Month: May 2010

the labyrinth of solitude by octavio paz

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Notes –

Paz was one of the greatest writers from mexico he wrote numerous novel and poems ,he was also very active politically during his life and commented on numerous latin american and spanish causes during his life .He was awarded the nobel prize for literature on 1990 and is only third mexican to win a nobel and only nobel laureate in literature .this book is considered his masterpiece .

The Book –

The book is a journey through in a number of different chapters what it is to be mexican ,it examines the mexican psyche ,the history ,there are a number of recurring theme that keep appearing like spain ,indian culture and the Catholic church ,Paz weaves the story with the mexican nation being describe as though they where a person and what are characteristics that are common to all mexican like often a mixed heritage of native indian and spanish family background .how spain running lead to the revolution and the beginning of the mexican state and the laws of the stat regarding education etc ,the church’s influence over everyday life and the state as a whole ,also how the church has adapt to the mexicans as a people .the is lots of mysticism like the journey of being mexican like the ancient quests of labyrinths and how every mexican has this deep well of solitude at the core .

Any contact with the mexican people, however brief ,reveals that the ancient belief and customs are still in existence beneath western forms .These still living remains testify to the vitality of the pre-courtesian cultures .and after discoveries of archeologists and historians  it is no longer possible to refer to these societies as savage or primitives tribes.

the opening of the fifth chapter .

My view –

Paz has encapsulated what to be a mexican is here and it is wonderful reading the history views perception of mexico ,mexico has always fascinated me a country of vast contrasts in class on the edge of the richest country in the world the politics ,chaos of its capital ,I heard that Martin Amis said China and Japan are going to be the new literary centres but i have a feeling mexico has something to tell us all the vast metropolis of mexico city is sure to stir up many amazing stories in the future and as a book to give you a start on the track of mexican lit this has been a great help for me into this vibrant and diverse country .The edition i borrowed from  library was in 1967 ,in later versions a 10th essay was added to the 9 orginals ,this essay dealt with a massacre in 1968 that lead to Paz resighning as an ambasador for mexico in India where he had spent a lot of his later life ,this edition was translated by lysander kemp and was the first translation available .

world cup of writers -Slovenia

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The writers –

Now ,I have read one Slovenian writer to my knowledge and that is the political thinker Slavoj Zizek his first as tragedy the as farce ,I ve look round the net found a couple of other book reviewed by the complete review the Cartier project byMiha Mazzini and also mocking desire by Drago Jancar .Ljubljana the capital of Slovenia is world book capital this year a link here to translate first page of the site . there is a list of more books on the site .There is a few new writers to me I ll be looking up and reading in future .

Learn Slovenian

Ljubljana � World Book Capital 2010

The world cup –

Slovenia as a separate country is a relatively new country having been part of the former Yugoslavia ,their other world cup appearance was in 2002 when they got knocked out in the group stage my main memory was the talents of their star player  Zlatko ZAHOVIC a playmaker in the typical Balkan playmaker role of Boban or  Prosenscki in the past .

Zlatko ZAHOVIC

A beat gets the beat

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On twitter the other day on the book chat/writer chat #litchat was about writers having other talents ,well next day i remember an album from 1990 that featured the beat legend William S Burroughs and the hip hop group beatnigs that became disposable hero of hiporsay and then spearhead .I had this album as a fan of beat writers in my teens William S Burroughs was a master of the cut up technique of avant grade writing .This poem /song is very powerful and even more so with Williams sombre tomes reading it over the beat of the music .

alphabet of the night by Jean-Euphele Milce

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JEAN-EUPELE MILCE

Notes –

Jean is a Haitian writer born in 1969 this is his debut novel ,he currently lives in switzerland in self-imposed exile ,he studied linguistics in Haiti and later taught Creole literature he also founded a literary magazine lire Haiti(read Haiti) .

The book –

the book follows jewish shopkeeper Jeremy Assael who is homosexual and has a partner Lucien ,the book starts of with the shop opening and the precautions they have to take to safe guard them selfs ,Shortly after this Lucien is killed in front of the shop by a corupt police man after vengeance against them .This sends Jeremy on a journey around Haiti in search of answers to who he is ,what his place is whether its in Haiti or in exile ,Jeremy wants to find a long-lost school friend who he thinks may have the answers too these questions .he heads to talk to the holy people of this island a voodoo priest and a revered bishop ,he dances with old ladies and we see the everyday life of Haiti unfold in front of our eyes .

The dawn brings me its first tints in changing swirls of colour .Port au-Prince always wakes tp find its cries ill-expresseds sorrows smoothered by a pall of smoke .Rising up from the ground ,hopes destroyed by the daily struggle for survival hangs over a place that has lost all sense of being a capital.

the opening of alphabet of the night .

