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SydneyH wrote: "Cabbie wrote: "And now I'm going to throw a spanner into the works and ask for any decent recommendations from anyone for fiction or non-fiction about the French Revolution"

Off the top of my head..."
@Magrat. You may remember I have my signed copy of A Place of Greater Safety, which I love, though @conedison, and one or two others thought it was overlong.

Berkley wrote (100):Speaking of Büchner, my favourite work of his by far is the short story Lenz, which I think is a masterpiece of the very first rank

I couldn't agree more. I was hooked from the first sentence:

Den 20. Januar ging Lenz durchs Gebirg...

Berkley wrote: "Thanks, everyone, for the suggestions. Of the few I've already read, Dickens is fantasic, of course. Victor Hugo's 1793 was a mild disappointment - not bad but not especially memorable, for me.

Ca..."

hear, hear on Buchner, a real talent and yes, if i remember right Dantons Death has a good historical basis on records from the time

Cold and grey in the Shires/ North Downs but i love it, the Rowan has budded(sort of) and a lilac has leafed too, though mostly its lines of stark bare branches, which i love and always lament the passing into full leaf, though thats lovely too

my father has been lambing since mid march, at 75 he has been up and down at 4-5am, to attend to his ewe's and there are now 3 ram lambs and one ewe lamb bleating away in the stables. (i havent visited as am giving my parents 2 weeks after their second jab before visiting). he is a gentleman farmer but throws himself into lambing, on his own, and for an unsentimental, pragmatic englishman, he is quite upset if he loses any ewes or lambs.

elsewhere i had a lovely read of Josep Pla ilate last night, in the silence which will be forever broken on Monday by the sounds of shrieking youths down the pubs...

On the French Revolution I think it is worth mentioning a play that is probably little known in the Anglosphere.

It does, however, transcend the subject, so likely to be outside of Cabbie's specs.

Alerting all Barbara Pym fans....there’s an interesting article in the Graun today.

Georg wrote: "On the French Revolution I think it is worth mentioning a play that is probably little known in the Anglosphere. ..."

Peter Brook directed Marat/Sade in London in the sixties and then made a film. I didn't see it in the theatre, but did see the film.

"The Hungry Grass" is delicious, my goodness,as i grasp this object in my hands, i am thinking it is just the novel i wanted, which i didnt know when i released it from TBR purgatory.....

I'm only 36 pages in, so apologies for hyperbole but this is a wonderfully told story of the death of a priest (in the prologue) and then his life in the months leading up to his death. In the prologue, he is entirely absent, as people discuss and remember him, as a priest clears his house of papers and documents for the new priest, there is his funeral and also a few mystery letters and objects in the house

Then the novel swings to a cold day in lent a few months before, the deceased, is living, walking on a dark night and comes accross a Jehovahs Witness on the roadside, who isnt aware he is talking to a man of the cloth........

@Mach, I’m all over the bloody place with replies, but thanks for the heads up re the Pym Book of the Week. I see it starts next week, so shall endeavour to tune in, and not wander off as I usually do!

Georg wrote: "On the French Revolution I think it is worth mentioning a play that is probably little known in the Anglosphere. ..."

Gfpr wrote: Peter Brook directed Marat/Sade in London in the sixties and then made a film. I didn't see it in the theatre, but did see the film.

Indeed he did - it was excellent, and I was tremendously impressed. The cast list includes some of the best-known British actors of the time (1967).

Lass wrote: "Alerting all Barbara Pym fans....there’s an interesting article in the Graun today."

Indeed - here is a link:



(Haha! I have just realised, after reading that article and noting Pym's flirtation with a Nazi - and the Nazis - that I had confused Pym with another author with a three-letter name - Josephine Tey - whose The Daughter of Time I read and admired quite a while ago. Never mind - I have one of Pym's on order, and so will come to it with fresh eyes...)

Hello folks! Long time... long time...

