there and here
I've been accorded the privilege of helping to pre-inaugurate Spinozablue, An Eclectic Journal of the Arts, with an essay (perhaps a cautionary exercise), "To Assume a Pleasing Shape". I promise not to expound on how I came to write it; my numerical analysis training (custom-Taylored) leads me to eschew terms beyond the second derivative anyway. But it's flattering to be asked to take an early lead; more content to follow in coming days.
Reading: After Saramago's Gospel came just-reissued Halldór Laxness, The Fish Can Sing (trans Magnus^2son; thx JAbel for the heads-up!) and J.G.Farrell, The Singapore Grip. Now it's A Bad Man's turn (that would be Stanley Elkin). Each of the voices is familiar (trans included), each mixes light irony with dark humor; these examples may not be the best each has to offer, but it's better than what most others can.
Reading: After Saramago's Gospel came just-reissued Halldór Laxness, The Fish Can Sing (trans Magnus^2son; thx JAbel for the heads-up!) and J.G.Farrell, The Singapore Grip. Now it's A Bad Man's turn (that would be Stanley Elkin). Each of the voices is familiar (trans included), each mixes light irony with dark humor; these examples may not be the best each has to offer, but it's better than what most others can.
posted by nnyhav | 20:35
3 Comments:
I was wondering why Farrell looked like I'd just seen him somewhere and now I see where.In the back of my Patrick Fermor book by NYRB are a bunch of their titles including three by Farrell.Are they mysteries or something else?
Well I see it is Historical Fiction.Does he write with that dry British wit/humor about the human condition.Are they closer to "A passage to India" or "Flashman"?
John, I covered Troubles in the last post on the front page (British Subjects), with a link (cf-ed) to prior consideration of The Siege of Krishnapur (best of the lot). The dryness and wit is in the blinkered view of the Brits, not only of the colonies but of themselves.
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