What are you currently reading?

Started by facehugger, April 07, 2007, 12:36:10 AM

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Jo498

Have you read any other Dostoevsky? It's been ages that I read the stuff but in my late teens/early twenties Dostoevsky probably was the first "great literature" that really totally fascinated me more than any genre/middlebrow/mystery/thriller etc. ever did (And I re-read most of the bricks at least once, probably should do so again now after another 20 years). But Karamazov is the longest of the bunch and has a few dry spells, so I'd not recommend it as a starter. Although it might feel short after W&P... I think the best starters for Dostoevsky are "The Gambler" and then "Crime and Punishment".
Tout le malheur des hommes vient d'une seule chose, qui est de ne savoir pas demeurer en repos, dans une chambre.
- Blaise Pascal

j winter

I have to say, I feel totally inadequate to writing a "review" of War and Peace -- I will say that the book's reputation is well-deserved, as a blend of historical writing and narrative drama I've never read anything like it.  The sheer structural architecture of the thing is deeply impressive.  His characters are beautifully drawn, in part because there is so much space for them to grow -- he can show them from many different angles, how they see the world as children and teens and then later as adults, how they maneuver and interact in social situations ala Jane Austen and also how they fare in the middle of the greatest war yet fought.  Some of his characters are carrying a lot of symbolic weight -- he uses the philosophical struggles of Pierre and Andre to make a lot of points about his country and history in general, and while by modern standards it can be a bit heavy-handed they also come across as real, authentic people, if very much a product of their time and place.  Their relationships are moving; I actually teared up a few times, I won't say where so as to not spoil the plot. 

It's a very cinematic book, by which I mean Tolstoy's very good at zooming the camera out to show things at a high level, be it a battle scene or aspects of Russian society like the nobility or the Freemasons, and then zooming back in to a tight close up on his characters and their reactions; and he uses all of this technique to expand on his main questions, what is the proper relationship and orientation of the self and one's personal desires to one's society, and the related question of what, in the end, drives the forces of history, be they social, military or political.  His take on many historical figures is fascinating, particularly the contrast between Napoleon and the aged Russian top general and his staff, though I'm a bit of a history nerd -- most readers likely find his lengthy digressions on history to be a slog, but I actually enjoyed them (other than the extensive Epilogue at the end, which I have to admit was tough going).  It's an impossible book to summarize -- I found it extremely moving, and am very glad I read it.  I definitely plan to re-read it someday, perhaps in a different translation, as I am sure there are many connections and foreshadowing that I likely missed along the way.


As for Dostoevsky, I am about 75 pages into the Brothers Karamazov and enjoying it so far.  I haven't really read any Dostoevsky prior to this -- I started Crime and Punishment many years ago and didn't get far, which is why I decided to try this one instead (that and I have a good audio version on Audible, which helps).  I may try a few of his short stories as well -- I switched off while reading W&P to read The Death of Ivan Ilyich among other things, which was good to shift gears a bit.


In addition to all of the Russian stuff, I am also reading/re-reading my way slowly through Don Quixote, which I've read most of over the years but never quite made it to the end.  I figure something light will make a good contrast (and again, I have a good audio version which is nice while getting some exercise)....
The man that hath no music in himself,
Nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds,
Is fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils.
The motions of his spirit are dull as night,
And his affections dark as Erebus.
Let no such man be trusted.

-- William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice

Mandryka

Quote from: j winter on June 08, 2020, 08:25:25 AM
I have to say, I feel totally inadequate to writing a "review" of War and Peace -- I will say that the book's reputation is well-deserved, as a blend of historical writing and narrative drama I've never read anything like it.  The sheer structural architecture of the thing is deeply impressive.  His characters are beautifully drawn, in part because there is so much space for them to grow -- he can show them from many different angles, how they see the world as children and teens and then later as adults, how they maneuver and interact in social situations ala Jane Austen and also how they fare in the middle of the greatest war yet fought.  Some of his characters are carrying a lot of symbolic weight -- he uses the philosophical struggles of Pierre and Andre to make a lot of points about his country and history in general, and while by modern standards it can be a bit heavy-handed they also come across as real, authentic people, if very much a product of their time and place.  Their relationships are moving; I actually teared up a few times, I won't say where so as to not spoil the plot. 

It's a very cinematic book, by which I mean Tolstoy's very good at zooming the camera out to show things at a high level, be it a battle scene or aspects of Russian society like the nobility or the Freemasons, and then zooming back in to a tight close up on his characters and their reactions; and he uses all of this technique to expand on his main questions, what is the proper relationship and orientation of the self and one's personal desires to one's society, and the related question of what, in the end, drives the forces of history, be they social, military or political.  His take on many historical figures is fascinating, particularly the contrast between Napoleon and the aged Russian top general and his staff, though I'm a bit of a history nerd -- most readers likely find his lengthy digressions on history to be a slog, but I actually enjoyed them (other than the extensive Epilogue at the end, which I have to admit was tough going).  It's an impossible book to summarize -- I found it extremely moving, and am very glad I read it.  I definitely plan to re-read it someday, perhaps in a different translation, as I am sure there are many connections and foreshadowing that I likely missed along the way.