I'm bleery, the 7 month old hasn't learned how to compartamentalize his flatuence, but he has learned how to dance to the Itsy Bitsy Spider. As such, reading has been a bit like trying to slide across a sandpaper floor in sock feet.

I did manage to scrape my way through Maxim Gorky's autobiographical My Childhood. It was short and not as dreary as I had expected. For a book that starts off with the rictus smile of a dead father, it looked like it will be a trip down Misery Porn Lane. Instead, it was actually a good reflection of a childhood in which the poverty is secondary to the wonder of discovery and the terror of brutality. The brutality does indeed abound. Between the whippings from the twerpy grandfather, to the sociopathic uncle to the flouncy mother it would be hard to describe Gorky's upbringing as anything other than scarring. Or Character Building if you're schmucky.
But alongside the willow branches and the dead lodgers, it's a very honest glimpse into a childhood in which trees are objects of wonder, the air smells of snow, birds can be caught and kept as pets and other kids are to be approached with trepidation. It's oddly rhythmic the undulations between wonder and horror, as Gorky starts to use the wave-like structure of his life to knit stories to tell to his friends and family.

A decent read, maybe not essential must read before dying, but certainly not a waste of our short time here on the blue marble.

Next up, I'm going to finish up Pat Barker's Regeneration Trilogy with The Ghost Road. I'm not sure where the hell it's going to go as The Eye In The Door took nothing but left turns from my expected narrative path.

Scarletnoir wrote: Gfpr wrote: Peter Brook directed Marat/Sade in London in the sixties and then made a film. I didn't see it in the theatre, but did see the film.

Indeed he did - it was excellent, and I was tremendously impressed. The cast list includes some of the best-known British actors of the time (1967).

Saw it on stage and was likewise tremendously impressed by it as a spectacle�� only, I remember feeling rather stupid as I didn’t understand what it was saying.

Georg wrote: " a play that is probably little known in the Anglosphere...."

I don't know why, but this is ringing a bell in my head. Isn't it a film too? - oh yes, I see @scarletnoir mentions it.

scarletnoir wrote: "I had confused Pym with another author with a three-letter name - Josephine Tey - whose The Daughter of Time I read and admired quite a while ago."

I thought that was perhaps the most overrated book I've read, probably even more so than Stoner. , for crying out loud.

scarletnoir wrote: "Georg wrote: "On the French Revolution I think it is worth mentioning a play that is probably little known in the Anglosphere. ..."

Gfpr wrote: Peter Brook directed Marat/Sade in London in the six..."
Yep, three letter surnames, Pym, Tey, often have my brain in a taffle too!

Two disappoinment's for me so far this week..
An Inventory of Losses by Judith Schalansky, translated by Jackie Smith.
Schalansky's first book, Atlas of Remote Islands, is a pleasant inclusion in my bookcase. It is a beautifully designed book with fine images, but light on text. The islands she chooses are fascinating also, and the few words, though well-chosen, did not answer enough questions for me, and I found myself resorting to the internet.
In her new 'novel', longlisted for the International Booker Prize, it is as if she has heard my criticism..
This is her selection of historical objects now lost, 12 vanished tiny wonders of the world. As well as writing, Schalansky is designer of books, and once again, that ability really shines here. Each of the objects has an essay, or short story, attached to it, sometimes factual, sometimes fictional and sometimes fictional-based-on-fact. But these were of interest only fleetingly, I personally didn't find the mix worked very well. I had expected an entire work of non-fiction, and assumed there would be plenty of juicy facts to be unearthed from research, but maybe not.
Without looking in any details at the book, from my presupposition, it had surprised me that it had made the Booker longlist. And to be honest, it still does..

And, Mira Corpora by Jeff Jackson
Based on the journals he kept himself while growing up, this is a novel featuring the author in his adolescence, as he escapes an abusive children's home, roams a surreal and lawless wasteland, settles at a cult camp for teenagers, and lives homeless on drug-infested city streets.
Its a mix of his actual experiences and his fantasies both as an adult and as a boy. It is certainly interesting but just as the various parts of his life grab the attention, any emotional truth or even plot development is obscured by the flourishes of fantasy.

