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1poetontheone
1) Tropic of Capricorn by Henry Miller
****1/2
It's been more than two years since I've read Cancer, but that work impressed itself upon me to the degree where I can still declare today that this is its equal, at the very least. This is very much the reverse of the same coin, pulling us back from the hero's Parisian days to his genesis, his childhood and his early adulthood, when Miller was building Miller, as he so eloquently illustrates and flat out proclaims at one point. The feverish ruminations here stretch a little longer than usual for him, and these fruits are sweet and rotten in equal parts, the lesser of them not marring the work as a whole. Aside from these two components, this volume seems to contain more explicit sex than Cancer, though even these passages are humorous or illuminating in their own way. Less of a plot than Cancer, similar in a way to Black Spring. At times Capricorn is more illuminating, and dare I say fun, than either.
BOOKS: 01/40
PAGES: 348/8,000
****1/2
It's been more than two years since I've read Cancer, but that work impressed itself upon me to the degree where I can still declare today that this is its equal, at the very least. This is very much the reverse of the same coin, pulling us back from the hero's Parisian days to his genesis, his childhood and his early adulthood, when Miller was building Miller, as he so eloquently illustrates and flat out proclaims at one point. The feverish ruminations here stretch a little longer than usual for him, and these fruits are sweet and rotten in equal parts, the lesser of them not marring the work as a whole. Aside from these two components, this volume seems to contain more explicit sex than Cancer, though even these passages are humorous or illuminating in their own way. Less of a plot than Cancer, similar in a way to Black Spring. At times Capricorn is more illuminating, and dare I say fun, than either.
BOOKS: 01/40
PAGES: 348/8,000
2poetontheone
2) The Endarkenment by Jeffrey McDaniel
****
McDaniel toys with language and plants surreal tattoos on the maelstrom of life. We find telescopes budding from veins and politicians sipping mouse blood. In these poems one finds visceral explorations of loss and drug-fueled oblivion, alongside fun house mirrors held up against the political landscape. At his best, McDaniel is daring, with lines that employ unexpected images and subjects that sink into the gut like a hard jab.
BOOKS: 02/40
PAGES: 420/8000
****
McDaniel toys with language and plants surreal tattoos on the maelstrom of life. We find telescopes budding from veins and politicians sipping mouse blood. In these poems one finds visceral explorations of loss and drug-fueled oblivion, alongside fun house mirrors held up against the political landscape. At his best, McDaniel is daring, with lines that employ unexpected images and subjects that sink into the gut like a hard jab.
BOOKS: 02/40
PAGES: 420/8000
3poetontheone
3) Fray by Joss Whedon
****
In the midst of reading Buffy Season Eight, I learned that Fray was going to make an appearance, so I figured I'd acquaint myself with her story before she dropped in. This graphic novel immediately draws you in, but doesn't take you anywhere too deep. You learn who she is, a hard ass street kid who gets by how she can. Just as you get to know her, the conflict begins and before you know it the ride is over. The character is in interesting, the story is engaging, and the art is phenomenal. Malone's drawings and the phenomenal colors really make this world come alive. Whedon really has something here, but it's really only enough to whet the appetite. A could really be mind blowing. Even if Fray seems rushed, it's still holds up better than parts of Season Eight.
BOOKS: 03/40
PAGES: 636/8000
****
In the midst of reading Buffy Season Eight, I learned that Fray was going to make an appearance, so I figured I'd acquaint myself with her story before she dropped in. This graphic novel immediately draws you in, but doesn't take you anywhere too deep. You learn who she is, a hard ass street kid who gets by how she can. Just as you get to know her, the conflict begins and before you know it the ride is over. The character is in interesting, the story is engaging, and the art is phenomenal. Malone's drawings and the phenomenal colors really make this world come alive. Whedon really has something here, but it's really only enough to whet the appetite. A could really be mind blowing. Even if Fray seems rushed, it's still holds up better than parts of Season Eight.
BOOKS: 03/40
PAGES: 636/8000
4poetontheone
4) A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce
****
Joyce's Portrait is a Kunstlerroman (a novel depicting the maturation of the artist), comparable in some basic ways to Hesse's Demian, released a few years later. We see Stephen Dedalus rise from the mysterious ether of childhood into worldliness, soon caught up in a crisis of Soul, and one of a particularly Catholic nature. His transformation into "the artist", really, is a late point in the work, though its brewing all the while before, a more subtle and altogether more implicitly tense period of development than of Hesse's Demian Sinclair.
Joyce though, with good humor, does not leave all at this. He is not only tracing the profound development of the artist, but holding up a mirror of mockery to this development, accentuating maudlin emotion, pedantry, and conceit. Both aims work well most of the time, The latter when the text oozes absurdities. Latin as the preferred tongue of schoolyard talk, the college dean's ignorance of metaphor, the long and detailed hellfire sermon. Stephen's reactions to all of these. The whole last section, at the university, illustrates well his conceit and pedantry, though it is in part sincere and true, maybe to a fault insofar as it is not wholly effective.
All that is sincere in this work about the artist is best conveyed, as it usually is, in moments of profound revelation. Joyce, a real craftsmen of language, executes these moments beautifully. The language makes the story, literally. Joyce's use of voice and language evolves along with the character. The concise sentences of the child and his internal, often confused, thought processes. The rambling explication and wisecracking of the adult artist, at the other end. Stephen Dedalus, transcends the bounds of country, religion, and language in his quest. Joyce, just as well, excavates what lays within those bounds of identity through all three components, especially the last.
This book is a ripe peach. Bloated in the best ways and often sweetly rewarding, though it does have its hard and sour moments. No doubt I am stuck on Hesse's dark and pungent berries of Jungian transcendence. If I had come to this work first, I might have put it on a pedestal above all others, or given up on it, or worst of all, thought myself a prick. We are all Stephen Dedalus, us mad artificers.
BOOKS: 04/40
PAGES: 828/8000
****
Joyce's Portrait is a Kunstlerroman (a novel depicting the maturation of the artist), comparable in some basic ways to Hesse's Demian, released a few years later. We see Stephen Dedalus rise from the mysterious ether of childhood into worldliness, soon caught up in a crisis of Soul, and one of a particularly Catholic nature. His transformation into "the artist", really, is a late point in the work, though its brewing all the while before, a more subtle and altogether more implicitly tense period of development than of Hesse's Demian Sinclair.
Joyce though, with good humor, does not leave all at this. He is not only tracing the profound development of the artist, but holding up a mirror of mockery to this development, accentuating maudlin emotion, pedantry, and conceit. Both aims work well most of the time, The latter when the text oozes absurdities. Latin as the preferred tongue of schoolyard talk, the college dean's ignorance of metaphor, the long and detailed hellfire sermon. Stephen's reactions to all of these. The whole last section, at the university, illustrates well his conceit and pedantry, though it is in part sincere and true, maybe to a fault insofar as it is not wholly effective.
All that is sincere in this work about the artist is best conveyed, as it usually is, in moments of profound revelation. Joyce, a real craftsmen of language, executes these moments beautifully. The language makes the story, literally. Joyce's use of voice and language evolves along with the character. The concise sentences of the child and his internal, often confused, thought processes. The rambling explication and wisecracking of the adult artist, at the other end. Stephen Dedalus, transcends the bounds of country, religion, and language in his quest. Joyce, just as well, excavates what lays within those bounds of identity through all three components, especially the last.
This book is a ripe peach. Bloated in the best ways and often sweetly rewarding, though it does have its hard and sour moments. No doubt I am stuck on Hesse's dark and pungent berries of Jungian transcendence. If I had come to this work first, I might have put it on a pedestal above all others, or given up on it, or worst of all, thought myself a prick. We are all Stephen Dedalus, us mad artificers.
BOOKS: 04/40
PAGES: 828/8000
5poetontheone
5) Great Expectations by Kathy Acker
****
"A narrative is an emotional moving ..." says Acker in Great Expectations, and that seems a fitting hypothesis for the work. It is a river of pathos, and all else is an uncontainable storm. Narrative voices shift frequently and characters are uprooted from time and place, transformed in name and gender.
Acker is a skilled plagiarist in the most complimentary sense of the word, and this time uses Dickens' work, Melville's Moby Dick, and Reáge's Story of O as schema for her characters to live in. They argue, they whine, they fuck, they philosophize; stuck in a post-structural narrative, they announce repeatedly that they have no idea what any of it means. A central point Acker makes here is that language is indomitable. Another, that the artist isolates themselves and chases away love. The stereotype becomes the rule. That which is said becomes which is, because that is what we perceive.
Maybe. And lots of cunts, always lots of cunts. Acker embraced this same narrative techniques many times over, and her work in the nineteen eighties employs them to excellent effect. This one hell of a book, and it gets even better from here.
BOOKS: 05/50
PAGES: 955/8000
****
"A narrative is an emotional moving ..." says Acker in Great Expectations, and that seems a fitting hypothesis for the work. It is a river of pathos, and all else is an uncontainable storm. Narrative voices shift frequently and characters are uprooted from time and place, transformed in name and gender.
