What are you reading?

[Magic1]

MBD, and others who have read illuminations, is it hard or useless to read it if you haven't read Kafka, proust, or Baudelaire?

I read art in the age of mechanical reproduction and some essay on epic theatre back in high school and really liked both. But I haven't read those writers and therefore fear his comments will mean nothing to me.

Just read humes an enquiry concerning human understanding. Pretty good. Doesn't pack the same punch I'm sure it did back then, but worth reading.

[jackg]

[Faust]

MBD, and others who have read illuminations, is it hard or useless to read it if you haven't read Kafka, proust, or Baudelaire?

I read art in the age of mechanical reproduction and some essay on epic theatre back in high school and really liked both. But I haven't read those writers and therefore fear his comments will mean nothing to me.

Just read humes an enquiry concerning human understanding. Pretty good. Doesn't pack the same punch I'm sure it did back then, but worth reading.

In general, yes it helps to read the texts that are being discussed. Otherwise you will definitely miss some things. Having said that, Illuminations is a pretty accessible book.

[Faust]

I bought three books yesterday and now I don't know which one to start with

Henderson the Rain King by Saul Bellow
2066 by Roberto Bolano (yes, I know I'm late to the party)
Clockers by Richard Price

[DamageX]

I read this a long time ago and decided to re-read it after finding it in the corner of my bookshelf. I love the smell of oxidized paper.

It's just as amazing as I remembered.

[Macro]

^^^ one of the absolute best opening lines of any book, i feel

[dontbecruel]

I bought three books yesterday and now I don't know which one to start with

Henderson the Rain King by Saul Bellow
2066 by Roberto Bolano (yes, I know I'm late to the party)
Clockers by Richard Price

I read Henderson 11 years ago and it set me on a strange and completely new course in life that still continues. I can't promise it will do the same for you but you'll need to read it to find out.

Re Bolano, I strongly recommend reading Savage Detectives first.

[Faust]

Hehe, I love how it takes Bellow to bring you out of hiding.

Why should I read Savage Detectives first?

[viv1984viv]

I adored 2666. It's the only Bolano I have read. Sumptuous book. Interested in the Savage Detective comment dontbecruel.... I was thinking of reading that.

I'm currently reading (amongst all the academic texts) Thomas Ligotti's Teatro Grottesco. It is excellent, really enjoying it.

Also enjoyed recently:

Umbrella by Will Self (pretty intense book you need to apply yourself to).

Memories of The Future by Sigizmund Krzhizhanovsky

The Soft Machine and The Wild Boys by Burroughs

Faust - did you ever get round to HSJ's The Room?

I must admit, Malcolm Lowrys' Under The Volcano may be my favourite book. I just cannot think of another book I've engaged with so so deeply, not since Dostoevsky's Demons. Deleuze loved Under The Volcano.

[MJRH]

Memories of The Future by Sigizmund Krzhizhanovsky

small world, this is on its way in the mail to me as we speak, it sounds like it's amazing. i've also added lowry and bolano to my shortlist, cheers for the recs all.

[dontbecruel]

Why should I read Savage Detectives first?

More sex, less death!

[Faust]

Fair enough.

Viv, not yet, but it's on the list.

Reading Clockers and it's really good. The way Price captures the ghetto is quite something. It makes sense that he was the cowriter on The Wire.

[kamsky]

Why should I read Savage Detectives first?

You might also read "The Amulet" first. It's a novella, which sort of found its way to the Savage Detectives narrative, in a way. If for no other reason, would give you some idea of whether you want to invest the considerable time it will take to read either Savage Detectives or 2666.

Recently finished "La calle de Valverde" by Max Aub, an amazing novel about the social & intellectual milieux of pre-Republican Madrid. Not certain it's available in translation, but I highly recommend to anyone fluent in Spanish.

Just started "Thomas l'obscur" by Maurice Blanchot; first stab at a novel by him, have only read a small amount of his criticism.

[k3mist]

my 2nd read of this. still amazing

[Geoffrey B. Small]

Agreed K3mist. Now that is a primer on advanced technology for the 21st century. We used readings from it for our Paris showroom soundtrack last January and March for the AW13-14 men's and women's collections entitled "Earth. Land. Terra." I remember some very funny reactions from certain buyers as they were working through the racks and suddenly began to hear some of the texts being read....