Member: gscottmoore

Hi Gerry - I was just going back through my profile comments and realized I'd never answered your question about recommended middle eastern lit. One book that is a Lebanon-Japan crossover, in some sense, is Rashid al-Daif's "Dear Mr. Kawabata", in which the narrator imagines himself writing letters to Yasunari Kawabata. I have not read it, but it strikes me as quite curious. A fascinating - if rather huge - place to start with Middle Eastern lit is Naguib Mahfouz's Cairo Trilogy. Its huge but quite good - really immerses you in turn-of-the-century Egypt and does an excellent job of conveying the incredible social and political changes that occur over the 50-or-so years of the book. Unfortunately, a lot of the Lebanese novels I've read probably require at least a little familiarity with Lebanese history, since they don't provide a lot of context & are often weird and surreal. But I don't think its something that you couldn't get by quickly skimming the Wikipedia entry on the Lebanese civil war. I'll have to do a little thinking on this question.

--Kris

posted by fannyprice at 12:07 pm (EST) on Mar 8, 2009

Admiring your collection of Japanese lit!

posted by fannyprice at 7:20 pm (EST) on Feb 8, 2009

(in haste at the moment)
Hi Gerry,
No problem about 'julie'--I've had bosses call me that for years--I'm not sensitive about it at all, but I appreciate people caring about details like getting names correct and all.

Anyway, the Bowers book sounds soooo cooooool.
Have you seen this?
http://ccdl.libraries.claremont.edu/cdm4...

I sound like all I do is promote my Alma Mater, but that is not the case, I assure you!

BTW did you ever know The Oriental Book Store on Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, across from Pasadena City College? I don't know if it's still there, but it was a huge used bookstore, run by an eccentric named Frank Mosher (always wore black and had a disposition to match)...If it's still there and you are ever up in that area, take hardhats and go in for a look. It's quite a place.

I want to follow up on Kabuki stuff as time goes by.
Julia

posted by nobooksnolife at 1:38 am (EST) on Feb 3, 2009

Thanks for sharing this, Gerry. I have in fact ventured into the Reading Globally group a couple of times, but find I am too overwhelmed to get very involved. I just manage to do my Challenge thread, my reviews, and check in with my primary threads occasionally. I could spend all day, every day, in LT, but need to save some time to read. :-) I do, in any case, frequently recommend the group to those who enjoy travel -- in real time or by book.

posted by kambrogi at 9:58 am (EST) on Feb 2, 2009

Thank you for accepting my friend invitation! :) Nice to meet you!
Your library is very interesting. :)
Happy New Year with very good readings and lovely books!

posted by fleacircus at 11:22 pm (EST) on Dec 30, 2008

Dear Gerry,

I just read your post concerning some of the things you like about Japanese culture. It brought tears to my eyes.....I am not alone! I have visited Tokyo several times and have travelled around Honshu, and can speak simple conversational Japanese. We also share many books in common, although I have only recently discovered this website and have not listed most of the volumes I own. Thanks so much for your post. It sounded just like me.

posted by honotoko at 7:18 pm (EST) on Nov 16, 2008

This is just a kind of LT fan message, if there is such a thing, to express how much I have enjoyed your posts, particularly the one on ritual in Tea and in bars. Your engagement with literature and with Japan seems as deep as mine is shallow, so I hope you don't mind that I tag along and pick up suggestions from your collection now and again.

posted by Nycticebus at 6:42 pm (EST) on Jul 19, 2008

Hi Gerry

Yes I am still reading Genji! Have you read the Seidensticker previously? I am just into to the second book at the moment. I have just gone back to work after an extended break and this is unfortunately slowing progress at the moment. The other thing is I have just joined a book club for the first time, with the aim of reading things different to those I would usually choose. The result is that shortly I will have to tear myself away from Heian Japan to read a biographical novel set in 1950's America. Grrrrr. Every day I put it off longer.

On the actual book though, I have never read anything about this period in Japanese history and so the descriptions of the Heian court I found fascinating. I've been trawling the internet trying to visualise what the clothes, houses etc looked like. Really as a secondary thing to that, some of the descriptions of Genji can seem a bit repetitive. The other thing I noticed from the beginning in terms of this translation was that there seem to be a few quite modern phrases thrown in here & there which seem to jar a bit with the setting of the book. I will be interested to see what happens in the remaining 4 1/2 books.

The other thing I can report is that I now know that "Hikaru Genji" is not only the name of an 80's boy band. Learn something new every day...

It sounds like you almost need some manga after "A Certain Woman", if not a cornflakes packet to read...

Elcee

posted by Elcee at 10:33 am (EST) on Jun 12, 2008

Gerry:

Thanks for your kind words about my reviews in the JT. I write for them about six times a year. Next up is The Edogawa Rampo Reader--if the publisher ever gets around to releasing it. My editor also has my review of Black Glasses Like Clark Kent by LT author Terese Svoboda, and will, I hope, be running that soon.

Donald Richie is a gem--and yes, his grocery lists, postcards, whatever, are dripping with wit. In the last couple of years he's published two new books (in addition to choreographing a ballet, having an exhibition of his paintings, and writing a cello sonata); he's in his mid-eighties.

I used to review for the Asahi Shimbun too, but that august journal, having decided that books are, like, so twentieth century, has canceled their books page in its entirety.

So it goes.

David

posted by dcozy at 6:24 pm (EST) on May 11, 2008

Greetings good sir,

Actually I found you through Mishima -- which you have a bunch of in your library. Also Akutagawa and Akinari. Mishima ranks high on my list of favorite authors and "Patriotism" (from "Death in Midsummer") strongly influenced the last story in the collection I have out. Akutagawa and Akinari (which I still have to get loaded in) are fantastic storytellers. Who can argue with "Yam Gruel"? But unfortunately, I'm way behind on getting the library loaded up here -- at 327 you're way ahead of me and I still have several hundred to go.

Ah yes, Fante and Elkin. I always get a "Who?" when I tell people about the satirical genius of "The Magic Kingdom" or the grittiness of "Ask the Dust." I'm amazed at how many Bukowski fanatics still have not read Fante. And sadly, Americans have all but forgotten about Elkin. "Mrs. Ted Bliss" stunned me when I first read it and I loved how Elkin didn't short change his characters by making them elderly stereotypes -- they're living, breathing entities which is hard for so many writers to do effectively.

Now how's that for a ramble. Anyway, if you have a few recommended jumping points to follow up Mishima, Akutagawa and Akinari, I'd more than welcome them.

Ken

posted by kwohlrob at 8:16 am (EST) on Mar 26, 2008