Acker is a skilled plagiarist in the most complimentary sense of the word, and this time uses Dickens' work, Melville's Moby Dick, and Reáge's Story of O as schema for her characters to live in. They argue, they whine, they fuck, they philosophize; stuck in a post-structural narrative, they announce repeatedly that they have no idea what any of it means. A central point Acker makes here is that language is indomitable. Another, that the artist isolates themselves and chases away love. The stereotype becomes the rule. That which is said becomes which is, because that is what we perceive.
Maybe. And lots of cunts, always lots of cunts. Acker embraced this same narrative techniques many times over, and her work in the nineteen eighties employs them to excellent effect. This one hell of a book, and it gets even better from here.
BOOKS: 05/50
PAGES: 955/8000
6poetontheone
6) Time of Your Life (Buffy Season 8) by Joss Whedon
***
I wasn't expecting this to top the phenomenal last arc, or even come close, but Whedon and the rest really fall short here. Well executed bits of Whedon's trademark humor and the intriguing character interaction between Buffy and Fray (with linguistic conflicts abound) keep it from becoming completely mediocre. The story overall doesn't bring much to the table. Despite the fact that our heroine time travels to the future, it doesn't seem to affect the overall plot of the arc. Any tangible conflict is vaporized by the arc's end, and little more can be said without spoiling the story.
I thought Moline did an excellent job with the art on Fray, but that is not the case here. Often times, the characters are unrecognizable and their expressions in close up seem sloppy and awkward. I'll be glad to have Jeanty doing the art again in the next arc.
The cartoonish one shot tacked onto the end was cute filler, but filler nonetheless. I'm going to read the rest of Season Eight, but I hope the quality improves, especially in regards to the writing. This collection was painfully average.
BOOKS: 06/40
PAGES: 1091/8000
***
I wasn't expecting this to top the phenomenal last arc, or even come close, but Whedon and the rest really fall short here. Well executed bits of Whedon's trademark humor and the intriguing character interaction between Buffy and Fray (with linguistic conflicts abound) keep it from becoming completely mediocre. The story overall doesn't bring much to the table. Despite the fact that our heroine time travels to the future, it doesn't seem to affect the overall plot of the arc. Any tangible conflict is vaporized by the arc's end, and little more can be said without spoiling the story.
I thought Moline did an excellent job with the art on Fray, but that is not the case here. Often times, the characters are unrecognizable and their expressions in close up seem sloppy and awkward. I'll be glad to have Jeanty doing the art again in the next arc.
The cartoonish one shot tacked onto the end was cute filler, but filler nonetheless. I'm going to read the rest of Season Eight, but I hope the quality improves, especially in regards to the writing. This collection was painfully average.
BOOKS: 06/40
PAGES: 1091/8000
7poetontheone
7) Beauty and Sadness by Yasunari Kawabata
***1/2
Kawabata's final work displays a deft control of atmosphere through language. Every scene is awash with a sense of cold detachment, yet the focus on natural beauty and the tense eroticism float in this chilling to create a a very powerful tone. Despite this mastery of mood, though, the work is held back by an uneven focus. The particular narrative style has it's benefits in developing the story and setting a mood. It might well have been Kawabata's intent was to strike a balance and allow to sympathize with all of the three main characters in the midst of their reeling psychodrama, but it doesn't quite manage. What is seen is a striking, beautiful, and often agonizing picture well crafted but somewhat out of focus.
BOOKS: 07/40
PAGES: 1297/8000
***1/2
Kawabata's final work displays a deft control of atmosphere through language. Every scene is awash with a sense of cold detachment, yet the focus on natural beauty and the tense eroticism float in this chilling to create a a very powerful tone. Despite this mastery of mood, though, the work is held back by an uneven focus. The particular narrative style has it's benefits in developing the story and setting a mood. It might well have been Kawabata's intent was to strike a balance and allow to sympathize with all of the three main characters in the midst of their reeling psychodrama, but it doesn't quite manage. What is seen is a striking, beautiful, and often agonizing picture well crafted but somewhat out of focus.
BOOKS: 07/40
PAGES: 1297/8000
8poetontheone
8) They Speak of Fruit by Gary L. McDowell
***1/2
"... In hauntingly small lives / we assemble this loop, this curl where / all flesh is not alike, where all shadows / mistrust the darkness ..." (p. 29)
Taking a cue from the Romantics, McDowell's lyrical poems do their damnedest to rub away our foolishly conceived dichotomy between man and nature. He opts for more surreal tactics than his possible inspirators, and immerses the human experience into a surreal realm of winged things that sing, seethe, and succumb to death. With these vivid images, McDowell urges the reader to reflect on the temporal quality and tiny scale of his own existence, and his place in the still wild and untamed macrocosm of the world. A short chapbook with a strong focus that allows for some magnificent images to rise out of the page, images that unnerve and astound.
BOOKS: 08/40
PAGES: 1326/8000
***1/2
"... In hauntingly small lives / we assemble this loop, this curl where / all flesh is not alike, where all shadows / mistrust the darkness ..." (p. 29)
Taking a cue from the Romantics, McDowell's lyrical poems do their damnedest to rub away our foolishly conceived dichotomy between man and nature. He opts for more surreal tactics than his possible inspirators, and immerses the human experience into a surreal realm of winged things that sing, seethe, and succumb to death. With these vivid images, McDowell urges the reader to reflect on the temporal quality and tiny scale of his own existence, and his place in the still wild and untamed macrocosm of the world. A short chapbook with a strong focus that allows for some magnificent images to rise out of the page, images that unnerve and astound.
BOOKS: 08/40
PAGES: 1326/8000
9poetontheone
9) Irrational Man by William Barrett
****
Barrett has given us a colorful and provocative overview of Existential philosophy, and it is so because is it not a dry survey of what Existentialism is, but what it means to us. Barrett, writing in the nineteen sixties, applies this to the man of a nuclear and technological age, an age we are immersed in even more today. We are given a wide overview of the currents of Existential thought, all the way back to the Hebrews and Hellenistic sources, to the present.
This work is more relevant than ever today, as the common folk lose themselves in the distractions of mass media or fill their days with work and deed, and professional philosophers lose themselves in the machinations of privileged academic masturbation, all with eventual have to grapple with the big Nothing swirling around in their depths. If not; knowing that the core of their masochistic dinner table fixation on terrorism, warfare, and apocalypse might one day greet them in seriousness; Nothingness will confront them. It'd be best for the mass of humanity to plow their inner depths prior to such a scenario, but there meditations on that very scenario are perhaps hope of an escape from this inevitable confrontation with Self.
BOOKS: 09/40
PAGES: 1631/8000
****
Barrett has given us a colorful and provocative overview of Existential philosophy, and it is so because is it not a dry survey of what Existentialism is, but what it means to us. Barrett, writing in the nineteen sixties, applies this to the man of a nuclear and technological age, an age we are immersed in even more today. We are given a wide overview of the currents of Existential thought, all the way back to the Hebrews and Hellenistic sources, to the present.
This work is more relevant than ever today, as the common folk lose themselves in the distractions of mass media or fill their days with work and deed, and professional philosophers lose themselves in the machinations of privileged academic masturbation, all with eventual have to grapple with the big Nothing swirling around in their depths. If not; knowing that the core of their masochistic dinner table fixation on terrorism, warfare, and apocalypse might one day greet them in seriousness; Nothingness will confront them. It'd be best for the mass of humanity to plow their inner depths prior to such a scenario, but there meditations on that very scenario are perhaps hope of an escape from this inevitable confrontation with Self.
BOOKS: 09/40
PAGES: 1631/8000
10poetontheone
10) Predators and Prey (Buffy Season 8) by Joss Whedon
**1/2
This loose collection of one shots, united somewhat under the premise that Slayer's are now despised thanks to Harmony's meteoric rise to vampiric celebrity super-stardom, is altogether unnecessary and pitifully unsatisfying. We have these isolated slices of frivolity. The silliness of bloodthirsty legions of stuffed toys and Harmony's reality show being the worst of it. Other then that, the wholly uninteresting resolution of Dawn's continuing transformations, and Faith facing off against a big bad octopus preying on the fears of Slayers. These one-shots take us back to the early days of Buffy the television series, the hokey fluff of mystical hyenas and Inca mummy girls.
After the television show changed to a more serious tone, it could never really go back to such fodder without invoking disaster, and a change in medium gives the franchise no excuse to do so now, especially in the graphic novel medium where such stories really fall flat. I hope Whedon and his team at least to attempt to steer Season Eight back towards the competence and coherence exemplified by Goddard in the "Wolves at the Gate" arc. If such effort is not made in the following issues, it is doubtful I will be compelled to invest my time and money in Season Nine. As a side note, it's nice to see Jeanty back on board after Moline's sloppy pencil work in the last run of issues.
