tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post9024159052247977387..comments2024-03-27T16:48:21.039-05:00Comments on Wuthering <br>Expectations: shamed by French bookstore displaysAmateur Reader (Tom)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13675275555757408496noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-21459279757415145522017-06-21T14:31:54.708-05:002017-06-21T14:31:54.708-05:00One of the gang - yes, a shared temperament, disco...One of the gang - yes, a shared temperament, discovered when Calvino moved to Paris. He wrote about that a bit - or maybe it was an interview - in a piece in <i>The Hermit in Paris</i>.Amateur Reader (Tom)https://www.blogger.com/profile/13675275555757408496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-70508834871342225852017-06-21T11:58:59.528-05:002017-06-21T11:58:59.528-05:00Perec wrote a joke like this for every letter of t...Perec wrote a joke like this for every letter of the alphabet. Calvino did the same in Italian; it could be read as a very free translation.<br /><br />Calvino seems to have been one of the gang, but most of his work had nothing to do with Oulipo. Doug Skinnerhttp://www.dougskinner.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-28535112849519024352017-06-19T20:30:18.158-05:002017-06-19T20:30:18.158-05:00I see. It's like a shaggy dog story.
It has ...I see. It's like a shaggy dog story.<br /><br />It has seemed to me that the Ouliponess, whatever that might mean, of Calvino is often exaggerated.<br /><br />I have shared Katy's sense of dismay about the bookstores of Lyon. I mean, what good do all of these bookstores do <i>me</i>! So I just marvel at them.Amateur Reader (Tom)https://www.blogger.com/profile/13675275555757408496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-57791971802951320572017-06-19T18:05:49.355-05:002017-06-19T18:05:49.355-05:00Calvino entered Oulipo mostly by translating Quene...Calvino entered Oulipo mostly by translating Queneau. And "The Castle of Crossed Destinies," of course.<br /><br />But here's a brief piece inspired by Perec (I hope you can manage some Italian):<br /><br />LA-LE-LI-LO-LU<br /><br />Nei suoi inquieti amori con Nietzsche, Lou Salome avrebbe ben voluto provocare nell'amico una levitazione non solo spirituale ma anche fisica. Battendosi le mani sulla fronte, il filosofo le rispondeva che solo la sua mente era dotata d'ali per innalzarsi a volo.<br /><br />- L'ale li l'ho, Lou!Doug Skinnerhttp://www.dougskinner.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-65913695618944505642017-06-19T16:12:17.741-05:002017-06-19T16:12:17.741-05:00I'm in Lyon right now! I love that mural. I th...I'm in Lyon right now! I love that mural. I think this might be the best town for bookstores, both new and used, I've ever seen. Sadly I'm not a fast reader in French, so I have to stick to easy books and ones I've already read in English. Katynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-21707870601233692242017-06-10T20:46:49.073-05:002017-06-10T20:46:49.073-05:00Ah, that's where the occasional Reply comes fr...Ah, that's where the occasional Reply comes from. Thanks for the technical notes. So helpful. Above and beyond the call of commenter duty.<br /><br />And thanks for the Norway Diary. Broch on the nightly news! That is extraordinary.<br /><br />I read close to everything in English by Calvino without noticing the word "Oulipo," and he has colored my idea of the generally fun-loving, pleasurable nature of the Oulipists.Amateur Reader (Tom)https://www.blogger.com/profile/13675275555757408496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-52273713127971889842017-06-10T17:24:48.498-05:002017-06-10T17:24:48.498-05:00(Readers beware, this message is all about website...(Readers beware, this message is all about website technicalities. Nothing to do with books.)<br /><br />I just noticed that smartphones still get the dreaded "Reply" option. <br />This seems to be because it uses a different stylesheet (.css-file) from desktop web browsers. The same solution as you've used there should work on them as well, you probably just have to find a different file to edit. <br /><br />The text to add should be the same, i.e. <br /><br />a[o="r"] {<br /> display: none;<br />}<br /><br />You don't have to test it on a phone, but can direct your computer to http://wutheringexpectations.blogspot.com/?m=1<br /><br />Alternatively, I think there's somewhere in the administration menus where you can change the mobile template to match the one for desktop computers. The one you want to use is probably named "Minima".