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Spoilers What Book Are You Reading?
- Thread starter Huntn
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I finished Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time book 7, "A Crown of Swords". Still good if lengthy works...
I enjoyed "The General" quite a bit, I liked it much more than "A Hundred years". I'd read "A Hundred Years" a number of years ago and had found it a bit tedious at times, but I reread it a few months ago and this time liked it more so I decided to read "The General".
Is 'The General' realist or magical realist in style? I went through a phase of devouring much South American magical realism, and loving it, (such as, obviously, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, even more so, Isabel Allende - whose work I love - among others), but sometimes, a realist treatment of these kind of themes can work just as well.
A few years ago, I read Mario Vargas Llosa's 'The Feast of the Goat' and thought it brilliant.
"'A Life In Secrets' - The Story of Vera Atkins and the Lost Agents of SOE" by Sarah Helm. Very interesting.
Just finished reading "Sheet Music" by Kevin Leman. It's a really good book I would recommend to anyone who is married and especially engaged couples.
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Surprisingly, I have not actually read 'Mephisto'. However, I have seen the excellent movie from the early 1980s which was based on the book. Do you recommend it?
On the topic of the Mann dynasty, I must say that I have read and really liked Thomas Mann's excellent 'Buddenbrooks', - that was a wonderfully interesting, panoramic, bitter-sweet novel with an epic scope and range.
On the other hand, I have to admit that I struggled with 'The Magic Mountain' and wasn't anything like as enamoured of 'Death in Venice' as I thought I would be, given that I love the movies made by Luchino Visconti, and liked the work Dirk Bogarde did with him.
I see where you're coming from. I haven't read the Buddenbrooks - but will do so quite soon - I think I'll like it. Thomas Mann is rather dry imho, but represents 'classic literature' of course. When I was younger I actually thought The Magic Mountain is literature in pure perfection - but now I wouldn't. I did like Death in Venice though - and still do so.
Heinrich Mann (the brother of Thomas) did write some astonishing books as well. He's easier to access but nevertheless brilliant I'd say. The Underling (? - Der Untertan in German) might have hit your eyes before.
Klaus is very interesting since he represents the younger generation within this impressive dynasty. He's much more straight forward and probably less pretentious than some of Thomas' books might appeal. Maybe that is why he like reading his books. I'd definitely recommend reading Mephisto (although I've never read the translated version of course).
And there is also Golo Mann, whom I didn't read too much, but what I read was good.
Out of interest who does Starkey kick off with - bearing in mind it's vol 1 - and it's David Starkey
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Yes, I know what you mean about certain works of classic literature which were worshipped as 'pure perfection' when you were younger. Been there, too. However, I was very impressed with 'Buddenbrooks' - an excellent account of the 19th century filtered through the family saga of the family of that name, a really excellent book. I really recommend it.
Okay - I'll lay hands on 'Mefisto' and I look forward to reading it - the movie was superb. Usually, I find myself loathing movie adaptations of books I loved - unusually, I saw the movie 'Mefisto' in the mid 1980s and was very impressed by it.
The theme of how to maintain integrity (artistic, personal and other) while seeking to survive (or even thrive) in a totalitarian regime is an absorbing, enduring and compelling one. Saving your soul while seeking to have a decent life (and job) under an intolerable regime is an extraordinarily difficult balancing act, and the awful contortions which it demands are something which we tend to mock far too readily from our safe sofas in the west. In my travels, I have met people who made various intellectual and artistic compromises in order to stay sane and yet stay human - sometimes abandoning their own creative passion in order to survive while yet remaining somewhat true to oneself as a human being. We mock them at our peril.
However, I did like some of the work of Herman Hesse - 'Narziss and Goldmund' was superb and 'Steppenwolf' was excellent.
Out of interest who does Starkey kick off with - bearing in mind it's vol 1 - and it's David Starkey
Ah, he started with Roman Britain.....followed by a bit of a detour into the 'Saxons' (of Anglo-Saxon fame). He mentioned monarchs I had never heard of such as 'Redwald', for instance, and Offa (and I know the post 1066 stuff pretty well). In the book, I'm about to reach the Vikings, England has been Christianised and we are ready to be raided.
In his introduction, he has an interesting conceit, which has enough of a germ of truth to make it worth thinking about, yet, (as it is Starkey) he is also stretching things a bit. His argument is basically that three times in 1500 years the country which came to be called England threw off the influence of what was 'Rome' twice (going on for three times).
The first occasion was the withdrawal of Roman forces in the fifth century; Starkey argues that the abrupt withdrawal of Roman forces led to a severance of links with Rome itself, unlike what happened on the Continent (the countries that became Italy, France, Spain, etc) . There, despite the collapse of the Roman Empire, architectural, cultural, linguistic, legal and other norms continued to influence these post Roman societies and countries for centuries. Not so in England, where the post Roman societies obliterated most of the impact of Roman culture.
The second such occasion was the break with Rome (the Catholic Church) in the 1530s, when King Henry VIII (thought he) needed a legitimate male heir and felt obliged to break with Rome in order to be able to marry his pregnant mistress. The third, Starkey suggests (stretching it - but not entirely wrong), is England's relationship with the EU (i.e. Treaty of Rome). Volume One itself brings us up to William I 'the Conquerer'.
Okay, I know full well what Starkey likes and what he believes in. Still, I love a well written popular history book, especially if it deals with stuff I don't know all that well. I'm enjoying it.....
Just recalled Hesse's Siddartha. You read it? It is as excellent as the ones you've mentioned in my opinion.
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Ahh, Hesse of course. Unterm Rad is highly recommended as well (don't know how the translation is called). I and almost all my friends did adore him. But actually a lot of years passed since I read him the last time. I do read often Brecht: short, witty and precise - that's how I like it the most
Do tell me once you've read Mephisto, please. I'm curious what you think about it. And the movie....oh, I've seen it, rather long ago, and searched for it on Amazon a week ago: hard to get! Klaus Maria Brandauer is one beast of an actor! Genuine. Wrong thread, but while we're at it: I'd also recommend the Faust movie of the 60s. Guess who plays Mephisto: Gustav Gründgens, the man rendered and harshly criticised in Mephisto by Mann (Gründgens became a star under Nazi-regime and was the husband of Klaus' sister Erika) and played by Brandauer in the movie.
Very interesting post - I find that sort of stuff simply fascinating.
I'll certainly let you know when I read 'Mephisto' - will probably order it on Amazon after the New Year holiday, or tomorrow.
Around twenty years ago (actually closer to thirty, oooops), I did see a few of Brecht's plays - a superb production of 'The Three Penny Opera' and also, a gripping version of 'Mother Courage' live. Wonderful theatre, modern, potent, relevant and utterly compelling.
It really is.
And I just noticed, instead of replying separately, I just edited my own post....darn!
You've read Siddhartha by Hesse? It is as excellent as the ones you have mentioned in my opinion.
No, actually, I haven't . (And, glancing and galloping through this thread, I realised that, inexplicably, I had somehow missed this post....) Evidently, another treat is in store for me...
As it happens, most of these works came to me as gifts from the German partner of one of my brothers; she loved 'Buddenbrooks' and also gave me - over a period of several years - the others as gifts.
Okay, 'Mefisto' (which I already know I will 'get', and be fascinated by, since I love that sort of story) and 'Siddharta' (which I know next to nothing about) are on my to-read & must-read list...