I love Samuel Beckett--his late works are very austere and moving (while retaining his gallows humor) , but his early books are jolly and hilarious! TI love Samuel Beckett--his late works are very austere and moving (while retaining his gallows humor) , but his early books are jolly and hilarious! This is a collection of his stories from before his first novel, Murphy (one of my favorite books). They concern the semi-romantic misadventures of one Belacqua, and are crammed with dark, dry, earthy humor. You can see how Beckett started out jaunting in the jolly footsteps of Joyce before he became a minimalist monk....more
A really wonderful, unique book that I was lucky to discover. Stephens was James Joyce's appointee to finish the monumental Finnegans Wake in the evenA really wonderful, unique book that I was lucky to discover. Stephens was James Joyce's appointee to finish the monumental Finnegans Wake in the event that Joyce was unable to do so. The book reminded me a bit of The Wind in the Willows--it seemed that several charming novels were happening at the same time. The plot (inasmuch as there is a central plot) hinges around philosophers and leprechauns, by the way. Utterly delightful....more
I finally found a book reminiscent of Thomas Love Peacock's conversational novels--lucky me! T. L. Peacock is entirely individual and lovable (I rereaI finally found a book reminiscent of Thomas Love Peacock's conversational novels--lucky me! T. L. Peacock is entirely individual and lovable (I reread his Nightmare Abbey every Halloween), and early Huxley walks in the same woods. This book was hilarious and delightful. Antic Hay, Huxley's second novel, is also highly amusing....more
Flaubert's final (unfinished) novel is sui generis. A comic duo of simple-minded copyists attempt to scale the heights of the rural French bourgeois iFlaubert's final (unfinished) novel is sui generis. A comic duo of simple-minded copyists attempt to scale the heights of the rural French bourgeois in a series of satirical episodes. One of their notable early schemes involves the construction of a "Romantic" scene in their backyard, complete with a lightning-blasted tree and an Etruscan tomb. Later, they briefly became barbers in order to study phrenology. It's sort of like Laurel & Hardy meet Didi & Gogo. A very unique, funny book....more
Pretty disturbing and odd, it reminded me of a Jan Svankmajer film. Mouths within mouths within mouths, orbiting one another. A mystery that may not rPretty disturbing and odd, it reminded me of a Jan Svankmajer film. Mouths within mouths within mouths, orbiting one another. A mystery that may not really be a mystery. Bizarre mind-imposed geometry....more
Orlando Furioso is a miracle of lightness, speed, and wit. Imagine all the brightest qualities Byron, Spenser, Calvino, and Cervantes jumbled deliciouOrlando Furioso is a miracle of lightness, speed, and wit. Imagine all the brightest qualities Byron, Spenser, Calvino, and Cervantes jumbled deliciously together, and spiced with a dash of Kafka. It's little wonder so many Italian operas sprang from such fertile soil. The poem is about the labyrinthine impossibility of desire and the wild weavings of destiny, told in a wry tone that jumps so quickly from person to person and scene to scene that the reader is soon swept up in Ariosto's ironic whirlwind of Amor. My new favorite book--this is one I'll be rereading the rest of my life!
One of the greatest masterpieces of literature, reading this was an incredible experience. Poignant, funny, metaphysical, tragic, allegorical, psycholOne of the greatest masterpieces of literature, reading this was an incredible experience. Poignant, funny, metaphysical, tragic, allegorical, psychologically profound, and highly entertaining, it bridges the worlds of heaven and earth, dreams and "reality," and is a truly astonishing achievement. Reading does not get any better than this--it really is up there with Don Quixote, The Divine Comedy, War and Peace, Shakespeare, and anything else you might name. As one Western scholar on the work noted, to "appreciate its position in Chinese culture, we must imagine a work with the critical cachet of James Joyce's Ulysses with the popular appeal of Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind � and twice as long as the two combined"...There is an excellent review here (...) if you are interested (it's listed in an alternate translation as "Story of the Stone")....more
This is one of my favorite books--it's a wild and hilarious fantasy that plumbs the depths and ascends the heights of humanity. The hero, Lucius, is tThis is one of my favorite books--it's a wild and hilarious fantasy that plumbs the depths and ascends the heights of humanity. The hero, Lucius, is transformed into a donkey and mingles with robbers, murderers, prostitutes, ghosts, witches, a guy with a golden nose, lovers, priests, and gods. He witnesses the whole mess of late-Roman life, from street violence and sexual degradation to the wistfulness of love and spiritual transcendence. As Oscar Wilde put it, "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." It's a sort of ribald Romana Commedia. And it's also the source of the profound and lovely tale of Cupid and Psyche....more
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