My views –

This book evokes the obvious tension of Haiti ,of course it has been in the news with the earthquake recently ,but you sense on every page the menacing atmosphere of the country ,yet its spirit to get by no matter what troubles face its people ,we also discover the dilemma facing many people in the third world whether to flee and try to establish a new life in the usa .Jean Euphele is an exciting writer and a new voice for the region .

Links –

Jean on the earthquake in Haiti

Cafe Europa life after communism by Slavenka Drakulic

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Slavenka Drakulic

Notes – Slavenka lives in Sweden and is married to a swedish national ,she is one of the most respected Croatia writers and journalist ,she lived in Croatia til the early 1990’s .She has published a number of novels and other books of non fictions .she worked on a newspaper and magazine in Zagreb from 1982 to 1992 .

The book –

The book is a collection of short essays on the Balkans mainly they range from historic to personal and tell how Croatia mainly but also the other Balkan country’s cope post communism the book was written in 1996 ,the story slavenka tells are wonderful ,the first follows the changes of names in Croatia post communism how things change to Europa instead of the communist names ,elsewhere there are story’s interconnect about the period in the second world war when Croatia side with the germans her father a Croat joining Tito partizans the effect this had on him ,a interview with a former camp commandant from that period who still felt he’d done nothing wrong .and Slavenkas trip to Israel and the fact she was one of the few Croats to travel there but also the questions of Croatia’s role in second world war .there are some funny tales like running round wien (vienna) trying to buy a vacuum cleaner and get the shop to give them a receipt for 99 dollars as that is the max they could take in with out duty .There is also the tale of Tito ‘s wife that still lives in Serbia but doesn’t have id ,pension and lives of state charity the accept she is there but don’t acknowledge the fact .and my favourite is a tale set in london where Paddy Ashdown is in a conversation with the Croat president of the time Tudjman where he ask Tudjman about the future of the region and is drawn a map of what Tudjman see’s and what in the end did happen .

Since her husband’s death ,Tito’s wife Jovanka Broz has lived in a villa in Dedinje surrounded by bodyguards .With their permission she goes out on rare occasions she doesn’t not own the villa ,but she doesn’t pay rent for it ,either .How could she when she doesn’t even get her husbands pension? Jovanka Broz enjoys Serbia’s state “charity”,although it is forced upon her .

from story Who’s afraid of Tito’s wife .

My view –

I so enjoyed this book ,i ve always had an interest in the Balkan’s ,since i worked in a factory in germany in early nineties with Serbs,Croats ,Bosnians and kosvions the tale’s the told made my hair stand on end and also made me think ,this book does the same and brought back memories of that time some of the oddities of the communist world and the strong nationalism of the time ,this book is like a fly caught in amber ,it has wonderfully caught a period of great changer in the Balkans ,it makes you laugh ,cry and think in equal measures which is no mean feat .

independant foreign fiction 2010 winner

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indy 2010 winner

the winner of the independant foreign fiction prize 2010 is    the brodeck’s report by   Phillipe Claudel  translated by john Cullen .all the winners were praised by Boyd tonkin ,the winner was announced by Kirsty wark this evening .this is a dark post warcrime novel is dark and  kafkaesque book that has been a firm favourite with bloggers ,and was a not the tv book club pick earlier in the year .

the forethoughts about this book by my good blogger friend robaroundbooks

well done  MacLehose Press on the win .

the result -one at a time or loads on the go

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know i now

Well i ve been tried a number of different ways to read recently ,i tried jumping from book to book spend a little time with each in the end ,I found a solution that seems to suits me .Thats reading one main book all day ,at night i m reading what i would call a light read in last week or more a persephone  in bed ,and inbetween books sneaking a few short stories from the best European fiction 2010 which i have got to work through as new 2011 edition due later this year .Which seems to work best for me .Many thanks for all the feedback of your reading habits .I suppose its a bit of both .

le bal by Irene nemirovosky

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LE BAL

Notes – 

These two short novellas le bal and snow in autumn where wrote in 1930 and 1931 .Irene Neimovosky was born in Kiev ,here family fled russia due to the revolution they settle in france where Irene wrote til the german invasion ,she was Jewish and died in Auschwitz in 1942 ,spent a number of years in obscurity til 2005 and suite Francaise came out ,this vol was published by vintage in 2007 ,Persephone has just published another collection of her short stories . 

