What are you currently reading?

[Ganondorf]

Reading about Capital here too, although a different kind of Capital, in other words: Marx's Das Kapital.

[vers la flamme]

Reading about Capital here too, although a different kind of Capital, in other words: Marx's Das Kapital.

That makes three "capital" books on one page 

[JBS]

Started:

[

whis is reminding me that I've been wanting to read Browne's Urn-Burial for some long time, so that's been pulled out as well

I have that edition. Browne's style is like a very rich dessert for me: wonderful to taste but a very small amount fills you for a long time. I think I've never been able to read more than 5 pages at a sitting.

[Brian]

Anybody reading "Capital" the novel by John Lanchester? 

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Piketty's Capital is on my book shelf. Will start reading it this summer. Kawabata's Old Capital next year. Dealing with Marx's Kapital all the time for my work.

[Artem]

and also on the go:

I love Sebald. He's one of my all time favourite authors. That book made me fall in love with his prose right away.

[vers la flamme]

Never heard of Sebald, he sounds like a fascinating writer. I'll have to see if I can find that book, The Rings of Saturn.

[SimonNZ]

I have that edition. Browne's style is like a very rich dessert for me: wonderful to taste but a very small amount fills you for a long time. I think I've never been able to read more than 5 pages at a sitting.

That's a fascinating description. I've heard his prose compared to Proust's. Would you agree?

I'm also noticing for the first time that the Penguin edition has Samuel Johnson's Life Of Browne as a bonus appendix.

[SimonNZ]

I love Sebald. He's one of my all time favourite authors. That book made me fall in love with his prose right away.

Have you read his novel Austerlitz? How does that compare to his free-associating non-fiction?

[JBS]

That's a fascinating description. I've heard his prose compared to Proust's. Would you agree?

I'm also noticing for the first time that the Penguin edition has Samuel Johnson's Life Of Browne as a bonus appendix.

I can see why the comparison is made. But I 've only read part of the first volume of Moncrieff Scott's translation, so I can't judge how accurate it is.
I would compare him to Donne and Herrick: what they were doing in poetry he did in prose. And I have to wonder if he didn't influence Joyce.

[Florestan]

Stamboul Train

The overall atmosphere here is somewhat lighter than in The Power and the Glory but the moral dilemma of the protagonist is not. The literary style is as engaging and compelling and the characters are as vividly and convincingly portrayed. Yet another Graham Greene success for me.

Next:



Royal Highness

[Artem]

Have you read his novel Austerlitz? How does that compare to his free-associating non-fiction?

I read most of his books that were translated into English. I didn't like Austerlitz the first time I read it as much as I liked The Rings of Saturn, for example. Austerlitz maybe the closest to the "normal" novel that Sebald wrote if you compare with his other books. It just crushed me on the second reread. It's a very beautiful and powerful work of literature.

[steve ridgway]

Hubble 25: A Quarter-Century of Discovery with the Hubble Space Telescope free from https://www.nasa.gov/connect/ebooks/hubble_25_detail.html. Just trying out the Books EPUB reader on my iPad and it looks great.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Inspired by vers la flamme's post of No Longer Human (Osamu Dazai), I just started reading Chronicles of My Life by Donald Keene, who translated many Japanese literary works, including No Longer Human. Keene, born in New York, NY, was a prominent scholar of Japanese literature and culture. He was also a classical music lover and a big fan of the Metropolitan Opera. Non-Japanese readers and Japanese people should be grateful to Keene's massive contributions, including his numerous authorship and translations.

[Artem]

It looks very interesting.

[SimonNZ]

Knocked off this quickie:



I could never live as minimally as he does, but his philosophy and methods were nevertheless fascinating

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Knocked off this quickie:



I could never live as minimally as he does, but his philosophy and methods were nevertheless fascinating

That's my philosophy. I will get the book.

[Fritz Kobus]

[SimonNZ]

That's my philosophy. I will get the book.

An unexpected facet was the authors frank description of his pre-minimal problem drinking and how his new philosophy solved that  without having intended to.

[vers la flamme]

Thomas Mann, The Magic Mountain



This is definitely a great book, but I'm finding it a challenging read given my current state of mind. May or may not shelve it for later reading.