I have come to expect extraordinary story-telling from Francois Cheng, and while this is definitely a good story, it has not brought me the kind of deI have come to expect extraordinary story-telling from Francois Cheng, and while this is definitely a good story, it has not brought me the kind of delight I had experienced reading other Cheng novels. This is really a novella, written for three voices and a chorus, and I must admit that I initially thought that choosing a construction typical of the Greek tragedy to tell a tale of ancient China was incongruous. However, as I delved into the story of those three characters evolving against the historical background of China's First Emperor's accession to the throne, I realized that the themes Cheng wove together had everything to do with the Greek Tragedy tradition: honor, sacrifice, brotherhood, friendship, love and of course doom and death... But in the end, the magic just didn't happen for me this time around.......more
As soon as I finished this book, I went online to find out if it had already been translated into English... No yet! Too bad! I would like everyone I As soon as I finished this book, I went online to find out if it had already been translated into English... No yet! Too bad! I would like everyone I know to read this book. Besides the fact that it received the famous Prix Goncourt and that it is an obscenely good first novel, it is a daring and profound analysis of the ravages of war, colonialism and post colonialist racial tensions in my homeland. We follow two heroes through an Illiad of sorts: WWII, Indochina and Algeria, none of them proud moments for my country... and then there is the inevitable Odyssey that follows: the modern day wanderings of the narrator, the novel' other hero, among a racially diverse and therefore downtrodden population parked in the increasingly sad suburbs of major French cities. Our two heroes are not what they seem: is the artist turned warrior really an accidental para-trooper who crossed all those wars without soiling his hands and his soul? Is today's narrator a true modern day Bardamu, or a shameless opportunist? Is France really a country so refined as to have gladly engaged in one nameless form of treason after another and in a continuous flow of artful acts of torture and violence since WWII? Is my country's deserved fate bringing such warfare on its doorstep today, in the big cities where cars burn and tempers flare up? The answer, obvious as it is, needed confirmation!
On a more mundane note, I am glad that the book is too long and that Jenni overshot his ending by at least 50 pages. The alternative would have been unbearable in its perfection!...more
We are in the midst of a kitchen refurbishing project, so I have very little time to myself, very little time to read right now. So, why not go back aWe are in the midst of a kitchen refurbishing project, so I have very little time to myself, very little time to read right now. So, why not go back and re-read some of the Graphic novels that taught me to love the genre?
I am very partial to Enki Bilal's very recognizable graphic style: the gaunt, lost faces, the haunting landscapes. I also happen to like his choice of stories, whether he actually writes them himself or collaborates with a writer.
"Partie de Chasse" has aged inasmuch as the plot that takes us within the USSR's aparatchik is no longer at the cutting edge of political fiction. Now that the USSR is Russia again, and that the Communist regime has fallen, or at least recycled itself into an essentially undefinable "something else", this novel becomes a historical document of sorts. During a hunting party, intrigue, secrets and a cold, boundless lust for power are unleashed against a snowy background.
This was my first Bilal novel, and it got me to read so many more of them. I loved it then, I love it now! ...more
I am not sure how to describe this book; it is neither a novel nor a memoir. It is a "recit"... I would not be able to find an accurate translation foI am not sure how to describe this book; it is neither a novel nor a memoir. It is a "recit"... I would not be able to find an accurate translation for this French word; the closest would be a "narration", although it lacks the depth of sensitivity the original word conveys.
In any case, this story stretches over the span of seven years, the last seven years in the life of Ben Jelloun's mother. It is also the chronicle of her descent into Alzheimer's; and while she becomes more and more disconnected from reality, she remains the typical North African mother until the end, a subtle mixture of all powerful matriarch and mater dolorosa. This is exactly how I remember my own grandmother, just like the complexities of a Maghreb family's structure and affective fabric depicted by Ben Jelloun, are also quite intensely and, I must admit, quite painfully personal to me.
Of course, in the final analysis, what makes the book is Ben Jelloun's tremendous talent; his story is never melodramatic, but it is a real life drama. His mother's final journey does not lack pathos, but she is never made to appear pathetic. How does he manage to get you to see his mother through his own loving eyes without ever playing interference with his reader? It takes a talented writer and a powerful human being to grant us full access to his mother's last desperate battle, her final surrender and his deep, deep grief. I know... I who have been guarding all of this ever so fiercely for ever so long.
