Taking the lead from others in this group, I am starting my own thread.
Reading Globally - Progress as of October 31, 2007
create your own visited countries mapIn "visiting" countries, I look first at the author's nationality. Books that evoke a strong sense of place can also count as a "visit".
Message edited by its author, Oct 22, 2007, 8:06am.
Great to have you on board with your round-the-world ticket in hand. You already have 3 countries listed that I still need to visit. looking forward to hear where you go next!
Thanks depressaholic and A_musing ! I'm finding this to be a great group for reading ideas. Since I have a goal that 30% of my 2007 reads be from non-US authors (and with no repeated countries either), I recently scoured these threads for Central and South American inspiration. I'll be rounding out those countries a bit more between now and year end. Still thinking about what kind of goal I want to set for 2008...
I see you need to visit Mexico. May I suggest Like Water For Chocolate? It's one of my all-time favourite books, and a quick read too.
Excellent suggestion, Nickelini, I concur!
Nickelini, thanks. I was actually thinking about The Book of Lamentations, which I found on the Central America thread I think. But you have another great suggestion there. I do want to read Mexico this month in fact, so now I will have to choose.
What's up with touchstones today anyway?
lindsacl:
FANTASTIC call on the
Castellanos if you decide to go that route. I can't recommend
The Book of Lamentations more highly! I think it would be a great choice for the Mexican leg of your literary odyssey.
Because it's so difficult for book geeks to "choose" just one, I have to admit since we are speaking of Mexico that I would be remiss if I didn't put in a strong recommendation for either the wonderful
Elena Poniatowska or
Mariano Azuela for any future global challenges. Both are really compelling writers in my opinion.
For Hungary, perhaps
Embers by Sándor Márai? Only 213 pages!
For Hungary, I can also recommend Sunflower by
Gyula Krudy. I used to be able to touchstone the right book, but it no longer appears in the list of possibilities. It is a strange but beautiful and moving novel.
Glad you finally made it to my favourite destination (Russia). Adds a chunk of red to the map, doesn't it? Do you have plans for your next destinations?
Funny you should ask that, depressaholic. I'd meant to add 2008 reading goals here, and forgot!
Having "visited" 20 new countries in 2007, I'd like to visit 20 more in 2008. Since I'm also trying to read more Nobel winners, I'm using the Nobel list to kick-start my journey. To start with, I plan to read / visit:
Turkey -
My Name is Red (review), DNF - Orhan Pamuk
Austria - TBD, Elfriede Jelinek
Hungary - Kaddish for a Child Not Born, by Imre Kertész
Italy -
The Leopard (review), *** - Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa
Portugal - Baltasar and Blimunda, by Jose Saramago
Sweden -
Astrid and Veronika (review), **** - Linda Olsson
Haiti -
Breath, Eyes, Memory (review), ***1/2 - Edwidge Danticat
New Zealand -
The Bone People (review), ***1/2 - Keri Hulme
Somalia -
Links review, *** - Nuruddin Farah
Algeria - Women of Algiers in their apartment, by Assia Djebar
Czech Republic - Headed for the Blues, by Josef Skvorecky
Morocco -
Stolen Lives (review), *** - Malika Oufkir
…and others I will choose as I go.
Message edited by its author, May 18, 2008, 6:37am.
Just had a look at your profile page. If you get to the Paton, Achebe and Lampedusa this month it will have been a great readin January. They are three of my favourites, and I'm looking forward to your opinions on them.
You're in for a treat with
Breath, Eyes, Memory. Danticat's
The Farming of Bones is also a terrific read. She's one of those rare authors whose stories are so powerful that they linger with you long after the last page.
>18 depressaholic, I have finished the Paton (adored it, potential top 10 for 2008), and Achebe (didn't measure up to Paton for me). Lampedusa is next up.
