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    On the go at present:

    Practices of Looking: An Introduction to Visual Culture — Marita Sturken & Lisa Cartwright. Potential class text. Really good, but a bit above introductory level for my students I suspect, an excellent teaching resource though.

    Stick — Elmore Leonard. Bedtime book, EL never disappoints.

    Art Schools in England 1945 to 1970 — Hywel James. A comprehensive and much needed piece of work. Far better than I expected. Frustratingly it largely torpedoes a project I had in mind myself.

    Lulu in Hollywood — Louise Brooks. Mentioned in the 'Old Movies' thread, which inspired me to reread it. Every bit as entertaining and informative as it was twenty-odd years ago.

    Comment


      Originally posted by Sam View Post
      Last night I finished English for he Natives: Discover the Grammar You Don't Know You Know by Harry Ritchie. A recommendation from my new Society for Editors and Proofreaders friends. Pretty interesting.

      Tonight I'll start something else. Haven't decided what yet, though.
      Sam, do you have any recommendations re Argentinian literature in general? Something maybe contemporary/recent-ish with a local flavour preferably, sthg short and not too hard language-wise so I can try to read it in Spanish - otherwise, anything translated into English or French will do.

      A Porteña has just joined a walking/social club we've got going in my area and it dawned on me that I knew very little on Argentinian lit beyond vague notions on Jose Luis Borges and Julio Cortázar (who emigrated to Paris in his 1930s and is now resting in my favourite cemetery, Montparnasse) so I’m a little ashamed of myself and I’m keen to make amends as it were. Argentina is a country I would certainly have considered as a post-Brexit destination if it wasn’t just too far for us (family commitments and all that, and I just can’t do long haul fights anymore, 3-4 hrs tops) as the more I read about BA or Argentina, the more I warm towards the place.

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        Well, Borges and Cortázar are fine places to start, although for Borges particularly you'll probably just want to do it in English. Tomás Eloy Martínez is good. Beyond him, for relatively contemporary writers especially, I'm hazy. That's partly because I took a decision a few years ago to read Spanish-language novels in Spanish and not in translation, and the knock-on effect of that has been that I've just really read any since, and partly because books here are really fucking expensive, so I use my Kindle instead.

        Sorry I can't be more help ...

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          Not exactly light reading, but Paul Preston's The Spanish Holocaust is indispensable for anyone with an interest in the Civil War, in particular, or history in general. It was somewhat of a surprise to learn that the Nationalists killed almost three times as many opponents as the Republicans, and that some of the worst atrocities occurred in traditionally conservative regions, such as Galicia and Extremadura. Mind you, the democratic-era Communist leader, Santiago Carrillo, appears to emerge as a close second in the hall of shame.

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            Originally posted by Logan Mountstuart View Post
            I've just finished The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne on Audible.

            I didn't know anything about him before I started. Just by looking at my user name you can guess that I'm quite a fan of long term, chronological, fictional biographies. But I thought this was a beautiful, intelligent book. Extremely intense and personal about Irish social history.

            I'd be interested to know any Irish board members' views on both the book and the author.
            He started out writing childrens' books, and The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas probably remains his most famous book. With the last book, I thought the mother was the most interesting and sympathetic character, whereas the "hero" seemed somewhat too self-absorbed.

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              I'm 200+ pages into American Gods. I thought I'd read it before watching the TV show. But now I just know the TV show will be all the sexy bits and violent bits and none of the interesting bits. And that will annoy me.

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                I really enjoyed the first season of American Gods. But yeah, the sex and violence is a bit full on. Haven’t read the book yet, might give a go before they make the concluding season.

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                  Originally posted by Sam View Post
                  Well, Borges and Cortázar are fine places to start, although for Borges particularly you'll probably just want to do it in English. Tomás Eloy Martínez is good. Beyond him, for relatively contemporary writers especially, I'm hazy. That's partly because I took a decision a few years ago to read Spanish-language novels in Spanish and not in translation, and the knock-on effect of that has been that I've just really read any since, and partly because books here are really fucking expensive, so I use my Kindle instead.

                  Sorry I can't be more help ...
                  Muchas gracias Sam, no te disculpes pues eres de ayuda. Tu mención de Tomás Eloy Martínez (del cual no había nunca oído hablar, como lo he escrito no sé gran cosa de la literatura argentina) me es muy útil ya que su página Wikipedia me despertó las ganas de leer más sobre los Perón. Voy a probar de hacerlo en español, claro que es un desafío sin lugar a dudas, pero sin dolor no hay ganancia, tengo que zambullirme en más profundas aguas para sequir adelante (tengo alrededor del nivel B1-B2 en el Marco Común Europeo de Referencia para las lenguas). Pues, voy a ubicar en mi lista Borges (Fictions) pero lo abordaré en inglés primero, ojalá que pueda leerlo en español en un futuro bastante próximo.

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                    I'd have you down for at least a b2, kev.

