Category: around the world

nervous conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga

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nervous conditions

This is considered a modern african classic ,the book follows Tambu a 14 year old  as she grows up in a changing Zimbabwe or Rhodesia as it was when the book was set .she is sent to live with her aunt and uncle Babmakuru a strict ,father figure .her brother has died ,she must get on with it .In what is a change world between african traditions and western (english) values and cultures .she manages this but shows along the away the effect on various members of her family as some want progress and other try to cling to the old ways .The is times of joy and sorrow along the way at times Tambu escapes to her garden .I loved the feel of this story and setting a society on the edge of a new post colonial age .the struggle of african and western influences on every day life in africa .Tsitsi has written a follow-up to this book which i am looking forward to reading to find out what happened to the family .

I was not sorry when my brother died .nor am I apologising for my callousness,as you may define it ,my lack of feeling .For it is not that at all .I feel many things these days when i was young and my brother died ,and there are reasons for this more than the consequence of age .therefore i shall not apologise but begin by recalling the facts …………..

the opening words of nervous conditions.

senselessness by Horacio Castellanos Moya

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This book is one of the rainmaker series of translation .i found this book particularly hard to read as it has very long passages and in places is very violent and sexual ,but in other places has some funny description . it follows a writer as he is reviewing and editing a 1100 page document about an indian massacre in an unknown central american country but as Moya has lived in el Salvador and Honduras you can draw your on conclusions to where it is set ,the writer is undertaking this for the church and the is an under current of them wanting him to less the impact of what had happen to the indians .The writer himself likes to have a drink in the local bars and seduce young women .there is a beauty to Moya’s prose they seem to flow seamless of the page .This was the first book by Moya to be translated in to english .wonderfully by Katherine silver .It is worth reading as there isn’t many book published in english from this region and is only short at 144 pages .

In order to celebrate my first day of work as god intended i arranged to meet my buddy Toto at noon at El Portalito ,the city’s legendary cantina ,fortunately located a mere two hundred yards from my office close enough to prevent the onset of anxiety in someone who is afraid above all else of being punctual as is the case with me ;someone who requires a drink to calm his nerves at the strangest moments .

from the 2nd chapter opening .

senselessness

european finds !

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We were in town this morning me and my wife Amanda so i decided to pop into Chesterfield library ,to find they had a stand of translated fiction which was great .had a good look through and picked up two to read .These are both new writers to me and the synopsis of both books sounded good .the first was by Jean-Claude Izzo a sun for the dying ,that follows a man called Rico in Izzo’s native Marseilles after he escapes a tough life in paris and the cold north of france .As he searches for lost love .the other book is a book by a czech writer Emil Hakl of kids and parents and is described as a bit like Ulysses as it follows a father and son round the bars of Prague and sounds like it is a stream of .. book .

    I think its great that the library is promoting translated literature as only three percent of books published in uk are translated ,where as in other european countries that figure is much higher .there is a link to the three percent site from the university of Rochester that helps promote translated fiction.

do you read much european fiction ?

have you a favourite book by a writer from europe ?

 

two new writers

a bargain and a thousand treats !

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a thousand stories

 

 This was one of my best bargain book finds late last year at a charity market in town where my employers had a stall selling cakes , i d help make .i had a look round and spot this on a stall for people in Palestine ask how much it was they said three-pound but i gave them five-pound .this huge collection includes a thousand short stories from around the world mainly nineteenth century by such great writers as Hugo,Maupassant,Dickens,Thackary and Twain . I think it will take me the rest of my life to work through them but sure it ll be worth it .

tehran lipsticks and loopholes by Nahal Tajadod

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 I got this book for my around the world challenge from the lovely Sarah at bookrabbit .It follows Nahal who lives in france but still had iranian citizenship as she has to return to her homeland to renew her passport staying with her family in Tehran .The main thing she has to do for her passport is get a islamic approved picture from a photographer this is hard than it seems as they don t advertise as they can t put pictures in the window .after a few false starts and constantly being asked by people to help out family members or fill in forms from aboard .she has the photo now to tackle Iranian bureaucracy where she has to remove make up dress modestly and hoping she is lucky with the time she has on her hands she spends time with her family .Nahal ‘s work is funny and highlights the differing standards and lunacy in iran ,a cast of oddball characters,the humour makes this book come alive  make this a real page turner .i feels this book would work well as a book group book it certainly makes you think loads .

