A smart and beautiful narration of friendship and togetherness but also about strangeness and otherness, amidst complicated nuances of race, intergeneA smart and beautiful narration of friendship and togetherness but also about strangeness and otherness, amidst complicated nuances of race, intergenerational strife and identity layers. Really love the author's style and look forward to reading more from her. ...more
Parts of it didn't age very well (marxism, psychoanalysis), but it's still a tremendously valuable classic. Parts of it didn't age very well (marxism, psychoanalysis), but it's still a tremendously valuable classic. ...more
As with many medieval classics (and especially with ancient literature and poetry - think Greek antiquity), it's surprising how contemporaneous some wAs with many medieval classics (and especially with ancient literature and poetry - think Greek antiquity), it's surprising how contemporaneous some works may sound. This collection by French aristocrat is a beautiful example of it. ...more
A classic. As I kind of have a thing for arthurian literature and its many iterations (even some of the contemporary riffs on it, if well-wrriten), itA classic. As I kind of have a thing for arthurian literature and its many iterations (even some of the contemporary riffs on it, if well-wrriten), it was about time to explore the remaining canon of original sources (the French one was already checked off my to-do list a couple of years ago).
It's amazing what a treasure trove of stories it is, beyond the main narrative. Definitely enough materials for tens of other books or movies. :) Hope to see them come to (more) life. ...more
It's a pity, since some of the points made by the authors when applying critical theory to capitalism itself are valid and could still stand if not tainted by the underlying BS. ...more
The medieval source of most of the myths regarding Melusine, the elusive fairy/siren that was credited as the founder of a medieval dynasty and of theThe medieval source of most of the myths regarding Melusine, the elusive fairy/siren that was credited as the founder of a medieval dynasty and of the city and nation of Luxembourg. The two-tailed mermaid on Stabucks cups is also her, by the way. :)
It's easy enough to read if you're into medieval tomes of history / genealogy / myth. Personally, I love how the authors of the time blended all of these without too much care for drawing hard lines between cold truth and metaphor....more
The life story of Paul Gaugain, the painter of Tahitian beauties (with or without their consent), through a romanticized lens which emphasizes what itThe life story of Paul Gaugain, the painter of Tahitian beauties (with or without their consent), through a romanticized lens which emphasizes what it means to be an artist. I really enjoyed the story and it's masterfully told. I liked that the narrator seemed to convey his sense of moral disgust at his main character quite vividly, though the moral of the story seems to be that the end justifies the means, or that artists are allowed to be morally repugnant as long as the end result is genial enough to qualify them as true artists.
Thankfully, we are starting to move on from this way of viewing artists, and I hope society will continue to take off its veil, choosing not to turn a blind eye anymore to an artist's wrongdoings by placing him/her on a pedestal. ...more
Wonderful. I love culinary histories that manage to properly cover their main subject while also tying it to lots of seemingly unrelated historical evWonderful. I love culinary histories that manage to properly cover their main subject while also tying it to lots of seemingly unrelated historical events and social changes. ...more
It was ok, the author was definitely talented, but it's not really my cup of tea. I may be biased because before reading Aurora I had just finished reIt was ok, the author was definitely talented, but it's not really my cup of tea. I may be biased because before reading Aurora I had just finished reading Manhood: A Journey from Childhood into the Fierce Order of Virility which made me feel pretty put off by the author. A shame, since I really wanted to like him because he's a fellow anthropologist :)).
Then again, some images are very immersive and well-written, so don't shy away from it if you like stream-of-consciousness-style novels and essays where nothing really happens but the delirium described is powerful and suggestive. ...more
I cannot help but feel a little disappointed whenever reading something authored by a fellow anthropologist that strikes me as being crass, non-empathI cannot help but feel a little disappointed whenever reading something authored by a fellow anthropologist that strikes me as being crass, non-empathetic, and callous in the end.
Then again, the beginning of the 20th century was a different time, when exploring the darker recesses of the soul was considered to be more 'true' than anything. So I guess Michel Leiris is a product of his times and intellectual circles (though there are still some surrealists I love).
The author's brutal honesty (I detected no amount of self-serving or self-gratifying disclosures) and his willingness to be scrutinized not in the best light are worthy of a nod, as well.