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                      On the evidence of that post, I'd agree.

                      I'd say tackling Borges in English first is definitely a good idea, given some of the language he likes to use can be rather scholarly and/or perhaps a little contrived. Fictions, Labyrinths, The Aleph and Brodie's Report would all be good starting points.

                      Here's an article from La Nación last year with a few recently published recommendations. And there was a collection of contemporary Argentine short stories published last year, I've just remembered. And in English, here's an article from The Bubble on five contemporary Argentine writers, all of whom coincidentally are male (I say coincidentally because the author is a woman, and I doubt she was deliberately overlooking women) which was followed a few months later by this one with four contemporary female writers, the first of whom – Samanta Schweblin – is a name that's ringing a bell with me, which makes me think she must have been included in a recently published collection of contemporary short stories I read about a couple of months ago and whose title I've forgotten about (I've also forgotten where I read about it, annoyingly).

                      I'm currently reading Cooking With Fernet Branca by James Hamilton-Paterson, which I bought entirely because of the title. I was under the impression it was a travel book or some sort of witty memoir right up until I finished the first chapter, when I reflected with some confusion on why the writer was so willing to make himself sound like such a total tosser. I then googled and it turns out it's a novel. A pretty entertaining one so far, though none of the laugh-out-loud hilarity the reviews spoke of has yet surfaced.

                      Comment


                        Originally posted by Jon View Post
                        I'd have you down for at least a b2, kev.
                        Well, that’s kind of you but I used a dictionary and the Internet to type that post (to check a few meanings, verb endings, grammar – subjunctive or not after "ya que" in that context?, that sort of thing). I’m not that good and I’m probably more B1 than B2 TBH although I don’t really know what these levels mean in practice, generic level descriptors are always a bit woolly, I’d have to see examples and sample material to ascertain my general level in the 4 skills but I’m roughly Intermediate+ I reckon, my spoken Spanish is particularly iffy (lack of practice), my lexical limitations often drive me to make up words from other Romance languages, great fun!

                        Originally posted by Sam View Post
                        On the evidence of that post, I'd agree.

                        I'd say tackling Borges in English first is definitely a good idea, given some of the language he likes to use can be rather scholarly and/or perhaps a little contrived. Fictions, Labyrinths, The Aleph and Brodie's Report would all be good starting points.

                        Here's an article from La Nación last year with a few recently published recommendations. And there was a collection of contemporary Argentine short stories published last year, I've just remembered. And in English, here's an article from The Bubble on five contemporary Argentine writers, all of whom coincidentally are male (I say coincidentally because the author is a woman, and I doubt she was deliberately overlooking women) which was followed a few months later by this one with four contemporary female writers, the first of whom – Samanta Schweblin – is a name that's ringing a bell with me, which makes me think she must have been included in a recently published collection of contemporary short stories I read about a couple of months ago and whose title I've forgotten about (I've also forgotten where I read about it, annoyingly).

                        I'm currently reading Cooking With Fernet Branca by James Hamilton-Paterson, which I bought entirely because of the title. I was under the impression it was a travel book or some sort of witty memoir right up until I finished the first chapter, when I reflected with some confusion on why the writer was so willing to make himself sound like such a total tosser. I then googled and it turns out it's a novel. A pretty entertaining one so far, though none of the laugh-out-loud hilarity the reviews spoke of has yet surfaced.
                        Thanks, brilliant links, all bookmarked. I really like the sound of En Buenos Aires 1928 (unfortunately only on Kindle on amazon.co.uk)

                        The Bubble articles are very useful too, just what I need at this stage so thanks a lot.

                        (And a younger Alan Pauls looks like a young Paul Auster... Sounds like one of those Only Connect conundrums.)

                        Comment


                          I am grinding my way, one agonizing page at a time, through Not Wanted On The Voyage by Timothy Findley. It's Mrs WOM's favourite book, and it's my second determined run at it.

                          (Why? I'm not sure, so don't ask.)

                          Anyway, I'm within 100 pages of the end, so I'm sure I'll do it this time. Then I can get on with the rest of my life.

                          I mean, I finished C by Tom McCarthy, so I'm sure I can finish this, no?

                          Comment


                            I finished American Gods. There's some bonus material at the end like an interview and an essay which I might read. Overall I thought it was a good read. Story whips along and there's some decent characters.

                            On the bus to Wembley I started reading Pavel Srnicek's autobiography. He hated Kenny Dalglish and doesn't hold back from the first few pages onwards.

                            Comment


                              Originally posted by WOM View Post
                              I am grinding my way, one agonizing page at a time, through Not Wanted On The Voyage by Timothy Findley. It's Mrs WOM's favourite book, and it's my second determined run at it.
                              I vaguely recall liking this book when I read it as a teenager. Famous Last Words was better though.

                              What makes it so difficult to read?