My mother sent this to me for my birthday, which struck me as a rather surprising choice. I ended up reading the whole graphic novel in a few hours... My mother sent this to me for my birthday, which struck me as a rather surprising choice. I ended up reading the whole graphic novel in a few hours... and enjoying myself in the process. The cat is a truly fun narrator: he is biased, dishonest, selfish, jealous, yet affectionate, clever and hilarious. The depiction of the Maghreb's Jewish Community of yesteryear was rather perfect, and of course that warmed my heart... my family was like that, just like that, but they are now just about all gone, leaving my misguided generation at the helm.
There are also some interesting homages to seminal French comics, which was really fun.
I am not sure how this would translate for a reader who lacks the socio-cultural references though. ...more
Each one of those ten stories was an absolute gem; I would be hard pressed to choose a favorite among them. Nemirovsky's world is so distinctive, withEach one of those ten stories was an absolute gem; I would be hard pressed to choose a favorite among them. Nemirovsky's world is so distinctive, with its atmosphere of loneliness, disconnection and bourgeois aloofness. I felt like I was visiting an old friend I had not seen in a while, and I picked up where we had left off, smoothly and effortlessly.
I studied Camus in school, like all French schoolchildren. Apart from chosen excerpts that always pepper young readers' school anthologies, you tackleI studied Camus in school, like all French schoolchildren. Apart from chosen excerpts that always pepper young readers' school anthologies, you tackle Camus in high school when you get to Existentialism in your history of French literature curriculum. Well, I remember clearly that I had liked Camus the best... I am not a fan of the Existentialist Posse, that is for sure... but Camus is different somehow, not sure if it the Algerian sun, the very modest origins... he is just so human, so vulnerable... no ivory tower syndrome here, no self-involvement... And then I read the First Man, as unfinished as it is, and I feel so much admiration for him all over again. First of all, there is his obvious easy command over the art of writing, and that in itself, is worth praise and admiration. The words just flow and dance on the page. However, this is nothing in comparison to the real gem that lies inside this book: the truly amazing love song to his mother, helpless and limited as she was. For me, this is one of the great love stories of modern literature; the whole book is an ode to his mother. Now I come full circle with the high school girl I was... as this explains that......more
Reading Maupassant is always a treat. I cannot think of any writer whose style is quite as impeccable, whose understanding of and compassion for human Reading Maupassant is always a treat. I cannot think of any writer whose style is quite as impeccable, whose understanding of and compassion for human nature are deeper. This is one of his lesser known novels, one that takes place in the Parisian "High Society" of the time, a social group he usually shows little affection for. However, under his pen, adultery turns into a life-long passion with beautiful qualities of endurance, loyalty, commitment, honesty and compassion. As usual, Maupassant forces his reader to question our own moral canon.. ...more
I am a hard core Modiano fan, have been since his very first novel "Place de l'Etoile". Once again, "l'horizon" takes the reader in Modiano's universeI am a hard core Modiano fan, have been since his very first novel "Place de l'Etoile". Once again, "l'horizon" takes the reader in Modiano's universe, that of memories, remembering and piecing together a moment in the past, with its unanswered questions, its doubts, its misunderstandings. As Modiano gets older, the search becomes more pressing, more elegiac in a way. And then, there is Paris, always the main character of his wanderings... This time, I thought there might be a resolution to the quest, but the story ends, and I am left to write the epilogue....more
What an interesting little book about Amelie-San's disastrous tenure in a Japanese corporation!! Full of humor, cruelty, acerbic wit and a fierce critiWhat an interesting little book about Amelie-San's disastrous tenure in a Japanese corporation!! Full of humor, cruelty, acerbic wit and a fierce criticism of Japan's corporate culture mixed with a deep love and respect for the country itself, and its ineffable refinements. It is definitely the story of a descent into hell, but what an unforgettable descent it is!! As I plummeted down the abyss with the heroine, I could not help but laugh and/or smile at how absurd the whole system she was caught in truly is. A remarkable passage on Japanese women's condition, well worthy of an anthology of feminist literature. ...more
Fact: Coco Chanel's life reads just like fiction. A real Cinderella story, from rags to riches, with a lot of drama, a lot of action, a scandalous loveFact: Coco Chanel's life reads just like fiction. A real Cinderella story, from rags to riches, with a lot of drama, a lot of action, a scandalous love life, the obligatory crossing of the desert and rebirth... any Chanel biography is bound to be captivating, the richness of the subject matter would gloss over any weakness in the biographer's craft.