The book – 

the two stories in the book are both about 50 pages long ,the first le bal follows a mother and daughter relationship the Kampf  ,the mother is a women who has made good ,but become a little stuck up along the way ,the daughter grew up use to money and his the perks of the money like an english governess  and finds her mother a little annoying at times  ,her mother is organizing a huge ball to finally announce their arrival in the upper echelon of paris society ,she tells her daughter Antoinette who is 14 years old  she can’t come to the ball . leading to a very cruel twist ! 

Madame Kampf said nothing about the previous nights argument to Antoinette ,but all through lunch she let her daughter know she was in a bad mood by barking out the kind of curt reprimands at which she excelled when she was angry . 

  

the second story follow a family as they escape the revolution in russia going via Odessa they are followed by the devoted servant Tatiana  the family Karine arrive in Paris but not everyone finds it so easy to adjust to Parisan life as the family adjusts to a new society and a drop in class .this story is shorter than the first but does seem like in invoke Irene’s own life . 

How could they all live like this shut up in these dark houses? when would the snow come ? 

Tatiana lamenting the small apartment in paris . 

My view –  

I read suite francaise ,liked but didn’t love it ,but these two stores were amazing she had a real talent as a shorter story writer ,le bal you were thrown in to the world of the Kampf’s and within a few pages could immediately visualise this family ,snow in autumn seemed as thou it was written from her own personnel experiences ,these are worthy to sit next to Chekhov and Maupassant ,the translation is great from Sandra Smith from the original french ,i will know look forward to the new collection on Persephone books . 

Links – 

the definitive Irene Nemirovky site

world cup of writers – germany

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writers  

Well  i lived for a short time in the early nineties in germany post the Berlin wall  coming down ,so have read a few german writers I ll pass on some of my favourites here well the grand master of german writing is Goethe a bit like Germany’s  Shakespeare i ve read young wether and Faust both of which i enjoyed Faust is a play about a man that makes a deal with the devil and has inspired several other books and plays over the years .next are the post war writers Gunter grass and Heinrich Boll ,Grass tin drum has recently been re translated which I shall look to read and see if it has change from the earlier translation ,his my century is a wonderful collection of almost flash fiction that intertwines with each year of the 20th century getting a few pages you see small and large events through various peoples eyes .Boll has fallen of the radar in uk of recent shame his book encapsulate the post war germany and the struggles that happened ,the clown was a good one of his to start with set in Bonn following a son from  a rich family as he becomes an artist and starts to travel round and he also has some strange gifts .Now my all time favourite writer Sebald who manage to mix fiction non fiction and pictures in his wonderful books whether its question of Germany’s war or the east Anglia he lived before his untimely death A new german writers  Julia franck ,jenny Erphenbeck , Hertha Muller the nobel winner now a bit like their team german writers make a strong team .  

W G SEBALD

 

World cup memories –  

My memories of germany start with the mullet cut of Karl Heinz Ruminegger in the 80’s with his classic 80’s haircut a striker with guile and grace and the strength and resolve of the german team . i had a lot of  joy at their knocking out by lowly Bulgaria in 94 ,to making the final  as rank outsiders in 2002 ,they always play well no matter how they qualified  ,having made the semis 11 time win 3 times and a runner-up 4 times .suppose the 74 final is the best win when they beat holland who were the fancied team , but germany ran out winners after a close game .  

Rummenigge playing

world cup wishes by Eskhol Nevo

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Eshkol Nevo

Notes –

Eshkol is an Israeli writer ,he is related to Levi Eshkol the third prime minster of israeli,he teaches creative writing at the university of tel Aviv ,he has written two novels his first received widespread recognition when published this is his second novel .his last book spent over 50 weeks on the Israeli bestseller list .

The book –

we start in 1998 four friends are sat watching the world cup final when one of them Amichai  suggests ,why don’t they make wishes where or what they want in four years time in the next world cup . these four guys grew up together and have closeness ,as the story unfolds we see them have successes and failures grow apart at times but in the end  grow closer always chatting to one another and helping each other out  when they can ,whilst the everyday life of modern israeli unfolds as a backdrop . The wishes in the end play second fiddle to the friendship of these four guys .but in a mad dash Ofir writes and  self publishes a book in time for the world cup finals .all this back to the music of the chameleons .

What i was thinking he said ,is that each of us should write down on a piece of paper where he dreams of being in another four years . Personally ,professionally . In every sense .And at the next world cup ,we ll open the papers and see what happened in the meantime

The idea for the wishes from Amichai near the start of the book .

 

  

my view –

This book is the second football related book i ve read in  the last week ,but in this book the football is really a framing for the novel and gives it a definite start and finish ,the main think in this book is friendship and the stress of modern life in israeli with all that entailed at the turn of the millennium .Eshkol wonderfully drags you into the world of these guys you feel your sat with them as they chat away ,you have to give praise to th translator Sondra Silverston who has done a wonderful job of translating from the original hebrew ,its nice to see a book about male friendship that isn’t about army or gangs ,the characters are realistic and I would imagine based on Eshkol’s own friends in some way .A great pre world cup read .

