Month: December 2015

So Long 2015 I’ll be back 2016

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I’m following a lot of folks and signing off from the blogging and easing off social media  too 2016. I was original going blog, but as we both off for a rare Christmas day together and new years eve night together. I am working in between but want make most of this year as I missed so many Christmases in the past with family due to work. I have decided to not blog again to first week in January when I will bring you my books of 2016. As for reading I will soon be starting Peter Nadas Epic book of memories which I see taking me through to 2016. So from me I wish you a happy Christmas and new year.

Tram 83 by Fiston Mwanza Mujila

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Tram 83 FINAL FC

I featured this in my cover shot post a couple of weeks ago of Tram 83  and said then I had this on my wish list since the US publisher Deep Vellum had brought this book out in the US> I was contact by Jazz the publicist for the uk publisher Jacaranda books a great new UK publisher doing a great selection of African books. Anyway what first caught my eye about this book was the quote this is a masterpiece by Alain Mabanckou, usually I don’t take much notice of quotes on cover but Alain Mabanckou has long been a favourite of  this blogger.

I was fortunate enough to read some of Fiston Mwanza Mujila’s poetry a few years back. I didn’t know at the time he was busy writing a novel, or for that matter the degree to which I would be moved by his new work and how each page would bring me so much joy. When I turned the last page I exclaimed: “This is a mastepiece”

From the forward by Alain Mabanckou

Tram 83 is maybe to me the book that seems to be what must be the chaos of post war DR Congo, well I say post war actually DR Congo or Zaire as it used to be called has been at war for most of the last half century and has had various names. What Fiston Mwanza Mujilla has captured here is what are the people who stay with in this chaos, why would you stay ? Well with the two main characters of this book Luicen the honest writer observing the world he lives in and his friend the darker survivor Requiem  who has had to learn to steal and trick to get by in this world. I was so remind in this two of the classic dickens pairing of Oliver twist and the Artful dodger, there is no Fagin in this story unless we see Tram 83 and all its sins as a metaphoric Fagin.

Tram 83 was one of the most popular restaurants and hooker bars, its renown stretching beyond the city-states borders.”see tram 83 and die,” was the refrain of the tourist who blew into town from the four corners of the globe to conduct their business during the day they wandered zombie-like through the mining concessions they owned by the dozen, and at night ended up in Tram 83 to refresh their memory. This gave the place every appearence of true theater, if not a massive circus. Here’s the kind of thing you might hear as background noise:

“I want ti massage you by way of foreplay, then slowly suck you off,suck your whole body,suckyou till my mouth runs dry”

I feel this paints a great picture of Tram 83 and the people who use and work there.

Tram 83 the heart of this book is one of those ramshackle clubs, I was reminded of the club Michael Palin visit a club in pole to pole a ramshackle place full of the city, like this club The club reflects the needs of the men in a way of this world loose women, easy drink and drugs. Also the way these people are trying to tear apart the world outside their door that is the sheer wealth of minerals that are available we often hear the terms Conflict or blood diamonds but now we see the real cost of ripping the heart of Africa out. What fills the vacuum of a lawless world where Police and state have failed well the characters in this book and who else well are two lead characters.

There are cities which don’t need literature: they are literature. They files past, chest thrust out, head on their shoulders. They are proud and full of confidence despite the garbage bags they cart around. The city-state, an example among so many others – she pulsated with literature.

“I love you, baby”

“I don’t like foreplay, it kills the pleasure ”

“Do you have the time ?”

The city-state was written by her gigolos,her baby chicks, her diggers, her four star whore house, her dissident rebels ready to imprison you,her prospectors,her semi-tourist.Lucien rushwed into the nnight, his imitation-leather bag slung across his body.

I loved this chapter opening about the city of Lubumbashi the city state setting of the book .

The book has a poetic tone, I search for info about Fiston and found out he was a poet before he wrote this his first novel. The style of writing reminds me of how you may rift on styles there is many mentions of Jazz on the cover and in reviews, but for me this is more what great hip hop does and that is rift on everything the heart of Congo music is Soukous, those string lead rifts of singers like Pape Wemba, I picture the kids of Fiston generations drawing on this to make it the heart of their hip hop and maybe Fiston is drawing on this himself the soulful voice of Soukos through modern artist like Werrason has become a voice of modern DR Congo. I also have never fully got Jazz.