BOOKS: 10/40
PAGES: 1770/8000
**1/2
This loose collection of one shots, united somewhat under the premise that Slayer's are now despised thanks to Harmony's meteoric rise to vampiric celebrity super-stardom, is altogether unnecessary and pitifully unsatisfying. We have these isolated slices of frivolity. The silliness of bloodthirsty legions of stuffed toys and Harmony's reality show being the worst of it. Other then that, the wholly uninteresting resolution of Dawn's continuing transformations, and Faith facing off against a big bad octopus preying on the fears of Slayers. These one-shots take us back to the early days of Buffy the television series, the hokey fluff of mystical hyenas and Inca mummy girls.
After the television show changed to a more serious tone, it could never really go back to such fodder without invoking disaster, and a change in medium gives the franchise no excuse to do so now, especially in the graphic novel medium where such stories really fall flat. I hope Whedon and his team at least to attempt to steer Season Eight back towards the competence and coherence exemplified by Goddard in the "Wolves at the Gate" arc. If such effort is not made in the following issues, it is doubtful I will be compelled to invest my time and money in Season Nine. As a side note, it's nice to see Jeanty back on board after Moline's sloppy pencil work in the last run of issues.
BOOKS: 10/40
PAGES: 1770/8000
11poetontheone
11) Blood Dazzler by Patricia Smith
****
Patricia's poetic meditation on Hurricane Katrina is an exploration of a city and its people reflected in the awe and terror of a relentless storm. It is a voyage into the consciousness of New Orleans, with the minds of its people conceived and explored by Smith's pen. It is also a meeting with the voice of the destroyer. Katrina is turned into a raging demigod of nature with something to prove. At last, unavoidably, it is an indictment of our government's failures in handling her. Smith's amazing ability to adopt different voices proves vital here, enabling her to compose a collection of portraits that offers the reader a unique and unflinching view into a horrific and shameful event in American history. Much like Whitman's treatment of the Civil War, Smith's Blood Dazzler will one day stand as an insightful and essential document, a resource inextricably bound up with its subject.
BOOKS: 11/40
PAGES: 1860/8000
****
Patricia's poetic meditation on Hurricane Katrina is an exploration of a city and its people reflected in the awe and terror of a relentless storm. It is a voyage into the consciousness of New Orleans, with the minds of its people conceived and explored by Smith's pen. It is also a meeting with the voice of the destroyer. Katrina is turned into a raging demigod of nature with something to prove. At last, unavoidably, it is an indictment of our government's failures in handling her. Smith's amazing ability to adopt different voices proves vital here, enabling her to compose a collection of portraits that offers the reader a unique and unflinching view into a horrific and shameful event in American history. Much like Whitman's treatment of the Civil War, Smith's Blood Dazzler will one day stand as an insightful and essential document, a resource inextricably bound up with its subject.
BOOKS: 11/40
PAGES: 1860/8000
12poetontheone
12 Molloy by Samuel Beckett
****
Molloy is a hopeless leper wandering from town to town, through forest and desert, for his mother. To draw a slight comparison with the 'heroes' of Gogol, he is a pitiable protagonist that is ont without humor. The first section, where the titular character is at the helm, is laced with grand body humor. Philosophical meditations on the asshole, a fervent wish for self castration. Grand stuff. Altogether, the content of the first section lends itself to flashes of language that are sublime, though perhaps sad. The second section is narrated by Moran, a private detective who sets off from home with his son in search of Molloy. He is all he more pitiful, being entrenched in the monotous routine of domestic life. By the end of his travels however, he is alone in the world with worn clothes, matted, hair, and stinking flesh, hunched over on crunches. In his impoverishment though, he is liberated, and at last we come full circle.
With regard to form, the page is nearly black, dorwning in a stream of conciousness. A happy death. So much black casts shadows across form, and the content is not exempt from his. Molloy is a shadow of what Moran is to become. Moran, at the outset, is a shadow of who Molloy once might have been. Beckett goes through the tradition of Joyce (as far as I know it) with a hacksaw by way of Lautremont. I will get through the rest of the trilogy with time. It seems it might be best absorbed in small doses, much like poison.
BOOKS: 12/40
PAGES: 2036/8000
****
Molloy is a hopeless leper wandering from town to town, through forest and desert, for his mother. To draw a slight comparison with the 'heroes' of Gogol, he is a pitiable protagonist that is ont without humor. The first section, where the titular character is at the helm, is laced with grand body humor. Philosophical meditations on the asshole, a fervent wish for self castration. Grand stuff. Altogether, the content of the first section lends itself to flashes of language that are sublime, though perhaps sad. The second section is narrated by Moran, a private detective who sets off from home with his son in search of Molloy. He is all he more pitiful, being entrenched in the monotous routine of domestic life. By the end of his travels however, he is alone in the world with worn clothes, matted, hair, and stinking flesh, hunched over on crunches. In his impoverishment though, he is liberated, and at last we come full circle.
With regard to form, the page is nearly black, dorwning in a stream of conciousness. A happy death. So much black casts shadows across form, and the content is not exempt from his. Molloy is a shadow of what Moran is to become. Moran, at the outset, is a shadow of who Molloy once might have been. Beckett goes through the tradition of Joyce (as far as I know it) with a hacksaw by way of Lautremont. I will get through the rest of the trilogy with time. It seems it might be best absorbed in small doses, much like poison.
BOOKS: 12/40
PAGES: 2036/8000
13poetontheone
13) Apocalypse Culture by Adam Parfrey
***
Parfrey's book is an anthology of interviews and essays united by one question: what happens when the melting pot of humanity boils over to reveal all the grime, dirt, and poison of the race? Such a question preoccupied many underground 'zines of the late eighties and early nineties, and this is the summation of their ethos bound up in paper and glue. As is to be expected with any sort of anthology, some pieces are better written or more enticing than others. I found far more pleasure in reading Taylor's piece on The Process, or McEvilley's survey of subversive performance art, or the candid interview with the female necrophile than I did reading the unsourced tirades about Freemasonry and New World Order conspiracy, though they have their moments. This collection might shock, intrigue, or entertain potential readers. It is not for the prude or the squeamish, but that is obvious. Those who seek this book out will find the sort of material they expect, and it satisfies to varying degrees.
BOOKS: 13/40
PAGES: 2391/8000
***
Parfrey's book is an anthology of interviews and essays united by one question: what happens when the melting pot of humanity boils over to reveal all the grime, dirt, and poison of the race? Such a question preoccupied many underground 'zines of the late eighties and early nineties, and this is the summation of their ethos bound up in paper and glue. As is to be expected with any sort of anthology, some pieces are better written or more enticing than others. I found far more pleasure in reading Taylor's piece on The Process, or McEvilley's survey of subversive performance art, or the candid interview with the female necrophile than I did reading the unsourced tirades about Freemasonry and New World Order conspiracy, though they have their moments. This collection might shock, intrigue, or entertain potential readers. It is not for the prude or the squeamish, but that is obvious. Those who seek this book out will find the sort of material they expect, and it satisfies to varying degrees.
BOOKS: 13/40
PAGES: 2391/8000
14poetontheone
14) Retreat (Buffy Season 8) by Jane Espenson
***
After a messy crossover and a bunch of forgettable one shots, Espenson moves Season Eight back towards the main plot and gives us an okay story. Buffy and company travel to Tibet to find Oz so they might learn to suppress their magical powers, now being used by Twilight as a sort of mystical tracker. These elements bring with them lots of setup and some retread. Willow gripes about giving up magic, revisits acceptance, and then gets upset again once the traditional weaponry fails to keep Twilight's forces at bay. Her character seems a bit unbelievable here, her moods revolving quicker than a carousel. On top of these dramatics, we have a surprising new romance. Though a little late, the action finally comes and saves the story from delving into soap opera territory, but then we are left up in the air. No. Really. This arc was not as insufferable as the last ten issues. It does enough to pull the series up from the mud, but nothing shines, aside from solid art by Jeanty. Let's hope that the next volume is a bit tighter and that it goes out with a bang.
BOOKS: 14/40
PAGES: 2535/8000
***
After a messy crossover and a bunch of forgettable one shots, Espenson moves Season Eight back towards the main plot and gives us an okay story. Buffy and company travel to Tibet to find Oz so they might learn to suppress their magical powers, now being used by Twilight as a sort of mystical tracker. These elements bring with them lots of setup and some retread. Willow gripes about giving up magic, revisits acceptance, and then gets upset again once the traditional weaponry fails to keep Twilight's forces at bay. Her character seems a bit unbelievable here, her moods revolving quicker than a carousel. On top of these dramatics, we have a surprising new romance. Though a little late, the action finally comes and saves the story from delving into soap opera territory, but then we are left up in the air. No. Really. This arc was not as insufferable as the last ten issues. It does enough to pull the series up from the mud, but nothing shines, aside from solid art by Jeanty. Let's hope that the next volume is a bit tighter and that it goes out with a bang.