>19 Litfan, thanks, I'm looking forward to reading Danticat
>20 aluvalibri,
A Woman (wrong touchstone) is on the list per your specific recommendation! However, as I'm reading the Lampedusa first, it will count as my visit to Italy. I will get to A Woman later ...
I loved Lampedusa. Enjoy.
I read
The Leopard in college in a history course - we also read Mann's
Buddenbrooks and Nizan's
Antoine Bloye and compared the way the three books dealt with class and family. It was one of the best book selections for a course ever. I still find the whole exercise, and each of the books, memorable (25 years later!). As a matter of fact, I've reread each book at some point.
Danticat is looking interesting.
Message edited by its author, Jan 22, 2008, 10:18am.
NEW COUNTRIES - JANUARY 2008EUROPEItaly -
The Leopard (review), *** - Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa
Sweden -
Astrid and Veronika -
(review), **** - Linda Olsson
I've also updated my 2008 goals in message #17. A_musing, I really appreciated the recommendation for
The Leopard. I haven't read the other books you studied in your history course, but I can imagine that would have made for very interesting discussion.
Message edited by its author, Feb 2, 2008, 6:46am.
Glad you enjoyed it!
I'd heartily recommend the
Antoine Bloye if you ever run across it in a dusty old used book store; it is not widely available (there are just 11 copies on LT). On
Buddenbrooks, anyone should read Arctic_Strangers review of it before biting it off - it is long and detailed and one of those books that many will find tedious; I love Mann, but never suggest that anyone start with his big books. I'll have to put Astrid and Veronika on the list - sounds very good!
NEW COUNTRIES - FEBRUARY 2008MIDDLE EASTTurkey -
My Name is Red (review), DNF - Orhan Pamuk
This was a light month in terms of new countries. I also updated my 2008 goals in message #17, and the visited countries map on my profile.
Message edited by its author, Feb 24, 2008, 10:34am.
Oh Laura - what a coincidence! I have just read
Snow by Orhan Pamuk. Have you tried that one I wonder? I bought it on impulse at the airport en route to France!
I love
My name is Red. Of course, I've been reading it, off and on, for a couple of years. Every time I set it down, however, I picked it back up a few days, weeks or months later. Here in Boston, as well as in New York, we've had several good exhibits of Persian and Indian (not so much Turkish) miniatures from the period. That's inspiration to keep going, and to understand this radically different artistic tradition as it works through the novel.
It is a complex book with alot of historical and philosophical depth. Even those chapters that are fairly simple narratives get quite complex, even convoluted, as you interweave what is going on elsewhere. But I've found it compliments a lot of other reading I've done about the period and culture, and that also helps with the references that run through it. It may be that there is a strong element of this book that is difficult to translate - without creating footnotes worthy of some annotated critical edition of Chaucer.
Message edited by its author, Feb 24, 2008, 12:55pm.
linsacl, did you finish
My Name is Red, I thought you had said elsewhere that you couldn't get into it and moved on to something else. I have not yet read Pamuk but have acquired a few of his works.
avaland, I gave up on
My Name is Red. I really wanted to like it and maybe it needs an approach such as that suggested by A_musing. But this was a library book so I couldn't take the "off and on" approach.
I have read 2 Pamuks now:
My Name is Red and
Snow. I thought they were both good, but he has a strange writing style which is a bit dreamlike and one-paced. Both books felt a bit floaty to me ( I don't really know what this means either, but it seems to fit). I actually thought the style suited
My Name is Red more than
Snow, but I found that neither book was good to read in short bursts. It had to be long reading sessions or not at all, which could have been part of your (lindsacl) problem. I had a similar discussion with another LTer many months ago (can't remember who now) and he/she noticed the same thing.
Floaty is really exactly right.
Interesting on the long reading sessions - I've picked at it, and enjoyed it, but think there's probably a reread in the future someplace. I won't pretend to have gotten everything out of it I could.
#30
Interesting - as I have discussed this with lindsacl on her blog. Coincidentally I returned rom a week away having read Snow but in a very persevering, I will finish this book sort of approach! The point is that I was reading it in chunks as I had time. No regrets for me having invested all that time but I cannot honestly say I enjoyed it.