As for Dostoevsky, I am about 75 pages into the Brothers Karamazov and enjoying it so far.  I haven't really read any Dostoevsky prior to this -- I started Crime and Punishment many years ago and didn't get far, which is why I decided to try this one instead (that and I have a good audio version on Audible, which helps).  I may try a few of his short stories as well -- I switched off while reading W&P to read The Death of Ivan Ilyich among other things, which was good to shift gears a bit.


In addition to all of the Russian stuff, I am also reading/re-reading my way slowly through Don Quixote, which I've read most of over the years but never quite made it to the end.  I figure something light will make a good contrast (and again, I have a good audio version which is nice while getting some exercise)....

I read maybe 7/8 of the Bros Karamzov but never finished it. Please, if you do finish it, let me know who dunnit.
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Florestan

Quote from: Mandryka on June 08, 2020, 08:29:51 AM
I read maybe 7/8 of the Bros Karamzov but never finished it. Please, if you do finish it, let me know who dunnit.

You're kidding, right? Everybody and their neighbours knows that.  :D
Every kind of music is good, except the boring kind. — Rossini

AlberichUndHagen

#9924
I actually never reported this but the last time I re-read Karamazov it ultimately turned out, after a promising opening, to be bit of a disappointment. This goes to the eternal debate of authorial intent. My scruples are: a) that Dostoevsky, in my humble opinion, manages to make the option of atheism much more sensible than faith and knowing Dostoevsky was a devout Orthodox (plus the fact that most atheists in Dostoyevsky in general, such as in this one, turn out to be lacking in moral judgment), this most certainly wasn't the intention. And b) I also find the character of Alyosha absolutely insufferable (really, out of the 4 brothers, Ivan was the only one who had my sympathies 100 %).

Edit: I knew I forgot something. c) Sometimes Dostoevsky is so subtle that when reading all the analyses about this book it really makes me wonder whether the author's intent was really that. For ex. the often made point that the buffoon father Fyodor manages to represent the character traits of all his sons but only in a distorted and twisted form. In retrospect, I can see this for ex. during his conversation with Zosima but I still am a bit doubtful whether Dostoevsky had that in mind when he wrote it.

j winter

Quote from: Florestan on June 08, 2020, 08:45:03 AM
You're kidding, right? Everybody and their neighbours knows that.  :D

I actually don't, so pretty please no discussion on this thread?   0:)
The man that hath no music in himself,
Nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds,
Is fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils.
The motions of his spirit are dull as night,
And his affections dark as Erebus.
Let no such man be trusted.

-- William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice

Florestan

Quote from: j winter on June 08, 2020, 10:19:17 AM
I actually don't, so pretty please no discussion on this thread?   0:)

Oh, of course. I won't spoil it, don't worry. I was just teasing Mandryka.  ;)
Every kind of music is good, except the boring kind. — Rossini

Jo498

You can watch the movie with Maria Schell as Grushenka to find out. But that movie is mainly about Dmitri and the two women, the other brothers fade to the background.
Tout le malheur des hommes vient d'une seule chose, qui est de ne savoir pas demeurer en repos, dans une chambre.
- Blaise Pascal

Jo498

As I wrote above, it's been ages and I think one can fault FMD for overloading the book with some things like the teachings of Sosima and the Grand Inquisitor etc. And the trial with all the speeches is simply too long, IIRC.
And note that this was supposed to be only the first volume, with the second featuring Alyosha going out into the world.
The Grand Inquisitor parable is really quite brilliant and I think it can be read in mostly secular fashion as it is less about faith than about governance and power.
Tout le malheur des hommes vient d'une seule chose, qui est de ne savoir pas demeurer en repos, dans une chambre.
- Blaise Pascal

JBS

Of the three Dostoyevsky novels I have read, the one I liked most was The Idiot.
C&P and BK were the other two.

Hollywood Beach Broadwalk

Ratliff

I recall reading the Brothers Karamazov three times, loved it, was disappointed, loved it. I should stop while I am ahead. I recently read The Idiot, which I found brilliant (again). Next I'd like to read The Possessed (again).

SimonNZ

#9931
Quote from: Florestan on June 08, 2020, 08:45:03 AM
You're kidding, right? Everybody and their neighbours knows that.  :D

I've read Brothers Karamazov twice...and hand on my heart I can't now remember whodunnit.

I read them all one after the other with a friend of mine  as a project, which looking back was not a great idea as they've all blended into each other and when I now think of a memorable scene I've no idea which its from. Its like one big amorphous 10.000 page urtext.

edit: thinking about this the big exception is The Idiot which has remained the most distinct and vivid in its characters, scenes and story arc.