BOOKS: 14/40
PAGES: 2535/8000
15poetontheone
15) Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence
***
This is not the sort of pornographic screed that so many imagine it to be, though I had not expected it to be from having read other works of a similar reputation and finding them to have an altogether different purpose than titillation. Lawrence's goal here is to sound the battle cry of the body against the cold machinery of industry and privileged intellectualism. He makes this evident multiple times in both narration and dialogue. He eventually makes this Connie's cause celebre, but it is not always believable given her upper crust naivete, which moves in and out of her personality like the flicker of a faulty candle. That is to say nothing about Mellors' apparent indifference to Connie throughout much of the work. Despite some thin characterization, Lawrence crafts a lyrical and readable prose and paints a celebration of the body and its passions. All the while, the reality of an increasingly soulless and mechanized world lurks in the backgronud as a phantasmal antagonist.
BOOKS: 15/40
PAGES: 2868/8000
***
This is not the sort of pornographic screed that so many imagine it to be, though I had not expected it to be from having read other works of a similar reputation and finding them to have an altogether different purpose than titillation. Lawrence's goal here is to sound the battle cry of the body against the cold machinery of industry and privileged intellectualism. He makes this evident multiple times in both narration and dialogue. He eventually makes this Connie's cause celebre, but it is not always believable given her upper crust naivete, which moves in and out of her personality like the flicker of a faulty candle. That is to say nothing about Mellors' apparent indifference to Connie throughout much of the work. Despite some thin characterization, Lawrence crafts a lyrical and readable prose and paints a celebration of the body and its passions. All the while, the reality of an increasingly soulless and mechanized world lurks in the backgronud as a phantasmal antagonist.
BOOKS: 15/40
PAGES: 2868/8000
16poetontheone
16) Gully by Roger Bonair-Agard
***
To see Roger Bonair-Agard is to see the energized ritual of a craftsman and a trickster, singing out the fervent beat of his history. With Gully, this history is layered with metaphor thick as Calypso rhythm. We are shown a proud and hopeful youth in Trinidad, at a time when the West Indies cricket team was a dominant and inspiring force in a sport once ruled by white Englishmen. We are led through tales of Bonair-Agard's exodus to the cold and uncertain streets of New York, thick with both regret and becoming. Though the first half of the book is dominated by its themes, this book is not about cricket. Not really. It is about being a black boy. It is about being a black man in America. It is about what it means to be an American. It is about what it means to be a man. This universal truth heavy with triumph, loss, missteps, and moments of beauty. A truth communicated through this work with careful elegance, tangible heart, and honesty without apology.
BOOKS: 16/40
PAGES: 2977/8000
***
To see Roger Bonair-Agard is to see the energized ritual of a craftsman and a trickster, singing out the fervent beat of his history. With Gully, this history is layered with metaphor thick as Calypso rhythm. We are shown a proud and hopeful youth in Trinidad, at a time when the West Indies cricket team was a dominant and inspiring force in a sport once ruled by white Englishmen. We are led through tales of Bonair-Agard's exodus to the cold and uncertain streets of New York, thick with both regret and becoming. Though the first half of the book is dominated by its themes, this book is not about cricket. Not really. It is about being a black boy. It is about being a black man in America. It is about what it means to be an American. It is about what it means to be a man. This universal truth heavy with triumph, loss, missteps, and moments of beauty. A truth communicated through this work with careful elegance, tangible heart, and honesty without apology.
BOOKS: 16/40
PAGES: 2977/8000
17poetontheone
17) Gnosticism by Stephan A. Hoeller
***
If one wishes to gather a basic understanding of Gnostic tradition, its lineage, and its relevance in contemporary thought this is as good a place to start as any. It is comprehensive enough in scope, but being an introduction it does not delve too deep into any one component of its subject. The tone of the book is its major flaw. Hoeller at times comes across as proselytizing and dogmatic, and at times seems unprofessional, at times injecting his prose with awkardly placed irony and colloquial talk, or referencing his own work and expertise. It is hoped that a critical reader can pass can pass over the work's shortcomings, that they neither dismiss it nor embrace it as some sort of self help tract, andd see it as a general and helpful introduction to a long and fruitful set of traditions. The appended reading list is balanced and extensive. He who has ears, let him hear. He who seeks, and continues to seek, shall find.
BOOKS: 17/40
PAGES: 3197/8000
***
If one wishes to gather a basic understanding of Gnostic tradition, its lineage, and its relevance in contemporary thought this is as good a place to start as any. It is comprehensive enough in scope, but being an introduction it does not delve too deep into any one component of its subject. The tone of the book is its major flaw. Hoeller at times comes across as proselytizing and dogmatic, and at times seems unprofessional, at times injecting his prose with awkardly placed irony and colloquial talk, or referencing his own work and expertise. It is hoped that a critical reader can pass can pass over the work's shortcomings, that they neither dismiss it nor embrace it as some sort of self help tract, andd see it as a general and helpful introduction to a long and fruitful set of traditions. The appended reading list is balanced and extensive. He who has ears, let him hear. He who seeks, and continues to seek, shall find.
BOOKS: 17/40
PAGES: 3197/8000
18poetontheone
18) Twilight (Buffy Season 8) by Brad Meltzer
***
Buffy comes down to earth with Whedon at the helm in the first issue here, with strong dialogue and humor carrying the story of Buffy's mysterious new found power. However, Meltzer takes the helm starting in the second issue and the writing becomes flimsy and imprecise. The emotional impact is stunted when Twilight's identity is revealed, and a complex plot twist ripe with fantastical shifts in Buffy's metaphysical reality is given a feeble explanation and very little fleshing out. In the hands of a more capable writer, this arc could have been one hell of a ride. On the other hand, Karl Moline gives us some redeeming pencil work in the pre-season eight Willow one shot after some shoddy art in the Time of Your Life arc. In the main issues, Jeanty's artwork is still great even if I'm not too keen on his rendering of Angel.
BOOKS: 18/40
PAGES: 3357/8000
***
Buffy comes down to earth with Whedon at the helm in the first issue here, with strong dialogue and humor carrying the story of Buffy's mysterious new found power. However, Meltzer takes the helm starting in the second issue and the writing becomes flimsy and imprecise. The emotional impact is stunted when Twilight's identity is revealed, and a complex plot twist ripe with fantastical shifts in Buffy's metaphysical reality is given a feeble explanation and very little fleshing out. In the hands of a more capable writer, this arc could have been one hell of a ride. On the other hand, Karl Moline gives us some redeeming pencil work in the pre-season eight Willow one shot after some shoddy art in the Time of Your Life arc. In the main issues, Jeanty's artwork is still great even if I'm not too keen on his rendering of Angel.
BOOKS: 18/40
PAGES: 3357/8000
19poetontheone
19) Ask the Dust by John Fante
****
This novel is a vibrant love song to Los Angeles. Bandini is a caustic but pitiable protagonist not too far removed from a Holden Caulfield or an Ignatius Riley. He writes, he drinks black coffee and piss beer, he hungers in more ways than one. It's easy to see his influence on Bukowski, but the latter's Chinaski character is never so honest, not such a self deprecating screwball swimmig in Catholic guilt as is Fante's Bandini. It is fascinating to watch the relationship between him and Camilla unfold, with its strange blend of bitterness and warmth. Bandini is strung along like a sucker by this "hophead", this "greaser", this "Mayan Princess" after it all. Her destructive addiction to marijuana rings loud with unbelievable thirties hysteria. A junk habit would have been much more realistic. That small quibble aside, this a brief and rewarding novel fat with some gorgeous prose and tragic characters.
BOOKS: 19/40
PAGES: 3549/8000
****
This novel is a vibrant love song to Los Angeles. Bandini is a caustic but pitiable protagonist not too far removed from a Holden Caulfield or an Ignatius Riley. He writes, he drinks black coffee and piss beer, he hungers in more ways than one. It's easy to see his influence on Bukowski, but the latter's Chinaski character is never so honest, not such a self deprecating screwball swimmig in Catholic guilt as is Fante's Bandini. It is fascinating to watch the relationship between him and Camilla unfold, with its strange blend of bitterness and warmth. Bandini is strung along like a sucker by this "hophead", this "greaser", this "Mayan Princess" after it all. Her destructive addiction to marijuana rings loud with unbelievable thirties hysteria. A junk habit would have been much more realistic. That small quibble aside, this a brief and rewarding novel fat with some gorgeous prose and tragic characters.
BOOKS: 19/40
PAGES: 3549/8000
20poetontheone
20) Hour of the Star by Clarice Lispector
****
A compact yet deep metafictional narrative that magnifies a mundane woman, that digs at her being without desperation or effort, simply revealing her as is to reveal a portrait of classism, poverty, and alone-ness. All the while the narrator is trying not to betray his impartiality, his coldness, he is often endeared to or annoyed by this tragic and pitiful woman. A bare bones character study of the invisible woman that reveals the full ripeness of femininity and sensuality by showing its absence and the hidden desire for it to manifest.
BOOKS: 20/40
PAGES: 3645/8000
****
A compact yet deep metafictional narrative that magnifies a mundane woman, that digs at her being without desperation or effort, simply revealing her as is to reveal a portrait of classism, poverty, and alone-ness. All the while the narrator is trying not to betray his impartiality, his coldness, he is often endeared to or annoyed by this tragic and pitiful woman. A bare bones character study of the invisible woman that reveals the full ripeness of femininity and sensuality by showing its absence and the hidden desire for it to manifest.
