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  • stilts
    Junior Member
    • Oct 2008
    • 8

    The Unbearable Lightness of Being

    The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera. It's really good, very dry and almost mischievously sarcastic. My favorite elements- English is the narrator's second language so the way he describes and understands phrases, similes, expression, people's emotions etc. are at times so hysterically literal or so profoundly simple making for a fresh and unique perspective. Also, the author (or maybe just his name) is a character that the narrator meets and their letters, stories and books that they share together are all unfolded in a recount of their travels.

    REALLY GOOD. I feel like many of you would enjoy Kundera's writing style and diction based on your humor and word choice.

    Comment

    • mamaboy
      Senior Member
      • Mar 2008
      • 415

      did anybody tried "ennemis publics" ...? houellebecq and levy....i looked thru yesterday ..... kinda looks good ...
      "pulp" .... bukowski again ... his probably worst book in a good sence
      but what started out as business has quickley turned to pleasure

      Comment

      • Faust
        kitsch killer
        • Sep 2006
        • 37852

        Originally posted by stilts View Post
        The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera. It's really good, very dry and almost mischievously sarcastic. My favorite elements- English is the narrator's second language so the way he describes and understands phrases, similes, expression, people's emotions etc. are at times so hysterically literal or so profoundly simple making for a fresh and unique perspective. Also, the author (or maybe just his name) is a character that the narrator meets and their letters, stories and books that they share together are all unfolded in a recount of their travels.

        REALLY GOOD. I feel like many of you would enjoy Kundera's writing style and diction based on your humor and word choice.
        Funny story about this - my former professor was supposed to teach Immortality and then decided against it because he hated the new English translations directed by Kundera, who thought that he finally learned the language well enough.

        But, yea, if you search, plenty of Kundera fans and discussions in this thread. Glad you like it.
        Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months - Oscar Wilde

        StyleZeitgeist Magazine

        Comment

        • Johnny
          Senior Member
          • Sep 2006
          • 1923

          Hey I've read America by Baudrillard. At last a book mentioned here that I've read!!
          There's a great passage in it about the sight of a man eating on his own being the saddest thing in the world. Obviously this is a bit of an overstatement (a lot of the book is), but there's definitely something in it.

          Comment

          • galia
            Senior Member
            • Jun 2009
            • 1719

            After finishing The Black Horse by Boris Savinkov (great very concise book about the russian civil war written by Russia's most famous terrorist of that time) I am about to start reading Karen Blixen' Gothic short stories. Danish seems to be my favourite kind of weird atm

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            • mamaboy
              Senior Member
              • Mar 2008
              • 415

              lovecraft h.p. ..... i found this guy throu houellebecq .... and was not dissapointed.... but im not shure this is literature ..... but his style ,posture, and superracism..... america at its best
              but what started out as business has quickley turned to pleasure

              Comment

              • AKA*NYC
                Senior Member
                • Nov 2007
                • 3007

                Originally posted by mamaboy View Post
                lovecraft h.p. ..... i found this guy throu houellebecq .... and was not dissapointed.... but im not shure this is literature ..... but his style ,posture, and superracism..... america at its best
                redacted
                LOVE THE SHIRST... HOW much?

                Comment

                • maldoror
                  Senior Member
                  • Jun 2007
                  • 1132

                  you know there's something wrong with the state of literature when people are discovering lovecraft via houellebecq. I mean, I enjoyed les particules elementaire as much as the next guy, but it's truly mind boggling how far a little bit of controversy can carry a career

                  Comment

                  • maldoror
                    Senior Member
                    • Jun 2007
                    • 1132

                    YES! the yellow sign ranks high in my top 10 stories. bizarre and completely unique narrative architecture which yields a sebald-strange reading effect. chambers's focus on/premise of a degenerate essence underlying art and artists is also beyond strange, and exists in fascinating relation to the centrality of art in lovecraftian horror.

                    Comment

                    • stilts
                      Junior Member
                      • Oct 2008
                      • 8

                      Originally posted by Faust View Post
                      Funny story about this - my former professor was supposed to teach Immortality and then decided against it because he hated the new English translations directed by Kundera, who thought that he finally learned the language well enough.
                      HAHA!! I love that! Yes, will def check out the thread. Thanks for the anecdote and fyi!

                      Comment

                      • AKA*NYC
                        Senior Member
                        • Nov 2007
                        • 3007

                        Originally posted by maldoror View Post
                        you know there's something wrong with the state of literature when people are discovering lovecraft via houellebecq. I mean, I enjoyed les particules elementaire as much as the next guy, but it's truly mind boggling how far a little bit of controversy can carry a career
                        thank you for stating this so civilly
                        LOVE THE SHIRST... HOW much?

                        Comment

                        • Fade to Black
                          Senior Member
                          • Sep 2008
                          • 5340

                          Don't know if this belonged here or Randomness, but:

                          Is it just me or does anyone else envision Judge Holden of Blood Meridian as kunk75 (or vice versa)...then again probably because I came across the book after I knew about kunk.
                          www.matthewhk.net

                          let me show you a few thangs

                          Comment

                          • Classique
                            Senior Member
                            • Apr 2008
                            • 126

                            Fade: I assigned 'Chant' the role of 'Herzog' on 'SZ Book Club - Entry, I."

                            I ambiguously remember [Faust?] Casting, Marlon Brando as Judge Holden. :)

                            Comment

                            • Fade to Black
                              Senior Member
                              • Sep 2008
                              • 5340

                              even the archaic and idiosyncratic language/dialogue/descriptions aside, it's a pretty hard but still lurid and picturesque book to visualize (BM). Oddly enough when I started reading it again a few days ago, whenever the judge came up i pictured either kunk, Locke from Lost, or some combo of the two.
                              www.matthewhk.net

                              let me show you a few thangs

                              Comment

                              • Faust
                                kitsch killer
                                • Sep 2006
                                • 37852

                                Originally posted by Classique View Post
                                Fade: I assigned 'Chant' the role of 'Herzog' on 'SZ Book Club - Entry, I."

                                I ambiguously remember [Faust?] Casting, Marlon Brando as Judge Holden. :)
                                You have a good memory!
                                Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months - Oscar Wilde

                                StyleZeitgeist Magazine

                                Comment

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