A_musing I quite agree.
I have to agree with depressaholic about Pamuk's style. I like his writing quite a lot, although it is not the easiest to read. I found that I did need to concentrate without interruptions and/or distractions in order to really appreciate the beauty of his prose.
NEW COUNTRIES - MARCH 2008Central American and the CaribbeanHaiti -
Breath, Eyes, Memory (review) - Edwidge Danticat
AfricaMorocco -
Stolen Lives (review) - Malika Oufkir
Australia and PacificNew Zealand -
The Bone People (review) - Keri Hulme
I also updated my 2008 goals in message #17, and the visited countries map on my profile.
Message edited by its author, Mar 30, 2008, 8:22pm.
Wow, it's been a while since I visited here. Sorry for the dust that's built up everywhere!
NEW COUNTRIES - MAY 2008AfricaSomalia -
Links (review) - Nuruddin Farah (wrong touchstone ... alternatives not coming up at the moment)
I've also updated my goals in message #17, and the visited countries map on my profile.
Message edited by its author, May 18, 2008, 6:39am.
Well done - it is hard to keep up all the time isn't it? I guess you were reading the Nuruddin Farah for the Neustadt challenge. Here I have just completed
The Tongue's Blood Does Not Run Dry by
Assia Djebar as my first Djebar for th eNeustadt challenge. It would be an excellent read for the Women and Religion thread elsewhere.
Message edited by its author, May 18, 2008, 10:46am.
Interesting Juliette! Yes, I read Links for the Neustadt challenge and will reading Djebar as part of the challenge also (albeit a different book from yours) ...
Which Djebar are you planning to read I wonder. My next Djebar is
So Vast The Prison. I am hoping it will be a little more accessible than the previous one.
It's a long title, and I was feeling lazy earlier :-)
I'm planning to read
Women of Algiers in their Apartment. Avaland read this a while ago and I recall her being quite enthusiastic -- in fact, that's why I chose it!
I was in the middle of
So Vast the Prison when I began my African Lit class and the professor told me to set that aside and instead read
Women of Algiers in their Apartment. Between the two of them, I am hooked. I would recommend you both watch "Bent Keltoum" to accompany your reading. Laura, if you can't find a copy, I'll loan you mine:-)
MID-YEAR PROGRESS REPORTMy 2008 goal is to visit 20 new countries.
My progress so far:Turkey -
My Name is Red (review), DNF - Orhan Pamuk
Italy -
The Leopard (review), *** - Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa
Sweden -
Astrid and Veronika (review), **** - Linda Olsson
Haiti -
Breath, Eyes, Memory (review), ***1/2 - Edwidge Danticat
New Zealand -
The Bone People (review), ***1/2 - Keri Hulme
Somalia -
Links (review), *** - Nuruddin Farah
Morocco -
Stolen Lives (review), *** - Malika Oufkir
And I just leftAlgeria -
Women of Algiers in Their Apartment (review), *** - Assia Djebar
I've planned trips to:Czech Republic - Headed for the Blues, by Josef Skvorecky
Austria - The Piano Teacher, Elfriede Jelinek
Portugal - Baltasar and Blimunda, by Jose Saramago
Hungary - Kaddish for a Child Not Born, by Imre Kertész
Iceland - Independent People, by Halldor Laxness
Sri Lanka - Mosquito, by Roma Tearne
Brazil - A Death in Brazil, by Peter Robb
... and it looks like I need 5 more to reach my goal!
Message edited by its author, Aug 19, 2008, 5:34am.
Well done, lindsacl!! Looks like you'll make it!
lindsacl - What an achievement -good on you!! I have a suggestion for Brazil but I need to search electronically as the book is in France.
Message edited by its author, Jun 17, 2008, 5:50pm.
