Now reading...

[ejp626]

I snuck in Elizabeth Bowen's The Hotel, as it was short. It was ok, nothing amazing. In a few weeks I'll be tackling The House in Paris -- and some day The Little Girls and few of the others.

I've just launched into Platonov's The Foundation Pit. I think it will be a bit challenging, but looking forward to it. This will officially wrap up my 6 or so month foray into Russian authors. Definitely time for a change.

But I perhaps will end up easing myself into European and American fiction by way of Mittel-Europa.

Gregor Von Rezzori and probably some Kafka. Maybe even some Stephan Zweig. We'll see...

Quite excited about An Ermine in Czernopol, but I'm going to hold off a bit longer on Rezzori's other novels.

Edited January 25, 2015 by ejp626

[BillF]

Now this was a good Fitzgerald! This is where I think she's at her strongest - writing about something she has experienced personally, in this case a London theatre school, rather than, say, Moscow of a century ago or the lives of Italians in the 1950s. Wonderful sense of ironic humour, with more than a hint of Evelyn Waugh. Strongly recommended, particularly to anyone keenly interested in theatre.

[ejp626]

At Freddie's

Now this was a good Fitzgerald! This is where I think she's at her strongest - writing about something she has experienced personally, in this case a London theatre school, rather than, say, Moscow of a century ago or the lives of Italians in the 1950s. Wonderful sense of ironic humour, with more than a hint of Evelyn Waugh. Strongly recommended, particularly to anyone keenly interested in theatre.

This could be something right up my alley. I often enjoy novels about theatre if they aren't too inside baseball. (That's probably one reason I liked Birdman so much, as I have some experience with oddball actors.) For another theatre novel, there is also Bulgakov's Black Snow.

[duaneiac]

Found it at the library used book sale for 50 cents.

[Matthew]

The Azusa Street Mission & Revival: The Birth of the Global Pentecostal Movement by Cecil M. Robeck, Jr. Great history of the Azusa Street Revival, which tends to get overlooked in books on African-American history. Poor, African-American preacher goes to Los Angeles, starts the modern Pentecostal Movement, which now counts over 250 million people, it's an amazing story.

[Larry Kart]

Now this was a good Fitzgerald! This is where I think she's at her strongest - writing about something she has experienced personally, in this case a London theatre school, rather than, say, Moscow of a century ago or the lives of Italians in the 1950s. Wonderful sense of ironic humour, with more than a hint of Evelyn Waugh. Strongly recommended, particularly to anyone keenly interested in theatre.

That was the book that turned me into a Fitzgerald fan. Also loved the one about working at the BBC during the Blitz. Both involving personal experience, as you say. The houseboat one, too, but in some respects I found that it bordered on the too painful.

[erwbol]

Suffused with scientific explanations. Some good ideas, but poorly executed & written.

[Jazzmoose]

Too bad. Though I'd recommend the translator, Ken Liu. At least for his short stories; I haven't read any novels by him.

[jazzbo]

Finished this:

Started this:

Edited January 27, 2015 by jazzbo

[ejp626]

I wrapped up Platonov's The Foundation Pit. It's short but still a pretty challenging text. I expect to read it again (some day). I will say that I admired it on an intellectual level than really liked it or engaged with it on an emotional level.

Just starting Rezzori's An Ermine in Czernopol. So far so good. It's supposed to be an irony-laden work where the main character is a bit of a Don Quixote type, defending his sister-in-law's honor, when in fact this is a hopeless task.

After this, Devoted Ladies by Molly Keane.

[ejp626]

Now nearly finished London Fields by Martin Amis, which I have enjoyed greatly. I feel very late to the party with this one - I see it was published in 1989.

I liked London Fields quite a bit. Hope to reread it someday. I also thought Amis' Money was good.

I wasn't as crazy about Other People. I thought it was borrowing too obviously from A Clockwork Orange.

[medjuck]

[jlhoots]

Laughing Monsters is reportedly excellent.

Now reading Stephen Fried: Appetite for America

[erwbol]

I should have bought this earlier on. The paperback is now OOP and going for ridiculous prices in Europe. Fortunately, I found this like new price-clipped hardcover on abebooks for $25. Hopefully, it won't take too long to get here.

[crisp]

Now nearly finished London Fields by Martin Amis, which I have enjoyed greatly. I feel very late to the party with this one - I see it was published in 1989.

I liked London Fields quite a bit. Hope to reread it someday. I also thought Amis' Money was good.

I wasn't as crazy about Other People. I thought it was borrowing too obviously from A Clockwork Orange.

I'm reading his latest, The Zone of Interest, right now. So far it's quite brilliant -- and very brave. I didn't like his earlier Holocaust novel, Time's Arrow. This is spot on, although it's naturally upsetting at times (justifiably so).

I think Amis is on a roll at the moment. His last two novels, Lionel Asbo and The Pregnant Widow, were both very good. I've read most of his work and would say my favourites are (in this order) Yellow Dog, Money and Dead Babies. The others I've read (most of them, including London Fields) I haven't much liked.

