What are you currently reading?

[T. D.]

Switching between this and the Flann O'Brien newspaper columns.

[Ganondorf]

Well, I finally did it. I read today the last page of Proust's In Search of Lost Time. Based on the translation that i read, can this be counted as among the greatest masterpieces of world literature? Hardly. In a few passages (mostly located in the first two parts) the prose is gorgeous but in most cases reading this was an extremely banal experience. I heavily dislike the Narrator (in fact I think he is one of the most infuriating main characters I've ever encountered). Dickens's constantly interrupting omniscient narrator is not even halfway as annoying as Marcel here. For someone whom I've often heard described as a writer relatively progressive in his views I have hard time seeing Proust as anything else but a Class-A sexist pervert. Every even slightest form of a positive comment towards women is usually followed instantly by a new sting. It's rather impressive, actually. While male homosexuals are treated rather fairly for the time, that doesn't apply to lesbians as the narrator apparently has some very serious issues with them, to the point that his homophobia goes to such lengths that he basically keeps Albertine a prisoner in order to prevent her from having sex with other women. If that's not a case of pathological narcissism then nothing is. Even if intentionally a case of unreliable narrator, the effect of reading the book is not pleasant and quite exhausting. I think I can definitely say that Proust is one of those famous writers that I don't like. I realize that I should read the original French but I have hard time committing myself to learning an entire new language in order to re-read a long-ass book which I may hate even then. Reading this was mostly for bragging rights. I wouldn't be surprised if this is the longest book I'm ever going to read. On the plus side, now that I'm not gonna touch this particular book again you can be spared my constant complaining about this.

I have moved on to another (very long) book, this time a re-read. And I seem to love it just as much as I did then. I'm talking about Mann's Joseph tetralogy.

[AnotherSpin]

Well, I finally did it. I read today the last page of Proust's In Search of Lost Time. Based on the translation that i read, can this be counted as among the greatest masterpieces of world literature? Hardly. In a few passages (mostly located in the first two parts) the prose is gorgeous but in most cases reading this was an extremely banal experience. I heavily dislike the Narrator (in fact I think he is one of the most infuriating main characters I've ever encountered). Dickens's constantly interrupting omniscient narrator is not even halfway as annoying as Marcel here. For someone whom I've often heard described as a writer relatively progressive in his views I have hard time seeing Proust as anything else but a Class-A sexist pervert. Every even slightest form of a positive comment towards women is usually followed instantly by a new sting. It's rather impressive, actually. While male homosexuals are treated rather fairly for the time, that doesn't apply to lesbians as the narrator apparently has some very serious issues with them, to the point that his homophobia goes to such lengths that he basically keeps Albertine a prisoner in order to prevent her from having sex with other women. If that's not a case of pathological narcissism then nothing is. Even if intentionally a case of unreliable narrator, the effect of reading the book is not pleasant and quite exhausting. I think I can definitely say that Proust is one of those famous writers that I don't like. I realize that I should read the original French but I have hard time committing myself to learning an entire new language in order to re-read a long-ass book which I may hate even then. Reading this was mostly for bragging rights. I wouldn't be surprised if this is the longest book I'm ever going to read. On the plus side, now that I'm not gonna touch this particular book again you can be spared my constant complaining about this.

I have moved on to another (very long) book, this time a re-read. And I seem to love it just as much as I did then. I'm talking about Mann's Joseph tetralogy.

Congratulations, you've managed to get through a difficult and long book.

I don't want to criticize — every reader has the right to their own opinion, but I'll still point out that Marcel is intentionally portrayed as an unsympathetic character, which helps explore human egoism. His pathological jealousy towards Albertine is part of studying the destructive sides of love, not an excuse for such actions. The criticism of female characters often reflects the social realities of the Belle Époque, not the author's personal views. Proust, being gay, ironically commented on the heteronormativity of his time through the exaggerated heterosexual relationships of Marcel.