No AB.
I haven't read any Thoreau, yet..
I have an eye on this also.
I'm planning on saving him for the Galloway forest (which now has Dark Sky status), hopefully in the first week or so of May...

My support to your moan also AB.
I read a lot of shorter books, particularly in translation.
It would be great if publishers would put two or three together, like two I have read recently, Three Novels: Ghosts, An Episode in the Life of a Landscape Painter, The Literary Conference (César Aira) or The Notebook, The Proof, The Third Lie: Three Novels (Ágota Kristóf).
Tom Mooney, who sadly we haven't heard from for a long while, told me that a publisher was considering reissuing Pascal Garnier in pairs.

Machenbach wrote: "Andy wrote: "Two disappoinment's for me so far this week..
An Inventory of Losses by Judith Schalansky, translated by Jackie Smith.
..."
It disappointed me too. Th..."

I even replied to it...
Having read it now, I can quite agree that more than once it verges towards boring.
Maybe I am cynical, but it comes over to me that the fictional essays are a lazy option to doing the years of research otherwise involved.
On a similar sort of topic, I can recommend Cal Flyn's Islands of Abandonment. It is really well done from a 28 year old Highlands journalist.

TLS...those were the days. Your review (as we often did) gathered quite a few comments.

Andy wrote: "My support to your moan also AB.
I read a lot of shorter books, particularly in translation.
It would be great if publishers would put two or three together, like two I have read recently, [book:..."

yes where is Mr Mooney? I would imagine he is preparing to resume bookselling from Monday and therefore frantically busy!

Andy wrote: "My support to your moan also AB.
I read a lot of shorter books, particularly in translation.
It would be great if publishers would put two or three together, like two I have read recently, [book:..."

its the margin that creeps up and kills you, when you realise suddenly you have spent a lot in a month and the total pages is less than a £9 penguin classic....they need to work on affordable titles more, i think

AB76 wrote: "Andy wrote: "More isolated winter cabins for me, this time in Maine, with Herman Raucher's Maynard's House
This can be read on two le..."

No AB.
I haven't read any Thoreau, yet..
I have an eye on this also.
I'm planning on saving him for the Galloway forest (which now has Dark Sky status), hopefully in the first week or so of May...

Macron to close the ENA, not a new story really but a shame all the same, though i do agree that De Gaulle and Debre's vision of 1945, when it was created to ensure a more meritocratic graduate class never materialised.

For any Georges Simenon fans, the New Statesman has an article by William Boyd on the great mans photography, in the Easter double issue. Apparently he wrote a novel illustrated by photographs...

Andy wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Andy wrote: "More isolated winter cabins for me, this time in Maine, with Herman Raucher's Maynard's House
This can be r..."

that would be an excellent place to read "The Maine Woods". i picked it for this summer as i wanted something of his nature writing, the mindful writing can come later..

AB76 wrote: "Andy wrote: "My support to your moan also AB.
I read a lot of shorter books, particularly in translation.
It would be great if publishers would put two or three together, like two I have read rec..."

Every couple of weeks I have a nose at his page on here and see what he is reading.
He speaks highly of the new Vlautin.
I seem to recall he doesn't like this group format.
He does have a point. MB just directed me back to one of his reviews last year on TLS, and that example shows its so much easier to get a thread of comments going.

Bill wrote: "scarletnoir wrote: "I had confused Pym with another author with a three-letter name - Josephine Tey - whose The Daughter of Time I read and admired quite a while ago."

I thought that was perhaps the most overrated book I've read, probably even more so than Stoner. The top crime novel of all time, for crying out loud."

Not at all - it wasn't glum and depressing, like 'Stoner'! It's a long time since I read it, but I would not have classified it as a crime novel. It did provide an interesting counterbalance to the received wisdom that Richard III was a 'baddie'. As I am no historian, I have no idea where the 'truth' lies - but then, probably neither do the historians...