DR congo fiction

Translator – Roland Glasser

Source – Review copy

Have you a favourite African book set during a civil war ?

 

Winston’s covers Bulgakov letters

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My second Russian cover is the collective letters and diaries of the Russian writer Mikhail Bulgakov of course best known for his novel The master and Margarita. He was one of the leading lights of his generation. He has written to Stalin and Gorky among others. I have often found letter collection an interesting insight into the inner workings of a writer and  maybe a dying art are emails as personnel or thoughtful as a letter.

Winston’s covers Turn turn Turgenev

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As  the year draws to an end I think the rest of the year I will do just Russian covers first up is a Turgenev. A novel of a homecoming, have recently read another classic Russian novel I feel 2016 may be my year of russian novels I will add a few more Russian novels to the blog and will be showing the covers til end of year of the books I have either as reread or unread to add to the blog. Have you a favourite Russian Novel ?

Winston’s covers Home James

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Not a great cover but one of the leading critics of this age James Woods latest book. Which I order from the library I have two of his books and am looking forward to this as I want to learn more about style of reviews and ways of looking at books school’s of thoughts on how to critic a book. I also have a classic from the past on critical style. Which critics or style of criticism do you like ? Whi ch school of thought about books do you like ?

Winston’s cover Grimm for a grim day

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The same day I got the Gunter Grass Proof I saw this in the same store he had everything half price so this early seventies selection of Grimm stories selected by Lore Segal and Maurice Sendak and Translated By Lore And illustrated by Maurice, of course sendak is best known for his book where the wild things are . His illustrations here are so in keeping with the Grimm tales.

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As you see with this one for The fisherman and his wife, which of course formed the kernel of the idea for the Gunter Grass novel the Flounder I reviewed last month on the blog.

Grass Proof ? It’s a cat and mouse chase

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Well here is a mystery I picked this up at the flea market today. It is a Gunter Grass paperback from 1963 but has no price and not the orginal cover so is it a proof ? It is similar to other proofs I get sent just missing the legal bits you have on them. It’s a mystery I have reviewed this on the blog but as I plan to reread tin drum next year may rereview this. But till then anyone know what this edition is ?

Winston’s covers two Nobel

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I always look coming home to a parcel of books and today saw a double helping of Patrick Modiano Novels. Last year before he won the Nobel prize you’d struggled to buy a physical book. So for me his winning was a blessing havin enjoyed the one book I could get easily pre nobel win. So I have read three since he won and these are two latest the first Black notebook follows a writer searching for a lover from 40 years earlier when they were together in the 1960s.

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The second book is the story of Louki or as others know her Jacqueline Delanque tld from four points of view herself, a detective, a man in a cafe and her lover. Both are set in Paris and are out next year

Winston’s covers two Nobel

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I always look coming home to a parcel of books and today saw a double helping of Patrick Modiano Novels. Last year before he won the Nobel prize you’d struggled to buy a physical book. So for me his winning was a blessing havin enjoyed the one book I could get easily pre nobel win. So I have read three since he won and these are two latest the first Black notebook follows a writer searching for a lover from 40 years earlier when they were together in the 1960s.

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The second book is the story of Louki or as others know her Jacqueline Delanque tld from four points of view herself, a detective, a man in a cafe and her lover. Both are set in Paris and are out next year

A strangeness in my mind by Orhan Pamuk

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Well for the 600th book to be reviewed on the blog it is fitting that it is a translated novel by a Nobel winner. I have reviewed Orhan Pamuk twice before on the blog silent house and the museum of innocence , I have also read snow , my name is read and The white castle before I started blogging, its fair to say Orhan Pamuk is one of those Nobel winners that fit into the writes good not great books I have loved every book by him I have read. This is maybe his grandest book as it tackles Four decades of Istanbul life. Writers and their cities Joyce with Dublin , Doblin in Berlin and Pamuk with Istanbul. This time he has seen the city through one man and the extended network he has.

This is the story of the life and daydreams of Mevlut Karatas, a seller of Boza and yoghurt. Born in 1957 on the western edge of Asia, in a poor village overlooking a hazy lake in central Anatolia, he came to Istanbul at the age of twelve, living there, in the capital of the world, for the rest of his life. When he was twenty-five, he returned to the province of his birth, where he eloped with a village girl.