The salesman open a drawer and takes out a press cutting with a photograph of the commander-in-chief of Tehran’s armed forces posing in front of a blackboard with the following instructions :

  • bright lipstick?>do not lance >remove with tissue
  • heavy make up ?>don’t apply acid>apply rosewater
  • shortened coat?>offer chador
  • tiny scarf ? >avoid saying: either you cover your head or we ll beat you > lower scarf to hide hair or gently trim the hair .

rules ,rules a quote from the book published this week by virago books

tehran lipstick and loopholes by Nahal Tajadod

 

 

nobel 2010 ?

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Over the weekend i heard a podcast about jewish book week ,and an interview with the israeli writer Amos Oz where it was suggest he may be a future nobel winner .he wasn’t sure if he would win but would be honoured if he did ,In recent years the winners have been relatively unknown in britain ,but hugely succesful in their own country’s people like Hertha Muller ,J M G Le Clezio and Orhan Pamuk .After a run of four european winners i feel it ll be a non european writer this time round .here are a few i ve in mind

america’s

  • Michael Ondaatje -the Canadian has written many great novels and is well-respected
  • Carlos fuentes-mexicos most prolific novelist of the last twenty years
  • h c Moya -outspoken houndrian writer
  • Mario Vargas Llosa – the peruvian has a wonderful body of work behind him

asia

  • Murkami – the japanese writer should win one day would be great time to win with new novel due late this year
  • Rohinton mistry-respected indian writer
  • Peter Carey australia greatest living novelist

africa

  • Al AswanY – popular egyptian writer
  • Tsitsi Dangaremga -zimbawian writer would be a fresh choice

you any ideas for this year ?

LIST OF PREVIOUS WINNERS

the snowman by jo nesbo

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There is a number of reasons i choose the snow man to read ,firstly is that it fits in with my around the world challenge with the writer being from Norway ,secondly jo Nesbo story of footballer turned writer I found really interesting and wondered how good he could be and lastly is the fact it is a Scandia crime novel that seems to be a current trend in crime fiction

      The first thing with a crime novel i find that if i m going to enjoy it they have to be able to stand-alone when part of a series and this is the fifth Harry Hole book and i like to be able to connect some way with the main character ,well on both counts the books excels there is very little reference to earlier book ,but i m sure if you ve read the earlier book s you’ll be able to see them if there subtle .Now in Harry hole we have a world worn casual dressing yet serious detective who likes the occasional drink and has fairly good taste in  music .

   The story involves wives disappearing and the sudden appearance as they do of a snowman wearing an item of their clothing ,this leads to a number of unsolved missing persons and a deadly foe for Harry .There is many a twist and turn and a few red herrings along the way .this is crime writing at it’s best a ride from start to finish with a great lead character and many interesting character that he meets .

He went into the sitting room ,slipped in the Neil Young cd gloomily took it out again after a quarter of an hour and put on Ryan Adams .the thought of a drink came from nowhere .harry closed his eyes and stared at the dancing pattern of blood and total blindness .he was reminded of the letter again .the first snow .Toowoomba.

a bit from early on as Harry seeks a way into the cake whilst listening to great music .

the book is publish by harvill this week march 6

the unnamed by joshua ferris

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 This is probably one of the most eagerly waited books this year as ferris follows up his hugely successful then we came to the end ,with this the unnamed the novel centres on tim Farnsworth and his family .the novels starts with tim a successful lawyer in an up and coming law firm just about to talk his biggest case .When he suddenly starts to walk and wander off been unable to stop the compulsion to walk.at first this just happens from time to time ,but as the book moves on the frequency increases ,until in the end Tim has to walk all the time just grasping food and sleep from time to time .The family tries to support tim helping in a battery of test for what is an unknown and thus unnamed condition .The book is beautifully written i did find it a little predictable in places and had echos later on of scenes from into the wild where the main charcater in that wanders alaska.but is compelling story of how families can struggle and break under problems like this . It also falls into what Marco Roth in nplus1 called the neuro novel ,the trend for the main charcater to have a mental or psychological condition .

