What are you reading?

[GucciAmen]

Finished Crime and Punishment. Definitely never ceased to amaze me, Dostoyevsky does not disappoint. Around the end and sometime around the middle, he makes a few pessimistic allusions towards nihilism (it was a growing trend in the 1860s in Russia I guess) which were very interesting to read, written beautifully of course. Also, be sure to look for the contemporary translators, Pevear and Volokhonsky, when buying his works. They easily trump the old Constance Garnett copies.

Just started my first Murakami novel, Norwegian Wood. So far, so good, imagery is some of the best I have read so far.

[nomemorial]

Just started my first Murakami novel, Norwegian Wood. So far, so good, imagery is some of the best I have read so far.

One of my all-time favorites. Tackles many of the "coming of age" themes found in much of his work, but has a bleaker atmosphere, in my opinion. Stellar, emotional read.

[Resonkuken]

That was my first foray into Murakami territory and haven´t stopped since. Currently reading After Dark and I just purchased 4 more of his books (while I still have 1Q84 and Kafka on the shore to finish). And also got "Les fleurs du mal" by Baudelaire. Tough choice to get in french since my level is just alright, but I figured this would compel (force) me to improve it rapidly, and it was rather inexpensive.

[bukka]

The story of Yanaihara Isaku, a friend of Giacometti, who had to stay in Paris because the artist didn't let him leave before his portrait was completed. It was supposed to take a few days, it took more than 200. Beautiful edition and great insight on Giacometti's working method.

[nomemorial]

Recently began Margaret Atwood's "MaddAddam" trilogy with "Oryx and Crake," which has been a weird, pleasantly disjointed experience thus far.

Also reading "God, the Devil, and Darwin" by Niall Shanks. A solid, argumentative commentary on the all too consistent battle between science and "intelligent design theorists." A personally relevant read as I was raised in a very religious home and took far too many trips to "creation museums" and things of the like as a child.

[Faust]

/\ I'm sorry to hear it. And I am not being in the least bit sarcastic. It seems to leave quite a trauma.

[GucciAmen]

About a quarter or so of the way through Journey to the End of the Night by Celine now. Faust, if you thought Dostoevsky was a misanthrope, perhaps don't give this novel a read... Very depressing book but valuable in the sense that it provides an alternative perspective to life.

[bukka]

About a quarter or so of the way through Journey to the End of the Night by Celine now. Faust, if you thought Dostoevsky was a misanthrope, perhaps don't give this novel a read... Very depressing book but valuable in the sense that it provides an alternative perspective to life.

I might be wrong but Faust probably read it already. I'm glad you picked up this book GA, it's fundamental in French literature. I don't know how important it is translated though, the main point being the renewal of French literature trough the introduction of orality in his writing style.

[Faust]

Never read Celine, but I know he's depressing as shit. I think I'm too old for this type of stuff. Kinda love my life these days...

[nomemorial]

/\ I'm sorry to hear it. And I am not being in the least bit sarcastic. It seems to leave quite a trauma.

I've found it kind of difficult to explain to people who weren't raised in a similar environment. Part of me resents my family for shielding me from fact with faith, but it's difficult to fully fault them when I know they're completely convinced they were doing the right thing. On the downside, it's inevitably led to my familial relations being glazed over with this weird, distant, insincerity. More positively, it's just inspired me to learn more about the world around me, even if only to catch up with things I missed when I was younger.

[bukka]

Never read Celine, but I know he's depressing as shit. I think I'm too old for this type of stuff. Kinda love my life these days...

That's maybe the best moment to read Celine then. And no one is too old for this.

[AKA*NYC]

That's maybe the best moment to read Celine then. And no one is too old for this.

+1 and be sure to read at least one of the later elliptical works. although from what i understand the real brilliance of celine (sadly) doesn't translate in english translation.

[BSR]

I might be wrong but Faust probably read it already. I'm glad you picked up this book GA, it's fundamental in French literature. I don't know how important it is translated though, the main point being the renewal of French literature trough the introduction of orality in his writing style.

well, not really. you can admire LFC as much as you want for his style and his picaresque narratives (he probably deserves much praise for this indeed), but he didn't really influence anything in the History of French litterature. no other important french writer has used a similar "oral" style (minor ones, yes, like Jean-Louis Costes...). and his take on the novel's construction and purpose is really classic actually, for the time.

[bukka]

well, not really. you can admire LFC as much as you want for his style and his picaresque narratives (he probably deserves much praise for this indeed), but he didn't really influence anything in the History of French litterature. no other important french writer has used a similar "oral" style (minor ones, yes, like Jean-Louis Costes...). and his take on the novel's construction and purpose is really classic actually, for the time.

I disagree with you, completely. Influencing the History of French Litterature is much more than having other authors writing with the same "oral" style. And his oral style didn't come out of nowhere, you can read in his letters that he was studying this kind of oral structures in other authors like Ramuz, making Celine a important step in French Literature. But, even if we take this as the only criterium, there are a lot of authors who used this style (or variations from it), like Beckett in Molloy:

Je suis dans la chambre de ma mère. C’est moi qui y vis maintenant. Je ne sais pas comment j’y suis arrivé. Dans une ambulance peut-être, un véhicule quelconque certainement. On m’a aidé. Seul je ne serais pas arrivé. Cet homme qui vient chaque semaine, c’est grâce à lui peut-être que je suis ici. Il dit que non. Il me donne un peu d’argent et enlève les feuilles. Tant de feuilles, tant d’argent. Oui, je travaille maintenant, un peu comme autrefois, seulement je ne sais plus travailler. Cela n’a pas d’importance, paraît-il. Moi je voudrais maintenant parler des choses qui me restent, fairre mes adieux, finir de mourir. Ils ne veulent pas. Oui, ils sont plusieurs, paraît-il. Mais c’est toujours le même qui vient. Vous ferez ça plus tard, dit-il. Bon. Je n’ai plus beaucoup de volonté, voyez-vous.

That's the first page, you can easily spot those "oral" structures, voyez-vous.

In my opinion, if it wasn't for Celine, books like Zazie dans le métro would have never happen.

[Faust]

I've found it kind of difficult to explain to people who weren't raised in a similar environment. Part of me resents my family for shielding me from fact with faith, but it's difficult to fully fault them when I know they're completely convinced they were doing the right thing. On the downside, it's inevitably led to my familial relations being glazed over with this weird, distant, insincerity. More positively, it's just inspired me to learn more about the world around me, even if only to catch up with things I missed when I was younger.

I've always said that the best thing about growing up in the Soviet Union was that you grew up an atheist. So, I cannot relate on the personal level, but it have read enough fiction and memoirs to sympathize. Have you read The Way of All Flesh by Samuel Butler?