Brian

Quote from: Baron Scarpia on June 08, 2020, 02:42:19 PM
I recall reading the Brothers Karamazov three times, loved it, was disappointed, loved it. I should stop while I am ahead. I recently read The Idiot, which I found brilliant (again). Next I'd like to read The Possessed (again).
I loved it the first time (in college) and was disappointed reading it again 6-7 years later...now you're tempting me to try a third  ;D

Ratliff

Quote from: Brian on June 08, 2020, 03:12:32 PM
I loved it the first time (in college) and was disappointed reading it again 6-7 years later...now you're tempting me to try a third  ;D

May have been an expectation game. The second time I read it I expected it to be the summation of all wisdom in the universe. The third time I just found it a great story.

Jo498

Quote from: JBS on June 08, 2020, 01:31:05 PM
Of the three Dostoyevsky novels I have read, the one I liked most was The Idiot.
C&P and BK were the other two.
I have not read all of the shorter novels/novellas (I really should catch up on them, I think I have them all on my shelves but don't even clearly remember which ones I have not read/finished) but of the "big 5" (or 6 if one adds "The gambler") I think these three are the best ones (and I read them all at least twice). The Youth is somewhat disappointing, I think, and The demons does have some of the most intense episodes (and it is of course overall the darkest and most disturbing one although I guess we have become somewhat jaded in the last 150 years with darker and more disturbing stuff) but it also takes a long time to get going and is sometimes as "preachy" as the teachings of Sosima (or maybe one should say, politically too close to late 19th century Russia).
I found the first part of The Idiot, from the chance meeting of Myshkin and Rogoshin in the train or at the station until Nastassya Filipovna's birthday party one the the most brillant and breathless streaks of narration I ever encountered. It has to lose a little steam afterwards but if pressed, I might also take this one as my most favorite.
Nevertheless, I think Crime & Punishment is the most accessible of the big 5 because of the comparably straightforward storyline and not quite as sprawling dimensions and cast.
Tout le malheur des hommes vient d'une seule chose, qui est de ne savoir pas demeurer en repos, dans une chambre.
- Blaise Pascal

AlberichUndHagen

I have started the second part of Joseph tetralogy: Young Joseph.

Florestan

#9936
Quote from: Jo498 on June 09, 2020, 12:12:46 AM
I found the first part of The Idiot, from the chance meeting of Myshkin and Rogoshin in the train or at the station until Nastassya Filipovna's birthday party one the the most brillant and breathless streaks of narration I ever encountered.

Absolutely agreed --- and I'll go even further and say that The Idiot grips the readers by the neck on the first page and never let them go until the last. Although I strongly disagree with Dostoyevsky on Catholicism ("This is not a Christian religion!" interjects Myshkin, but imo the condemnation applies much more to Calvinism/Protestantism than to Catholicism), I think The Idiot is a masterpiece.

And you can call me weird but I think that The Demons --- at least in the first part --- shows Dostoyevsky at his most humorous. The introductory pages on Stepan Verkhovensky had me laughing out loud.
Every kind of music is good, except the boring kind. — Rossini

Jo498

Yes, the fate worse than death (or even worse than being the concubine of a cynic bonvivant) for FMD is to get married off to a catholic Pole. (I am not saying to whom this happens to avoid spoilers)
When I read the Demons in my early 20s I certainly found the beginning very slow and it is also confusing that the narrator suddenly drops out after a while. I am not aware of FMD using this device anywhere else (but it does not seem uncommon in general in 19th century literature)
There is quite a bit of humourous Dostoevsky in the shorter pieces (but I haven't read most of them and only dim recollections of the ones I read). And also in the big ones, e.g. the Marmeladovs in C & P do have some comical features and also the old Karamasov.
Tout le malheur des hommes vient d'une seule chose, qui est de ne savoir pas demeurer en repos, dans une chambre.
- Blaise Pascal

accmacmus

Quote from: SimonNZ on June 05, 2020, 03:57:26 PM
I've had that one on the shelves waiting to be read for some years now. I'll be interested to know how you rate it.

Ficciones is one of my favourite books, and Aleph is extremely good too. One story (Story of the warrior and the captive) made me cry.
I am sure that you are aware, but in case you aren't, the book consists of short (some very short) stories plus some musings by Borges.
I love the format as it demands less effort rather than your standard novel.



Wakefield

Quote from: SimonNZ on June 05, 2020, 03:57:26 PM
I've had that one on the shelves waiting to be read for some years now. I'll be interested to know how you rate it.

Some time, I listened to the great Guatemalan (Mexican by adoption) writer Augusto Monterroso saying: "Jorge Luis Borges is the greatest writer in Spanish since the Spanish Golden Age." And I instantaneously agreed with his dictum.

As "Fictions" is a book of short stories, I recommend you to try the "Theme of Traitor and the Hero", a sort of humble compilation of many themes deeply loved by Borges.   :)
"One of the greatest misfortunes of honest people is that they are cowards. They complain, keep quiet, dine and forget."
-- Voltaire