**Interesting Articles on Books, Authors, Reading, etc. - Mar/Apr 2010
TalkClub Read 2010
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1kidzdoc
I just read an excellent article in the 11 February issue of The London Review of Books by Toril Moi about the problematic new English translation of Simone de Beauvoir's The Second Sex by Constance Borde and Sheila Malovany-Chevallier. The full text of the article is available online:
The Adulteress Wife
The Adulteress Wife
2avaland
Belletrista's Issue 4 is now up!
http://www.belletrista.com/2010/issue4/index.php
Not all of Belle's contributor's are from LT, but most are. Thanks to all of you who contribute and also to all of you who read the 'zine. It's a labor of love for most of us.
http://www.belletrista.com/2010/issue4/index.php
Not all of Belle's contributor's are from LT, but most are. Thanks to all of you who contribute and also to all of you who read the 'zine. It's a labor of love for most of us.
3kidzdoc
I received a Google Alert e-mail about a review in this coming Sunday's Los Angeles Times of The Changeling by the Nobel Prize winner Kenzaburo Oe, which is described as follows:
"A Japanese novelist tries to understand why his longtime filmmaker friend committed suicide, raising issues of art, postwar identity and Japan's coexistence with nationalism."
Oe is one of my favorite writers, although I didn't enjoy his last translated book, Somersault, but I'll get this book very soon, based on this review.
'The Changeling' by Kenzaburo Oe
"A Japanese novelist tries to understand why his longtime filmmaker friend committed suicide, raising issues of art, postwar identity and Japan's coexistence with nationalism."
Oe is one of my favorite writers, although I didn't enjoy his last translated book, Somersault, but I'll get this book very soon, based on this review.
'The Changeling' by Kenzaburo Oe
5kidzdoc
Today's New York Times has a glowing review of The Surrendered, the new novel by Chang-Rae Lee. I received an Early Reviewer copy of this from LT, so I'll start reading it this week.
Lives Scarred by Horrors of Korean War
Lives Scarred by Horrors of Korean War
6lilisin
kidzdoc -
I saw that too! I will also be looking out for it although I'm sure you'll read it before me. Did you see the Ryu Murakami being offered in this month's Early Reviewers list?
I saw that too! I will also be looking out for it although I'm sure you'll read it before me. Did you see the Ryu Murakami being offered in this month's Early Reviewers list?
7kidzdoc
I didn't see Murakami's book, lilisin. I haven't read anything by him, although I have heard of Coin Locker Babies. Which book(s) of his would you recommend?
8lilisin
I actually haven't read any of Ryu's work. Been meaning to get to him but have just so much else to get to first. A lot of people recommend Almost Transparent Blue though.
9polutropos
Ian McEwan's latest book condensed to 700 words, and quite savaged.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/mar/09/solar-by-ian-mcewan
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/mar/09/solar-by-ian-mcewan
10kidzdoc
Marie Arana reviewed Dreams in a Time of War, the newly published childhood memoir by Ngũgĩ wa Thiongó, in yesterday's Washington Post:
Dreams in a Time of War
Dreams in a Time of War
11kidzdoc
Yesterday's Guardian interviews Abdulrahman Zeitoun, the focus of last year's book Zeitoun by Dave Eggers, which was one of my favorite books of 2009.
SPOILER ALERT: Those who are planning to read this book may want to wait on reading this article.
The amazing true story of Zeitoun
SPOILER ALERT: Those who are planning to read this book may want to wait on reading this article.
The amazing true story of Zeitoun
12rebeccanyc
Thanks for the heads-up about Ngugi's new book: I'll look for it at Book Culture if I make it there this weekend.
13kidzdoc
You're welcome, Rebecca. My local Borders has Dreams in a Time of War in stock, so I would assume that Book Culture will also have it. I'm planning to buy it and The Changeling by Kenzaburo Oe when I go out this afternoon.
14janemarieprice
11 - Thanks for that. Zeitoun was one of my favorites of last year as well.
16theaelizabet
11, 14 Interesting article on the man, Zeitoun. The book was a "top ten" read for me, too.
17Jargoneer
This appeared the day Salinger died so was overlooked - the poet and translator Michael Hofmann gets stuck into Stefan Zweig - Vermicular Dither.
All the recent Zweig publications in English have portrayed him as a lost master, it appears his reputation in his own language is much much lower.
All the recent Zweig publications in English have portrayed him as a lost master, it appears his reputation in his own language is much much lower.
18rebeccanyc
The Booker prize folks are going to award a "lost" Man Booker Prize for books published in 1970 when the calendar used for awarding the prize changed, making most books published that year ineligible. The short list is:
Nina Bawden The Birds on the Trees
J G Farrell Troubles
Shirley Hazzard The Bay of Noon
Patrick White The Vivisector
Mary Renault Fire from Heaven
Muriel Spark The Driver’s Seat
The winner will be decided by readers' votes. You can vote here.
Nina Bawden The Birds on the Trees
J G Farrell Troubles
Shirley Hazzard The Bay of Noon
Patrick White The Vivisector
Mary Renault Fire from Heaven
Muriel Spark The Driver’s Seat
The winner will be decided by readers' votes. You can vote here.
19dukedom_enough
Today's New York Times has a review of a memoir by Norris Church Mailer, Norman Mailer's last (sixth!) wife. What an incredible jerk the guy was.