Hands and feet are cold .Leg is hurting .Stomach is empty and would like some food .he was assailed night and day by such complaints .they were crude and unimpeachable .he was accustomed to accommodating his body ,so defiance had to be deliberated ,disciplined, as zen like as possible .

quote from late on as tim struggles with problems caused by constant walking

first as tragedy ,then as farce by Slavoj ZIZEK

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Slavoj Zizek a Slovenian is one of the major thinkers on the left ,this is his most recent book .A collection of thoughts ideas and musing on the world and particularly the last decade ,how post 9/11 both sides of the political spectrum have had to reevaluate there positions a move away from Liberalism and on the other hand with the credit crunch and financial meltdown a move towards state socialism has been called for .Zizek brings in many different arguments for the changing face of the left reference both academic works and items for popular culture .Elsewhere globalism and ethical trading are discussed with the Starbucks model of trading .i feel this book will take a few readings over time to fully absorb all the information within its 156 pages .if you ve an interest in current affairs or politics this is a great book to read ,

On account of its all-pervasive ,ideology appears as its own opposite as non-ideaology. as the core of human identity underneath all the ideological labels .this is why Jonathan Littell’s outstanding les bienveillantes(the kindly ones) is so traumatic ,especially for germans :

Zizek on ideologies

 do you like philoshpy books ?

A Winter Book by Tove Jansson

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 A winter book is a collection of wintery themed book from the writer Tove Jansson ,perhaps best known for her moomin books for children although not a huge fan of the moomin books i did enjoy the cartoon series of the moomins .well the stories span a life time from childhood in finland to being a grown up ,letters  .The writing has been wonderfully translated from Swedish ,the stories are simple and powerful .you get a real feel for Jansson as a person .Out of the stories the ones that really gripped me where –

 The squirrel ,a wonderful short tale of a tame squirrel that ventures on to an island where the writer lives and brightens what is a quiet tranquil place with its liveliness and antics

correspondence ,a group of letters from a japanese person  to Tove ,the beauty of these is how it shows a writer can touch people all over the world how tales wrote in a small island in finland can travel and engross a reader in japan .This showed me why my around the world project matters to me as to be touch by voices round the world is one of the greatest joys of reading

One windless day in november, near sunrise,she saw a squirrel at the landing-place .It was sitting motionless near the water, scarcely visible in the half-light , but she knew it was a real live squirrel and she hadn’t seen a living thing in a long time .You can’t count gulls:they’re always leaving:they’re like the wind over waves and grass.

a quote from start of the squirrel by Tove Jansson ,a winter book is published by sort of books

The belly of the atlantic by fatou diome

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            As the african cup of nations drew to a close at the weekend this book from the around world challenge seemed just perfect .Set on a small Senegalese island of Niodior and france it follows ,what one may call the modern african dream of playing football in the rich european leagues .

          The story itself centres on the brother and sister Sallie and Madicke ,Sallie is struggling in france whilst her brother still in Niodior dreams of following her and becoming the next african star in europe .whilst he does so he is a school with his idealistic teacher/football coach Ndetare and in his village there is Moussa a broken man who did persue his dream by being picked up by a french club travelling to france to then find his dreams shatter end up in a poor job in france .Madicke seems oblivious to this as he watches the world cup unfolding on the tv entranced by the italien team and his hero maldini as they play the french in the final ,his dreams are heighten by Senegals great run in the world cup too . The book is wonderfully written and is gripping from start to finish ,as a football fan i loved it but feel any thats not would it is really about the struggle of life in modern africa and the immigrant experience in france .

The  golden goal ! screamed Garouwale in the midst of the uproar,imitating the commentator .”Henri Camara”!He’s scored again! It’s the gtolden goal !Senegal’s beaten Sweden! It’s there ticket to Osaka!The lion of Teranga are through to the quarterfinals of the world cup ! it’s unbelievable!

a quote from book as Madicke watches the world cup .

What is you favourite novel involving sport ?