Recommendations are always welcome! I suspect one day I'll spend a lot of time trawling through this group's threads to identify my "uncommitted" countries for 2008. Feel free to help that process along!
Well, if you're looking for recommendations . . . I see you haven't visited my favourite literary country, Sri Lanka. My top two choices are
Mosquito, by Roma Tearne, which I read last year and loved, and has recently gained some good reviews here at LT. My other fav Sri Lankan book is Michael Ondaatje's
Anil's Ghost.
#44 The Brazil book I have read was
A Death in Brazil by
Peter Robb. My son lived in Brazil for four years so we visited a couple of times. I found the book compelling and almost impossible to put down. Do take a look at the descriptions one of which ends as follows;
'The reader emerges from A Death in Brazil not just with more knowledge about the country but with a sense of having experienced it and with a deep understanding of its turbulent soul.'
>46: oh yes, I've seen the effusive comments from you and avaland about
Mosquito recently!
>46, 47: thanks to both of you for your recommendations!
Hi, I am following you around the Web again!
And I'm glad you are! I always enjoy talking books with you!
I just read a few of your reviews with interest. In general, I have found the Nobel prize to be a good guide to literature, though there are some notable exceptions. I read Saramago, though not the one you attempted, and loved it. It was, however, dense and difficult, and the opposite of an easy read. As for
In a Free State (Naipaul), I have read it twice, and disliked it both times. I have also read Naipaul's
A House for Mister Biswas, which I thought was superb. It mystifies me why
In a Free State is frequently cited as his 'Nobel Prize Wining book', because there is, imo, much better stuf out there. Anyway, my advice would be not to give up on Naipaul because of the book you have read, because his other stuff is different. As for Jelinek, her Nobel prize was extremely contraversial, prompting members of the commitee to resign (or threaten to). I have seen the film of
The Piano Teacher, but haven't read the book, so can't really pass judgement. I think, though, that there is a general feeling that her inclusion on the Nobel list is slightly less deserved than some other writers.
Anyway, congrats on your progress to date. Do you have any thoughts/observations on your journey so far?
Thanks depressaholic. I appreciate the thoughts on those authors. And I agree that one taste of an author's work can sometimes lead you to an ill-informed opinion of them. And this also relates to my latest thoughts on my journey so far. While I like dipping briefly into different countries and there's some strange satisfaction in coloring in the world map, next year I may decide to revisit certain countries and try new ones more opportunistically. For example, I quite like a lot of the Scandinavian books I've read, so I may read more authors from those countries.
Overall, I'm finding that an intentional effort to read non-English-speaking authors really enhances one's reading experience.
Thanks again for your comments!
>54 I agree! I hadn't realised just how satisfying turning that map red was going to be, but just like you, I'm finding that I want to linger in unexpected places - just like real travelling, actually. Because of that, this round-the-world-trip is going to take me much, much longer than I first thought, but I think it's going to be infinitely more enriching.
I kind of had
The Piano Teacher in mind for Austria, but yours isn't the first bad review I've read, so maybe I should look out for something else. (Maybe it's partly the translation?)
I haven't read much from Scandinavia myself, so I'm going to scoot back up this thread for some ideas now. Thanks!
Just called by to see if you had got round to Brazil yet as I saw it on a planned list you posted somewhere else. You are journeying very widely and covering a lot of ground - great progress!
Brazil is on my itinerary for September, Julie. And I will be reading
A Death in Brazil, as you recommended! It looks great and I'm looking forward to it.
NEW COUNTRIES - SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER 2008This makes 46 countries; I've updated the map on my profile.
Hungary -
Embers (review) - Sandor Marai
Brazil -
A Death in Brazil (review) - Peter Robb
I'm planning to spend much more time visiting new countries during November & December ...
Thanks for your review of the Osorio. I am keeping an eye on Argentinian writers because my Book Nudge thread is pushing me towards anb Argentinian year next year. I have a few ideas and, based on your review, won't be adding the Osorio to them.