23dukedom_enough
Today's Boston Globe has an interesting article about how Paul Harding's Tinkers went from looking like it'd never be published to this year's Pulitzer fiction prizewinner. Probably a bit romanticized.
24dukedom_enough
urania@20,
I suppose not, but still it's striking to read a reminder of just how bad he was.
I suppose not, but still it's striking to read a reminder of just how bad he was.
25avaland
>23 dukedom_enough: I agree that the prose is striking - very lyrical. I read it about the time I read The Winter Vault. Michaels' prose in that book is similar in its lyricism. This kind of prose can really spoil a reader....
26dukedom_enough
Article on the late Thomas M. Disch, emphasizing his relevance to current culture and politics.
27rebeccanyc
Not exactly an article, but reading this on the Book Depository home page made the volcanic eruption hit home for a so-far non-affected New Yorker:
"Due to the volcanic eruption beneath the Eyjafjallajoekull glacier in Iceland and subsequent grounding of all air traffic in Europe, we’re experiencing delays and supply issues. As a result we’re suspending our service to North America, and apologise for any inconvenience this may cause. We hope that flights will resume soon and we can start the service again. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Customers outside of North America may order via BookDepository.co.uk although some of these deliveries may also be subject to delay. "
"Due to the volcanic eruption beneath the Eyjafjallajoekull glacier in Iceland and subsequent grounding of all air traffic in Europe, we’re experiencing delays and supply issues. As a result we’re suspending our service to North America, and apologise for any inconvenience this may cause. We hope that flights will resume soon and we can start the service again. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Customers outside of North America may order via BookDepository.co.uk although some of these deliveries may also be subject to delay. "
28avaland
Another article on the Pulitzer Prize-winning Tinkers, this time from the NY Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/19/books/19harding.html?pagewanted=1&hpw
>27 rebeccanyc: yes, I was just thinking today that no one had mentioned the disruption of mail and shipping that must be going on. I have some packages to send to Europe though...
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/19/books/19harding.html?pagewanted=1&hpw
>27 rebeccanyc: yes, I was just thinking today that no one had mentioned the disruption of mail and shipping that must be going on. I have some packages to send to Europe though...
29avaland
Interesting article on Egyptian author Nawal el Saadawi in the Guardian from the 15th.
30kidzdoc
Yesterday I started reading Dread: Poems by Ai for the Club Read Read-A-Living-Poet Challenge. I wanted to learn more about her, but I found out that she had died last month. The New York Times published an obituary about her, which I had completely missed:
Ai, a Steadfast Poetic Channel of Hard Lives, Dies at 62
Ai, a Steadfast Poetic Channel of Hard Lives, Dies at 62
32dukedom_enough
Seeing that David Frum, composer of George W. Bush's "axis of evil" phrase, has been in the news lately, people have been linking to an old hit, a joint review of Frum and Richard Perle's An End to Evil and Lords of Chaos: The Bloody Rise of the Satanic Metal Underground
By Michael Moynihan and Didrik Sderlind, a book on Nordic "Death Metal" rock music (of which I am not a fan, thank you). Warning: horrifying descriptions of death. The rock bands were associated with several suicides and murders, too.
By Michael Moynihan and Didrik Sderlind, a book on Nordic "Death Metal" rock music (of which I am not a fan, thank you). Warning: horrifying descriptions of death. The rock bands were associated with several suicides and murders, too.
33dukedom_enough
Also, I do not agree with the aspersions against Canadians in this review - which the author meant satirically, in any event.
34polutropos
Intellectual dishonesty by a star historian and professor??? Tell me it ain't so, Orlando.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/apr/23/historian-orlando-figes-amazon-revie...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/apr/23/historian-orlando-figes-amazon-revie...
35polutropos
A bookstore that has every book in the world -- but one
http://sites.google.com/site/fadedoasis/misterbookseller/
http://sites.google.com/site/fadedoasis/misterbookseller/
36fannyprice
>35 polutropos:, I love that. How wonderful and sad.
37dukedom_enough
OT, but I thought you'd be interested to see a tweet by Tim Spalding cited on Boingboing.
38avaland
Belletrista, Issue 5 is now up on the web! It's a fabulous issue crammed full of reviews (33), articles, interviews and features (7), and New & Notable books (62).
http://www.belletrista.com/2010/issue5/index.php
The Belletrista.com FaceBook page was launched today also.
http://www.belletrista.com/2010/issue5/index.php
The Belletrista.com FaceBook page was launched today also.
39solla
#1 It was an interesting article. Reading the comments, I think I could easily get involved, if I had the time, with trying to sort out the politics of her criticism and the responses, but, not knowing French at all I really have no basis to judge.
40solla
#10 I just read Dreams in a Time of War, and I agree with the author of the review that it was not focused on the time, but on the promise Ngũgĩ made to his mother. What is amazing is being able to hold on to that belief in such a time - for it often seems to me that my own failures are in essence failures of belief, or sometimes, confidence.
41dukedom_enough
The NY Times notes that publishers are busily seeking the next Stieg Larsson.
The staff at Powell's Books have dubbed Larsson's trilogy "The Girl Who’s Paying Our Salaries for the Next Few Months."
The staff at Powell's Books have dubbed Larsson's trilogy "The Girl Who’s Paying Our Salaries for the Next Few Months."