Last week in early hours of morning I was awake so tuned in to the revamped radio Four Extra the new name for radio seven .To hear they were going to broadcast two short stories by Evelyn Waugh my ears pricked up always half aware of short stories the two I heard were wonderful .So I checked next day and found a couple of editions of his complete short stories on Amazon a penguin and Everyman Library one .I loved Everyman books ,but unable to get on at moment ,so I ve borrowed the libraries edition for now ,until I can buy it .But this has led to the creation of Waugh Wednesday .I use love my good friend robs days on one writer and have been trying to find a worthy subject and I loved the novels of Waugh I love so have chosen wednesday from now on for next year or so for all thing Waugh ,There are 38 pieces in the collection ,I ve two novels also a number of films adapted from his books .Plus the wonderful Brideshead Revisited TV series to talk about and discuss.
I love the everyman cover.can’t wait to get a copy of book for myself
Jan Van Mersbergen is a Dutch writer ,Has published 6 novels in his Native holland ,tomorrow Pamplona was his fourth book ,he grew up in Brabant before moving and studying in Amsterdam he has had a number of Jobs such as hod carrier ,postman before becoming a full-time writer ,he published his first book in 2001 ,the glass biter ,he was up for the Bng new literature prize and Hale prize ,with previous books .He is currently editor of De Revisor ,he has his own prize-winning website .
So what is Tomorrow Pamplona about ,well its a road movie in a book it involves two men at different places in their lives coming together day or so ,to go to Pamplona to see the Annual running of the bulls festival ,so who are the two men well first is Danny ,we meet him as he is running through the city ,he is a boxer ,almost be chance he meets Robert a family man who offers him a lift ,so as the two meet ,Robert explains to Danny what his plan is ,now the man of danger the boxer is a little taken back by this but agrees this sends the pair on a long drive through france and spain to be there in time for the running .Most of the action thou is the men discussing there lives and problems ,we find out Danny’s problems with his career and girlfriend ,Robert is interested in this boxer and what makes him tick ,as is Danny with Robert what makes a seemingly normal family man turn to this Madness of the bull run .
Robert says:for a man who doesn’t have specific place in mind ,Pamplona is a great destination ,Maybe the best of all
Yeah ,maybe .
You’re welcome to come .If you like .
Pamplona ,Danny thinks,flicking the door shut .
If you’ve got guts .
Robert takes his foot off the accelerator.Then he presses down agin and lets the engine roar .#Danny snorts it not about guts ,he says .
Yeah I ve heard that one before .
I’ll come with you .
Danny decide to take a trip that will touch both there lives for a long time after .
I start this book a little nervous ,one surface it would seem my type of book I love road movies ,but had little nagging voice saying is this not going be some book about machismo ,which I wouldn’t enjoy as much as I ve like Hemingway’s books he has oft drifted towards this but I pleased to say ,Jan’s book is about men and there souls and maybe a bit how we are all kids inside that love images of danger as a child and sometimes have to grasp them ,it is about how we feel with love and loss as men .There have been loads of books written from a female perspective on love and life ,but it was great to read a book that caught the male experience so well .I think we all are Danny at some point in our lives ,the confused let down in love guy that maybe can’t get a hold of his feels ,I for one associated with him .Robert on the other hand is the man we hope to be in some ways ,a family man happy but still want to touch those dreams of childhood by random acts of madness like going to the running of the bulls . So he feels more alive and those a better family man .As the book unfold Danny became more like Robert ,and vice versus Robert became a bit of Danny in his own way .I would love this as a film I think Meike has picked the perfect Two Hour book to become a two jour film ,I could imagine the great road movie director Wim Wenders using this book to make a great film on being a man but the real meaning of being a man ,not the machismo ,the feeling and soul we all have .I may also say Laura’s translation is just stunning ,she has kept the maleness of the voices so well ,you wouldn’t tell she was a female translator and that is really good work .
How did this book touch you ?
Did it make you look at the man in your life different ?
I missed the last week with being in London but have this week list of books suggested and who suggested them .
Comedy in a minor Key by Hans Keilson – Every review of this I ve read has loved it .The books follows a dutch couple trying to get rid of a body of a jewish man they were hiding he died this week aged 101 he had hidden in Holland himself during the war ,suggest by Matt G Craig .
Clochemerle by Gabriel Chevallier trans J Godefroi ,classic french satire about building of a urinal in a french village mad into a tv series in seventies ,I ve a copy of this as well I must read ,suggest by a penguin a week
Our ancestor by Italio Calvino trans Archibald Colquin ,any book by Calvino is going to be great ,This is a collection of three tall stories by the Italian master suggested by Parish Lantern .
The secret history of the lord of Musashi by Junchiro Tanzaki translator Anthony H Chambers follows the desires of a 16th century samurai ,also suggest by Parish Lantern
The scent of the night by Andrea Camileri translator Stephen Satareli ,part of her Montalbano series a great Italian crime series is the sixth in the series and find Montalbano tracking a Fiance man on the run ,suggested by Book worm 1979
I suggest the new star of Korean literature Kyung-sook Shin here novel Please look after mother a hit in her homeland translated by Chi-Young Kim ,it tells of a mother getting lost en route to Seoul from four angles a bit like a Durrell novel .
