I reread Tolstoy during lockdown. War and Peace and Anna Karenina, trans by Pevear and Volokhonsky. These are more recent translations and they are far better than the ones I read years ago, especially War and Peace, which is totally amazing. If you are suffering heartbreak, Anna Karenina will put you over the edge in a very real way as a love story. When it comes to the Russians, translation is the difference between getting through them and realizing how great they are.
I read many Russian novels when on bed rest at the end of my first pregnancy. I adore them. (Sad that Russians have gone off the rails, because their literature is among the best.)
That might convince me to look again. The volume of War and Peace I tried reading years ago didn't go down well at all. I so agree on the power of the translation
I think War and Peace is his masterpiece. The way it portrays the chaos of warfare and the incompetence of leadership contrasted with the life of the aristocracy is striking. But this translation was far more readable than the older ones.
For me that's really key. Readability. There's so much I want to read, so many good books, that my list trails into forever and sometimes I lament that one day I will die without having read all the things I want to read. But I will give the newest translation a look for sure. Your opinion is solid with me. :)
I get tired of people talking about the need to write more. There’s no point in doing it if you’re not called to! It’s not like lifting weights, in which you are just about assured to continue to get stronger as you go. I value good writing, and I don’t want to read the writing exercises of people whose heart isn’t it.
For whatever it's worth, I am now reading "Favorite Tales of Sholom Aleichem" Benefit you ask? I am now putting more entries into my notepad than I have done is a while. My favorites of the old world writers are Kafka and Dostoevsky. Thanks.
It kills me that Kafka didn't publish while he was alive because he was dead sure he was a terrible writer. That's a story I want to write about one day, too. I will go look up that one, too. I love books that make me grab a highlighter or notebook.
I picked up Perfume by Patrick Süskind because I watched a clip from the movie and was impressed by the language. It's a translation, so I guess the end result of the text that impressed me was a product of dual authorship.
Here's a line that struck me from something else, "A mourning moan as this old ship remembers her true self, her tree self, rooted and growing, alive, on shore." That's from 'Hurricane Dancers' by Margarita Engle.
The last one that came to mind was from watching the live action version of 'The Jungle Book.' That film is a jumble of text from the original book, the animated film, and the most recent author(s) of the screenplay. I was struck by how easily it was to identify the words that originated with Kipling.
Oh what a beautiful sentence. I'll go look up the book. Interesting that you could pick out Kipling. I'm not surprised. His voice is so clear and distinct.
I can always tell what people read. The people who talk like internet marketers in their essays need to read some real books. Literature and even just good fiction.
“Read better books” says it all. Sometimes you can find a gem in an otherwise ordinary book, though. I found this one in one of Anne Perry’s Elena Standish novels, A Question of Betrayal: “It all comes down to fear and greed. The easiest way to make that respectable is to call it nationalism, as you can’t fault a man for loving his country.”
I so agree. I find a lot of good writing in books that wouldn't be called literature. Fantasy, fiction, historical fiction. I've heard good things about Anne Perry, though I have not read her work, but that's a great sentence.
It might be, but I’m not sure I’ve never read that book but I sure am going look it up.
I read a book with a compilation of Nabokov’s stories. There was one paragraph at the beginning of one of the stories that I reread at least seven or eight times it was that beautiful
You know... this is what makes reading so entertaining for me, reading words put together so curiously it makes my mind bounce them around a little longer contemplating the deeper meaning. What a satisfying experience it is to read such works.
Even your title Linda, is one of those; (pause,and re-read to think about deeper feelings) phrases to make you think a little longer. It seems the average reader wants to gobble up the words quickly to gather the whole message, but clever writing can pleasantly trick us into a pause, and maybe even a smile before we continue the journey.
The phrase:“I remember awakening one morning and finding everything smeared with the color of forgotten love.” I maybe would've expected: " I remember awakening one morning feeling the warmth of forgotten love" and that would've worked, but would've been so unnoticeable and quickly forgettable, but try to quickly digest "everything smeared with the color of forgotten love" and you've got a pleasant thought to contemplate for a long time to come...at least for me. It's such a nice article Linda, thank you.
I so agree, Dave. It's so satisfying to read words like that. It's like satiety in food. They leave us full and contemplative. When I read Bukowski's words, here's what I thought of. One of the nice things my ex used to do was bring me coffee in bed. So I could wake up slow. When we split, everything was smeared with that. The coffee maker. The end table. My cup. Smeared with the color of forgotten love. It was just so perfect. He saw in a way few do and those words made me feel seen and understood by a man I never knew in person.
I love finding passages in books that are so stunning I force my husband to listen to me read them aloud. I recently read Niall William's "This Is Happiness" and I could have read him something on every single page. I also find I learn from reading bad writing (whenever I ask myself, "why is this so annoying to me?" it helps me figure out what to avoid in my own work).
Now I have to go look that one up, Jan. I need to not have to work so I can read all the books I want to read in this lifetime. lol. And I so agree. Contrasting bad writing with compelling writing is the best way to learn. And we're always learning. No one masters writing. Not ever.