BOOKS: 20/40
PAGES: 3645/8000
21poetontheone
21) Malone Dies by Samuel Beckett
****
With the second book of the trilogy, we are lead through the daily minutia of a man named Malone, who is kept in a room, presumably within a madhouse or a prison. He in turn tells us the story of Sapo, later McMannus, who seems to be in similar circumstances, though given to more colorful happenings. It almost seems that Malone is simply constructing a sort of dream narrative, a la Genet, to pass the days in fantasy. In absurd fashion though, Malone's dream of McMannus, if more eventful, is not more desirable. Altogether, this work is not as tough to chew as Molloy, though it's not at all a stroll. It's smooth enough for Beckett. Perhaps consequently though, being more consistently readable, the story does not peak with as many quick flashes of brilliance as does Molloy.
BOOKS: 21/40
PAGES: 3754/8000
****
With the second book of the trilogy, we are lead through the daily minutia of a man named Malone, who is kept in a room, presumably within a madhouse or a prison. He in turn tells us the story of Sapo, later McMannus, who seems to be in similar circumstances, though given to more colorful happenings. It almost seems that Malone is simply constructing a sort of dream narrative, a la Genet, to pass the days in fantasy. In absurd fashion though, Malone's dream of McMannus, if more eventful, is not more desirable. Altogether, this work is not as tough to chew as Molloy, though it's not at all a stroll. It's smooth enough for Beckett. Perhaps consequently though, being more consistently readable, the story does not peak with as many quick flashes of brilliance as does Molloy.
BOOKS: 21/40
PAGES: 3754/8000
22poetontheone
22) Closer by Dennis Cooper
****
Dennis Cooper'a minimalist prose style and his fluid and personal sense of voice disarms the reader and leaves them vulnerable as they are sucked into the winding and shadowy tunnel of this refreshing but alarming story. We are led through the book by several different narrative voices, all tied together by the thread that is George Miles, who also narrates several sections. We are shown how these men and boys use George for love, sex, and violence. There is a certain sort of detachment exhibited by all the characters here that is more unsettling then any of the overt violence or scatology. This book is an intense analysis of teenage nihilism and the psychosexual makeup of American culture.
BOOKS: 22/40
PAGES: 3885/8000
****
Dennis Cooper'a minimalist prose style and his fluid and personal sense of voice disarms the reader and leaves them vulnerable as they are sucked into the winding and shadowy tunnel of this refreshing but alarming story. We are led through the book by several different narrative voices, all tied together by the thread that is George Miles, who also narrates several sections. We are shown how these men and boys use George for love, sex, and violence. There is a certain sort of detachment exhibited by all the characters here that is more unsettling then any of the overt violence or scatology. This book is an intense analysis of teenage nihilism and the psychosexual makeup of American culture.
BOOKS: 22/40
PAGES: 3885/8000
23poetontheone
23) Rashomon and Other Stories by Ryunosuke Akutagawa
***
As far as one can gleam from these translations, the prose of Akutagawa is driven less by narrative and imagery and more by subtle examinations of character. The prose is always evident as the work as a careful yet detached observer, even when writing from first person which seldom occurs. In this regard, Akutagawa seems to resemble O. Henry or Maupassant more than Mori Ogai or any of his Japanese contemporaries. The writing seems a little dry, though this may be the fault of the translator more than anything. From the little of it that I've read, I don't think it would hurt to suggest the more extensive volume of selections translated by Jay Rubin over this one. The writing seems much more descriptive and lively than it does here.
BOOKS: 23/40
PAGES: 3997/8000
***
As far as one can gleam from these translations, the prose of Akutagawa is driven less by narrative and imagery and more by subtle examinations of character. The prose is always evident as the work as a careful yet detached observer, even when writing from first person which seldom occurs. In this regard, Akutagawa seems to resemble O. Henry or Maupassant more than Mori Ogai or any of his Japanese contemporaries. The writing seems a little dry, though this may be the fault of the translator more than anything. From the little of it that I've read, I don't think it would hurt to suggest the more extensive volume of selections translated by Jay Rubin over this one. The writing seems much more descriptive and lively than it does here.
BOOKS: 23/40
PAGES: 3997/8000
24poetontheone
24) The Stranger by Albert Camus
****
Camus's lauded novella is a sharp meditation on the chaotic nature of man's existence. Our protagonist seems rather detached, showing minimal concern for what goes on around him, not crying at his mother's funeral. Even after a series chance events leads him to murder a man, his disposition seems almost stoic. Perhaps, Camus is giving us this neutral sort, led along only by chance, to show us that this Mersault is every man, and when fully realizes the absurdity of his existence, he swells up with a passion that is known to all men when faced with the void, and all the same the fresh womb, of being.
BOOKS: 24/40
PAGES: 4120/8000
****
Camus's lauded novella is a sharp meditation on the chaotic nature of man's existence. Our protagonist seems rather detached, showing minimal concern for what goes on around him, not crying at his mother's funeral. Even after a series chance events leads him to murder a man, his disposition seems almost stoic. Perhaps, Camus is giving us this neutral sort, led along only by chance, to show us that this Mersault is every man, and when fully realizes the absurdity of his existence, he swells up with a passion that is known to all men when faced with the void, and all the same the fresh womb, of being.
BOOKS: 24/40
PAGES: 4120/8000
25poetontheone
25) On Certainty by Ludwig Wittgenstein
****
This compilation of notes regarding Wittgenstein's views on the nature of propositions in our "language game" is both digestible and provocative in its overall exploration of the topic. Perhaps because these are notes, the book is written is a very direct manner without convolution or wordiness, leaving little room for excess. What space remains is well employed. A number of times, Wittgenstein immediately reflects on the competency of his own assertions, throws in a bit of humor, and even the quickest flashes of poetic phrasing. This is a brief work, and a readable one at that, but it is by no means shallow. You are at the deep end of the pool here, but you're in with a very good swimmer.
BOOKS: 25/40
PAGES: 4210/8000
****
This compilation of notes regarding Wittgenstein's views on the nature of propositions in our "language game" is both digestible and provocative in its overall exploration of the topic. Perhaps because these are notes, the book is written is a very direct manner without convolution or wordiness, leaving little room for excess. What space remains is well employed. A number of times, Wittgenstein immediately reflects on the competency of his own assertions, throws in a bit of humor, and even the quickest flashes of poetic phrasing. This is a brief work, and a readable one at that, but it is by no means shallow. You are at the deep end of the pool here, but you're in with a very good swimmer.
BOOKS: 25/40
PAGES: 4210/8000
26poetontheone
26) Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard
***
The first thing that grabbed my attention as I began reading this book is the loveliness of its prose. The sentences are long and vivid and full of color. After forty or so pages, the line between colorful and purple begins to blur. Throughout the books, there are lines, or even a whole page, that shines. The sentiment and the language converge and deliver some powerful declaration, or pose excellent some cosmic query. However, the book slogs after awhile. I think you must go into Tinker Creek expecting highly self-referential field notes on wildlife, complimented by quotations and views Dillard uncovers in whatever she is reading at the time of such observations, and peppered with Biblical allusions.
Dillard isn't necessarily preachy here, the allusions fit nicely enough within the wonder of her setting, but they sometimes feel a bit forced rather natural, as though she had to meet some quota on biblical references. At her best, Dillard shows us the majesty of nature through her eyes, all at once violent and beautiful. Despite this, I was frequently bored with her descriptions. It all began to seem too familiar. A uniquely presented work, but I suppose I'd be more apt to return to Barry Lopez if I wanted to run about the wild and winged things of the Earth.
BOOKS: 26/40
PAGES: 4490/8000
***
The first thing that grabbed my attention as I began reading this book is the loveliness of its prose. The sentences are long and vivid and full of color. After forty or so pages, the line between colorful and purple begins to blur. Throughout the books, there are lines, or even a whole page, that shines. The sentiment and the language converge and deliver some powerful declaration, or pose excellent some cosmic query. However, the book slogs after awhile. I think you must go into Tinker Creek expecting highly self-referential field notes on wildlife, complimented by quotations and views Dillard uncovers in whatever she is reading at the time of such observations, and peppered with Biblical allusions.
Dillard isn't necessarily preachy here, the allusions fit nicely enough within the wonder of her setting, but they sometimes feel a bit forced rather natural, as though she had to meet some quota on biblical references. At her best, Dillard shows us the majesty of nature through her eyes, all at once violent and beautiful. Despite this, I was frequently bored with her descriptions. It all began to seem too familiar. A uniquely presented work, but I suppose I'd be more apt to return to Barry Lopez if I wanted to run about the wild and winged things of the Earth.