An interesting list, BTW - I see that Chandler has two books in the top 10, which won't please you! ;-) FWIW, I would not have Hammett anywhere near that...

While reading The Absolute Book I came across a reference to the lost library of Iona which I wanted to look up but didn’t find much information. This ancient library was said to contain unique volumes from when Rome fell. The Book of Kells was written there. Was the library burned or hidden? Does anyone have any more information?

Here’s the next
She spoke of the two noble libraries bought for forty shillings during the reign of Henry VIII and used as toilet paper—and duly inventoried as a supply that lasted ten years. She told of the libraries of Buda and Pest burned by Suleiman the Magnificent. As an example of collateral destruction she mentioned the library destroyed by Thomas Fairfax’s army during the English Civil War. (And flushed, remembering how the Firestarter had passed through that calamity unscathed.) She acknowledged the ruin of the libraries of Strasbourg, Louvain, the Molsheim Charterhouse in Paris. ‘And many more,�� she said. ‘And many more.��
You’ll understand why my progress through the book is rather slow with all this looking up!

The cremation will take place on Friday 9th April at 8:30am at East Surrey Crematorium. The ashes will be scattered in the garden at the crematorium. It will be private due to lockdown restraints; only crematorium staff will attend.

I was not sure whether this meant that there could be no way of attending virtually (unless of course this was against Justine's family's wishes)... When I've called the (North) East Surrey Crematorium to know if this was a possibility at all, they've very kindly told me that they had no cremation scheduled tomorrow for 8.30 am and until quite later, and no Justine.

Even if there is no possibility of being "there" for Justine's last voyage, I'd still very much like to go - when possible - to the garden where her ashes will be scattered to remember her (with a thermos of strong coffee in one hand, and a good book in the other), even though there will be no plaque or stone to mark her. There is no East Surrey Crematorium, and nothing that is close in name, apart perhaps from the East London Crematorium. @LL, do you have any way of knowing at which crematorium this will take place?

Andy wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Andy wrote: "My support to your moan also AB.
I read a lot of shorter books, particularly in translation.
It would be great if publishers would put two or three together, like two I ..."

ah, that makes sense, it is a very poor format sadly...thanks for the link

Hushpuppy wrote: "The cremation will take place on Friday 9th April at 8:30am at East Surrey Crematorium. The ashes will be scattered in the garden at the crematorium. It will be private due to lockdown restraints; ..."

It is much more likely to be the East London, glad, given where Justine lived. The only other one, a little further away is the City of London.
It does seem hard not to be able to anything , I hope that her family appreciate how much she is missed here.

CCCubbon wrote: "It is much more likely to be the East London, glad, given where Justine lived. The only other one, a little further away is the City of London."

Thanks v. much CCC. I'd think so too, but the two very nice ladies I got on the phone said that depending on the director, Justine could end up far from Stoke Newington...

It does seem hard not to be able to anything , I hope that her family appreciate how much she is missed here.

Yes, I do find it hard. It feels that there is no real possibility for closure... As you say, I really hope her family knows how much we valued and cared for their sister. Do we know too whether they are against giving us her last name? That'd be lovely. They might find the whole concept of our "odd little community" as Paul called it a bit discombobulating tbh, and I wouldn't blame them!

scarletnoir wrote: "I see that Chandler has two books in the top 10, which won't please you! ;-) FWIW, I would not have Hammett anywhere near that.."

I’ve nothing against Chandler �� he’s hugely influential as a stylist and for the LA PI milieu he did much to establish, it’s just that, having read three of his books, in reading further it just seemed I would be getting more of the same (which is also why I avoid series characters). On the other hand, having also read three by Hammet, I’m open to reading more.

I’m not much of a mystery reader, but I do read crime novels, more broadly defined; though I thought the American list a bit too broadly inclusive. Crime and Punishment and The Secret Agent are arguable inclusions; they do at least feature crimes. But Dracula and Rosemary's Baby? C’mon.

