Spring in Fialta
A malign star kept him
Spent a week by the beach so got some reading done.
Books: Last Book You Read and Rate It
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Spring in Fialta
A malign star kept him
Twice I've had my reviews erased by the shitty internet! Screw it, I'm doing them when I get back to Canada.
Spring in Fialta
A malign star kept him
The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka - If humanity was ever to be brought before an intergalactic judge and asked to justify itself, I'd want The Metamorphosis to be brought to it as justification for the entire human race.
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Spring in Fialta
A malign star kept him
Everyman by Philip Roth - Found the first quarter a bit bland but the book really takes off when Roth leaves his main character's childhood behind and delves into his elderly bitterness. The more bitter his character becomes, the better the book becomes as well and there's a particularly poignant scene where the main character almost commits accidental suicide which stirred me.
Oh, boo hoo. Wiggle your toes in the sand, order another margarita and check out the bikinis.
Spring in Fialta
A malign star kept him
Also read some Kafka short stories. The Judgement is a phenomenal one.
A Propos of the Wet Snow by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.
The 2nd half of Notes from Underground. It's a masterpiece, both as a philosphical work and has a comedy. I loved the way the narrator consistently bemoaned his - always predicted in spite of himself - poor actions and delves deeply into his own inertia, cynicism and contradictions.
Favorite passage: The narrator talks of dreams of a lovely life with the prostitute Liza only for them to turn, as he puts it, " common and basic " and cause him to jeer at himself because of it. Had tears of laughter.
A Propos of the Wet Snow by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.
The 2nd half of Notes from Underground. It's a masterpiece, both as a philosphical work and has a comedy. I loved the way the narrator consistently bemoaned his - always predicted in spite of himself - poor actions and delves deeply into his own inertia, cynicism and contradictions.
Favorite passage: The narrator talks of dreams of a lovely life with the prostitute Liza only for them to turn, as he puts it, " common and basic " and cause him to jeer at himself because of it. Had tears of laughter.
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Spring in Fialta
A malign star kept him
Currently reading Lolita by Nabokov again. Hitting that lull where Humbert and Lolita are traveling around the country. Although I've read the ending again - numerous times - and it's masterful, particularly the murder of Clare Quilty. With that said, the book is a technical feat and Nabokov pulls a fantastic trick on his readers, but he has a terribly tendency to squeeze the life out of his story and suffocate his reader, instead of letting his words breathe.
Finlandia WOAT
No blocks, No slappers
- May 23, 2010
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Nemesis by Phillip Roth
A Greek Tragedy, with 1940 New Jersey Jews and polio. Like any good tragedy, you 100% know where this is going- but rather than imbuing impatience you're left a growing sense of horror at the sheer hopelessness, at the cruelty that the protagonist (an idealized stand in for the school yard instructor to a young Phillip, no doubt) in equal parts ignorance and intransigence, does nothing to avoid his fate. You want to reach through the pages and shriek, [redacted spoiler]. Like watching a train wreck in slow motion, or the 2018 Raps Cavs playoff series.
A Greek Tragedy, with 1940 New Jersey Jews and polio. Like any good tragedy, you 100% know where this is going- but rather than imbuing impatience you're left a growing sense of horror at the sheer hopelessness, at the cruelty that the protagonist (an idealized stand in for the school yard instructor to a young Phillip, no doubt) in equal parts ignorance and intransigence, does nothing to avoid his fate. You want to reach through the pages and shriek, [redacted spoiler]. Like watching a train wreck in slow motion, or the 2018 Raps Cavs playoff series.
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robertmac43
Forever 43!
- Mar 31, 2015
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What would peoples thoughts be on creating an HF board Book club? We pick a book for a month and then everyone discusses it at the end of the month. Thoughts?
robertmac43
Forever 43!
- Mar 31, 2015
- 24,967
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I say it is worth the shot! I don't even know where we would begin with selecting the book to read
Spring in Fialta
A malign star kept him
I'd be curious to try The Sheltering Sky once again, as I didn't get much out of it the first time and I'd been spurred to read it by this neat little novelette - The Education of Malika - that Bowles had written. How long would we have to read the selected books?
Edit: Nevermind, a month. I'm in.
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Thucydides
Registered User
- Dec 24, 2009
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I’d also be down to read The Sheltering Sky again. Great book.
I would be interested in doing a book club as well.
I would be interested in doing a book club as well.
Spring in Fialta
A malign star kept him
Any short story admirer should read A Report to an Academy by Franz Kafka. Call me overzealous, but if there's one writer who justifies literature to me it's him. How this man died unknown is one of literature's biggest mysteries to me. He very, very rarely missed in contrast to his literary aims. Even the non-understandable - to me - feels accesible and enthralling when I read him. A sparkling and borderline flawless diamond. If there's a crack in his work, it's barely noticeable.
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robertmac43
Forever 43!
- Mar 31, 2015
- 24,967
- 17,173
Spring in Fialta
A malign star kept him
The Stranger by Albert Camus (1942) - I’ll never tire of revisiting this one. It’s a beautiful work. While there is a lot going on philosophically, I love that the novel serves as a beautiful nod to the physical world and the life within it, the one that we can all feel, smell, touch, and kiss. Which I find also creates as interesting contrast - perhaps unintentionally - with the intellectual ideas presented in the book, which go well beyond the physical and offers insightful ponderations on the nature of men, justice, chance and absurdity (and finding meaning and happiness within it) and I feel that underneath it all, the message which I personally perceive and which resonates with me the most is that life, not worth living, is precisely why we should live it with unrepentant ardour and subsequently create happiness out of inherent nothingness.
The artistry of the The Stranger, even outside of its presented ideas, is, by itself, worth the price of admission. A lean prose filtered with dry humour, Camus creates cute characters (hell, even Raymond, in a weird way) who consistently show their humanity - in face of the lack of it - through understated and percutant ways, while the North African setting described by Camus feels vibrant and colourful and fully-realized through the minimalist but highly whimsical prose which makes one (or at least me) want to dive into a long, cool stream of water and swim peacefully, in quietness, with a small and tender smile on my face during a gentle and well-illuminated summer day.
The artistry of the The Stranger, even outside of its presented ideas, is, by itself, worth the price of admission. A lean prose filtered with dry humour, Camus creates cute characters (hell, even Raymond, in a weird way) who consistently show their humanity - in face of the lack of it - through understated and percutant ways, while the North African setting described by Camus feels vibrant and colourful and fully-realized through the minimalist but highly whimsical prose which makes one (or at least me) want to dive into a long, cool stream of water and swim peacefully, in quietness, with a small and tender smile on my face during a gentle and well-illuminated summer day.
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Spring in Fialta
A malign star kept him
I’d vote to keep it in here. In 14 months it has not even reached 12 pages and we’re only a handful of posters who regularly use it. I don’t think there’s any risk of it getting clogged up. With that said, if we decide to create another thread, we’ll only be wasting minimal bandwidth. So I’m cool either way.
robertmac43
Forever 43!
- Mar 31, 2015
- 24,967
- 17,173
Spring in Fialta
A malign star kept him
As soon as I complete Bill Bruford's doctoral thesis on creativity and drum performance (challenging, to say the least), I'll reread The Sheltering Sky next and post a review. Anyone else on this thread who wants to do so as well can follow suit if they wish. Or even beat me to it as it will probably take close to a week for me to finish up the Bruford text.
Spring in Fialta
A malign star kept him
Thucydides
Registered User
- Dec 24, 2009
- 8,164
- 851
