What are we reading? 9/09/2024

[Robert]

AB76 wrote: "Robert wrote: "scarletnoir wrote: "Robert wrote: "Thanks for the new thread. Welcome in hospital days.
Besides light reading from Medicare, I've been leafing through Master of the Senate, by Rober..."

I'm trying out the library at the new facility. I'm into Ken Follette's Eye of the Needle, which isn't a bad thriller. Lots of thrillers in this little library-- mostly donations, I'd expect-- but I found a book analyzing the Biblical justifications for violence. Actually fits the times we're in. Thanks for your concern.

[Robert]

AB76 wrote: "Bill wrote: "scarletnoir wrote: "Bill wrote: "scarletnoir wrote: "Whereas satire around religion will always have relevance, political satire must date rather quickly."

[book:Gulliver’s Travels|77..."

Did you mention Candide?

[Berkley]

scarletnoir wrote: "Bill wrote: "scarletnoir wrote: "Whereas satire around religion will always have relevance, political satire must date rather quickly."

Gulliver’s Travels and Animal Farm...

They have a reputation, but FWIW I haven't read either, though I'm no admirer of Orwell's far too obvious propaganda in his fiction (as opposed to his reportage in 'Homage to Catalonia').

As for Swift, I have no idea which politicians were being satirised by him. If he was simply making fun of their corrupt nature or willingness to change their views to suit current opinion, then sure - that doesn't change."

The first Orwell book I ever read was Down and Out in Paris and London and it left me with such a very positive feeling towards him that it's lasted to this day, even though nothing else I've read of his has quite matched the impression made by that one.

I tend to agree that he was a better journalist than a novelist, although I still have much to explore in both directions. Animal Farm and 1984 to me both deserve their status as essential works, books that try to talk about, in fictional form, some extremely important things, but are perhaps a little too intellectual, too thoroughly thought-out to succeed completely as works of fiction. I thought Burmese Days was a better novel than 1984, though not a better or more important book, if that makes any sense.

[Berkley]

On Swift, I think the power his writing still retains after around 300 years has to do with his language - partly of course distinguished merely from the time in which he lived and wrote, but only partly, not everyone from then has lasted; and also talent for piercing bubbles that went beyond the fleeting political or religious controversies of his day, though they might be expressed in those terms. For example, for me the trivial doctrinal disputes he satirises in I think it's Book I, are not at all irrelevant to our current-day world of fundamentalists of all creeds.

[CCCubbon]

@Robert

Just wanted to drop in to say that I hope things get sorted out soon so the treatment can proceed without hitches. Good to see that you keep spirits up. I know it’s hard sometimes but you get there in the end and you will get up the flights of stairs back to your flat.
😋

[Robert]

CCCubbon wrote: "@Robert

Just wanted to drop in to say that I hope things get sorted out soon so the treatment can proceed without hitches. Good to see that you keep spirits up. I know it’s hard sometimes but you ..."

Thank you.

[AB76]

Berkley wrote: "scarletnoir wrote: "Bill wrote: "scarletnoir wrote: "Whereas satire around religion will always have relevance, political satire must date rather quickly."

Gulliver’s Travels and [book..."

i started with Homage to Catalonia and have read all his fiction, my fave remains Keep the Aspidistra Flying, i was living in London when reading it in the late 90s and it was a perfect companion. Though back then i read a lot less and i think i read it in 3 months on and off!

[Robert]

scarletnoir wrote: "Robert wrote: "It is indeed a great satire..."

Whereas satire around religion will always have relevance, political satire must date rather quickly.

Is there a risk that sections of this book hav..."

Well, I have spoken to Russian women of recent generations who know and liked this book-- though perhaps the love story of the Master and Margarita is what they loved.
As Bulgakov said, the fundamental Russian character-- or types of characters-- are much alike from decade to decade. And as long as Russia has political police, official and unofficial versions of the truth, and doubts about money, there will be echoes with his book.

[AB76]

I have dropped the book on Saddam and religion i was reading, the topic is fascinating, especially use of Ba'ath party records but it read like a rather sketchy thesis rather than a historical study and compared to the previous two books on Saddams Iraq i read(one on the Ba;ath Party, one on Iran-Iraq War), i learnt very little

So now i am reading a collection of essays from the CEU The End of Czechoslovakia , studying the Velvet Divorce where the Czechs and Slovaks went their own way, in the context of the 70 years of the unified state. They describe the divorce as possibly an ectomic one, where a one state decides to dump the other one, expecting no gain but actual benefits. This is due to the more indsutrial urban nature of the Czech Republic and the pooer relatively rural, conservative nature of Slovakia in the 1918-1993 period.