What are you reading?

[jj.still]

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thanx, but I worry that much can be lost in two translations [8-|]

[BECOMING-INTENSE]

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Le Spleen de Paris Charles Baudelaire</p>

El Libro De Arena Jorge Luis Borges</p>

</p>

A Very soothing read in this heat ...
</p>

[8-|] [51]</p>

[AKA*NYC]

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[quote user="BECOMING-INTENSE"]

Le Spleen de Paris Charles Baudelaire</p>

[/quote]</p>

Baudelaire is my hero. </p>

<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; ">"All the bourgeois fools who incessantly utter the words immoral, immorality, morality in art, and other silly things remind me of Louise Villedieu, a five franc whore who, when accompanying me one day to the Louvre - where she had never been - started blushing and covering her face; and pulling all the time at my sleeve, she asked, before the immortal statues and paintings, how people could put such obscenities on public display" </span>
</p>

[Faust]

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[quote user="AKA*NYC"][quote user="BECOMING-INTENSE"]

Le Spleen de Paris Charles Baudelaire</p>

[/quote]</p>

Baudelaire is my hero. </p>

<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;">"All the bourgeois fools who incessantly utter the words immoral, immorality, morality in art, and other silly things remind me of Louise Villedieu, a five franc whore who, when accompanying me one day to the Louvre - where she had never been - started blushing and covering her face; and pulling all the time at my sleeve, she asked, before the immortal statues and paintings, how people could put such obscenities on public display" </span>
</p>

[/quote]</p>

N.I.C.E.</p>

[justine]

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[quote user="AKA*NYC"][quote user="BECOMING-INTENSE"]

Le Spleen de Paris Charles Baudelaire</p>

[/quote]</p>

Baudelaire is my hero. </p>

<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; ">"All the bourgeois fools who incessantly utter the words immoral, immorality, morality in art, and other silly things remind me of Louise Villedieu, a five franc whore who, when accompanying me one day to the Louvre - where she had never been - started blushing and covering her face; and pulling all the time at my sleeve, she asked, before the immortal statues and paintings, how people could put such obscenities on public display" </span>
</p>[/quote]<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16px; ">His "Journaux intimes" are unbelievable, a treasure trove for quotes. </span>

[Real Real]

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Rereading Postwar by Tony Judt. Good book, nice survey of European political development 1945-1989, poorly edited though.

[BECOMING-INTENSE]

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[quote user="AKA*NYC"][quote user="BECOMING-INTENSE"]

Le Spleen de Paris Charles Baudelaire</p>

[/quote]</p>

Baudelaire is my hero. </p>

<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;">"All the bourgeois fools who incessantly utter the words immoral, immorality, morality in art, and other silly things remind me of Louise Villedieu, a five franc whore who, when accompanying me one day to the Louvre - where she had never been - started blushing and covering her face; and pulling all the time at my sleeve, she asked, before the immortal statues and paintings, how people could put such obscenities on public display"</span>
</p>

[/quote]</p>

Thanks for a brilliant quote. [51] </p>

It reminds me, I was at a dinner party at my landlords, and this older woman was curious to see what kind of art I did, and of course I showed her, and after her praising she remarked "but where would one hang these in your home?". But the best thing she said after inspecting some of the drawing was "So that's how we women look from behind!" [74] ... [79]
</p>

I haven't read his diaries yet, but it should be in the post very soon, coming my way. [79]</p>

Edit: note that the older woman was not "a five franc whore"!
</p>

</p>

[Faust]

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Bought two nonfiction books - something that never happens to me.</p>

At the Mind's Limits - Jean Amery</p>

Why Orwell Matters - Christopher Hitchens</p>

[seb]

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just started to read "wittgensteins neffe" by thomas bernhard </p>

i don?t know if there exists an english translation of his oeuvre but he was a very famous author from austria </p>

for the beginning i can relly recommend his book "holzf?llen" which means literally "wood chopping" </p>

it?s about the human examination of its inner self and the conflicts concerning relationships, betrayal and hatred. it is quite socio-critical and very well written</p>

</p>

</p>
________
AVANDIA LAWSUIT INFORMATION

[justine]

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[quote user="Faust"]Why Orwell Matters - Christopher Hitchens[/quote]Good timing on Orwell. His "foundation" is publishing his diaries in the form of a blog. One entry at a time, exactly 70 years after it was written. It's at: http://orwelldiaries.wordpress.com/

[maldoror]

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[quote user="seb"]

thomas bernhard. don´t know if there exists an english translation of his oeuvre but he was a very famous author from austria
</p>

[/quote]</p>

yes, there are english translations of (I believe) everything he's published. wittgenstein's nephew is great, though truly strange. unlike a lot of authors who profess the same, you get the sense with bernhard that he actually was a true asshole. if you like bernhard, then you'd probably also like w.g. sebald who is sort of the unofficial descendant of bernhard's artistic project.</p>

speaking of which, faust, how are you finding austerlitz?
</p>

[Faust]

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So far so good. It's not mind-blowing, but there is plenty to think about (about time and memories and all the little things we miss in life), and I am not doing it justice reading on the subway (115 pages in). I like his descriptions of things and places (I could do without the photos though). I am a bit annoyed that there are no paragraphs - I see it as a gimmick.
</p>

I need to take half a year off from work and just read properly.
</p>

[maldoror]

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Hmm, neither the photographs nor the lack of paragraph breaks strike me as gimmicky per se. I think he was earnestly trying to do something novel formally, an alternate approach to controlling narrative rhythm. Without it, I don't think his texts would be able to achieve the same hypnotic quality, reach the same dreamy heights, but I completely understand how someone would feel differently, especially if the reading is mandated by subway snippets. Everything about Sebald's style lends itself to langorous stretches spent with the work rather than clipped and distracted encounters. The subtlty of the work is more than just subtlty, it's all there is. If his writing were music, it would never rise above pianissimo.
</p>

[AKA*NYC]

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I saw the dude read the year before he died. He was a slow speaker and hypnotic. Susan Sontag was sitting behind me. Idiot that I am I never bothered to get his signature.

[Faust]

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[quote user="maldoror"]

Hmm, neither the photographs nor the lack of paragraph breaks strike me as gimmicky per se. I think he was earnestly trying to do something novel formally, an alternate approach to controlling narrative rhythm. Without it, I don't think his texts would be able to achieve the same hypnotic quality, reach the same dreamy heights, but I completely understand how someone would feel differently, especially if the reading is mandated by subway snippets. Everything about Sebald's style lends itself to langorous stretches spent with the work rather than clipped and distracted encounters. The subtlty of the work is more than just subtlty, it's all there is. If his writing were music, it would never rise above pianissimo.
</p>

[/quote]</p>

You are right. A book like that requires a deep dive. By the time my mind starts creating all the places he describes, I have to get out of the train. I don't the lack of paragraphs is gimmicky, but the pictures are a bit. I am not sure what they add. What do you think? Is it also about the rhythm? Does he want you to stop at certain times to look at the picture?</p>