What are you reading?

[Faust]

Re: What are you reading?

/\ Oh, Lord, of course! Stupid me. I've never actually heard the term written or pronounced in English, so I couldn't put 2+2 together. I know exactly what you mean.

[Faust]

Re: What are you reading?

Starting What Is Literature? by Sartre. Wish me luck...

[Seventh]

Re: What are you reading?



good luck... Faust, why are you reading it, out of curiousity? (the little I have read of Sartre wasn't fun...)</p>

Laika, yeah, it is funny all the overlaps! Well... It is nice to meet someone with similar tastes!
Not an Aquarius though--Sagittarius.</p>


One more thing I have been reading (bet you haven't read this yet, Laika) and highly recommended:</p>

Rafael Moneo, Theoretical Anxiety and Design Strategies -- The title is kinda silly, its basically the transcripts of eight lectures on eight different contemporary architects (or firms), including Koolhaas, Venturi, Rossi, Herzog &amp; De Meuron, Stirling, and Siza. It provides a great history/overview of their work. What is nice is that it is from the point of view of prominent architect (Moneo) in his own right, so (like artists talking about other artists) it has a different focus than many writings about architecture made by academics (his analysis on Koolhaas is excelent)
</p>

ps. I have been waiting for 4 weeks from Amazon for the Lisa Robertson book... Now I have been told it will be another 4 weeks?! And I can't find it in any library.
</p>

[Faust]

Re: What are you reading?

[quote user="Seventh"]

good luck... Faust, why are you reading it, out of curiousity? (the little I have read of Sartre wasn't fun...)</p>

[/quote]</p>

For a class I'm auditing. I don't like him much. Camus &gt; Sartre.</p>

[laika]

Re: What are you reading?



[quote user="dontbecruel"]Laika, you described his style much better than I did in my original review. Stilted was a bad choice of word on my part. You are quite right that he formulates metaphorical ideas in a way that is quite original and obviously carries something over from another language. Your quotation from Nowhere Man is a good example. I don't think a native English speaker would ever describe something as being "like a squat, extinguished lighthouse" because it negates the two essential facts about lighthouses: they are tall and they are bright, so what part of it exactly IS he comparing his foot to? But at the same time it feels like it means something, the simile is not exactly WRONG, it's just odd; bewildering. I like that.
[/quote]</p>

Why, thanks--that's a very nice compliment coming from you. [:$] That's exactly what I meant about the lighthouse....I'm almost surprised there isn't a literary term for that kind of metaphorical slip.
</p>

I think your review sounds very accurate, and I can see why you were put off by the Nabokov comparison. It doesn't do Hemon any justice, nor does it make any sense; their uses of language are completely different, almost opposite. It's amazing how quick publishers are to make those kinds of statements--Garcia Marquez is another one whose name gets endlessly thrown around. I suppose people who don't what to say or think just wind up speaking and thinking in endless chains of references.
</p>

[laika]

Re: What are you reading?

[quote user="Seventh"]

good luck... Faust, why are you reading it, out of curiousity? (the little I have read of Sartre wasn't fun...)</p>

Laika, yeah, it is funny all the overlaps! Well... It is nice to meet someone with similar tastes!
Not an Aquarius though--Sagittarius.</p>


One more thing I have been reading (bet you haven't read this yet, Laika) and highly recommended:</p>

Rafael Moneo, Theoretical Anxiety and Design Strategies -- The title is kinda silly, its basically the transcripts of eight lectures on eight different contemporary architects (or firms), including Koolhaas, Venturi, Rossi, Herzog &amp; De Meuron, Stirling, and Siza. It provides a great history/overview of their work. What is nice is that it is from the point of view of prominent architect (Moneo) in his own right, so (like artists talking about other artists) it has a different focus than many writings about architecture made by academics (his analysis on Koolhaas is excelent)
</p>

ps. I have been waiting for 4 weeks from Amazon for the Lisa Robertson book... Now I have been told it will be another 4 weeks?! And I can't find it in any library.
</p>

[/quote]</p>

I've heard of Moneo, but have never seen that book. It's funny that you say that about architects vs. academics...architectural jargon (the theoretical kind) always seems amazingly academic to me! I've heard that Moneo writes extremely well though, so I'm looking forward to checking out this out.</p>

We just got Olafur Elliason: Surroundings Surrounded--Essays on Space and Science. It's quite a tome, but I'm looking forward to browsing it, at least.
</p>

(This place claims to ship the Robertson book in a week, btw.)</p>

</p>

[Seventh]

Re: What are you reading?