Small memories by Jose Saramago – Saramago goes into his earliest memories in this book suggested by Gina from pebble in my shoe
The Aeneid by vigil trans by Robert Fitzgerald ,everyman among others use this version of the Roman classic about the founding of Rome ,suggested by edesmondananthony from twitter
Histories Naturelles by Jules Renard ,french poetry from one major figures in french writing ,Ravel set some of these to music available from one world classics ,suggested by london lib
special Assignment by Boris Akunin past of the Fardorin series about con men and corruption from the great russian crime writer the fifth in the series ,suggested by chasing Bawa
The castle by Franz Kafka trans by the wonderful Anthea bell Kafka’s last novel follows K as he tries to enter a mysterious castle ,suggest by OUP press .
As thou you were sleeping by Elias Khoury translator Humphrey Davies set in Beirut of the 40’s a dream like story suggested by Arablit and Myself as I m reading it at moment
.
From the mouth of the whale by Sjon ,his latest novel ,translated by Victoria Cribb ,set in 1630’s Iceland follows clashing of old and modern world and an exiled man suggested by I will tweet from just Williams luck .
The master of Go by Yasunari Kawabata translated by Edward Seidensticker , A classic from Japan about a master of the game go playing his last game ,a read for Japanese literature 5 by tony Malone of tony’s reading list .
Queen Pokou by Veronuique Tadjo Translator Amy Reid a retelling of Akan classic story ,her is Kinnas review ,a african classic from the Ivory coast writer ,,suggested by Kinna of Kinna reads .
Monsieur Linh by Philippe Claudel ,this is quirky french and has a truly wonderful end one of my favourites this year ,suggest by Rob of Rob around books .
Tomorrow Pamplona by Jan van Mersbergen trans Laura Watkinson ,two men take a road trip but more a trip into them selves ,suggest by Lizzie siddal.
There we are a wonderful mix of and old and new and people starting Japanese lit five run by Dolce bellezza ,I hope to join in the fun too ,later in year
David Abbott was chosen as one of BBC culture shows twelve new novelists this year for this his debut novel .He worked in advertising as a copywriter for the largest firm in Britain ,he was the man behind the original J R Hartley advert ,and in parts you can see that David really loves books .
The upright piano player is a later life tale ,a man Henry cage a successful business man in the world of advertising as the writer is as well , that is about to retire ,he has had it all at work ,been admired and reached the top of the ladder so to speak ,but at what cost thou ? Iis now facing a different world that outside work ,a lonely one as he is divorced from his wife ,she is in the US ,so over the course of the book we find out what henry is about ,and he on whole is a bit to work focus we find .This had led to his wife Nessa leaving him but now she wants to see Henry ,why his son is so distant .Plus we also have one of the nasty characters I ve met in fiction Bateman that Henry crosses swords with back in uk as he spends time with his ex-wife in the US .secrets are uncovered along way and Henry tries to make a mend for his past .All that and a wonderful description of a visit to the book shop John Sandoe as henry is a book collector he loves First editions .We also get a great Orson Welles story that if it isn’t true certainly should be as the great man tries to record a voice over for an advert .
He decided to walk home via the John Sandoe bookshop ,just off King’s road .Like all bookshops he loved ,It was small intimate ,a miracle of compression .Books everywhere .On the stairs to the paperback room ,stacks of books were kept on the treads leaving little room for going up and down (it was rumoured that no-one with a shoe size over ten had ever made it up there .)
A visit to Sandoe’s shop ,I m sure David has been here many a time himself .
I can see why it was picked by the culture show it is a well crafted book ,in places it reminded me of Edward St Aubyn a clue to the exit ,both involve men on the edge and henry is on the edge ,Davids past life as a copywriter is evident in reminds me the great Gold blend campaign in the 80’s an end of each chapter you wanted to find out what was going happen in the next ,Henry is a character that exists the workaholic man ,the blinkered serious man .But I ve rarely seen it so well told before .It is also nice to see a writer in later life as David is getting the chance to get published but also put on list like the BBC culture show one .I hope he goes on to write others books ,He has a way to keep you turning them pages this is a evening book at 240 pages you can finish it in a long evening .
Have you read this or any of the culture show choices ?
Well I ve had a great month reading if not blogging ,I ve got through a lot of books or at least it seems that was –
The painter of signs by R K Narayan (india)
various authors – fiction desk collection
Tarantula by Thierry Jonquet (france)
Red April by Santiago Roncagliolo (Peru)
Caesarian by Tommy Wiernga (Netherlands)
Tomorrow Pamplona by Jan Van Merbergen (Netherland)
The foxes come at night and other stories by Cees Nooteboom(Netherland)
The most Beautiful walk in the world by John Baxter(Australia)
The upright piano player by David Abbott(UK)
Solibo Maginficent by Patrick Chamoiseau (Martinique)
Sunlight on cold water by Francoise Sagan (France)
The marquise of O by Heinrich Von Kleist (Germany)
Visitation by Jenny Erpenbeck (germany)
I ve not review dutch books saving them for Iris Dutch reading Month .Managed to get all the IFFP books read this month ,look forward to next years long and short list books ,if there as good as this years we re in for a real treat .
Total so far this year 54 books this year which is same as this time last year .so still on course for 130ish book
Book of the Month is Tomorrow Pamplona a book I can’t wait to tell you about next month .As part of Iris Dutch book month plus hope to have a couple of great interviews with people involved in Dutch literature .
I love the everyman cover.can’t wait to get a copy of book for myself