[Ganondorf]

Touché, my friend, although my point still stands that having over a 4000-page book revolve around such a character is exhausting. 

Edit: for what it's worth, Mann's Joseph tetralogy also revolves around an insufferably narcissistical person but I just appreciate Mann's gentle (and at times not so gentle) ironic style much better.

[AnotherSpin]

Touché, my friend, although my point still stands that having over a 4000-page book revolve around such a character is exhausting. 

Edit: for what it's worth, Mann's Joseph tetralogy also revolves around an insufferably narcissistical person but I just appreciate Mann's gentle (and at times not so gentle) ironic style much better.

Thomas Mann's Joseph and His Brothers is, no doubt, a monumental work, but I fear it might seem a bit... drawn out. He retells the biblical story with such detail that it sometimes feels like we're sitting in a lecture on ancient history one more time. But, I must say, Mann masterfully weaves in philosophical musings and humor, making it quite enlightening. Though, I suppose not everyone might appreciate its pace and abundance of genealogical details. My impression is based on a very old reading, probably from the early 80s. I couldn't imagine how I would perceive it today.

Added: It seems to me that if I were to read the cycle now, I would attempt to discern how the text reflects the time of its writing and publication. From the turmoil and instability of the Weimar Republic to the stability of Hitler's regime and the subsequent cataclysm of the great war.

[vers la flamme]

Reading a few of Georges Simenon's Maigret books recently, currently Pietr the Latvian which I think was the first of them. Loving these so far. Great murder mystery plots, with a less eccentric detective than you sometimes get with these kinds of books, more of a straightforward French cop type. I also love the mid-century Paris atmosphere of them. Best of all there are about three thousand of them so I'll never run out of books to read.

[San Antone]

Reading a few of Georges Simenon's Maigret books recently, currently Pietr the Latvian which I think was the first of them. Loving these so far. Great murder mystery plots, with a less eccentric detective than you sometimes get with these kinds of books, more of a straightforward French cop type. I also love the mid-century Paris atmosphere of them. Best of all there are about three thousand of them so I'll never run out of books to read.

40 years ago I went through a Georges Simenon period - I must have read more than a dozen of the books, and loved them.  He wrote many more.  I have since downloaded a bunch on my Kindle with the plan to read them again. 

My only hope is that I still find them as good as I remember them.  I even read a thick biography of Simenon, which still sits on my shelf.

[vers la flamme]

40 years ago I went through a Georges Simenon period - I must have read more than a dozen of the books, and loved them.  He wrote many more.  I have since downloaded a bunch on my Kindle with the plan to read them again. 

My only hope is that I still find them as good as I remember them.  I even read a thick biography of Simenon, which still sits on my shelf.

I hope you enjoy them too!

[Henk]

A classic. Prose translation.

My goal is to read much about Greek mythology and Roman life.

[AnotherSpin]

Finished the first book by Byung-Chul Han, whom I recently learned about from @Henk. While I no longer have a particular interest in philosophy texts as such, I found this book unexpectedly engaging. It resonated more than I anticipated. I might read more of Han's work, his books are quite short, after all.

[hopefullytrusting]

Just recently repurchased this (this is a book I want as used as possible, as part of reading a text like this is reading with the prior readers, as I like to see what trails they were following, so I love when traces and trails are left behind): Heidegger's Being and Time

[AnotherSpin]

Just recently repurchased this (this is a book I want as used as possible, as part of reading a text like this is reading with the prior readers, as I like to see what trails they were following, so I love when traces and trails are left behind): Heidegger's Being and Time

For some reason, an observation by Byung-Chul Han came to mind, in which he notes how, in the Chinese tradition, time is seen as a continuous process rather than a sequence of significant events or ruptures. This suggests that ruins, which symbolize the end of an era or event, do not hold the same cultural significance as they do in the Western tradition. Han also offers insights into why the owners of priceless scrolls leave their marks on them – seal stamps and inscriptions.