BOOKS: 26/40
PAGES: 4490/8000
27poetontheone
27) Last Gleaming (Buffy Season 8) by Joss Whedon
****
Herein is the culmination of Season Eight, and this somewhat bloated arc is tied up and finished off nicely with strong writing from Whedon, his strongest yet since tackling Buffy in the new medium. There is strong action, with Slayers fighting an onslaught of demons and Buffy going toe to toe with the now not-so-mysterious Twilight. There is plenty of conflict with all of this going on, yet the writing never trips over itself or cause confusion. We even witness some casualties. Dawn gets a little beat up, someone else dies, and that isn't even the most drastic change we encounter. Also, Spike is back and full of familiar voice. After the dust settles, you can already tell that the 'Buffyverse' is a little less complicated. The Riley one shot included here is alright. Moline does good pencil work, but I'm still a little mad at Espenson for her shoddy writing in previous issues. If she doesn't come back for the next arc, I will not be disappointed. I will be glad to see Jeanty again, however. His art rarely disappoints.
I've been a little worried about what's in store for Season Nine. Season Eight suffered a lot of bumps. Whedon, now free from budget constraints, put forth a pretty grandiose tale that often suffered from convolution, weak characterization, and some really bad writing. But when it was good, it was very good. Whedon's editorial letter at the back of this trade assuaged most fears I had about Season Nine. He admits to most of the above and promises that Buffy will go back to her roots in Season Nine. Here's hoping that he delivers. Maybe he'll stick to one or two writers? Goddard. Goddard. Goddard.
BOOKS: 27/40
PAGES: 4650/8000
****
Herein is the culmination of Season Eight, and this somewhat bloated arc is tied up and finished off nicely with strong writing from Whedon, his strongest yet since tackling Buffy in the new medium. There is strong action, with Slayers fighting an onslaught of demons and Buffy going toe to toe with the now not-so-mysterious Twilight. There is plenty of conflict with all of this going on, yet the writing never trips over itself or cause confusion. We even witness some casualties. Dawn gets a little beat up, someone else dies, and that isn't even the most drastic change we encounter. Also, Spike is back and full of familiar voice. After the dust settles, you can already tell that the 'Buffyverse' is a little less complicated. The Riley one shot included here is alright. Moline does good pencil work, but I'm still a little mad at Espenson for her shoddy writing in previous issues. If she doesn't come back for the next arc, I will not be disappointed. I will be glad to see Jeanty again, however. His art rarely disappoints.
I've been a little worried about what's in store for Season Nine. Season Eight suffered a lot of bumps. Whedon, now free from budget constraints, put forth a pretty grandiose tale that often suffered from convolution, weak characterization, and some really bad writing. But when it was good, it was very good. Whedon's editorial letter at the back of this trade assuaged most fears I had about Season Nine. He admits to most of the above and promises that Buffy will go back to her roots in Season Nine. Here's hoping that he delivers. Maybe he'll stick to one or two writers? Goddard. Goddard. Goddard.
BOOKS: 27/40
PAGES: 4650/8000
29poetontheone
Thank you! No, nothing lightweight really, except for the Buffy comics!
30poetontheone
28) Moravagine by Blaise Cendrars
****
Is this a testament of exorcism of The Double? Perhaps. Or maybe just the outcome of an inescapable possession. Frederic Louis Sauser is possessed by Blaise Cendrars is possessed by Moravagine. All three are marked by war and filled with the ecstatic poisons of fantasy. This novel is nothing if not the blackest of comedies.
Take an enjoyable romp with the merry doctor and mad Moravagine, freed from the captivity of an asylum, as they ransack Russia and swindle the revolution, fall prey to savagery of Indians, find fast fortune in the megaindustry of air travel, fall prey to the horrors of war, and record the 'kultur' of Mars. They rob, they maul, they screw, they, laugh, they cry. You laugh. For all it's debauchery, violence, vagrancy, inebriation, and misogyny. You laugh. You sick dog.
Kay-ray-kuh-kuh-ko-kex.
BOOKS: 28/40
PAGES: 4879/8000
****
Is this a testament of exorcism of The Double? Perhaps. Or maybe just the outcome of an inescapable possession. Frederic Louis Sauser is possessed by Blaise Cendrars is possessed by Moravagine. All three are marked by war and filled with the ecstatic poisons of fantasy. This novel is nothing if not the blackest of comedies.
Take an enjoyable romp with the merry doctor and mad Moravagine, freed from the captivity of an asylum, as they ransack Russia and swindle the revolution, fall prey to savagery of Indians, find fast fortune in the megaindustry of air travel, fall prey to the horrors of war, and record the 'kultur' of Mars. They rob, they maul, they screw, they, laugh, they cry. You laugh. For all it's debauchery, violence, vagrancy, inebriation, and misogyny. You laugh. You sick dog.
Kay-ray-kuh-kuh-ko-kex.
BOOKS: 28/40
PAGES: 4879/8000
31poetontheone
29) The Chronology of Water by Lidia Yuknavitch
****
Lidia divorces her memoir from convention by defying the narrow marketing classifications of niche, genre, and narrative timeline. It is not about swimming. it is not about writing. it is not about abuse or incest. It is not about miscarriages or motherhood. It is about all of those things, but only as they are given as sacrifice to the transformative power of story. This is one of those "you laugh and then you cry" books. And it isn't. This isn't easily digestible chicken soup for your soul. This is the thick, hearty, and tough stew of memory brought into light by language.
BOOKS: 29/40
PAGES: 5147/8000
****
Lidia divorces her memoir from convention by defying the narrow marketing classifications of niche, genre, and narrative timeline. It is not about swimming. it is not about writing. it is not about abuse or incest. It is not about miscarriages or motherhood. It is about all of those things, but only as they are given as sacrifice to the transformative power of story. This is one of those "you laugh and then you cry" books. And it isn't. This isn't easily digestible chicken soup for your soul. This is the thick, hearty, and tough stew of memory brought into light by language.
BOOKS: 29/40
PAGES: 5147/8000
32poetontheone
30) Life Against Death by Norman O. Brown
****
Brown's re-evaluation of Freudi takes a chisel to the the stuffy political correctness of modern psychoanalysis to reveal its writhing, breathing Dionysian elements, in effort to construct a pathway out of neuroses. We are shown Freud's inheritance of Blake and Boehme, the civilized man's alchemy of turning shit into gold, and the necessity of the marriage of life and death. A dense and explosive cocktail of criticism, psychology, philosophy, and stray hairs of the poetic. Sigmund gone wide-eyed and frothing at the mouth, gnawing on the hydrogen bomb.
BOOKS: 30/40
PAGES: 5469/8000
****
Brown's re-evaluation of Freudi takes a chisel to the the stuffy political correctness of modern psychoanalysis to reveal its writhing, breathing Dionysian elements, in effort to construct a pathway out of neuroses. We are shown Freud's inheritance of Blake and Boehme, the civilized man's alchemy of turning shit into gold, and the necessity of the marriage of life and death. A dense and explosive cocktail of criticism, psychology, philosophy, and stray hairs of the poetic. Sigmund gone wide-eyed and frothing at the mouth, gnawing on the hydrogen bomb.
BOOKS: 30/40
PAGES: 5469/8000
33poetontheone
31) Preacher Vol. 1: Gone to Texas by Garth Ennis
*****
As soon as I got wind of this series I knew I had to read it. A Texas preacher possessed by a supernatural entity wielding power to rival God himself, a snarky alcoholic Irish vampire, and a female contract killer named Tulip? And all three on the lamb! What's not to love? The whole cast of characters, major and minor, is wonderfully imagined and perfectly portrayed. The tone and content of this comic is so full of attitude, grit, vulgarity, and violence that it makes Frank Miller's Sin City look like Family Circus. Not to say that these elements are simply to shock and disgust. They come natural to the characters and the situations they find themselves in. There are good lowbrow laughs to be had as well. Some great one-liners. Ennis' dialogue is golden and makes you really hear the characters. I keep drooling about the writing, but not to discount Steve Dillon. His art is amazing. Almost twenty years later, I doubt half of the pencillers working today could deliver so perfect a compliment to story as Dillon does here.
BOOKS: 31/40
PAGES: 5669/8000
*****
As soon as I got wind of this series I knew I had to read it. A Texas preacher possessed by a supernatural entity wielding power to rival God himself, a snarky alcoholic Irish vampire, and a female contract killer named Tulip? And all three on the lamb! What's not to love? The whole cast of characters, major and minor, is wonderfully imagined and perfectly portrayed. The tone and content of this comic is so full of attitude, grit, vulgarity, and violence that it makes Frank Miller's Sin City look like Family Circus. Not to say that these elements are simply to shock and disgust. They come natural to the characters and the situations they find themselves in. There are good lowbrow laughs to be had as well. Some great one-liners. Ennis' dialogue is golden and makes you really hear the characters. I keep drooling about the writing, but not to discount Steve Dillon. His art is amazing. Almost twenty years later, I doubt half of the pencillers working today could deliver so perfect a compliment to story as Dillon does here.
