What are you currently reading?

[Florestan]

As you will probably be aware, when Tolstoy listened to Tchaikovsky's Andante Cantabile, he was moved and wept. But the relationship between the two was complex.

https://www.pushkinhouse.org/blog/2020/4/22/when-tchaikovsky-met-tolstoy

An even more detailed analysis here:

http://en.tchaikovsky-research.net/pages/Lev_Tolstoy

[LKB]

Picked up Robin Olds' Fighter Pilot yesterday. Pretty good read thus far.

Sierra Hotel,

LKB

[Jo498]

Well, that was an absolutely incredible read. As I said it was a reread; I read it during Russian lit class in college, but it did not leave much impression on me at the time. Reading it now a few years down the line, it was a completely different story. I guess I found it so much more relatable this time around. I need to get around to reading more Tolstoy...

I am probably missing a few of the not so famous Tolstoy shorter prose but IMO "The death of Ivan Ilyich" is the best (of the one I read). It's probably one of the best medium length prose pieces I have ever read by anyone. As a classical listener you need to read "Kreutzer sonata" but it is not as good.

[BWV 1080]

Just starting this book:  Sarah Dunant's "Blood & Beauty"



It's a work of fiction dealing with the Borgias.  I quite enjoyed her book:  "The Birth of Venus" a number of years ago. 

From what I understand, she's a British author who has spent quite some time in Italy and has done a fair bit of research about certain periods and regions in Italian history.
https://www.sarahdunant.com

Thanks, two chapters into this and liking it - been looking for some historical fiction that does not suck.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

An even more detailed analysis here:

http://en.tchaikovsky-research.net/pages/Lev_Tolstoy

Detailed, good description. It reminds me of a relationship between Wagner and Kierkegaard a little bit.

[Florestan]

Detailed, good description. It reminds me of a relationship between Wagner and Kierkegaard a little bit.

I'm not aware of any close connection between Wagner and Kierkegaard and afaIk they never met. You might have meant Schopenhauer.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

I'm not aware of any close connection between Wagner and Kierkegaard and afaIk they never met. You might have meant Schopenhauer.

It's Nietzsche. I regret my error. Wagner admired Schopenhauer, but the latter was not interested in him or his music.

[Florestan]

It's Nietzsche. I regret my error. Wagner admired Schopenhauer, but the latter was not interested in him or his music.

Nietzsche, yes.

Schopenhauer penned a devastating critique of Wagner's libretti, going so far as to brand him "a deaf musician".

Details here: https://harvardmagazine.com/sites/default/files/html/1996/09/schopenhauer.html (make sure to read the next page as well.)

He vastly prefered Mozart and Rossini above any other composers.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Confessions of a philosopher. Bryan Magee.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Nietzsche, yes.

Schopenhauer penned a devastating critique of Wagner's libretti, going so far as to brand him "a deaf musician".

Details here: https://harvardmagazine.com/sites/default/files/html/1996/09/schopenhauer.html (make sure to read the next page as well.)

He vastly prefered Mozart and Rossini above any other composers.

Some authors say that W became hugely interested in, and influenced by, Buddhism because of Schopenhauer's writings.

[Artem]

Confessions of a philosopher. Bryan Magee.

Do you like it?

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Do you like it?

Magee is my favorite author/philosopher. The book discusses his life as well as core issues in philosophy. To readers with some philosophical background, the book must be an engaging read. He wrote a few introductory books of philosophy for beginners as well.

[aligreto]

Gorky: The Man Who Was Afraid [Foma Gordyeeff]





This could equally have been titled The Man Who Could [or Would] Not Conform. It is the tale of a man, born with every materialistic blessing that the world has to offer yet he cannot find it in his soul to settle into the role designated for him. It is the tale of his struggle to free his soul and the cost of this to both him and those around him. It is an interesting and sometimes brutal read.

[SimonNZ]

Finished:



I remember at the time of Bourdain's suicide those who knew him saying he was the last person they would have expected to do this. Its sad to observe now that this book is regularly punctuated by the author describing his heavy mood swings and his self loathing at living the seemingly frivilous life of a celebrity chef in the face of abject poverty and suffering in the peoples who's food he is sampling before returning to comfort.


Started:

[Iota]

Finished:



I remember at the time of Bourdain's suicide those who knew him saying he was the last person they would have expected to do this. Its sad to observe now that this book is regularly punctuated by the author describing his heavy mood swings and his self loathing at living the seemingly frivilous life of a celebrity chef in the face of abject poverty and suffering in the peoples who's food he is sampling before returning to comfort.

Interesting.

I recently gave Jeremy Fox's book, 'On Vegetables' as a gift, and he went through a period using stimulants and tranquillisers that resembled something out of a Martin Amis novel. They are quite an intense lot chefs. The Bourdain example you cite above though is completely understandable and one I'm sure many would empathise with.

Started:

Visting a nephew at Trinity College, Cambridge a couple of years ago, we went in to the Wren Library (Christopher Wren was a contemporary and good friend of Newton) and seeing Newton's handwriting in his personal copy of the Principia hushed me into awe, much as seeing a Beethoven manuscript up close for the first time did in the British Library many years ago. An extraordinary character Newton.


Here I'm gently going through Bill Bryson's 'The Body'. Brilliantly written as always and crammed with interesting and surprising revelations.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Gorky: The Man Who Was Afraid [Foma Gordyeeff]





This could equally have been titled The Man Who Could [or Would] Not Conform. It is the tale of a man, born with every materialistic blessing that the world has to offer yet he cannot find it in his soul to settle into the role designated for him. It is the tale of his struggle to free his soul and the cost of this to both him and those around him. It is an interesting and sometimes brutal read.

Looks interesting. I haven't read the work. I must get a copy. My Universities, and Lower Depths are my fav.

[Brian]

Finished:

I remember at the time of Bourdain's suicide those who knew him saying he was the last person they would have expected to do this. Its sad to observe now that this book is regularly punctuated by the author describing his heavy mood swings and his self loathing at living the seemingly frivilous life of a celebrity chef in the face of abject poverty and suffering in the peoples who's food he is sampling before returning to comfort.

Rewatching his TV shows No Reservations and Parts Unknown since his death, I have noticed that maybe half of all the episodes contain some kind of suicide joke or reference. They are glaring now. The episode in Nicaragua is especially dark.

[Brian]

Magee is my favorite author/philosopher. The book discusses his life as well as core issues in philosophy. To readers with some philosophical background, the book must be an engaging read. He wrote a few introductory books of philosophy for beginners as well.

John Cleese cited Bryan Magee's Ultimate Questions as one of his favorite books, I think. I have read it once or maybe twice.

[Artem]

Liked it but felt confused while reading it most of the time. So many unknown names and it is very fast paced.

[SimonNZ]

Visting a nephew at Trinity College, Cambridge a couple of years ago, we went in to the Wren Library (Christopher Wren was a contemporary and good friend of Newton) and seeing Newton's handwriting in his personal copy of the Principia hushed me into awe, much as seeing a Beethoven manuscript up close for the first time did in the British Library many years ago. An extraordinary character Newton.


Here I'm gently going through Bill Bryson's 'The Body'. Brilliantly written as always and crammed with interesting and surprising revelations.

Speaking of both the Royal Society and Bill Bryson, I just recently picked up the volume of historical essays on the RS he edited called Seeing Further.

How would The Body read for someone who gets a bit squeamish about gross medical stuff?  I'm, um, asking for a friend.