This was reissued by Valancourt in 2014, and represents something of a departure from his usual fantasy work, in that it chiefly concerns Irish folklore and witchcraft.
The story is of an orphaned teenager Charles, left in charge of the family estate in 1890. His mother has been dead for some years, and his father forced to flee the country. He balances his days away at Eton with managing the estate, which basically means hunting.
A worker on the estate, Tommy Marlin, becomes his close friend and role model in the absence of his father. It is Marlin's mother that is the 'wise woman', or witch.
There are two sections that are real highlights of the book.
Firstly very early on, when four armed men arrive at the house looking for the father, who just about, manages to escape.
And secondly, sections involving the character of Tommy Marlin, which are fascinating. Marlin, a few years older than Charles, is hugely knowledgeable of the estate and its wildlife, and the sport (hunting) that takes place on it. He is a huge influence on Charles. He has many old and traditional beliefs which contrast greatly with Charles's learning at Eton. For example, he frequently speaks of Tir-nan-Og, the land of eternal youth that lies just beyond the bog.
The hunting sections were a bit drawn out as far as I was concerned, but I expect at the time of publication they were looked on much differently.
But it does show Dunsany's prose off as being special, and so suited to the creation of a spectral and unearthly world of luminous and exotic vision.
Against that rural Irish landscape of the bog, and teamed with the enchanting folklore, there is a captivating blend of strangeness, beauty and sorrow, often within the same paragraph.
Mod
My family were in Malta during the war. My 2nd sister was born there in 1940. Our elder sister's main memory of that period was being bombed out of a succession of flats and one time her tricycle balancing precariously high up on the remainder of a wall. My mother and sisters were evacuated to South Africa and my father remained there for the rest of the war.
Andy wrote: "Just done with The Curse Of The Wise Woman by Lord Dunsany"I do like Dunsany, but I hadn't heard of this book. It sounds like it's set more "in the fields we know" than the more fantasy-oriented novels and stories I've read. He writes with what Ursula K. LeGuin called "the true accent of Elfland".
I finished reading 'Anxious People' by Fredrick Backman. This really was a joy to read, a good blend of humour, relationship woes and the frailty of being human on a backdrop of a botched bank robbery/hostage scenario. I'm going to seek out other works by this author.
@Lljones, I really admire your dedication to not buy books this year.I have absolutely zero powers of restraint when it comes to books. I justify this to myself and others because I have no fashion sense and thankfully no proclivity towards most other things.
@ CCCubbon - I had a good chuckle about your tbr pile. On more than one occasion Mr Fuzzywuzz has said "Haven't you already read that" whilst in bookshops and has, once again, saved me from myself!
MK wrote: "AB76 wrote: "The Luftwaffe Diaries is a fascinating study of that arm of the German military during WW2. The amount of inter-forces in fighting and odd decisions by Hitler and Goering would drive a..."made a note of that Malta book thanks!
Andy wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Andy wrote: "Just done with Urgent Matters by Paula Rodríguez from Pushkin Vertigo and translated from the Spanish (Argentina) by Sarah Moses.[bookcove..."i love the sound of that Andy, as will your dog!
scarletnoir wrote: "AB76 wrote: "...interesting entries on the jovial WW1 ace Ernst Udet(who committed suicide..."This event is referred to in one of the John Russell/David Downing books I've been reading, but I hav..."
in the diaries, Udet was becoming quite upset with being unable to change the luftwaffe situation, as the war became harder to win and felt estranged from Goering, who he was friendly with. they mention that he became very depressed and unstable, contrary to his normal ebullient ways and that a luftwaffe comrade visited him on the evening of his death with news of what was happening in Russia, with the Jews. apparently he had scrawled on his bedstead in red, before he killed himself "Reichmarschall, why have you deserted me?". Certainly Milch had started to change the way things worked and sideline Udet.
An incredible situation followed with two luftwaffe officers dying in plane crashes flying to attend Udets funeral. (Fighter ace Werner Molders and Air General Hilberg)
Milch and Hilberg are both linked by the fact they were of Jewish descent, Goering was rumored to have made sure their ancestry was ignored or looked over. About one of them he is alleged to have said " i decide who is a jew or not"
Gpfr wrote: "MK wrote: "About Malta. I went there with a group of Brits about 15 years ago. It's a fascinating place (even if now quite corrupt)...."My family were in Malta during the war. My 2nd sister was b..."
were your family maltese or part of the british diaspora or neither?
i worked with two malteasers about 14 years ago, they used to sit chatting and the language fascinated me, they were amazed i was interested in Malta but this was before i knew a lot of details about Malta in WW2.
its a great story, how that small island stood firm under the Nazi and Italian bombing raids
scarletnoir wrote: "MK wrote: "...now it's Sweet and Low which I must have missed first time around.When I was a youngster, I read quite a few of Lathen's books - I admit that I would find it very difficult to read ..."
Ha, I read the Emma Lathen series many decades ago. In fact read a few last year and commented here. I'm not sure how well they have aged, even if you ignore the Financial Crisis. But it was certainly that level of banking that caused the problems we saw.
Bill wrote: "...As I say, I was going to write about my nonexistent book buying, but then I got an email from Bookshop.org: free shipping for Black Friday, and I remembered a recently published book I wanted to get: Conversations with Goethe (despite the (ugh!) Andy Warhol cover). So here I go, buying a book just as I was about to boast of having lost the need to do so."
I'm not a great admirer of Warhol's work in general but I don't mind that cover too much, though I might question its appropriateness for a book of this kind, a contemporaneous account of Goethe by someone who knew him (as opposed to a present-day assessment of the man and the writer). I have this edition, which I should be getting to within the next few months: Conversations of Goethe.
But before that one I'll be reading Medwin's Conversations of Lord Byron, once I finish the Byron biography I'm currently reading, the one written just a few years after his death by by his friend, Irish poet Thomas Moore.
The talk about spy novels or series set in Germany and written by Americans or Brits makes me wonder: are there any German-language espionage or spy-thriller writers that have been translated into English? Is there a German equivalent of le Carré (or Fleming or Len Deighton or whoever you like)? What about other countries and languages? I know France has a few, though I haven't yet tracked any down to read.
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Ersatz TLS
Books mentioned in this topic
Goshawk Summer: A New Forest Season Unlike Any Other (other topics)Asleep in the Sun (other topics)
Goshawk Summer: A New Forest Season Unlike Any Other (other topics)
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Found in Translation: The Unexpected Origins of Place Names (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Adolfo Bioy Casares (other topics)Algernon Blackwood (other topics)
David Downing (other topics)
David Downing (other topics)
Claude Houghton (other topics)
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When you meditate, the idea is to let irrelevant thoughts go, and keep coming back to the centre. Choosing a word is similar to that. You don’t need to feel guilty, or a failure, you just come back and try again. That does not mean you fail once a week, it means rather you see it as a gradual change in your personality. So discipline, for example, means cutting book and craft buying, stop lying in bed of a morning, do not procrastinate necessary tasks etc etc My friend’s word was focus to stop her flitting from one thing to another and not achieving anything.
We have had fun at New Year discussing our possible words, and what our friends say can be illuminating. And all you have to do is murmur your one word mantra to yourself.