BOOKS: 31/40
PAGES: 5669/8000
34poetontheone
32) Dayglo by James Meetze
***
I was excited to encounter a book of poems centered thematically on San Diego, my hometown, but with this exicitement I suppose I imagined poetry built on tight narrative, humor, irony, and strong images. All of those elements are here save the first one, so you have to work at these poems sometimes. I'm not saying it's language poetry, there is definitely intended meaning here. Lots of it.
I can see the exploration of contrast between living flowers and dead men, natural beauty and ugly materialism, an excess of sunlight and a lack of illumination. I recognize Meetze's San Diego, but I don't. A pervasive theme here is the comparison between the external landscape and the interior landscape of mind, maybe more specifically the writer's mind. I can recognize all these elements, but it make take another reading to really appreciate them. Hearing Meetze himself read them aloud will provide some context as well.
BOOKS: 32/40
PAGES: 5757/8000
***
I was excited to encounter a book of poems centered thematically on San Diego, my hometown, but with this exicitement I suppose I imagined poetry built on tight narrative, humor, irony, and strong images. All of those elements are here save the first one, so you have to work at these poems sometimes. I'm not saying it's language poetry, there is definitely intended meaning here. Lots of it.
I can see the exploration of contrast between living flowers and dead men, natural beauty and ugly materialism, an excess of sunlight and a lack of illumination. I recognize Meetze's San Diego, but I don't. A pervasive theme here is the comparison between the external landscape and the interior landscape of mind, maybe more specifically the writer's mind. I can recognize all these elements, but it make take another reading to really appreciate them. Hearing Meetze himself read them aloud will provide some context as well.
BOOKS: 32/40
PAGES: 5757/8000
35poetontheone
33) The Thief's Journal by Jean Genet
*****
Sartre says that this is the best of Genet's novels, and I am inclined to agree because if both it and Our Lady of the Flowers are so mesmerizing, what chance is there that yet another of his novels would stand up to the same pedigree? In a similar manner to his first novel, here Genet transforms lowlife hoodlums into beautiful beings of memory through the alchemy of poetry, though all of the characters and the scenes here seem so much closer to the narrator's heart.
It is an act of love. To extract from these scenes some element that made them sing and personified their hidden beauty. Beauty which to any passerby would be lost, and maybe it would even be lost to Jean himself in the moment. It is when we relive the past in memory that we find even the most perplexing and worrisome scenes covered in a glaze of loveliness. That phenomena is what is conveyed here, to such a precise degree that it startles the reader.
More precisely, through memory and with the tools of poetry Genet allows evil to become good. He slices the faces from lovely Grecian boys to paste them over the the sneering skulls of hell-goats. It seems, more accurately, that he does not turn that which is evil into the good, but that he extracts that which is beautiful from that which is evil, and thus finds the goodness.
"I learned that even flowers are black at night ..."
BOOKS: 33/40
PAGES: 6027/8000
*****
Sartre says that this is the best of Genet's novels, and I am inclined to agree because if both it and Our Lady of the Flowers are so mesmerizing, what chance is there that yet another of his novels would stand up to the same pedigree? In a similar manner to his first novel, here Genet transforms lowlife hoodlums into beautiful beings of memory through the alchemy of poetry, though all of the characters and the scenes here seem so much closer to the narrator's heart.
It is an act of love. To extract from these scenes some element that made them sing and personified their hidden beauty. Beauty which to any passerby would be lost, and maybe it would even be lost to Jean himself in the moment. It is when we relive the past in memory that we find even the most perplexing and worrisome scenes covered in a glaze of loveliness. That phenomena is what is conveyed here, to such a precise degree that it startles the reader.
More precisely, through memory and with the tools of poetry Genet allows evil to become good. He slices the faces from lovely Grecian boys to paste them over the the sneering skulls of hell-goats. It seems, more accurately, that he does not turn that which is evil into the good, but that he extracts that which is beautiful from that which is evil, and thus finds the goodness.
"I learned that even flowers are black at night ..."
BOOKS: 33/40
PAGES: 6027/8000
36poetontheone
34) Art That Kills by George Petros
****
This is a wonderfully offensive scrapbook of a certain niche in underground culture, particularly in the late eighties and early nineties. You have this weird convergence of artists, punks, queers, satanists, neo-fascists, and Manson idolators. Even more than the typed interviews, so many of the images herein are a sight to behold. A lot of rare archival art, clippings, and a hefty helping of Manson memorabilia. One of the interesting aspects of this 'collection' is that many of the subjects have connected history and a sort of cliquish air pervades much of the book. It is also fun to pick out the juvenile con-artists of the bunch from the more authentic characters. All in all, a fascinating historical document pertaining to a shadowy underground that is more or less extinct. A monument of apocalypse culture.
BOOKS: 34/40
PAGES: 6379/8000
****
This is a wonderfully offensive scrapbook of a certain niche in underground culture, particularly in the late eighties and early nineties. You have this weird convergence of artists, punks, queers, satanists, neo-fascists, and Manson idolators. Even more than the typed interviews, so many of the images herein are a sight to behold. A lot of rare archival art, clippings, and a hefty helping of Manson memorabilia. One of the interesting aspects of this 'collection' is that many of the subjects have connected history and a sort of cliquish air pervades much of the book. It is also fun to pick out the juvenile con-artists of the bunch from the more authentic characters. All in all, a fascinating historical document pertaining to a shadowy underground that is more or less extinct. A monument of apocalypse culture.
BOOKS: 34/40
PAGES: 6379/8000
37poetontheone
35) Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
****
When this book was assigned to me in high school, I doubt I made it past the first chapter. This isn't to say I wasn't a reader, quite the contrary. I was a long time reader of Edgar Allan Poe by then, and was cultivating an interest in Hermann Hesse. Something about Dickens' tone turned me off. I had to read for a British Literature survey course, and this time around I gave it a fair chance. Once I made it past the first two chapters, I found it increasingly readable. Though an easy read, and prone to that familiar Victorian sentimentality, it is not a superficial work. Dickens' has some interesting things to say about class, crime, devotion, and coming of age.
BOOKS: 35/40
PAGES: 6836/8000
****
When this book was assigned to me in high school, I doubt I made it past the first chapter. This isn't to say I wasn't a reader, quite the contrary. I was a long time reader of Edgar Allan Poe by then, and was cultivating an interest in Hermann Hesse. Something about Dickens' tone turned me off. I had to read for a British Literature survey course, and this time around I gave it a fair chance. Once I made it past the first two chapters, I found it increasingly readable. Though an easy read, and prone to that familiar Victorian sentimentality, it is not a superficial work. Dickens' has some interesting things to say about class, crime, devotion, and coming of age.
BOOKS: 35/40
PAGES: 6836/8000
38poetontheone
36) The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
*****
With regards to the Picture of Dorian Gray, it is wonderfully sensational and unique work. Though obviously Victorian with regards to characters and setting, but the influence of French Symbolism is very easy to see. Huysmans' novel A rebours features as a prominent motif in the book. It is no stretch to claim to claim that Dorian Gray is a Faustian character, whilst the hedonistic Lord Henry represents a model of Huysmans' own Des Esseintes as a sort of Mephistopheles who coaxes Dorian towards his doom. Looking at the premise of the work alone, it could have just as well been a cheap thriller devoid of complexity, but Wilde imbues the work with no small amount of literary references and witty dialogue. There is also no shortage of criticism against the English upper class, and the homoerotic symbolism oozes from every other page. A spectacular and rich novel that excites the mind just as much as any Hitchcock film, and at the same causes the reader to think deeply about its many themes.
BOOKS: 36/40
PAGES: 6998/8000
*****
With regards to the Picture of Dorian Gray, it is wonderfully sensational and unique work. Though obviously Victorian with regards to characters and setting, but the influence of French Symbolism is very easy to see. Huysmans' novel A rebours features as a prominent motif in the book. It is no stretch to claim to claim that Dorian Gray is a Faustian character, whilst the hedonistic Lord Henry represents a model of Huysmans' own Des Esseintes as a sort of Mephistopheles who coaxes Dorian towards his doom. Looking at the premise of the work alone, it could have just as well been a cheap thriller devoid of complexity, but Wilde imbues the work with no small amount of literary references and witty dialogue. There is also no shortage of criticism against the English upper class, and the homoerotic symbolism oozes from every other page. A spectacular and rich novel that excites the mind just as much as any Hitchcock film, and at the same causes the reader to think deeply about its many themes.
BOOKS: 36/40
PAGES: 6998/8000
39poetontheone
37) Ghost World by Daniel Clowes
***
Two co-dependent, mouthy girls fresh out of high school have nothing to do but sulk and whine about their lives in an unbearable small town. Some further character development would have improved this premise by leaps and bounds, as so many will fail to realize the intended parody Clowes' attempts with these miserable 'hipster' youths. The building tension towards the end is unexpected and refreshing, but not ultimately able to elevate the story's unstable backbone. A funny-but-melancholy coming of age story, as many are, complimented by some bleak though often goofy pencil work.