The intro Mevlut (the del boy of Turkey) goes to town only to return for his girl.

THe main character in A strangeness in mind is Mevlut, he like many of his generation was drawn to the ever-expanding Istanbul. Like many a young man well he was twelve at the time in search of money and a new life. Of course like many broken dreams Mevlut never quite get where he wants, he is rather like a Turkish Del boy in that way he tries different jobs Selling yoghurt, guarding a car park and always drawn back to selling the Boza in the evenings as he tries to escape the world he is in.

Following months of endless debate, they decide that these letters should be based not on Mevlut’s notions about women but rather on what he knew about Rayiha in particular. Since the only aspect of Rayiha known to Mevlut was her eyes, logic dictated that they should be the focus of the letters .

Mevlut meets her and then in a chater we find out how he started writing love letters to her .

Add to this the love affair between Mevlut and Rayiha, part of the novel is formed of the love letters he sends her back to the village they come from, eventually after a few years she comes and joins him and they are married have kids but their life is tough hence the roles of second jobs Mevlut has to have to make ends meet during the book. As he struggles to fill the role of man of the house that is expected of him.As he says maybe he has a strangeness in my mind , he is a daydreamer!

Through all this feverish activity, the authorities could still send the gendarmes to a hastily built home and knock it down whenever they felt like it or found it politically expedient to do so. The keywas to finish building the house and start living in it as soon as possible. If a house had occupants, it could not be demolished without a warrant, and this could take time to obtain. As soon as they had chance anyone who claimed a plot of land on a hill would , provided they had any sense, recruit their friends and family to help them put up four walls over night then move in immediately so that the demolition crews couldn’t touch them next day.

The slums grow and are knocked down if you aren’t clever enough to claim your spot .

THen the third main character in the book is the background that is the city ever shifting from the early days when he arrives we see how the city grows but like an unruly plant has to be tend and cut back and the parts that are cut back are the parts of the city that Mevlut and his friends live in the slums. Filled with the little people who keep this huge city running and the people who live their in the background , the sellers , the guards , the cleaners the once that never get really notice. The ones that are drawn their by dreams and eventually like where they live crumbled in their dreams.

A huge novel in scope this is maybe  his most ambitious novel. As he takes an almost Dickensian look at the city he so loves and those that are on its underbelly. The inner working those we know but don’t always see the Mevlut yes he is like Del Boy dreams of that one big break but we know in our heart it will never come.I said the other day maybe writers don’t write their best books after winning the big prize. But possibly Pamuk is bucking that trend.

A strangeness in my mind by Orhan Pamuk

Turkish fiction

Translator – Ekin Oklap

 

Winston’s cover Eça de Queiroz

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Today’s cover is part of what I want do next year and that is add more Portuguese literature it is my one weak spot in Europe I haven’t read enough from here. So when I found this from what is considered the great Portuguese writer Eça de Queiroz an old edition  his books are all been published by Dedalus in English he is first in a few writers I want to try from Portugal any more suggestions welcome

Winston’s covers If Orson Welles was a fan I’m sold

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I subscribe to Mubi, A movie streaming service with a new film every day to watch so when Last Monday a film from Orson welles The immortal story , a french production for tv he made in the late 1960’s. I had to watch it firstly I hadn’t seen it before but also in looking up about the production for the film Welles was a fan of the writer of the story Karen Blixen (AKA Isak Dinesen). He had planned to do a number of short stories by her but end up making just this one. So when this weekend my great luck at seee or finding a book I have just discovered  struck again when I found the collection containing the Immortal story .I had to laugh another lucky find.

Have you read Blixen/Dinesen ?

Winston’s covers – Eye catching Bird !!

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Jaap robben

I love this cover, when earlier this year I got the world edition catalogue this picture was on the cover. I wasn’t even that bother by what the book was just that cover. Well I have been sent it and the book well that may be a gem it won the Dutch bookseller prize getting a quarter of the vote of the 117 books up for the prize. The book follows a mother and son relationship, they live on a small island between Scotland and Norway , Mikeal whose  father has disappeared whilst out on the sea. This follows His  and his mother’s life just after that has happened. I just think if Gerbrand  Bakker said “Beautiful Just beautiful ” about this book it has to be worth reading!!!