A Trump supporter was seated next to an older woman on an airplane and he turned to her and said, “Do you want to talk? Flights go quicker if you strike up a conversation with your fellow passenger.”
The old woman, who had just started to read her book, replied to the total stranger,
“What would you want to talk about?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” said the man. “How about how they stole the election in 2020 and Donald Trump should be president.”
“Okay,” she said. “Those could be interesting topics but let me ask you a question first. A horse, a cow, and a deer all eat the same stuff – grass. Yet a deer excretes little pellets, while a cow turns out a flat patty, but a horse produces clumps. Why do you suppose that is?”
The man, visibly surprised by the old woman’s question, thinks about it and says, “Hmmm, I have no idea.”
To which the old woman replies, “Do you really feel qualified to discuss politics, when you don’t know shit?”
I agree Sam. Reading is good for our brain and our soul. I so agree.
I reread Tolstoy during lockdown. War and Peace and Anna Karenina, trans by Pevear and Volokhonsky. These are more recent translations and they are far better than the ones I read years ago, especially War and Peace, which is totally amazing. If you are suffering heartbreak, Anna Karenina will put you over the edge in a very real way as a love story. When it comes to the Russians, translation is the difference between getting through them and realizing how great they are.
I read many Russian novels when on bed rest at the end of my first pregnancy. I adore them. (Sad that Russians have gone off the rails, because their literature is among the best.)
That might convince me to look again. The volume of War and Peace I tried reading years ago didn't go down well at all. I so agree on the power of the translation
I think War and Peace is his masterpiece. The way it portrays the chaos of warfare and the incompetence of leadership contrasted with the life of the aristocracy is striking. But this translation was far more readable than the older ones.
For me that's really key. Readability. There's so much I want to read, so many good books, that my list trails into forever and sometimes I lament that one day I will die without having read all the things I want to read. But I will give the newest translation a look for sure. Your opinion is solid with me. :)
I get tired of people talking about the need to write more. There’s no point in doing it if you’re not called to! It’s not like lifting weights, in which you are just about assured to continue to get stronger as you go. I value good writing, and I don’t want to read the writing exercises of people whose heart isn’t it.
That's true!
I ended up doing a whole thing on this for Medium. It's not up yet. Thanks, Linda, for the inspiration.
Oh you're so welcome. Tag me so I don't miss it. Or even better, come post a link here so others can come read too!
It's up now. Here it is: https://medium.com/engage/is-willpower-worthless-e3507211d518
I so agree with you Michelle. Style matters, not just volume.
For whatever it's worth, I am now reading "Favorite Tales of Sholom Aleichem" Benefit you ask? I am now putting more entries into my notepad than I have done is a while. My favorites of the old world writers are Kafka and Dostoevsky. Thanks.
It kills me that Kafka didn't publish while he was alive because he was dead sure he was a terrible writer. That's a story I want to write about one day, too. I will go look up that one, too. I love books that make me grab a highlighter or notebook.
I picked up Perfume by Patrick Süskind because I watched a clip from the movie and was impressed by the language. It's a translation, so I guess the end result of the text that impressed me was a product of dual authorship.
Here's a line that struck me from something else, "A mourning moan as this old ship remembers her true self, her tree self, rooted and growing, alive, on shore." That's from 'Hurricane Dancers' by Margarita Engle.
The last one that came to mind was from watching the live action version of 'The Jungle Book.' That film is a jumble of text from the original book, the animated film, and the most recent author(s) of the screenplay. I was struck by how easily it was to identify the words that originated with Kipling.
Oh what a beautiful sentence. I'll go look up the book. Interesting that you could pick out Kipling. I'm not surprised. His voice is so clear and distinct.
As a kid in the fifties, I delighted at Kipling's words on the radio
Totally agree with you and Stephen: to write well you must read well. You can't have one without the other.
I can always tell what people read. The people who talk like internet marketers in their essays need to read some real books. Literature and even just good fiction.
“Read better books” says it all. Sometimes you can find a gem in an otherwise ordinary book, though. I found this one in one of Anne Perry’s Elena Standish novels, A Question of Betrayal: “It all comes down to fear and greed. The easiest way to make that respectable is to call it nationalism, as you can’t fault a man for loving his country.”
I so agree. I find a lot of good writing in books that wouldn't be called literature. Fantasy, fiction, historical fiction. I've heard good things about Anne Perry, though I have not read her work, but that's a great sentence.
ooof, neatly put
I read this this morning and I just had to post it. Love the imagery.
“Let the world burn through you. Throw the prism light, white-hot, on paper.” -Ray Bradbury
Oh that's delightful. Is that from Zen in the Art of Writing? I loved that book.
It might be, but I’m not sure I’ve never read that book but I sure am going look it up.
I read a book with a compilation of Nabokov’s stories. There was one paragraph at the beginning of one of the stories that I reread at least seven or eight times it was that beautiful
It's a great book. I've read it at least three times and will keep re-reading from time to time. Just so much in there.
Beautiful writing never gets old, does it?
It really never does. I love the way you said that.