I note that what I consider the best crime novels I’ve read from the respective countries, Harriet (British) and Nightmare Alley (American) are not on either list.

Hushpuppy wrote: "@LL, do you have any way of knowing at which crematorium this will take place?..."

Have reached out to the person who sent me that information; will let you know when I hear back. I do know that the crematorium is closed to the public currently so a walk in the garden isn't possible at the moment.

Lljones wrote: "Hushpuppy wrote: "@LL, do you have any way of knowing at which crematorium this will take place?..."

Have reached out to the person who sent me that information; will let you know when I hear back..."

i hope she gets a great send off in these tough times, with as much family there as possible

Hushpuppy wrote: "The cremation will take place on Friday 9th April at 8:30am at East Surrey Crematorium. The ashes will be scattered in the garden at the crematorium. It will be private due to lockdown restraints; ..."

there is a North East Surrey Crematorium in Morden:

Lljones wrote: "Have reached out to the person who sent me that information; will let you know when I hear back. I do know that the crematorium is closed to the public currently so a walk in the garden isn't possible at the moment."

Thanks a lot @LL. Yes, I was thinking of doing so only when it would be safe (I am shielding at any rate). The fact that it's closed to the public made me think that the crematorium might be set up for a virtual attendance.

@AB: Thanks, but this is the crematorium I have already contacted, and they are not the one organising the cremation tomorrow. As @LL said, it is all closed to the public and will only be attended in person by the staff. That's why I was hoping that it might be possible to attend virtually (her family is on the West Coast of the US), if that was not against Justine's sisters' wishes.

Hushpuppy wrote: "Lljones wrote: "Have reached out to the person who sent me that information; will let you know when I hear back. I do know that the crematorium is closed to the public currently so a walk in the ga..."

ok hush

scarletnoir wrote: "Bill wrote: "scarletnoir wrote: "I had confused Pym with another author with a three-letter name - Josephine Tey - whose The Daughter of Time I read and admired quite a while ago."

I ..."

May I recommend Tey's A Shilling for Candles?

CCCubbon wrote: "Here’s the next
She spoke of the two noble libraries bought for forty shillings during the reign of Henry VIII and used as toilet paper—and duly inventoried as a supply that lasted ten years. She ..."

Can't answer your main question, but this may interest you, it did me:

AB76 wrote: "Macron to close the ENA, not a new story really but a shame all the same, though i do agree that De Gaulle and Debre's vision of 1945, when it was created to ensure a more meritocratic graduate cla..."

Pulling up the ladder behind himself? (Think himself is right)

Machenbach wrote: "Andy wrote: "MB just directed me back to one of his reviews last year on TLS, and that example shows its so much easier to get a thread of comments going.."
Yes, I think that's the major problem he..."

through traffic is where we miss the variety of the Guardian, with its huge online presence, though we also dont miss the occasional flamers and monologue-ers

Still i enjoy the participation in this and am quite enjoying recording the books i read. the stats page can be an interesting little visit.....

one stat i noticed is that though we joined GR at same time, i'm only on 43 books, you are on 68 Mach!

Lass wrote: "SydneyH wrote: "Cabbie wrote: "And now I'm going to throw a spanner into the works and ask for any decent recommendations from anyone for fiction or non-fiction about the French Revolution"

Off th..."

Off the top of my head? I've enjoyed Lefebvre's The Great Fear of 1789, Carlyle's French Revolution, and Dickens' The Tale of Two Cities.

scarletnoir wrote: "Georg wrote: "On the French Revolution I think it is worth mentioning a play that is probably little known in the Anglosphere. ..."

Gfpr wrote: Peter Brook directed Marat/Sade in London in the six..."

I read Marat/Sade in my college days, before I knew much about the French Revolution, and again a few years ago. Not so good on the second reading.

AB76 wrote: "Berkley wrote: "Thanks, everyone, for the suggestions. Of the few I've already read, Dickens is fantasic, of course. Victor Hugo's 1793 was a mild disappointment - not bad but not especially memora..."

