elfortunawe's books from LibraryThing

Odyssey of Homer (Harper Colophon Books, CN 479) by Richmond Lattimore

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 18:14:47 -0400

elfortunawe's review: "This was my first reading of The Odyssey— it wasn't what I expected. Having seen bits and pieces of various adaptations— especially the 1997 miniseries, I took a head full of images with me into the reading. But the real thing bears little resemblance. It is more various. The emphases are placed differently. It has a greater scope. In every way it surprised me. I now feel compelled to read the Iliad Richard Lattimore has given the poem a very Anglo-Saxon character with the high flown language of his translation. It reminds me of Seamus Heany's Beowulf, only with less alliteration. I have no idea if this accurately represents the character of the original, but in itself it's praiseworthy."
Harpercollins (1991), Paperback, 384 pages

How to Wrap Five Eggs: Traditional Japanese Packaging by Hideyuki Oka

Sun, 14 Jun 2009 17:18:57 -0400

Weatherhill (2008), Paperback, 224 pages

The Dylan Dog Case Files by Tiziano Sclavi

Sun, 14 Jun 2009 17:18:40 -0400

Dark Horse (2009), Paperback, 680 pages

Collected Poems, 1909-1962 (The Centenary Edition) by T. S. Eliot

Sun, 14 Jun 2009 17:18:17 -0400

elfortunawe's review: "There isn't much to say about this collection, except that you should own it. T.S. Eliot is too well-known and established to need any defense or justification. All I can think of to add is that it's important to read these poems, at least the longer ones, out loud. They have rhythmic and liturgical qualities that can't be fully appreciated otherwise. This is especially true of "Ash Wednesday," my personal favorite."
Harcourt Brace Jovanovich (1991), Edition: 1, Hardcover, 240 pages

A Ray of Darkness: Sermons and Reflections by Rowan Williams

Thu, 28 May 2009 23:55:16 -0400

Cowley Publications (1995), Paperback, 244 pages

Stained Glass Elegies by Shusaku Endo

Wed, 27 May 2009 23:26:53 -0400

elfortunawe's review: "The stories in this collection are typical of Shūsako Endō. Many of the stories share a protagonist, a Catholic Japanese writer named Suguro. He is an obvious stand-in for the author, and in each story confronts Endō's most prominent themes: weak faith, being out of place in one's own society, shame in the face of one's own unprincipled behavior. Other major themes here are World War Two, cancer, hospital life, and the discovery of messy truths hidden behind societal niceties. Since this is a translation from a language I don't know, I can't say much about the quality of the prose. But the translation is very good, and I can only assume that reflects the quality of the source."
Dodd, Mead & Company (1987), Paperback, 165 pages

A Thomas Merton Reader by Thomas P. McDonnell

Tue, 19 May 2009 23:12:07 -0400

elfortunawe's review: "I can't remember what piqued my interest in Thomas Merton, but I'm glad it was so piqued. This volume contains bits and pieces from across the spectrum of his writing, and is, so far as I know, a good introduction. It has certainly made me want to read more of his work. What is most valuable here is the complete image of Merton from his feckless youth to a measured and intense maturity. Standouts for me: "Fire Watch, July 4, 1952," "Christian Culture Needs Oriental Wisdom," "Prometheus: A Meditation," "Two Asian Letters.""
Image (1974), Paperback, 528 pages

ETERNAL NOW (Scribner Library of Contemporary Classics) by P Tillich

Thu, 07 May 2009 22:07:48 -0400

Scribner (1963), Paperback, 192 pages

Inventing the Middle Ages: The Lives, Works, and Ideas of the Great Medievalists of the Twentieth Century by Norman F Cantor

Thu, 07 May 2009 22:07:23 -0400

William Morrow and Company Inc (1991), Edition: 1st, Hardcover, 477 pages

The Living Thoughts of Kierkegaard (New York Review Books Classics) by Soren Kierkegaard

Tue, 05 May 2009 14:00:51 -0400

elfortunawe's review: "W.H. Auden made heavy use of Kierkegaard in his poetry, and credited the writer, in a late poem, with being a major factor in his return to Christianity. Auden puts this familiarity to good use in a concise, lucid introduction to Kierkegaard and his ideas, followed by extracts from Kierkegaard's works which cover his major themes. Auden's apparent goal is to replace Kierkegaard in his original role and context. The introduction begins: <blockquote>Though his writings are often brilliantly poetic and often deeply philosophic, Kierkegaard was neither a poet nor a philosopher, but a preacher, an expounder and defender of Christian doctrine and Christian conduct. The near contemporary with whom he may be properly compared is not someone like Dostoevsky or Hegel, but that other great preacher of the nineteenth century, John Henry, later Cardinal, Newman. (p.vii)</blockquote> This book is an excellent introduction to Kirekegaard, a writer who can be intimidating to the uninitiated. It could also serve a kind of introduction to Auden, whose poetry is saturated with Kierkegaard's thought. It is also well-suited to typical coffee table use, as something to peruse for those kinds of surprising baubles that stay with one the rest of the day."
NYRB Classics (1999), Paperback, 280 pages

The Weight of Glory by C. S. Lewis

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 13:57:59 -0400

HarperOne (2001), Paperback, 208 pages

The Samurai: (Reprint) (New Directions Classics) by Shusaku Endo

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 22:39:43 -0400

New Directions (1997), Paperback, 272 pages

Logic Made Easy: How to Know When Language Deceives You by Deborah J. Bennett

Sat, 28 Mar 2009 11:12:38 -0400

W.W. Norton & Co. (2005), Paperback, 256 pages

The Civilization of the Middle Ages: A Completely Revised and Expanded Edition of Medieval History by Norman F. Cantor

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 20:10:13 -0400

Harper Perennial (1994), Paperback, 624 pages

Studies in Medieval Renaissance Literature by Lewis

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 19:29:01 -0500

Cambridge University Press (1980), Paperback, 206 pages

Selected Poems by W.H. Auden

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 18:30:37 -0500

elfortunawe's review: "If you're considering taking on Auden, then start here. Though the Collected Poems is certainly the superior collection, this book makes the better introduction. Auden edited his corpus repeatedly, even removing entire works, such as "Spain," regardless of the esteem they were held in. This collection represents early Auden better. It includes earlier versions of his poems, as well the first incarnation of "Spain." It also has a good introduction by Auden's literary executor Edward Mendelson. If, after finishing this, you find your thirst for Auden's poetry unslaked (or intensified, as I did), then get the Collected Poems. A note: my copy is of the expanded second edition (2007), and it has typos, most notably in the "Vespers" of Horae Canonicae where it reads "He hope they will behave like baritoni cattivi," but should read, "He hopes..." I'm not aware of any others, but check your copy before you buy it."
Vintage (2007), Paperback, 384 pages

The Annotated Thursday: G.K. Chesterton's Masterpiece, the Man Who Was Thursday by G. K. Chesterton

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 22:49:22 -0500

Ignatius Press (1999), Paperback, 289 pages

Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent by Eduardo Galeano

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 20:57:38 -0500

Monthly Review Press (1997), Edition: 25 Anv, Paperback, 317 pages

B.P.R.D. Volume 5: The Black Flame (v. 5) by Mike Mignola

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 20:57:23 -0500

Dark Horse (2006), Paperback, 168 pages

B.P.R.D. Volume 7: Garden of Souls (B.P.R.D. (Graphic Novels)) (v. 7) by John Arcudi

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 20:25:20 -0500

Dark Horse (2008), Edition: illustrated edition, Paperback, 146 pages