And to anyone who has not read Bradbury's 'Fahrenheit 451' - do yourself a favor and get to it pronto :)
Hi Linda, as an advocate and teacher for good writing, may I ask you to take a look....
https://suzannetaylor.substack.com/an-essay-contest-is-launched
Will you help prompt writers to take an interest in this potential catalyst for Peace, Maurice
I sure will. And I'll leave the link here so others can check it out, too
You know... this is what makes reading so entertaining for me, reading words put together so curiously it makes my mind bounce them around a little longer contemplating the deeper meaning. What a satisfying experience it is to read such works.
Even your title Linda, is one of those; (pause,and re-read to think about deeper feelings) phrases to make you think a little longer. It seems the average reader wants to gobble up the words quickly to gather the whole message, but clever writing can pleasantly trick us into a pause, and maybe even a smile before we continue the journey.
The phrase:“I remember awakening one morning and finding everything smeared with the color of forgotten love.” I maybe would've expected: " I remember awakening one morning feeling the warmth of forgotten love" and that would've worked, but would've been so unnoticeable and quickly forgettable, but try to quickly digest "everything smeared with the color of forgotten love" and you've got a pleasant thought to contemplate for a long time to come...at least for me. It's such a nice article Linda, thank you.
I so agree, Dave. It's so satisfying to read words like that. It's like satiety in food. They leave us full and contemplative. When I read Bukowski's words, here's what I thought of. One of the nice things my ex used to do was bring me coffee in bed. So I could wake up slow. When we split, everything was smeared with that. The coffee maker. The end table. My cup. Smeared with the color of forgotten love. It was just so perfect. He saw in a way few do and those words made me feel seen and understood by a man I never knew in person.
Thankyou Linda, Suzanne will be delighted
I love finding passages in books that are so stunning I force my husband to listen to me read them aloud. I recently read Niall William's "This Is Happiness" and I could have read him something on every single page. I also find I learn from reading bad writing (whenever I ask myself, "why is this so annoying to me?" it helps me figure out what to avoid in my own work).
Now I have to go look that one up, Jan. I need to not have to work so I can read all the books I want to read in this lifetime. lol. And I so agree. Contrasting bad writing with compelling writing is the best way to learn. And we're always learning. No one masters writing. Not ever.
Hemingway's' 'What you tell me about in the night...' - is probably the most profound statement about love I've ever read.
Because of his non-writing activities, (Hunting etc.) I've always avoided him, but now I have to read that book!
Thank you for sharing Linda :)
1.
"You don’t put yourself into what you write, you find yourself there." (Alan Bennett)
2.
(Bad guy to Good guy) "You're makin' a mistake.
Billy Jack: "I've made 'em before." (Tom Laughlin)
3.
"Life is a song. And I don't want to sing it alone." (Me)
ESPECIALLY FOR REPUBLICAN VOTERS
A Trump supporter was seated next to an older woman on an airplane and he turned to her and said, “Do you want to talk? Flights go quicker if you strike up a conversation with your fellow passenger.”
The old woman, who had just started to read her book, replied to the total stranger,
“What would you want to talk about?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” said the man. “How about how they stole the election in 2020 and Donald Trump should be president.”
“Okay,” she said. “Those could be interesting topics but let me ask you a question first. A horse, a cow, and a deer all eat the same stuff – grass. Yet a deer excretes little pellets, while a cow turns out a flat patty, but a horse produces clumps. Why do you suppose that is?”
The man, visibly surprised by the old woman’s question, thinks about it and says, “Hmmm, I have no idea.”
To which the old woman replies, “Do you really feel qualified to discuss politics, when you don’t know shit?”
And then there's this...
"Human Touch" (Bruce Springsteen)
https://youtu.be/85cNRQo1m3A?si=ekL-CDMP8XRhwUKr
LYRICS
You and me we were the pretenders
We let it all slip away
In the end what you don't surrender
Well the world just strips away
Girl ain't no kindness in the face of strangers
Ain't gonna find no miracles here
Well you can wait on your blessings darlin'
But I got a deal for you right here
I ain't lookin' for prayers or pity
I ain't comin' 'round searchin' for a crutch
I just want someone to talk to
And a little of that human touch
Just a little of that human touch
Ain't no mercy on the streets of this town
Ain't no bread from heavenly skies
Ain't nobody drawin' wine from this blood
It's just you and me tonight
Tell me in a world without pity
Do you think what I'm askin's too much?
I just want something to hold on to
And a little of that human touch
Just a little of that human touch
Oh girl that feeling of safety you prize
Well it comes with a hard hard price
You can't shut off the risk and pain
Without losin' the love that remains
We're all riders on this train
So you been broken and you been hurt
Show me somebody who ain't
Yeah I know I ain't nobody's bargain
But hell a little touchup
And a little paint
You might need somethin' to hold on to
When all the answers they don't amount to much
Somebody that you can just talk to
And a little of that human touch
Baby in a world without pity
Do you think what I'm askin's too much?
I just want to feel you in my arms
And share a little of that human touch
__________________________________________