Links –

a video of eshkol on panel at pen usa last month

persephone reading week cheerful weather for a wedding by julia strachey

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Julia Strachey

Notes – 

Julia strachy was on the fringes of the bloomsbury group she was a cousin to the biograph Lytton Strachey  part of the famous stachey family,she was published by hogarth press orginally that was connected to the group  she also published another novel twenty years after this .It was book 38 in persephone releases . 

The book –  

The book follows dolly the main charcaters wedding day to the hon Owen Bigham , we start with the morning nerves and her brothers frolicking about downstairs on the sofa . 

Robert’s black shoes sticking on the arm of the sofa were crossed one over the other , and revealed a gleam of emerald between the shoes and the trousers . 

  

her mother flaps as the day progresses nerves run high drinks are taken to calm nerves ex’s appear Joseph that confides he is still in love with dolly  and aunts are abound ,In what seems a typical if a little fraught at times wedding day in  the thirties . 

My view – 

I was looking forward to reading this book and was disappoint it oozes the era ,Dolly’s brothers and the aunts made me think of Woodhouse and Wooster with his aunts .But this book is slightly darker than them ,Julia had wonderful observations and great dialogue in this book .The book is wonderfully produce with an elegant front cover and nice inner leaves .I m a little disappoint that this was the only book i ve got to read for Persephone week , but due to work and home commitments i haven’t had the time .This was a wonderful book to republish a lost gem from a writer connected to so many other writers . 

Links – 

the life of Julia Strachey – a 2 page pdf file 

Best european fiction 2010 belgian(french)

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Jean Philippe Toussaint

Zidane’s melancholy -Jean-Philippe Tousaint ,

best european fiction 2010

This story was 5 pages long and concerns moments in football mainly the infamous headbutt from zindine zidane  to a italian player in the world cup ,Touisaint also points out hurst did it didn’t it ball over line in 1966 final ,he says zindine had a black moment that could stayed in the head but didn’t and became a actual act .Tousaint is 53 a prose writer and has a number of books published by dalkey archive he has also made a number of films he has also taken books of photographs .

new arrivals at winstons tower

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we had a few new books come Winston and I ,two from reviews I ve read on other blogs and one from a publisher

they are –

more books dad !

skylark  byDezsö Kosztolányi which i read about on trevors blog the mooske and the gripes also nyrb had a poscast with a reading from the book .it follows skylark a young girl in a small hungarian town in 1900 .

The book of things by Ilhan Berk from salt publishing Ilhan was turkeys leading modernist poet this is a group of three volumes brought together in a single work translated by George Messo ,these are wonderfully set out and look amazing and is the start of some translated poetry on the Winstonsdad

The libary at night by Alberto Manguelo – which considered my recent wobble on blogging may jump up the pile ,Manguel is so passionate about books and reading i read about this on emily janes  blog although have read a couple of his other books over the years his stevenson under the palms i loved .

Off side by Tom Palmer

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off side Tom Palmer

Notes –

Tom Palmer didn’t read a book til he was teenager then it was a football book ,this is the third in the series called foul play ,he has been to Ghana to research and also spoke to people in the fair trade movement .he was shortlist for the blue peter book i couldn’t put down .

the book –

We join Danny Harte the teenage detective and footy fan of the previous books as the book opens his beloved city football club are on the verge of a mystery takeover from unknown bidders from overseas he is at the ground commentating to his blind father the match and the demonstration at the end .Meanwhile another story starts Kofi is in Ghana a gifted football player ,goes to play football in Ghana’s second city Kumasi ,when his approached by a middle-aged man valled Jonathan Shearer saying he is an agent from Danny’s city and they want him but his family will have to pay to get him there ,back in england Danny is arrest and told to stop being a detective by his family.Kofi is on hos way to england hand a phone and warm coat he boards the plane on arrival he finds it is a huge hoax and there is no job for city ,so he is homeless in a unknown country this is where his and Danny’s stories unite and what follows is a roller coast ride of news stories and kidnapping .

My View –

I was asked to review this by Sarah at book rabbit ,she knows i love football so said yes have also been looking for a young adult to read and this was perfect i sat and read it ion a few hours ,what tom has done is wonderfully summed up major concerns in world football for kids with out talking down to them ,this book should be given to any young boy that likes football but not reading it is vibrant and gives people a view in to the darker side of football .there is also the undercurrent of fairtrade to get kids think about where things come from .a lovely book this is out this month from puffin .