Now Reading Thread

[StocktontoMalone]

'The Virtue of Selfishness' Ayn Rand

[derbeder]

Plato - Theaetetus, and Sophist

[Nile577]

I am reading:

The Recognitions, by William Gaddis.
Petersburg, by Andrei Bely
Of Grammatology, by Jacques Derrida.

I hope to start a book review thread in the near future.

[speed]

Originally Posted by Nile577

I am reading:

The Recognitions, by William Gaddis.
Petersburg, by Andrei Bely
Of Grammatology, by Jacques Derrida.

I hope to start a book review thread in the near future.

Bely--the greatest modernist writer in my humble opinion.



Anyhoo, just finished the following last month:

Goncharov's Oblomov--already an absolute favorite of mine.
Bukowski's Ham on Rye--an easy to read biography of self-loathing and destruction I wasnt terribly impressed with.
Balzac's Lost Illusions--excellent look at the struggles of creative people in society.
Foucault's Essays on Power--not terribly impressed actually.
Alain Robbet-Grillet--Recollections of a Golden Triangle--interesting narration, but perhaps the most perverse book Ive ever read.
T E Lawrence's The Seven Pillars of Wisdom--an amazing account which provides an excellent understanding of the arab people.

[Freanan]

-Joris-Karl Huysmans: Deep down (or whatever it is in english)
-Churchill: The second world war
-a collection of "shadowrun" fantasy novels

[Nile577]

Originally Posted by Freanan

-Joris-Karl Huysmans: Deep down (or whatever it is in english)

Usually, "The Damned." I love Huysmans. I think he is the ultimate decadent novelist. Most of his heroes have a rather punished, Schopenhauerian countenance, no? The parts on Gilles de Rais and the description of the black mass stick in my mind from La Bas – both very radical for the mainstream newspaper in which he was serialised.

Huysmans was a pedant and his work often dramatises a conflict between the educated elite and the masses (I am reminded of him likening the transferral of Latin literature to the churches following the decline of Rome as “holding (the language) aloft above barbarian hordes”), so the symbolism of all these impossibly educated eccentric guys discussing Satanism from the bell (ivory) tower in “The Damned” is not lost on me.

You probably know, the Durtal saga continues in later books (where he converts to Christianity), but I think Huysmans’ greatest work is A Rebours (Against Nature). I know Speed shares a love for this book. For those who don't know, it follows the life of anti-hero Des Essenties, an eccentric who retires from society to live in isolation, gorging himself on classic literature, poetry, art, wines, jewellery and smelling scents. I always feel vaguely unclean after reading it. It is morbidly fascinating that such extremes of specialisation might occur. I recommend it.

I would be interested to hear your thoughts on it so far, or when you finish.

[Nile577]

Speaking of Huysmans, I recently learned that the artwork for the Penguin edition of A Rebours is a painting of an extremely bored, sour-faced Baudelaire, which is a nice touch.

[Nile577]

Originally Posted by speed

Bely--the greatest modernist writer in my humble opinion.

He is certainly an excellent writer, and I thank you for the recommendation. It's a cliche thing to say but I'm startled he is not more well known. It is strange: I did a two year M.A. on Modernist lit. as well as about a third of my degree and never once did I find mention of him.

I need to read T.E. Lawrence myself. I will try and track down a copy of The Seven Pillars.

Today I just started de Tocqueville's Democracy in America, which will keep me busy for some time.

[Nile577]

Originally Posted by speed

Alain Robbet-Grillet--Recollections of a Golden Triangle--interesting narration, but perhaps the most perverse book Ive ever read.

As I believe you are familiar with Bataille, Mirbeau, de Sade, Borroughs and Nin - indeed, as a I believe you are the best-read person I have ever known - that is quite a claim! I shall investigate.

[speed]

Originally Posted by Nile577

As I believe you are familiar with Bataille, Mirbeau, de Sade, Borroughs and Nin - indeed, as a I believe you are the best-read person I have ever known - that is quite a claim! I shall investigate.

True, 120 Days of Sodom (which I stopped reading around page 120, hehe), was much more perverse. However, De Sade had other broader aims with its pornography and excess, whereas besides structure of narration (which Robbet--Grillet had mastered in previous books) there is no real other purpose to Robbet-Grillet's book. But yes, I was a bit hasty. Perhaps one of the most perverse books Ive read is a better statement.

Have you read any Raymond Queneau? I highly recommend Exercises in Style. A short, funny, and highly interesting read for any writer or devotee of literature. Essentially Queneau retells the same banal everyday story of small conflict about a man on a bus in every possible writing style and form possible. Its highly amusing and never really pedantic. Genius really.

[speed]

Originally Posted by Nile577