Weird... now you are freaking me out Laika.
</p>

I have followed Olafur Elliason's work, and have been to three of his (fairly) major shows in the US. I don't know if I would want to read him though. The wall text on his first solo show (which I would assume he would have control of--at ICA Boston) was terrible...</p>

Moneo is a very good writer, doesn't get caught up in semantics but also doesn't dumb down ideas. Despite my postings, I am not hugely into architecture, but I could follow along just fine--also have an adversion to academe speak...
</p>

[Seventh]

Re: What are you reading?

[quote user="Faust"][quote user="Seventh"]

good luck... Faust, why are you reading it, out of curiousity? (the little I have read of Sartre wasn't fun...)</p>

[/quote]</p>

I don't like him much. Camus &gt; Sartre.</p>

[/quote]</p>

Agreed! Also from what I have read, Camus sounded much nicer as a person.</p>

[laika]

Re: What are you reading?

[quote user="Seventh"]

Weird... now you are freaking me out Laika.
</p>

I have followed Olafur Elliason's work, and have been to three of his (fairly) major shows in the US. I don't know if I would want to read him though. The wall text on his first solo show (which I would assume he would have control of--at ICA Boston) was terrible...</p>

Moneo is a very good writer, doesn't get caught up in semantics but also doesn't dumb down ideas. Despite my postings, I am not hugely into architecture, but I could follow along just fine--also have an adversion to academe speak...
</p>

[/quote]</p>

Yes, you can see why I thought we might have been born under the same star, lol. The book isn't actually written by Elliason--it's a bunch of essays by other authors (Koolhaas, Elizabeth Grosz, Diller+Scofido, Manuel De Landa, etc.) that intersect topographically with his work. I think if you click the link you can get the full run down.</p>

Now you've surprised me, I was thinking you must be an architect for sure!</p>

[destroyed]

Re: What are you reading?



faust</p>

finally took the plunge on SVEJK------what a romp! it reads really fast, i'm surprised. i get so intimidated by central european literature, cinema and art, but it never fails to resonate deeply with me. all that history can be daunting, but it makes the experience so much the richer. thanks for the push.

</p>

[Faust]

Re: What are you reading?

[quote user="destroyed"]

faust</p>

finally took the plunge on SVEJK------what a romp! it reads really fast, i'm surprised. i get so intimidated by central european literature, cinema and art, but it never fails to resonate deeply with me. all that history can be daunting, but it makes the experience so much the richer. thanks for the push.

</p>

[/quote]</p>

My pleasure! I'm glad you like it - it is a riot of a book. If you want a completely opposite central european experience, read the painted bird by kozinsky - but don't tell me i didn't warn you about the horror that the book portrays.
</p>

[Faust]

Re: What are you reading?

The Fire Next Time - James Baldwin. Gut-wrenching.

[Fuuma]

Re: What are you reading?

I'm reading some Hammett and Chandler [Y]

[Faust]

Re: What are you reading?

[quote user="new_dawn_fades"]

I bet you have this one faust..or alteast i would be surprised if you dont!</p>

Auguries of Innocence by Patti Smith</p>

also reading - Minimalist Design by Franco Bertoni..</p>

and The Drawings of Leonardo Da Vinci - A.E Popham</p>

[/quote]</p>

Actually I don't have it. [:D]</p>

[Avantster]

Re: What are you reading?

Just finished reading The Beautiful Fall by Alicia Drake. Interesting perspectives on Lagerfeld, Saint Laurent, and Paris in the 1970s.