BOOKS: 37/40
PAGES: 7078/8000
***
Two co-dependent, mouthy girls fresh out of high school have nothing to do but sulk and whine about their lives in an unbearable small town. Some further character development would have improved this premise by leaps and bounds, as so many will fail to realize the intended parody Clowes' attempts with these miserable 'hipster' youths. The building tension towards the end is unexpected and refreshing, but not ultimately able to elevate the story's unstable backbone. A funny-but-melancholy coming of age story, as many are, complimented by some bleak though often goofy pencil work.
BOOKS: 37/40
PAGES: 7078/8000
40poetontheone
38) Moon Dance by S.P. Somtow
**
The concept of an epic war between European werewolves and Lakota Shungmanitu, as Somtow calls them, seemed a good enough premise. The fixture of this conflict is a young boy who is both human and beast, both werewolf and Shungmanitu, and he struggles to unite both and liberate himself from a lycanthropic, schizophrenic madness. In this story, here could have been such great insight about human nature and the perpetual battle between light and darkness within all men. Somtow isn't a good enough writer to pull it off. He plays with idea, alludes to it while coughing on the dry fog of his own purple prose and reveling in all manner of blood, rape, and gore. A cheap pulp paperback that wants to be more than what it is. The Gone with the Wind of werewolf fiction? The werewolf equivalent to Anne Rice's vampire mythos? Hardly. A wolf in sheep's clothing.
BOOKS: 38/40
PAGES: 7613/8000
**
The concept of an epic war between European werewolves and Lakota Shungmanitu, as Somtow calls them, seemed a good enough premise. The fixture of this conflict is a young boy who is both human and beast, both werewolf and Shungmanitu, and he struggles to unite both and liberate himself from a lycanthropic, schizophrenic madness. In this story, here could have been such great insight about human nature and the perpetual battle between light and darkness within all men. Somtow isn't a good enough writer to pull it off. He plays with idea, alludes to it while coughing on the dry fog of his own purple prose and reveling in all manner of blood, rape, and gore. A cheap pulp paperback that wants to be more than what it is. The Gone with the Wind of werewolf fiction? The werewolf equivalent to Anne Rice's vampire mythos? Hardly. A wolf in sheep's clothing.
BOOKS: 38/40
PAGES: 7613/8000
41poetontheone
39) Borstal Boy by Brendan Behan
****
The triumph of Behan's novel is that is shows its reader the unity of men when there allegiances are, if not stripped away, set aside, and they are made to bond over their environment, and to help each other gets along. He is really handy with vernacular and tone, and being such puts down wonderful dialogue spoken by very rich characters. This not a dim jailhouse narrative. It is a colorful, humorous and beautifully optimistic book. Behan's sense of humanity pervades every page. Along with his play, the Quare Fellow, Borstal Boy dwells in the upper echelons of prison literature, with Genet and all of the rest.
BOOKS: 39/40
PAGES: 7993/8000
****
The triumph of Behan's novel is that is shows its reader the unity of men when there allegiances are, if not stripped away, set aside, and they are made to bond over their environment, and to help each other gets along. He is really handy with vernacular and tone, and being such puts down wonderful dialogue spoken by very rich characters. This not a dim jailhouse narrative. It is a colorful, humorous and beautifully optimistic book. Behan's sense of humanity pervades every page. Along with his play, the Quare Fellow, Borstal Boy dwells in the upper echelons of prison literature, with Genet and all of the rest.
BOOKS: 39/40
PAGES: 7993/8000
42poetontheone
40) This Lamentable City by Polina Barskova
***
This very lean selection of poems in translation by the contemporary Russian poet Polina Barskova was brought to my attention when its editor, Ilya Kaminsky, was giving a reading in my area and he included a poem from this volume in amongst his own. I had thoroughly enjoyed his collection, so I thought I'd have a go at his translations of Barskova, who I hadn't heard of previously. After, I must admit, a rather quick read through, I am neither disappointed nor amazed by these pieces. The tone plays with historicity, eroticism, and eroticism with a fine and subtle hand, no doubt, and some of the images are downright striking. I was struck by how "each disembodied bedroom curtain thickens with evening" or the rather unique description of angels as "tall sexless bitches". I can see how Barskova is a modernized descendant of Akhmatova. That said, the poems did not grab me in their entirety, and I wonder if that is attributable to Barskova's own style or to Kaminsky's "loose" translations. As Barskova herself approved these translations, I reckon it is a little of both.
BOOKS: 40/40
PAGES: 8041/8000
***
This very lean selection of poems in translation by the contemporary Russian poet Polina Barskova was brought to my attention when its editor, Ilya Kaminsky, was giving a reading in my area and he included a poem from this volume in amongst his own. I had thoroughly enjoyed his collection, so I thought I'd have a go at his translations of Barskova, who I hadn't heard of previously. After, I must admit, a rather quick read through, I am neither disappointed nor amazed by these pieces. The tone plays with historicity, eroticism, and eroticism with a fine and subtle hand, no doubt, and some of the images are downright striking. I was struck by how "each disembodied bedroom curtain thickens with evening" or the rather unique description of angels as "tall sexless bitches". I can see how Barskova is a modernized descendant of Akhmatova. That said, the poems did not grab me in their entirety, and I wonder if that is attributable to Barskova's own style or to Kaminsky's "loose" translations. As Barskova herself approved these translations, I reckon it is a little of both.
BOOKS: 40/40
PAGES: 8041/8000
43poetontheone
Oh joy! I met both my book and my page goal. This most likely will be it for 2011, though I may finish one more before all is said and done. Next year, I think I'll try for 50!
44poetontheone
41) Beyond Good and Evil by Friedrich Nietzsche
****
I think one of the key barriers to understanding Nietzsche, particularly this book and its immediate predecessor which both deal with the Ubermensch and master morality versus slave morality, is that the uninformed may go into such a book looking for some sort of dogma (as the Nazis did). Though if Nietzsche were to work in such a mode, his form would contradict his content.
The most digestible aspect (though not for some, surely) of this writing are its moments of passion and poetic brilliance, alongside characteristic biting wit. Such wit abounds in the early parts of the book, where he deals mostly in polemics against prevalent views, against schools of thought and their propagators. Such style eventually drags, and then starves to death when Nietzsche begins to mock women in a rather juvenile way.
It is in the end section entitled "What is Noble?" that Nietzsche's poetics flare up and the text becomes introspective, in the sense that Nietzsche begins to discuss and refer to himself, but also in the sense that in doing he may reveal certain keys to understanding the book itself. Especially, "my written and painted thoughts ... You have already taken off your novelty, and some of you are ready, I fear, to become truths: they already look so immortal, so pathetically decent, so dull! ... We immortalize what cannot live and fly much longer — only weary and mellow things!"
In reading Nietzsche it might serve us to rely on context both historical and biographical, but even this method of interpretation, narrow as it is, may do us more harm than good. We may perhaps do best to acknowledge Nietzsche as Zarathustra made flesh in his own time and place, as an observer of the condition of man. He sees this with a terrified eye, but allows his throat to well up in Dionysian laughter at the possibilities of what the future might hold. As it stands, the outlook is dim. Such a time as now could not foster another Nietzsche, nor a complete realization of his ideal man. We remain in the muck, though some of us stand on the bridge between man and superman, with so many below us, fallen into the black pit of modernity where it is doubtful that no Goethe could stand upright.
BOOKS: 41/40
PAGES: 8286/8000
****
I think one of the key barriers to understanding Nietzsche, particularly this book and its immediate predecessor which both deal with the Ubermensch and master morality versus slave morality, is that the uninformed may go into such a book looking for some sort of dogma (as the Nazis did). Though if Nietzsche were to work in such a mode, his form would contradict his content.
The most digestible aspect (though not for some, surely) of this writing are its moments of passion and poetic brilliance, alongside characteristic biting wit. Such wit abounds in the early parts of the book, where he deals mostly in polemics against prevalent views, against schools of thought and their propagators. Such style eventually drags, and then starves to death when Nietzsche begins to mock women in a rather juvenile way.
It is in the end section entitled "What is Noble?" that Nietzsche's poetics flare up and the text becomes introspective, in the sense that Nietzsche begins to discuss and refer to himself, but also in the sense that in doing he may reveal certain keys to understanding the book itself. Especially, "my written and painted thoughts ... You have already taken off your novelty, and some of you are ready, I fear, to become truths: they already look so immortal, so pathetically decent, so dull! ... We immortalize what cannot live and fly much longer — only weary and mellow things!"
In reading Nietzsche it might serve us to rely on context both historical and biographical, but even this method of interpretation, narrow as it is, may do us more harm than good. We may perhaps do best to acknowledge Nietzsche as Zarathustra made flesh in his own time and place, as an observer of the condition of man. He sees this with a terrified eye, but allows his throat to well up in Dionysian laughter at the possibilities of what the future might hold. As it stands, the outlook is dim. Such a time as now could not foster another Nietzsche, nor a complete realization of his ideal man. We remain in the muck, though some of us stand on the bridge between man and superman, with so many below us, fallen into the black pit of modernity where it is doubtful that no Goethe could stand upright.
BOOKS: 41/40
PAGES: 8286/8000
