Ok, the old Russian Literature thread has been idle since May (and I know some of us had to read a book since then) annd had over 800 posts, so I just figured I'll start a new thread. Let's encompass all literature here, not just Russian and discuss the current books you read. I'll start. The last 3 book I've read are: 1. Mayatnik Fuko by Umberto Eco - finally was able to finish it. It's probably my 3rd favorite book of his out of 4 he has written, behind Name of The Rose and Baudolino. I just can't understand how can one person know so much shit. It's ridiculous. 2. Krasnaya Komnata by August Strindberg - 1st time I've read this author. I liked this book. It has plenty of satire and irony and I learned a little more about Swedish history. 3. Rasputnik and Sekta Egoistov by Eric-Emanuel Schmitt - Wow. I'm still reading this book, but wow. I am loving it. Rasputnik is a play, where Didro is the main hero. It is so witty, you'll love reading it. Just started to red Sekta Egoistov and so far so good. My next book, I want to try to read (try again) Sodom and Gomorrah by Proust. I just couldn't do it the 1st time.
I've read it in English - UE - IMHO his best - supposedly he lived in a library when he wrote it - almost a one man's conspiracy theory. Never read or hear of S+E - what's the heezy? Lib.Ru has some "new" lost Babbel short stories - almost as if not his - but excellent nevertheless, I'm so effen busy can't even read SLAM by Nick Hornby. I did enjoy Empire Falls - a Pulitzer from few years ago, and the Chabon's Alaska Yidish Detective Union is beyond brilliant - an absolute MUST, can't wait for the Khazar opus which is due dis month.. Between English and Russian I think I'm done mit Perez Reverte's Capitan Alatriste - terrific. But the OY VEY award of the month goes to Carlos Zafon's Shadow of the Wind - beyond any compare - the 9 month closed room narrative is coma inducing. Rereads - Kavalier and Clay, some of DaSilvas - Jews run all over the World saving it opuses, some Mark Twain, Brett Harte, O'Henry, Long Way Down , but Vincent Patrick's Pope of the Greenwich Village takes the proverbial Deepdish pie.
Brett Harte - Just a few months ago (5-6) I read Gabriel Conroy. I really enojoyed the book as well. Now what this "Chabon's Alaska Yidish Detective Union " you talk about?
I do not think that you'd be as sorry as Faina Zaitsman was on her wedding night, that Lyubitel'skaya can be a destructive force.
It was pretty chitty air quality wise for a few days, even near the ocean, and temp was around 110 all the time, but pretty much - it.
I've really fallen off the wagon in the last year or so keeping up with contemporary Russian literature - in fact, in the last year I think the only remotely contemporary work that I have actually finished was Tat'yana Tolstaya's "Reka Okkervil'" which was a pretty decent read. I'm still plugging away on the 20 volume set (1965) of Saltykov-Shchedrin's collected works, but no end to that in site, I've only managed to get through vol. 6 at this point (Zhurnal'naya Polemika was the last work in vol. 6). Other than that, I've slipped back into my old habit of primarily reading military history works. My hankering for Russian lit kind of comes & goes nowadays, and since I haven't been back in two years, it has kind of waned - but, I am planning a May Minsk-Vilnius-Piter trip in 2008, so hope to pick up my interest then.
Hey Z, I know you are big on WWII reading, so I was wondering if you ever came across this, and if you have, how is it? It's been on my Amazon-to-read list for some time now. Thanks
I pre-ordered it when it came out on Amazon.com, and it is a GREAT BOOK. One of my favorite reads re: Great Patriotic War, and I've read a lot of them, in both languages. In the English language, I would rank this book 2nd only to Harrison Salisbury's seminal work, "900 Days." How Salisbury did not win a Pulitzer for "900 Days" is beyond me... "Ivan's War" should have also gotten Pulitzer consideration, IMHO. A wonderful work, well worth any price one pays for it.
just finished my first Rubina book . "Ih bin nervosso" is the name of it. Very funny and very easy and light to read. I'll probably read Sindicat next.
"Kratkaya, naskol'ko eto vozhmojno v dannom sluchaye, Evreyskaya enciclopedia." it's by izdatel'stvo Beseder. Torp, you would love this book. It's hillarious. For example: Ahineya - drevnechernomirdinskaya boginya krasnorechiya. or Akvarium - diversionnaya rok-gruppa, sozdannaya bas-gitaristom pok-GRU V. Suvorovim....
2b = blatantly brilliant http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/pr...48/ref=dp_proddesc_0?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books
I'm actually re-reading Demon again - absolutely brilliant work. Doesn't put you into the greatest of moods though. Torpedo - which book on the Alatriste cycle are you on? I left the third one at a friend's house and thus need to finish it..........
I burned out on Murakami a few years ago. Some works I found brilliant, but...I think I need a break from reading melancholy authors. I'm kind of back into my non-fiction mode now, anyway.