Topic: What are you currently reading?

[sidoze]

great writer, love him. Not sure about that translation though, haven't read it. He wrote some scintillating stories (and a few I didn't like). In a Grove--the main body of the Kurosawa film--is absolutely awesome, such a concentrated piece.

[longears]

Alex Ross, The Rest Is Noise -- thank you, Santa-baby.  Entertaining and informative, at least for me. 

[sidoze]

just finishing up the Antonioni interviews/articles/essays. Hard to imagine I could love this director any more but exactly that has happened after reading about his opinions, habits and beliefs. What a great artist. Funnily enough the most revealing of the interviews comes from a 1969 Playboy article. They had the audacity to ask him about taking LSD, marijuana and his opinions on sex/eroticism/intimacy (of course). Wonderful!

bio on Paul Celan next. should have read this years ago when going through the verse. back to the deep end now

[Lilas Pastia]

I am enjoying reading it but there is something about it that makes it tend to drag. I wonder if a different translation would make it any better (I have the H.T. Lowe-Porter version).

Well, I read it in a French translation, and the impression was the same. Just as it is with a Jose Saramago novel I'm reading now (supposedly his masterpiece). I preferred another one I read a few weeks ago.

[Solitary Wanderer]

I loved this book. Fascinating insight into the amazing life of Mozart. His letters are charming, witty and reveal insight into his personality and creative music making process. 

Cosima Wagner Diaries ~ Vol.1. & 2

I've just started reading this massive tome. Its interesting thus far with a gloomy Gothic undercurrent to the moods and themes presented. I've a long way to go so... 

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

bio on Paul Celan next. should have read this years ago when going through the verse. back to the deep end now

I'm an admirer of Paul Celan's poetry. In what language do you read him? In the original German, in translation?

Jez

[sidoze]

I'm an admirer of Paul Celan's poetry. In what language do you read him? In the original German, in translation?

Jez

we obviously haven't met yet, otherwise you would know that I am hopeless with languages (aside from singing along to songs and cartoons). In English translation. Hopeless maybe, but what can I do? Trakl is another poet I love, but the same thing goes, of course. Honestly I don't like the sound of German very much so maybe it's not too bad a thing, for me.

Have you read this bio?

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

we obviously haven't met yet, otherwise you would know that I am hopeless with languages (aside from singing along to songs and cartoons). In English translation. Hopeless maybe, but what can I do? Trakl is another poet I love, but the same thing goes, of course. Honestly I don't like the sound of German very much so maybe it's not too bad a thing, for me.

Have you read this bio?

I haven't read it, yet... But when it came out I read a very favourable review in the Times Literary Supplement.

Funny you are hopeless with languages, yet you like poetry; and you don't like the sound of German, yet you love Trakl, who is among the most musical of German poets...

[sidoze]

I haven't read it, yet... But when it came out I read a very favourable review in the Times Literary Supplement.

Funny you are hopeless with languages, yet you like poetry; and you don't like the sound of German, yet you love Trakl, who is among the most musical of German poets...

I'm doing okay with Russian, I want to read--and am, in a way, though rather haltingly--Akhmatova in the original, plus a few other poets, but I'm still a long way off. I'd like to learn Italian too but doubt I'll ever live there. Other than that I can't say I'm very interested in other languages. Reading all this in English makes me happy enough, in spite of being aware that it shouldn't. And English doesn't have the most beautiful sound either, I know. I suppose you read Trakl and Celan in German?

[btpaul674]

You know, after so much listening to Finnish music, I am reading the Kalevala.

[Kullervo]

You know, after so much listening to Finnish music, I am reading the Kalevala.

Several months ago I read all of it up to the end of the Lemminkäinen saga, but not after that, and I haven't finished it yet for whatever reason.

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

I suppose you read Trakl and Celan in German?

Yes. But for a Dutchman German isn't that too difficult, although reading difficult poetry in that language is something else, of course - that entails using a dictionary where necessary and reading secondary literature (I have five books about Celan, for instance).

And don't bash English - it's beautiful!

[val]

"DER PAPALAGI"

Speeches from the tribal chief Tuiavii de Tiavéa. 

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

"DER PAPALAGI"

Speeches from the tribal chief Tuiavii de Tiavéa. 

A good friend of mine mentioned this book once. I had never heard of it. I must still get round to reading it, though...

[Greta]

Alex Ross, The Rest Is Noise -- thank you, Santa-baby.  Entertaining and informative, at least for me. 

This I gave as a present to someone....and am waiting on my copy myself. We're even going to use this as a supplement in our Music History class.

You know, after so much listening to Finnish music, I am reading the Kalevala.

You know, I keep meaning to as well as much of it as I listen to, but haven't gotten around to it yet. I just got the scores for the Sibelius Legends and Kullervo for Christmas, which inspires me to get back to that...

The text is online even, I just found here:

http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/kveng/

[drogulus]

     The War of the World, by Niall Ferguson

     

     He sees the wars of the 20th century as resulting in (or at least as demonstrating) the decline of the West. The book is well written, and the argument is certainly worth considering. Ferguson is a bit contrarian (empires are pretty good, but can't outlast their life cycle, sort of like an aging star burning the last of its fuel). So I'll recommend it.

[SonicMan46]

South Carolina & the American Revolution (2003) by John Gordon - just purchased in Camden, South Carolina - on a 2-night trip to Charlotte, NC (stayed at a 'new' wonderful place - Ballantyne Resort Hotel; great restaurant & services); drove down to Camden, SC - sight of a major SC revolutionary battle (Aug 1780 - see map below); unfortunately, the battlefield has not been restored (a shame), but a dedicated National Park site in the town - this completes a major loop for me in visiting these American Revolutionary battlefields in this area - it's like a 'horseshoe' - start w/ Charleston, SC - go to Camden, then King's Mountain & the Cowpens - into North Carolina @ Guilford Courthouse (now Greensboro in honor of Nathaniel Greene), and finally onto Yorktown, Virginia, where Cornwallis finally gave up the southern invasion attempt that led to the end of this war - these are the MAJOR battles, now need to visit the 'smaller' ones - 

[Kullervo]

[ChamberNut]

The Exorcist

One of my favorite novels, it never fails to send major chills up my spine! 

[orbital]

This one and another novel called "The Companion" by the same author. Two of the most refreshing books I've read in a while. The author, Magden, creates a world that has no bearing on the time period and protagonists that have no gender. Too bad they were both short (about 200 pages each).