Map looks great.
>60: happy to help, depressaholic!
The best thing about reading
My Name is Light was the large splotch of red it added to my map!!
btw You should consider something special for your next destination. It will be your 50th, after all.
This message has been deleted by its author.
You should consider something special for your next destination. It will be your 50th, after all.
Hmmm ... I hadn't thought of that, the significance escaped me. And I'm already on my 50th visit -- to Saudi Arabia!
Laura, this is very impressive. Way to go!
Thanks Jill! I love scrolling back to earlier versions of the map to see how much more I've colored in. It's amazing though to think that even though there's a lot of red space on the map now, I've still only read just over 25% of the world's 192 countries !
Wonderful progress this year - you have travelled far and wide! Did I miss Poland? I have been watching the published in 1929 group and on one of th ethreads there was much discussion around some Polish works - from memory I think it was urania - oops it was Czech!
Message edited by its author, Dec 26, 2008, 12:37pm.
Oh Laura I can't believe it - I simply cannot master this!
Anyway well done!
This message has been deleted by its author.
try this LauraYay! It worked =) Sorry to mess up your thread!
Message edited by its author, Dec 26, 2008, 3:47pm.
Thanks Julie! I was surprised to see so many new posts on this thread!
Yes, I have read Poland (
The Pianist, although this was before I joined LT and formally launched my journey. I am on the hunt for Czech works and was thinking about reading
Milan Kundera.
oops -- missed your review. Ah well, we all can't like the same books....
Yes, I know Jane, it gets great reviews but it just wasn't to my taste.
NEW COUNTRIES - MARCH 2009Guyana -
The Ventriloquist's Tale (review) - Pauline Melville
Thanks to englishrose60 for recommending this book; it was quite enjoyable. I'm off to a slow start this year, but have two books in translation teed up for April.
Message edited by its author, Apr 21, 2009, 2:38pm.
NEW COUNTRIES - APRIL 2009Venezuela -
Iphigenia: The Diary ... (review) - Teresa de la Parra
Uruguay -
The Shipyard (review) - Juan Carlos Onetti
I've now visited 56 countries (see my profile for an up-to-date map). I need to spend some time scouring these threads to fill in locations I haven't visited yet. Suggestions are ALWAYS welcome!
Message edited by its author, Apr 21, 2009, 2:37pm.
I love fairy tales; I'll have to try this one. Another Mongolia book is the absolutely stunning
The Blue Sky by Galsan Tschinag -- a semi-autobiographical novel about a young boy growing up on the steppes of Mongolia. There are sequels to it, but I don't think they've been translated into English.
Thank you both! Now ... which one shall I choose?
NEW COUNTRIES - JUNE 2009St Lucia -
Omeros (review) - Derek Walcott
Tanzania -
Desertion (review) - Abdulrazak Gurnah
58 countries visited (see my profile for an up-to-date map).
This message has been deleted by its author.
READING GLOBALLY - PROGRESS AS OF JUNE 30, 2009 (58 COUNTRIES)
create your own visited country mapIt's been quite a while since I posted here. At the beginning of the year I set several reading goals for myself. One of my goals was to read 10 books in translation, each from a "new" country. But after reading 6 books I've lost interest -- not in world literature, but in "visiting" all the world's countries. I've "traveled" to 58 countries (far short of the 190+ total), but it's becoming more difficult to find books from "new" countries that I can get excited about reading. And the 6 books I've read so far this year have been OK, but not my favorites. I had 4 more books lined up, but then ... my "just for fun" reading began taking precedence over "reading globally."
So now I'm thinking of my Reading Globally journey like one of those hop on / hop off bus tours in large cities. For now, I'm going to hop off the bus and go where my mood takes me. I will still read books in translation, but not necessarily from "new" countries. It might be interesting to read one country or region's literature in greater depth, like charbutton did this summer. I'm also interested in focusing more on woman authors from around the world.
(back to top)
create your own visited country map
