Once again for Thucydides
by Peter Handke
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Once Again for Thucydides is a collection of seventeen "micro-epics" written by Peter Handke on trips around the world, from the Balkans to the Pyrenees, from Salzburg to the sea of Hokkaido in Japan. In each journal, Handke concentrates on small things he observes, trying to capture their essence, their "simple, unadorned validity." What results is a work of remarkable precision, in which he uncovers the general appearance of random objects--an ash tree, a shoeshine man, hats in a crowd, a show more boat loading on a pier--and discovers their inner workings and mystery. Always, his writing hints at the unknown. Describing the snow melting in a garden or falling during a train ride through inland Japan, the glowworms illuminating the plains in Friuli, the tidal waters flowing and receding off the Atlantic coast of Spain, these amazing little "epics" reveal a narrator obsessed with the wonders of detail and marveling, as are we, at the scope and variety of the natural world. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
Noch einmal für Thukydides is quintessential Handke. It perfectly exemplifies his style.
I suppose the book could be classified as "Travel" but could equally well be considered as "Essays". Each piece, however, is very short, ranging from just a page and a half to a few pages. Sometimes the term "vignettes" is used for these short pieces of writing.
Each piece consists of some observations, usually a stilled focusing on nature, or landscape. There are moments in former Yugoslavia, Italy, Spain and as far away as Japan.
Peter Handke's writing style is stilled, which can calm you down, if you have the patience to follow his pace and look at each detail he describes. All these short vignettes are very detailed descriptions of nature. The show more leisurely style translates into reading ease, making for a pleasant leisurely reading experience. The prose is very beautiful.
In the early novels and essays the observational technique is applied to nature, as in Die langsame Heimkehr as well as social life. In the later works, the nature observations appear as gems embedded in the text, for example in Lucie im Wald mit den Dingsda and Versuch über den Stillen Ort.
In Noch einmal für Thukydides the nature observations are the main thing, in their purest form. Highly recommended especially to readers new to Peter Handke. show less
I suppose the book could be classified as "Travel" but could equally well be considered as "Essays". Each piece, however, is very short, ranging from just a page and a half to a few pages. Sometimes the term "vignettes" is used for these short pieces of writing.
Each piece consists of some observations, usually a stilled focusing on nature, or landscape. There are moments in former Yugoslavia, Italy, Spain and as far away as Japan.
Peter Handke's writing style is stilled, which can calm you down, if you have the patience to follow his pace and look at each detail he describes. All these short vignettes are very detailed descriptions of nature. The show more leisurely style translates into reading ease, making for a pleasant leisurely reading experience. The prose is very beautiful.
In the early novels and essays the observational technique is applied to nature, as in Die langsame Heimkehr as well as social life. In the later works, the nature observations appear as gems embedded in the text, for example in Lucie im Wald mit den Dingsda and Versuch über den Stillen Ort.
In Noch einmal für Thukydides the nature observations are the main thing, in their purest form. Highly recommended especially to readers new to Peter Handke. show less
Spunti, minuzie su cui Handke costruisce piccoli capolavori. Due farfalle in un campo, un lustrascarpe giapponese...pezzi di vita vissuti, raccolti e poi elaborati nella classica prosa dell'austriaco.
Un divertissement.
Un divertissement.
Apr 8, 2021Italian
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Author Information
208+ Works 8,519 Members
Peter Handke was born in Griffen, Austria on December 6, 1942. He studied law at Graz University from 1961 to 1965. He is a playwright, novelist, poet, and essayist. His plays include Offending the Audience, Kaspar, and The Ride across Lake Constance. His novels include The Goalie's Anxiety at the Penalty Kick, The Left-Handed Woman, and A Sorrow show more beyond Dreams. He was awarded the Buchner Prize in 1973 and refused to accept the Kafka Prize in 1979. (Bowker Author Biography) Peter Handke was born in Griffen, Austria, in 1942. His many works include Absence (FSG, 1990), The Jukebox and Other Essays on Storytelling (FSG, 1994), and, most recently, My Year in the No-Man's-Bay (FSG, 1998). (Publisher Provided) show less
Some Editions
Series
Belongs to Publisher Series
Bibliothek Suhrkamp (1421)
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Once again for Thucydides
- Original title
- Noch einmal für Thukydides
- Original publication date
- 1990
Classifications
- Genres
- Fiction and Literature, General Fiction
- DDC/MDS
- 838.91403 — Literature & rhetoric German & related literatures German miscellaneous writings 1900- 1900-1990 1945-1990 Diaries, journals, notebooks, reminiscences
- LCC
- PT2668 .A5 .N613 — Language and Literature German, Dutch and Scandinavian literatures German literature Individual authors or works 1961-2000
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 108
- Popularity
- 299,661
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (3.39)
- Languages
- 7 — Dutch, English, French, German, Greek, Italian, Spanish
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 13
