What are you currently reading?

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Interesting. Apart from the famous Grand Inquisitor passage, I've yet to read this one. When I have an opening, I want to re-read The Idiot and The Devils.
TD: Although I foundered two or three times before, I am at last sticking with Geo. MacDonald's Phantastes.

I love Devils, Crime, and Idiot. Dostoevsky is my favorite author, but Karamazov is not for me.


Post-ed: I remember you liked Kurosawa's movie adaptation of Idiot!

[SimonNZ]

There's an excellent 10-episode Russian tv adaptation of The Idiot as well.

TD: starting:

[JBS]

I've read Crime and Punishment, Bros Karamazov, and Idiot. Idiot was the only one that actually engaged me.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

I've read Crime and Punishment, Bros Karamazov, and Idiot. Idiot was the only one that actually engaged me.

Nastasya Filippovna is so vivid and lively.

[ultralinear]

Darkenbloom by Eva Menasse

Set in a small Austrian village on the Hungarian border, where secrets going back to wartime lie buried - both figuratively and literally - and by common consent remain undisturbed, I can see how this might have more resonance for an Austrian readership living with this kind of legacy, but for me it failed as a novel to live up to the expectations raised.  You get 300 pages of scene-setting, cutting back and forth in time and dropping a lot of heavy hints about things that might or might not have happened in some place or other at some time or other involving this or that person, followed by 150 pages of more-or-less linear narrative that - spoiler alert - ultimately fizzles out with nothing resolved.  The book ends with the line This is not the end of the story.  It certainly isn't.  Glad I got this from the library as I can't imagine wanting to read it again.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

There's an excellent 10-episode Russian tv adaptation of The Idiot as well.

TD: starting:

I think you're talking about this drama. It looks very interesting and I may purchase the dvd soon.

[nico1616]

Interesting. Apart from the famous Grand Inquisitor passage, I've yet to read this one.

I don't get that Grand Inquisitor story, for me it drags and drags, but it should be one of the highlights of Karamazov...

[Florestan]

Turgenev - Virgin Soil

[AnotherSpin]

I don't get that Grand Inquisitor story, for me it drags and drags, but it should be one of the highlights of Karamazov...

True

[Ganondorf]

[Henk]

Highly interesting.

[AnotherSpin]

Highly interesting.

I've been thinking about how posthumanism might relate to some ideas in Indian philosophy. Posthumanism sees humans as fluid and changeable, not tied to fixed identities. That feels quite close to certain Indian views—like the idea of Brahman, an infinite and unchanging reality that goes beyond individual selves. Posthumanist thinkers also question the notion that humans are completely unique, and they explore what it means to have an identity that isn't fixed or centered only on the human. Indian philosophy often sees the self as something temporary and always open to change, which really aligns with that idea. Curious to hear what you think—do you see a connection here too?

[Henk]

I've been thinking about how posthumanism might relate to some ideas in Indian philosophy. Posthumanism sees humans as fluid and changeable, not tied to fixed identities. That feels quite close to certain Indian views—like the idea of Brahman, an infinite and unchanging reality that goes beyond individual selves. Posthumanist thinkers also question the notion that humans are completely unique, and they explore what it means to have an identity that isn't fixed or centered only on the human. Indian philosophy often sees the self as something temporary and always open to change, which really aligns with that idea. Curious to hear what you think—do you see a connection here too?

I think you're right, your idea of posthumaminism conforms quite well with my knowledge, though of course it's broader. Indeed this philosophy encompasses many things.

Ferrando also borrows from Thich Nhat Hanh, a zen-buddhist whose books I read, for example his notion 'inter-being' which argues that everything is connected, and also Krishnamurti. So indeed, there is a connection with historical non-western traditions. But it's also very contemporous, there's no contradiction in this.

Btw, I read that brahman and atman can fuse, the notion of 'non-duality', somewhat the core of Indian philosophy, which is my reference as a novice to discern Indian philosophy from buddhism.

Posthumanism speak to me. 'New eyes' to see myself and the world, this I find very satisfying.

[AnotherSpin]

I think you're right, your idea of posthumaminism conforms quite well with my knowledge, though of course it's broader. Indeed this philosophy encompasses many things.

Ferrando also borrows from Thich Nhat Hanh, a zen-buddhist whose books I read, for example his notion 'inter-being' which argues that everything is connected, and also Krishnamurti. So indeed, there is a connection with historical non-western traditions. But it's also very contemporous, there's no contradiction in this.

Btw, I read that brahman and atman can fuse, the notion of 'non-duality', somewhat the core of Indian philosophy, which is my reference as a novice to discern Indian philosophy from buddhism.

Posthumanism speak to me. 'New eyes' to see myself and the world, this I find very satisfying.

I see. I will try to dig deeper into Ferrando.

Reality, true Reality is called Brahman. When Brahman is seen as residing within a living being or object, it's referred to as Atman. That's the basic idea, without getting too complicated.

I've read some books by Thich Nhat Hanh, an interesting author. I find the history of Vietnamese Buddhism compelling, especially during the years of the recent wars.

Jiddu Krishnamurti is a bit hard for me to connect with, though I often recall some of his insights. But I'm very interested in the other Krishnamurti — U.G.Krishnamurti, or simply U.G.

U.G.'s books are freely available. He was a rather radical figure who didn't believe in copyrights or making money from spirituality. If you're curious to explore his work, The Mystique of Enlightenment might be a good place to start.

[ritter]

Giovanni Testori: Luchino.



Giovanni Testori (1923 - 1993) was a prominent Italian writer of the second half of the 20th century. His collection of short stories Il Ponte della Ghisolfa was the literary source of Visconti's Rocco and His Brothers.

Visconti and Testori had been close, and this book is a poetic homage by the former to the latter. It must have been written in early 1972 (Visconti suffered a stroke that year, and this is not mentioned in the text), but was withdrawn by the author prior to publication due to a falling out with the film director. Apparently, Visconti edited out the scenes in his movie Ludwig in which Testori's companion, Frenchman Alain Toubas, played a minor rôle, and this angered Testori.

The text only resurfaced a couple of years ago.

[ultralinear]

The Eastern Front  by Nick Lloyd



Now surely the definitive single-volume English-language account of this conflict, well deserving of all the praise it has garnered.

[Karl Henning]

I am keeping reasonably faithful to MacDonald's Phantastes, but I've also started Lord of the Rings afresh. I'm not saying it's the greatest book in the world, only that I always get drawn right back into it.