Burke's Reflections on the Revolution in France is a classic commentary on the early stages of the Revolution, including Burke's prophecy that the Revolution would become more and more radical, that the paper currency would cause a massive inflation, and that a general with political skills could dominate France. There was also a book called Twelve Who Ruled, about the Committee of Public Safety, which I found interesting. There is one book I'd love to read: the radical feminist Mary Wollstonecraft wrote a book on the French Revolution. John Adams owned a copy, which he peppered with annotations. (The annotations added up to over 15,000 words.)

Robert wrote: "Burke's Reflections on the Revolution in Frances is a classic commentary on the early stages of the Revolution, ... There was also a book called Twelve Who Ruled, about the Committee of Public Safety, which I found interesting. There is one book I'd love to read: the radical feminist Mary Wollstonecraft wrote a book on the French Revolution. John Adams owned a copy, which he peppered with annotations."

I've read Burke, and yes, that's a good one. His reputation for insight and eloquence is fully borne out by everything I've read by him. The story that copies of it were smuggled into France and it was read by the imprisoned Marie Antoinette (I think the king had already been killed at this point) is oddly moving on the human level, no matter on what side of the political fence one positions oneself - it's painful to imagine how it must have felt for her to read the passages that refer to herself.

I'd like to find the Wollstonecraft book too - is that the one she wrote as a direct response to Burke's? I thought I remembered hearing something like that somewhere. She's a fascinating character all round.

Did Paine ever write anything about the Revolution specifically? I know he went over there and of course soon found himself in trouble with the authorities because he woudn't go along with all the executions and other repressive measures.

Lass wrote: "Yep, three letter surnames, Pym, Tey, often have my brain in a taffle too!"

I have since realised that there was an additional reason for my confusion - Tey wrote a book called Miss Pym Disposes, and I suspect that I must have been dimly and subconsciously aware of that fact.

In the meantime, my copy of Excellent Women has arrived - so far, so good - the observations make me smile. I started it immediately, as Sinclair Lewis's Elmer Gantry suffered from the challenge of writing about a boring character, without being boring - and failing to overcome that difficulty, in the early chapters. I may return to it later... or maybe not (the writing is pedestrian).

Thanks for a new word, BTW - 'taffle'!

Bill wrote: "I’ve nothing against Chandler (but) having read three of his books, in reading further it just seemed I would be getting more of the same (which is also why I avoid series characters). On the other hand, having also read three by Hammet, I’m open to reading more.

I’m not much of a mystery reader, but I do read crime novels, more broadly defined; though I thought the American list a bit too broadly inclusive. Crime and Punishment and The Secret Agent are arguable inclusions; they do at least feature crimes. But Dracula and Rosemary's Baby? C’mon.

Thanks for this... unlike yourself, if I find a recurring character interesting, then I'll cheerfully follow a series... we're all different. In some cases, there is clear character development over such a collection (one crime series I followed ended with the suicide of the cop, though for obvious reasons I won't reveal which). In others, whereas the character may change little, the circumstances in which s/he works change - and the crimes themselves are, of course, novel. It's also reassuring to pick up a book you know you'll enjoy, after a bad experience with a 'new' author...

Do you know, I may have made my second mistake in two days regarding the identity of an author... looking at Hammett's back catalogue, I began to wonder - I may have confused him with Mickey Spillane... and what I believed about Hammett may also have been influenced by the grossly overrated film of The Maltese Falcon. I did enjoy the movies of the 'Thin Man' starring William Powell, and may well read one of those, now.

Your comments about those lists seem entirely sensible - the organisers appear to have taken an absurdly wide 'definition' (if there was one) of the 'crime novel'.

As for your favourites - interesting choices, and unfamiliar to me. You appear to have a very strong stomach - I'm not sure that in the current circumstances I can face up to Harriet - which is out of print and expensive, in any case - but I have heard of Nightmare Alley, and may give that a whirl - thanks.