Bloody hell, I read The White Hotel years ago. I never thought I'd hear this book mentioned in elevated company again! The Holocaust passages are searing, from what I recall. Isn't there a Pale Fire-style section that is one long poem, too? He wrote some interesting novels. My favorite is a roman a clef he wrote about Akhmatova and Mandelstam and their circle, although I can't for the life of me remember what it was called. I no longer seem to own any of his books. He's good, though.
what are you reading now?
IdleRich
IdleRich
Yeah, kinda - the first chapter is letters among Freud's circle, the next chapter is a longish and surreal erotic poem, then the following chapter is a long exposition of that poem in prose. After that it becomes apparent that the poem and its explanation were created by a patient of Freud for the aid of her analysis, the next chapter is that analysis and then it moves forward into the analysed woman's future... and the holocaust stuff, which is indeed searing.
I know what you mean actually - it all worked out a little too neatly, it was the psychoanalysis equivalent of a Sherlock Holmes denouement where every single bit fits neatly into the whole picture. Although later events in the book which reveal that she's been lying or that Freud was mistaken do undercut this slightly.
Kinda interested in various types of counselling and analysis at the moment as I have a lot of friends and acquaintances who are undergoing or who have undergone different styles of counselling.
blacktulip
Pregnant with mandrakes
Reading the Keith Richards book now. Exactly how I expected it to be, so that's good.
blacktulip
Pregnant with mandrakes
"He is not just a credit to Sidcup Art School; he is an inspiration to every London child who peeps a recorder or strums a guitar. I cannot think of another member of the British artistic, cultural or media world who has done so much or who has so widely penetrated the global consciousness. David Attenborough? Stephen Fry? He knocks them into a cocked hat... Arise Sir Keef, I say, and if there were any damn merit in it, he would have the Order of Merit, too." -Boris Johnson
Benny Bunter
Well-known member
cheers for the tip, started this today and its good so far.
Bangpuss
Well-known member
Rich, no worries on the lend. Although I sincerely hope you've kept The White Hotel in good condition, since I bought it for my girlfriend and then stole it back to lend to you! If it turns out to be battered, the book won't be the only thing dog-eared.
Maybe there's some cheap Freudian relevance to the fact that my ex got me on to DM Thomas after finding a volume of his poetry in a library. Poetry and Striptease it was called, and that was fucking great as well, from what I read. She had to copy it out and email it to me because it was in the reference section, and all of his poetry is out of print. If anyone knows where I can get a copy of that, I'd be most appreciative.
I remember the first line of the title poem is:
Be great to fuck you on the dunes
Maybe there's some cheap Freudian relevance to the fact that my ex got me on to DM Thomas after finding a volume of his poetry in a library. Poetry and Striptease it was called, and that was fucking great as well, from what I read. She had to copy it out and email it to me because it was in the reference section, and all of his poetry is out of print. If anyone knows where I can get a copy of that, I'd be most appreciative.
I remember the first line of the title poem is:
Be great to fuck you on the dunes
blacktulip
Pregnant with mandrakes
Quite an easy find, actually, and cheap: Amazon product ASIN 0436518929
'Poetry and Striptease' is a poem of his, not the title of any volume as far as I know.
'Poetry and Striptease' is a poem of his, not the title of any volume as far as I know.
blacktulip
Pregnant with mandrakes
I think it was in the collection 'The Puberty Tree', actually. Could you be referring to that one?
blacktulip
Pregnant with mandrakes
Very good so far:
last several things completed:
Dreaming of Babylon - Richard Brautigan
1Q84 - Haruki Murakami
In the Miso Soup - Ryu Murakami
Piercing - Ryu Murakami
Swimming in Cambodia - Spalding Gray
reading now:
Jakob Von Gunten - Robert Walser
Exercises in Style - Raymond Queneau
The Franchiser - Stanley Elkin
Stories of Five Decades - Hermann Hesse
on deck:
Tales of Pirx the Pilot - Stanislaw Lem
The Living End - Stanley Elkin
Rhinocerus - Eugène Ionesco
Dreaming of Babylon - Richard Brautigan
1Q84 - Haruki Murakami
In the Miso Soup - Ryu Murakami
Piercing - Ryu Murakami
Swimming in Cambodia - Spalding Gray
reading now:
Jakob Von Gunten - Robert Walser
Exercises in Style - Raymond Queneau
The Franchiser - Stanley Elkin
Stories of Five Decades - Hermann Hesse
on deck:
Tales of Pirx the Pilot - Stanislaw Lem
The Living End - Stanley Elkin
Rhinocerus - Eugène Ionesco
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grizzleb
Well-known member
Woah, so this book took a crazy turn and has now become more philosophical (and dense) whilst impressively retaining the same flow of narrative and prosody. At times it feels almost like a phenomenology of self-awareness and epiphany.
bandshell - I think Dubliners is one of my favourite books, I just love it. Don't think I've read naturalism at the quality of it anywhere else. And it's certainly the best short story collection I've read.
Mr. Tea
Let's Talk About Ceps
I'm really, really digging Flan O'Brien at the moment so I guess Joyce is the logical next step. If 'logical' is the right word...
Odd that O'Brien is held in such high esteem these days - well it's not of course, because he's great - whereas he was often unfavourably compared to Joyce during his lifetime, from what I can gather. But I think a lot of critics and other writers at the time thought Joyce was basically a dirty-minded pseud, didn't they?
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grizzleb
Well-known member
Joyce pretty much gave O'Brien a career when he gave At Swim Two Birds a few lines of praise, after O'Brien basically chased him down with a copy in France. And then O'Brien ungratefully wrote derisory stuff about him.
You should read Dubliner's and Portrait if you haven't Tea, they're just amazing. Still not got the nuts for Ulysses yet.
You should read Dubliner's and Portrait if you haven't Tea, they're just amazing. Still not got the nuts for Ulysses yet.
luka
Well-known member
stagey oirishness obviously. hugh kenner characterised obrian as a wastrel. a bloke with all the talent in the world who wasted it on journalism and alcoholism. seems fair enough. makes me like flann o brain more. that wasnt his real name by the way. ive never read anything by him but my grilfriend read a lot of his best book out loud to me.
Mr. Tea
Let's Talk About Ceps
Craigslist?