And then there is all that Chanel is, all that she represents: an early feminist, an icon in women's studies, a real artist, a pioneer in matters of taste and elegance, a revolutionary, a self-taught designer who opened new doors for women, for haute couture, for "l'industrie du luxe".
And then there is her work: breathtakingly simple, breathtakingly innovative, breathtakingly beautiful.
And then there is her marketing genius: her pronouncements, her ability to shape the public's taste, the ability to tame the trend.
And there there is her sheer artistry: her work echoes what was going on in the world of art at the time. Chanel did not make fashion, no.... she really made art... ...more
French mystery novel involving a one-eyed Irish detective, McCash, somehow landed in the French police. The plot is so very thin, not much going on, cFrench mystery novel involving a one-eyed Irish detective, McCash, somehow landed in the French police. The plot is so very thin, not much going on, characters are not well developed, and the climax is anti-climactic. There is a sequel to the book, with a wonderful title: "La cuisse gauche de Joe Strummer" ("Joe Strummer's Left Thigh"), but even such an alluring title cannot make me consider reading another McCash mystery!!! Too bad!!!...more
I really enjoyed that book, even though I was not overly enthused by the five texts themselves. This is a bilingual, multi-media book, and I literallyI really enjoyed that book, even though I was not overly enthused by the five texts themselves. This is a bilingual, multi-media book, and I literally feasted on the calligraphy of the texts in Arabic as well as on the pen and ink illustrations of the whole volume. The text itself was surprisingly uneven in its quality and style. Some of the language used seemed to me to be artificially sophisticated. I could not help but think of those erudite who go overboard in their practice of a foreign language and end up with a belabored product.......more
I am finding it difficult to write a few lines about such a beautiful and complex book. Set against a horrific background, that of the cultural revoluI am finding it difficult to write a few lines about such a beautiful and complex book. Set against a horrific background, that of the cultural revolution with its misery and persecution, the novel invites us to share the journey of an aspiring painter to self-discovery as an artist and a man. In fact the book is all about apprenticeship, what you learn from teachers, friends and lovers as well as strangers, jailers and other tormentors. Defined and eventually betrayed by a friend and a lover, Tianyi turns to art for solace. While he travels to Europe in search of himself and gets to discover Eastern and Western masters, he only finds his voice when he lets go of what has defined him his whole life: the sorrow of betrayal and the art of old masters. In a moment of grace, he reaches total selflessness and creates his one masterpiece on the wall of an old barn, hidden away and bound to be destroyed by the revolutionary guards. When he tells his story, Tinayi is considered to be an insane old man, living in an asylum; however, as the story unfolds, he emerges as a soulful, spiritual man whose soul has been purified by sorrow and torment like some precious metal transformed by fire. I also want to stress the historical value of the novel as the description of the harshness of the Chinese cultural revolution years takes a prominent place in the book. Actually, those intensely brutal and cruel years go from being the background of the novel to becoming a live entity, a monstruous character of sorts that acts as the ultimate and most powerful of all the catalysts in Tianyi's destiny....more
This is not my first reading of this book, and it will not be the last time I read it either. When the book came out in 1995, I happened to catch a lonThis is not my first reading of this book, and it will not be the last time I read it either. When the book came out in 1995, I happened to catch a long interview of Andre Comte-Sponville in a literary show (!!) on French TV. While I was amazed at how accessible, clear, crisp and concise his thinking was, I was most of all engaged by the fact that he seems impervious to the marxist/deconstructionist train of thought so common with modern French philosophers. Finally someone interested in metaphysics! Finally someone working in the field of ethics! That and the fact that Comte-Sponville teaches at my alma mater!! What more could I possibly want?