                              Comment


                                Meanwhile, I have been struggling with my attempt to read more French fiction. Having read some Michel Butor, Patrick Modiano and de Bauvoir's les mandarins over the last few weeks I have come to the conclusion that every cliche about the French intelligentsia is 100% correct.

                                Comment


                                  Originally posted by Anton Gramscescu View Post
                                  What makes it so difficult to read?
                                  Well, it's a parable of a biblical story, and it features talking animals. And it goes down hill from there...and it's boring.

                                  Comment


                                    But boy was it hyped/popular thirty-odd years ago. I have to say I never read it, but nothing I heard about it made me want to.

                                    Comment


                                      So, I finally got round to reading the raved about My Brilliant Friend. I know there's quite a lot of Ferrante Love on these pages, but I just didn't get it. The book was fine, harmless enough. But I don't understand why there's so much adoration for it. It just seems like a fairly prosaic description of childhood in 1950s Naples. Are the other books better? Does stuff actually happen in them?

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                                        My mum loves this stuff. Tbf, she does read a lot of good stuff, but still, I’m suspicious. As I was when she recommended The Corrections. Which somehow felt like an attempt at an accessible Foster Wallace meets Peyton Place (despite not resembling Infinite Jest at all or especially its wearying tic of a million fucking footnotes per chapter).
                                        Last edited by Lang Spoon; 09-04-2018, 19:37.

                                        Comment


                                          Originally posted by Antepli Ejderha View Post
                                          Just finished Gareth Thomas's autobiography, it's an amazing and compelling read. I cannot recommend it enough.
                                          I'll give it a go. Can I recommend 'Bomb' by Adam Jones in return?

                                          Comment


                                            Originally posted by Vicarious Thrillseeker View Post
                                            I'll give it a go. Can I recommend 'Bomb' by Adam Jones in return?
                                            You can. Our local library didn't have it sadly. Almost all of my reads in the past 9 months have come from Greenwich library bar the ones for my MA.

                                            Comment


                                              Originally posted by San Bernardhinault View Post
                                              So, I finally got round to reading the raved about My Brilliant Friend. I know there's quite a lot of Ferrante Love on these pages, but I just didn't get it. The book was fine, harmless enough. But I don't understand why there's so much adoration for it. It just seems like a fairly prosaic description of childhood in 1950s Naples. Are the other books better? Does stuff actually happen in them?
                                              Dude...the shoes! The freakin' shoes! What more do you need?

                                              (if you didn't like the first book chances are you will not like the rest of them much better)

                                              Comment


                                                Originally posted by Anton Gramscescu View Post
                                                Meanwhile, I have been struggling with my attempt to read more French fiction. Having read some Michel Butor, Patrick Modiano and de Bauvoir's les mandarins over the last few weeks I have come to the conclusion that every cliche about the French intelligentsia is 100% correct.
                                                Haha. Them were the days, though.

                                                I would suggest a Didier Daeninckx leftie crime novel as a palette cleanser

                                                Comment


                                                  Originally posted by Anton Gramscescu View Post
                                                  Meanwhile, I have been struggling with my attempt to read more French fiction. Having read some Michel Butor, Patrick Modiano and de Bauvoir's les mandarins over the last few weeks I have come to the conclusion that every cliche about the French intelligentsia is 100% correct.
                                                  Beware of cliches... (negative or positive). I wouldn’t classify Patrick Modiano as being part of the French intelligentsia or as a French intellectual (they come in many forms and shapes anyway), not in the traditional sense, he’s far more of a novelist but then again it depends on what Modiano you’ve tried to read, some of his work, on identity for instance, could conceivably fall into that intellectual bracket I suppose.

                                                  Which Modiano are you referring to? Did you read him in English or French? He’s an acquired taste I suppose (it’s very centred around wartime Paris) and I can see how many would struggle with him. I like The Occupation Trilogy (La Place de l'Étoile - The Night Watch - Ring Roads).

                                                  From Simone de Beauvoir I’ve only read Le Deuxième Sexe, some 35 years ago, on a beach in the summer (on the insistence of my older sister, I recommend it but I was probably too young – 18 – to fully appreciate it and will try to re-read it one day). I’ve never read any Michel Butor.

                                                  Most Modianos haven’t been translated into English I believe (could be wrong on this one, not many translations of him before he was Nobelised 4 years ago that bit is certain but this could have changed), and this is a perennial problem when passing a judgement on or assessing other countries’ literatures, we often only know a fraction of what’s actually been written.

                                                  Again, it very much depends what genre you prefer. You could try this, or this (the second recommendation, Vernon Subutex 1). Or even Houellebecq’s first novel if you haven't, Extension du domaine de la lutte (translated as Whatever).

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                                                    There have been a spate of recent translations, as happens to virtually everyone who wins the Nobel.

                                                    I’ve only read the Occupation Trilogy, which I enjoyed.

                                                    Gramsci, perhaps you should explore Balzac and Zola’s back catalog. There’s enough to fill even your flight schedule and some of it is in the public domain.

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