[Matthew]

Here by Richard McGuire. Just your great graphic novel, about a space of land through million of years, that's a meditation on life, death, love, humanity, and other things. Great book.

[ejp626]

Here by Richard McGuire. Just your great graphic novel, about a space of land through million of years, that's a meditation on life, death, love, humanity, and other things. Great book.

Hmm - that sounds a bit like the set up to Jeremy Gavron's An Acre of Barren Ground.

Edited January 31, 2015 by ejp626

[Matthew]

Here by Richard McGuire. Just your great graphic novel, about a space of land through million of years, that's a meditation on life, death, love, humanity, and other things. Great book.

Hmm - that sounds a bit like the set up to Jeremy Gavron's An Acre of Barren Ground.

I'll have to check that one out, thanks for posting it.

[Leeway]

Progress Report:

I'm now somewhat past the midpoint of my giant Penguin edition of Clarissa (p. 780 of 1500). I find the book absolutely brilliant, but like a mountain climber halfway up a tall slope, I'm both thrilled, and chastened that there are still more steps to take to get to the end. It's not drudgery at all, just simple effort or focus. The story, as Dr, Johnson pointed out, is nothing very complicated, but the mass of feeling, thoughts, ideas, social habits, etc, requires the closest attention, and rewards it too. This is really Ground Zero of the modern novel. It bursts the bounds of its own epistolary form, yet uses it to great effect in terms of vividness and immediacy. Anyway, it's really a remarkable work. Now to get up the rest of the mountain.

[BillF]

Progress Report:

I'm now somewhat past the midpoint of my giant Penguin edition of Clarissa (p. 780 of 1500). I find the book absolutely brilliant, but like a mountain climber halfway up a tall slope, I'm both thrilled, and chastened that there are still more steps to take to get to the end. It's not drudgery at all, just simple effort or focus. The story, as Dr, Johnson pointed out, is nothing very complicated, but the mass of feeling, thoughts, ideas, social habits, etc, requires the closest attention, and rewards it too. This is really Ground Zero of the modern novel. It bursts the bounds of its own epistolary form, yet uses it to great effect in terms of vividness and immediacy. Anyway, it's really a remarkable work. Now to get up the rest of the mountain.

Best of luck!

[Jazzmoose]

I'm about a third of the way through the fourth book of Zelazny's second Amber series, which I've never read before. I'm surprised to discover that it's better than the first. To be honest, I thought the first was about as high a level as Zelazny could manage.

[Larry Kart]

Aeschylus, The Oresteia. I'm balancing three translations: Robert Fagles (Bantam Classics), Peter Meineck (Hackett), Hugh Lloyd-Jones (U. of California Press). Primal stuff. Fagles has a gnarled power at best but can get too "poetic" and obscure to the point of near incomprehensibility, excellent notes and a intriguing long introduction (these the work mostly of editor W.B. Stanford); Meineck is admirably clear (it's a version designed to be staged) and powerful, lighter on notes than I would wish; Lloyd-Jones has few literary pretensions, fine notes, much scholarly learning stands behind it all, shines light on virtually every puzzling/obscure passage.

Progress Report:

I'm now somewhat past the midpoint of my giant Penguin edition of Clarissa (p. 780 of 1500). I find the book absolutely brilliant, but like a mountain climber halfway up a tall slope, I'm both thrilled, and chastened that there are still more steps to take to get to the end. It's not drudgery at all, just simple effort or focus. The story, as Dr, Johnson pointed out, is nothing very complicated, but the mass of feeling, thoughts, ideas, social habits, etc, requires the closest attention, and rewards it too. This is really Ground Zero of the modern novel. It bursts the bounds of its own epistolary form, yet uses it to great effect in terms of vividness and immediacy. Anyway, it's really a remarkable work. Now to get up the rest of the mountain.

Best of luck!

Read it in college for an 18th Cent. English Lit. class. Could have read an abridged version but volunteered to read the whole thing just for the hell of it. Resulting paper was not as good as it should have/could have been, but I got a good grade for persistence, I think. A great work, as you're finding out. I'd like to hear Robin Holloway's opera "Clarissa." There is an excerpt on YouTube.

[erwbol]

I should have bought this earlier on. The paperback is now OOP and going for ridiculous prices in Europe. Fortunately, I found this like new price-clipped hardcover on abebooks for $25. Hopefully, it won't take too long to get here.

Arrived earlier today. First impression very good. I will be listening a lot to Braxton's 80s/90s quartet while I read this.

These also arrived today. American editions of Ken MacLeod's first four novels, the last two now OOP in the UK.

[Leeway]

Short story: "The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher"

My library finally surfaced a copy of "The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher," a short story collection by Hilary Mantel. SInce I am involved with Clarissa (near page 1000!), I didn't have time to read the entire group of stories, just the title story, which I understand has been quite controversial in UK.

Interested in reactions to the story. Is it possible to have a literary reaction to the story that isn't also political? What is the political reaction?

I believe some UK media have posted the story online if anyone is interested.

[Jazzmoose]

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/sep/19/hilary-mantel-short-story-assassination-margaret-thatcher