What are you reading?

[laika]

Re: What are you reading?

[quote user="Faust"]

[quote user="laika"]Right on, Faust. BTW, the audio book of this (read by Jeremy Irons) is absolutely incredible. I frequently listen to it when I have writer's block--Nabokov's use of language is mind blowing, and Irons delivery is both scathing and tortured--just perfect.
[/quote]</p>

Wow, I have to get that! His English is really mind-blowing, as is his Russian. It's amazing that a non-native English speaker can be that good. BTW, he translated Lolita into Russian himself, and he also translated Alice in Wonderland, I have a volume that has both English and Russian, and it's fun to leaf through.</p>

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Yes, it's AWESOME. I can't say enough about good things about it. </p>

Alice in Wonderland sounds great. I so wish that I knew Russian! Lithuanian literature is not particularly compelling. [:^)]</p>

[Faust]

Re: What are you reading?

[quote user="laika"][quote user="Faust"]

[quote user="laika"]Right on, Faust. BTW, the audio book of this (read by Jeremy Irons) is absolutely incredible. I frequently listen to it when I have writer's block--Nabokov's use of language is mind blowing, and Irons delivery is both scathing and tortured--just perfect.
[/quote]</p>

Wow, I have to get that! His English is really mind-blowing, as is his Russian. It's amazing that a non-native English speaker can be that good. BTW, he translated Lolita into Russian himself, and he also translated Alice in Wonderland, I have a volume that has both English and Russian, and it's fun to leaf through.</p>

[/quote]</p>

Yes, it's AWESOME. I can't say enough about good things about it. </p>

Alice in Wonderland sounds great. I so wish that I knew Russian! Lithuanian literature is not particularly compelling. [:^)]</p>

[/quote]</p>

I have to say, it's gratifying. [8-|]</p>

[Seventh]

Re: What are you reading?

Its cool [:)], dontbecruel, I was in a fickle mood. I am enjoying what is being said by you, faust and laika about the book. it is kinda fun to be actively be thinking about these ideas as I am reading the text for the first time.

Laika, do you mean you speak Lithuanian?!

[laika]

Re: What are you reading?



lol, glad you are not upset with us, Seventh. You must chime in one you are through with the book. I think I was wrong to call it allegorical--it's actually more symbolic.
</p>

Yes, I speak it. It's a fun fact about me, but I can't say it's a particularly useful language to know.[;)]</p>

[Seventh]

Re: What are you reading?



I'll definately add my meager thoughts when I finish the book. I am still in awe of how he uses the English language. Has anyone read Nabakov's autobiography? (any good?)</p>

I think that is rather fantastically cool that you speak Lithuanian, Laika. I have a thing for mildly un-useful languages (been wanting to learn Welsh for years). Of course I would settle for Russian as well... [:P]
Sadly, I am deeply linguistically impared... I do need to really buckle down and learn German over the next couple years, purely out of a deep, lasting and profound love of german art.
</p>


</p>

[laika]

Re: What are you reading?



Well, i can't really take credit for "learning" it--that's damn near impossible, like learning to speak Ancient Greek or Sanskrit. I just grew up speaking it. [:)]
</p>

German is a very good idea--fun and useful! And you can probably teach yourself, to some extent.</p>

Reading:</p>

Montaigne, "On Cannibals" and "On the custom of wearing clothes"
</p>

[laika]

Re: What are you reading?



Reading an essay on Marx, clothing and commodities, and came across this cute fact:</p>

"In the language of 19th century clothes-makers and repairers, the wrinkles in the elbows of a jacket or a sleeve were called 'memories.' Those wrinkles recorded the body that had inhabited the garment. They memorized the interaction, the mutual constitution, of person and thing. But from the perspective of commercial exchange, every wrinkle or 'memory' was a devaluation of the commodity."</p>

[8-|]</p>

[Faust]

Re: What are you reading?

/\ hah, cool!

[Seventh]

Re: What are you reading?

[quote user="laika"]

Well, i can't really take credit for "learning" it--that's damn near impossible, like learning to speak Ancient Greek or Sanskrit. I just grew up speaking it. [:)]
</p>

[/quote]</p>

well, that make me feel better about struggling with my Welsh on Tape home course...[:P]</p>

taking a break from Nabakov, I feel like I need to be sharp to read him, and lately, I ain't feeling too sharp.</p>

Any recommendations for a non-sharp but entertaining (and not pure bublegum) novel? Last one I read was Steinbeck's Cannery Row.</p>

</p>

[Faust]

Re: What are you reading?



why do you and dbc insist on spelling Nabokov as "Nabakov"? [^o)]</p>

Seventh, I can recommend you about 200 novels in that vein. My personal favorite is Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Perfume is good, too. Or Norwegian Wood, or Wildsheep Chase by Murakami. Or Mao II by Don Delillo. Or Brave Soldier Sjveik. or Fight Club (it's good, honest). Or Post Office by Bukowski... Jarhead is decent, much better than that stupid film version. Ok, I'll stop there, but I can go on [:)]</p>

[Seventh]

Re: What are you reading?

[quote user="Faust"]

why do you and dbc insist on spelling Nabokov as "Nabakov"? [^o)]</p>

Seventh, I can recommend you about 200 novels in that vein. My personal favorite is Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Perfume is good, too. Or Norwegian Wood, or Wildsheep Chase by Murakami. Or Mao II by Don Delillo. Or Brave Soldier Sjveik. or Fight Club (it's good, honest). Or Post Office by Bukowski... Jarhead is decent, much better than that stupid film version. Ok, I'll stop there, but I can go on [:)]</p>

[/quote]</p>

</p>

dyslexia probably... sorry Faust.</p>

Fear and Loathing is perfect, I have been meaning to read that for ages. I've read enough Murakami and Delillo. </p>

</p>

</p>

[nairb49]

Re: What are you reading?

Had a long train ride today, so finally found some time to get a decent start on Good Soldier Svejk. Have to say that thus far, it isa total riot. really very clever.

[dontbecruel]

Re: What are you reading?

[quote user="Faust"]

why do you and dbc insist on spelling Nabokov as "Nabakov"?</p>

[/quote]</p>

Damn! I spelt it correctly a few times too [:^)]. By the way, the usual English pronunciation does sound like it has an "a" in the middle, at least the way we say it over here with the stress on the first syllable. How is it pronounced in Russian?
</p>

[laika]

Re: What are you reading?



I think the stress is actually on the last syllable--i.e., not the way Sting pronounces it in "Don't Stand So Close to Me." </p>

Seventh I was going to recommend this. It's just awesome--one of my favorite recent novels. You can read the first page to get a taste...
</p>

[Faust]

Re: What are you reading?

[quote user="laika"]

I think the stress is actually on the last syllable--i.e., not the way Sting pronounces it in "Don't Stand So Close to Me." </p>

Seventh I was going to recommend this. It's just awesome--one of my favorite recent novels. You can read the first page to get a taste...
</p>

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The stress is on the middle syllable. It's a commone mistake in the US to put the accent on the last syllable - I think it simple comes from inability of English speakers to pronounce long names with repeating syllables.</p>

DBC, his name is pronounced how it's written. However, it is very common in Russian to write "o" while saying "a", "i [e-e]" while writing "e" and so on.</p>