In any event, I bought the book.. It is a very smart approach to ethics: Compte-Sponville dedicates each chapter to a "virtue" for lack of a better unifying term. His choice ranges from justice, tolerance, charity to love, of course. His discourse is always well organized, his point well articulated, his quotes chosen intelligently. He can also be very witty (he even quotes Woody Allen), which does not prevent him from taking a strong stand on some of the deeper issues of today's world. This time around, I was very sensitive to his mastery as a teacher and caught myself imagining him lecturing on the material I was reading. I soon realized that this book was meant to be taught, not read, which is my only criticism...
I spent most of my short academic career studying 19th century women artists, so I could not resist grabbing this book at a rummage sale, a "for old tI spent most of my short academic career studying 19th century women artists, so I could not resist grabbing this book at a rummage sale, a "for old times' sake" kind of reflex. I am very glad I did, as this is a very "temperate" look at the Camille Claudel / Auguste Rodin story. By that I mean that the author resisted the temptation to fall into an overly militant interpretation of the relationship between those two artists. This was particularly evident in the analysis of Camille Claudel's work and career; I was very impressed with the "sober" read of her actual worth as a sculptor. I also appreciated the author's obviously conscious effort to stay clear of any sensationalism, a very easy pitfall when one considers the truly dramatic nature of the source material. The illustrations are very well chosen and serve the text very efficiently. Finally, it is a very fascinating read, a great accomplishment for an analytical, albeit strongly biographical, book....more
This is a very beautiful and delicate novel about the enduring power of love, in all its forms. A mature healer monk gets to finally live the love of This is a very beautiful and delicate novel about the enduring power of love, in all its forms. A mature healer monk gets to finally live the love of his life, now a forlorn wife, when he is called upon to take care of her health. They had met once and had felt the immediate burn of love in that one defining moment of their youth. Their love will unfold and bloom in eternity, which will be their time and place. While Cheng celebrates the couple's mystical union, he creates a counterpoint to the story that declines the very same mystical union, this time of a man and his god, as depicted through the arrival of Jesuits in China. This is a masterfully crafted novel, full of a profound understanding of man's relationship to loving as an active principle and a path to fullfilment. Francois Cheng is a master craftsman who excels in his nuanced approach to the depiction of the human heart....more
This is Nemirovsky's debut novel in which she displays the extraordinary style, point of view and narrative breadth of her later work. Although she chThis is Nemirovsky's debut novel in which she displays the extraordinary style, point of view and narrative breadth of her later work. Although she chose a very difficult premise, especially against the societal background of 1929 Europe, she sheds some very compassionate light on her characters, all very flawed, all very corrupt, but all so human. Only through peace with his roots, will the hero find his final redemption... ...more
I am totally perplexed by this book. I had never read anything by Francois Weyergans, a writer-movie maker associated with the "nouvelle vague", winneI am totally perplexed by this book. I had never read anything by Francois Weyergans, a writer-movie maker associated with the "nouvelle vague", winner of all kinds of prizes and accolades. So, here I go.... On the plus side: Very subtle premise: first peron narrative about a novelist struggling with writing a novel about a novelist struggling with writing a novel about a novelist etc.... This is very richly done, with humor in the variations from one repetition to the next. Weyergans is also a very erudite man who manages to share his culture with style and enough self-deprecation to make it interesting (as opposed to pontificating). Throughout the book, he builds a whole web about women, sometimes in the most abject way, and I was not sure what this was about until the very end of the book, maybe the last 20 pages, which is when we get to his mother, the real heroine of the novel. The book is actually very tragic, and it e snded up ringing particularly true to me (my mother has actually had a very similar stroke last summer, with similar clinical consequences and even similar medicines!). On the down side: although the end of the book clearly explains why he wrote those pages, he sometimes objectified women in such a way that I hated the book: no intellectual reasoning could make me overcome this basic repulsion.
The novel is probably much too sublte and smart for me, with those contrasts of indifference, love, scorn masquerading as one another......more
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