But the rest of this collection of essays, focusing on appalling female archetypes and the way he sees them, his violent fantasies and urgings - it's all not just unsavory, but signaling a dire need for therapy. ...more
This is a re-read, I read it before in college as a beautiful example of historical social research/anthropology.
I loved the part where the author sayThis is a re-read, I read it before in college as a beautiful example of historical social research/anthropology.
I loved the part where the author says that whenever we're dealing with old documents and encounter something we don't really understand, a joke or inside nod to something which seems to be funny to the author but we don't 'get it', that's our goldmine. That indicates a mentality shift that we need to dig into deeper.
There are two noteworthy parts of the book - one which analyzes traditional European (German / French) fairytales (which were later gathered and partially re-written by the Grimm brothers) and another which analyzes work relations in a printing workshop and the symbolic meanings of cats (hint: it's very Freudian). Both parts are lovely.
Overall the writing can seem a bit heavy on academic detail, but I really think it's interesting to lay people as well. :)...more
I saw this on a stage last Tuesday and decided to read it, I had it around and on my list in any case so it went fast. I definitely think this would bI saw this on a stage last Tuesday and decided to read it, I had it around and on my list in any case so it went fast. I definitely think this would be more touching as a movie then it currently is when staged as a play, but it's definitely a memorable piece.
It walks you through a lot of different emotions, most of them on the light and fun side but some of them on the more hardcore emotional side, too, of course. I'm curious now to read the first two parts of the trilogy too, and I'm wondering how mandatory the reading order was. ...more
I read Balthazar's Oddysey while traveling to London to give a conference proceeding on surveillance and fiction and will forever associate the event I read Balthazar's Oddysey while traveling to London to give a conference proceeding on surveillance and fiction and will forever associate the event with it. I just couldn't put it down. :) The book reminded me of Umberto Eco's Baudolino in a good and less heavy way (and in no way diminishing its own uniqueness). It was a delight to read about the frenzy which gripped the imagination of people in 1666 and their exalted state of mind, whether they be among the prophets of doom, doubters, anguished or hopeful.
Although the book also notes all pains and concerns of the human mind (including those of a more personal nature than theological debates or the perspective of an impending apocalypse - such as failing relationships between family members, or a stubborn main character who does not want to accept the fact that his lover chose to go back to her husband), with all due seriousness, it has an inherent light-heartedness and humor that make anyone love the storyteller.
The travel notes are very well written, in a way that not only reflects the world as it was but also how 17th-century travelers from the Levant and the Mediterranean might see it. A delightful read:). ...more
It's hard to write war stories when it feels like everything was already written (and very well so) before. It's especially hard to do it when writingIt's hard to write war stories when it feels like everything was already written (and very well so) before. It's especially hard to do it when writing about a conflict in a region far removed from you. But somehow Anthony Doerr has done it in a way that cannot but humble you and make you more mindful of everything and of the thousand tiny ways in which good people can do bad things.
This is everything a good book about the horrors of war should be able to do, and yet the story manages to achieve even more. It lends the story a dream-like quality that will haunt you and make you visualize Saint-Malo long after you finish the book and put it down. ...more
This was an interesting experimental piece of very short fiction, and it ended up being surprisingly good. It's true that you can't really develop a lThis was an interesting experimental piece of very short fiction, and it ended up being surprisingly good. It's true that you can't really develop a lot from the story in only a few pages, but that's exactly part of the charm. It gets you so curious about everything mentioned and not explained at large that you really wish it was longer so some of the mystery can be solved :).
I would love it if the author would make this part of a more detailed universe in a series of hers, but of course, it's a great short story in itself, too....more
I liked the incursion into the actual biography of Gabrielle Chanel, including the way the author tries to trace her steps through the web of fake datI liked the incursion into the actual biography of Gabrielle Chanel, including the way the author tries to trace her steps through the web of fake data the woman liked to provide about herself. A true drama queen, the fashion legend always changed the facts whenever talking about her past, so her actual origins and details about her childhood (or her actual age) have always been pretty elusive.
The book was criticized for being too descriptive (bordering on boring). While it's indeed not in my style of writing, I don't think it's a flaw. It's meant to be immersive and to help the readers understand more about this controversial figure, who, for me, turned out to be equally fascinating and unsympathetic. I will rate the book to 3 stars just because the character of Coco Chanel is not really my cup of tea, but she is accurately researched and painstakingly portrayed, so the work that was put into the book is tremendous and impressive. ...more
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