Do you enjoy african fiction ?

the passport by herta muller

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the fourth on the around the world is this book from Romania .I first came across Herta Muller about a week before last years nobel prizes were announced when @milestyle Stewart from world lit forum mentioned her as a possible winner .Being the sort person that loves to find out about new writers i google her and looked on amazon for her books to find little or none in print ,then she went on to win this years nobel prize for literature ,and both granta and the lovely serpents tail choose to reissue books from her .

  the book its self is a mere 90 pages long  set in the small german speaking enclave in Romania and follows a small village miller as he struggles for a passport ,but by no means a simple read as there is no real start to end narrative ,other than a thin thread about Windisch the main characters quest for a passport .In parts the book verges in to the surreal with dreams of dry frogs and an owl that settles on roofs as a harpenge of death .In other places you sense the corruption of the Ceausescu regime with Windsche having to bribe officials with corn and flour .also there are deep sexual and religious undercurrents with a tree being burnt for being possessed by the devil .Muller has a wonderful way of describe the surrounding weather it badly painted walls or the smell of the apples exploding in the fire .for the most part this novel is obviously autobiographical as Hertha herself had to wait to travel to west germany ,grew up in a small village in the same area as the novel is based .Windisch and his wife spooky echo millers own parents as her father was a solider and her own mother had spent time in a soviet work camp .

The priest had stood behind the apple tree ,praying loudly .the church choir stood alongside the boxwood hedge, singing the long songs .it was colds and the breath of the songs was drawn in to the sky .the women ad children prayed quietly.

a scene just before they burn a devilish apple tree .

the cover is a green photo of a cyclist the passport is the english title the translation of the german title is “man is a great pheasant in the world ” which is maybe more intriguing .this was published late last year by serpents tail

fado andrzej stasiuk

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 This is the third in my around the world challenge ,from Poland and is the first i ve read by a polish writer .Stasiuk is considered Poland’S foremost writer winning numerous awards in his homeland with his novel nine.The collection of essays  describes as a slavic road trip .The road trip is invoked by the short stories being set all over former eastern europe the stories range from the present-day to the past ,dreams Stasiuk beauty is in the eye for detail he has that straight away lead you to small town cafe ,to slavic writers , the most touching is a story about his own grandparents and ecological issues ,a lament for simple times when things werent  so available so families made do and used everything . Staisuk manages to catch the spirit of post communist times in these essays the searching for new indentys that people have had to do with the changing times ,having spent time in the early nineties working alongside Albanians ,Bosnians and Serbia i felt Stasiuk has really nailed the people of this region .A must read for any one interested in the changing face and map of europe .

In those days ,in the village there were no trash containers.there was also no trash .People brought all kinds of things,but not much was left after they were cosumed.Sugar was sold in paper bags that afterwards could be burned in the stove or reused .Bottles that had contained vinegar,oil and vodka could be sold back at the store for decent money

Stasiuk in the essay tranquilly talking about his grandparents village

The cover is a retro style cover that looks like it might have come from the seventies ,fado is published by the non-profit publisher dalkey archive late last year .

have you read polish fiction ?

what other books do you think examine the changing fac of europe ?

THE PATIENCE STONE by atiq rahimi

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The patience stone is the second book in my around the world in 52 books challenge ,its written by Atiq Rahimi and set in afghanstan .The story centres on a young wife as she attends her comatozed husband ,feeding and caring for him as she does so her mind drifts away into the past and what a brutal life she has had as the story progess she opens more and more to her patience stone revealing her innner most thoughts for the first time .this is only broken by the daily routine of tending the husband and evening shots and fear of rape and attack from marruading soilders .

 the book was orginally in french and translated wonderfully by polly mclean she seems to have kept the poetic spirt of the book thaty so captured french audience leading to mthe book winning the prestigous goncourt prize who previous winners have been proust and littell .there is a lovely introduction by Khaled Hosseini

 this is a truely thought provoking book thou it is only 140 pages long it made me hold back the tears at the brutality that is considered normal for females withinn afgan soceity ,at no point does Rahimi try to hold back and the story is so much more compelling for this ,to use a cliche THIS BOOK IS A MUST READ

 She  sits up ond returns to her place on the matress,next to the man’s head,and puts her right hand back on his chest .Begins another cycle of the prayer beads .

A scene from early on in the patience stone

the cover design is a lovely mix of a women at window with a flight of birds over laid over the first picture making a dreamlike cover for the book .The book is published by chatto & windus and is out on the 14th jan 2010