What are you currently reading?

[Ken B]

Very, very interesting.

My literary acquaintance with the fascinating interplay between Christian, Jewish and Arabic culture on Spanish soil stems form this book:



Have you read it?

Lion Feuchtwanger is not at all a bad writer, although he is largely forgotten or ignored today. Stefan Zweig is another Jewish writer of the same fate. I was fortunate enough to read some of their books in my youth. I praise both of them highly.

Actually, the latest book I´ve read --- finished it just yesterday --- was Zweig´s The World of Yesterday. Exceptional.

Zweig  isn't that forgotten, at least in English. I read some of him long ago, stories.
But I want to recommend a book you have probably read, The Radetzky March by Roth. I think you would like it a lot.

[Jaakko Keskinen]

I liked From Russia best.

I liked Goldfinger best.

[Florestan]

Zweig  isn't that forgotten, at least in English. I read some of him long ago, stories.
But I want to recommend a book you have probably read, The Radetzky March by Roth. I think you would like it a lot.

Thank you, Ken, but as you said, I´ve already read it, together with its accompanying novel The Kapuziner Crypt. Youare absolutely right: I did enjoy them both a lot.

[Jaakko Keskinen]

Almost through the first of the three books of Wilhelm Meister's Wanderjahre and I have to say that so far, mostly, I like this better than Lehrjahre.

[Bogey]

His book on All About Eve is beyond dreadful. It's beyond even beyond dreadful. It's Trump and Hillary screwing dreadful.

I've seen poor reviews about it as well.  Was hopeful based on what I have read here, but will pass on the Eve book.  Too bad.

[Jo498]

Thank you, Ken, but as you said, I´ve already read it, together with its accompanying novel The Kapuziner Crypt. Youare absolutely right: I did enjoy them both a lot.

Have you read anything by Heimito von Doderer? The most famous one is "Die Strudlhofstiege" (a fairly impressive public stairs in Vienna that is still in existence). I admittedly got stuck in the middle but, similarly to Roth he is also considered as one of the most important describers of the late and post-k.-k. world. I read Die Kapuzinergruft and probably another one by Roth and while I realize that they are good books this one not quite my cup of tea. I am probably to far away geographically and culturally from old Austria to really appreciate it.

(I don't think I read anything by Feuchtwanger yet but I have a couple on my shelves... the name is known in Germany/Austria but I don't know how frequently read)

A lighter but often highly entertaining writer was Leo Perutz (a Prague Jew writing in German, originally an insurance mathematician). Most of his book are fairly short, historical, sometimes with fantastic elements. The most famous one, "The master of the day of judgement" (Der Meister des jüngsten Tages), is somewhat of an exception and takes place in Vienna shortly before the first World War. Not sure how much of him has been translated. He was very famous for a while between the wars but mostly forgotten afterwards although he lived until the 1950s and has one or two post-war books as well.

[Florestan]

Have you read anything by Heimito von Doderer?

No. But I have read Gregor von Rezzzori´s The Snows of Yesteryear, which is also very good and of special interest to me since he was born of German stock in Northern Bukovina (originally part of Moldavia, then annexed by the Austrian Empire, afterwards reunited with Romania, then taken by the USSR as part of the infamous Molotov-Ribentropp Pact (an ideological misnomer for Hitler-Stalin) and finally given to Ukraine, to which it belongs today). The book is a treasure trove as it describes, in a very pleasant and quite melancholy literary style, the truly multicultural European atmosphere and experience of that region, AD 1918 - 1940.

Next on my reading list is Memoirs of an Anti-Semite, by the same guy. I can hardly wait for it.

I read Die Kapuzinergruft and probably another one by Roth and while I realize that they are good books this one not quite my cup of tea. I am probably to far away geographically and culturally from old Austria to really appreciate it.

Well, a very important part of nowadays Romania has been for centuries part of the old Austria and later Austria-Hungary, therefore I feel much closer in terms of mentality to the old Austria than to the old Prussia / Germany, although I have no personal ties with Transylvania.

A lighter but often highly entertaining writer was Leo Perutz (a Prague Jew writing in German, originally an insurance mathematician). Most of his book are fairly short, historical, sometimes with fantastic elements. The most famous one, "The master of the day of judgement" (Der Meister des jüngsten Tages), is somewhat of an exception and takes place in Vienna shortly before the first World War. Not sure how much of him has been translated. He was very famous for a while between the wars but mostly forgotten afterwards although he lived until the 1950s and has one or two post-war books as well.

I have read, and enjoyed, The Swedish Cavalier..

[NikF]

Shklovsky

[asin]1564784827[/asin]

[SimonNZ]

I liked From Russia best.

As did I, though its been a while.

That Pan paperback cover above brought back memories:

[Jaakko Keskinen]

Did you know From Russia was in John F. Kennedy's top 10 novels?

[ludwigii]

Desmond Morris : The Naked Ape

[Kontrapunctus]

[stingo]

Picked up because I saw it on one of my Kindle pricetracker emails. It's not a bad read so far, but I'm only 3 chapters in.

Ballerina by Edward Stewart

[asin]B00I3TJIFI[/asin]

[Christo]

Did you know From Russia was in John F. Kennedy's top 10 novels?

Quite surprised that he actually read ten.

[André]

Quite surprised that he actually read ten.

Ouch  !! 

Politicians are sometimes thought-oriented, sometimes action-oriented, and sometimes disoriented  . I'm not sure I'd choose our next leader based on his/her reading choices. 

[Christo]

I'm not sure I'd choose our next leader based on his/her reading choices. 

I would be happy with reading capacities (not sure about them re one specific American presidential candidate). 

[Kontrapunctus]

It's amazing how Spielberg turned a 37-page short story into a 2.5 hour movie!

[Kontrapunctus]

I'm also reading this rather densely written book from 1927. Had Joseph Conrad lived longer, one might think he wrote it! Interesting, but not a page-turner.

[Bogey]

It's amazing how Spielberg turned a 37-page short story into a 2.5 hour movie!

Indeed.  L enjoyed both versions, though I do need to read this one again.

[André]

That pic reminds me of Stromae.