<br /><br />Sorry, this isn't very specific, but I don't have a blog, so I cannot tell exactly what you'd be looking at or for.Øysteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11487028133514318640noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-34610559133994632772017-06-10T17:20:04.604-05:002017-06-10T17:20:04.604-05:00Well that's a bracing display! I'm trying ...Well that's a bracing display! I'm trying to think of having seen anything like it here in Norway, but come up empty. When I bought Broch's "Sleepwalkers" trilogy from an antiquary the proprietor informed me that the translation was made a fairly big deal of here in Norway in 1968, to the extent that the nightly news TV show had a segment about it. But afaict it's not been reprinted since then, so I guess our interest was rather limited.<br /><br />Peter Wessel Zapffe's collected works came out in a box set recently. It's ... well, it's a plain cardboard box with a small sticker denoting its contents. Surely the trick would've been to make some "elf on a shelf"-style figures of our man in his mountain climbing gear and send those to all the stores.<br /><br />I've read a few of Perec's shorter works and found him to sort of be Oulipo with a friendly face — a pleasure to read even when I have no idea what the mechanics behind the text might be. But I suppose the Oulipo lot were fairly genial as far as literary experimentalists go. I would think he'd be good read-along material. I recently read Harry Mathews' _The Conversions_ by myself, and certainly found myself regretting not having anyone to talk with about it, as I had no idea what half the chapters were about. Some of the pages ended up with more pencil lead than printer's ink on them.Øysteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11487028133514318640noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-6415705699878269212017-06-10T08:30:32.342-05:002017-06-10T08:30:32.342-05:00:):)Bellezza https://www.blogger.com/profile/18073864187188953633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-76847400004335648352017-06-10T08:13:22.125-05:002017-06-10T08:13:22.125-05:00Oh don't worry, I would keep shoving the discu...Oh don't worry, I would keep shoving the discussion back to art.Amateur Reader (Tom)https://www.blogger.com/profile/13675275555757408496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-18950323460485482912017-06-09T21:43:42.463-05:002017-06-09T21:43:42.463-05:00At least you and I and so many of our fellow blogg...At least you and I and so many of our fellow bloggers/friends are interested in the worthy stuff. It is through blogging that I have grown in my awareness of fine works, as well as my enormous passion for the translated book. <br /><br />If we were to talk about what is valued, though, I'm afraid that would lead to a lengthy discussion. For me, it would have to expand beyond books which, I think, is beyond the point of your post and back to my first comment in this thread despairing of so much lost.<br /><br />Bellezza https://www.blogger.com/profile/18073864187188953633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-66972091316482231732017-06-09T21:04:07.486-05:002017-06-09T21:04:07.486-05:00The marketers, yes, a sad and desperate crew.
I d...The marketers, yes, a sad and desperate crew.<br /><br />I don't think the issue here is the trash, but the inverse, the lack of interest in what is really valuable. Not what is published but what is valued.Amateur Reader (Tom)https://www.blogger.com/profile/13675275555757408496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-16484502899072341922017-06-09T19:58:58.997-05:002017-06-09T19:58:58.997-05:00How about the marketers? How about the trash that ...How about the marketers? How about the trash that I am pitched every day to read and review on my blog? Perhaps they're the ones who cater to the readers, which came first? But, I think the plethora of stuff published today is garbage, and I'm not sure it's the readers' fault.Bellezza https://www.blogger.com/profile/18073864187188953633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-37216775859246863642017-06-08T19:09:58.793-05:002017-06-08T19:09:58.793-05:00The book of crosswords were just there among the n...The book of crosswords were just there among the novels and so on. I <i>thought</i> they looked like real crosswords, but I also thought what do I know. I've never read Nabokov's book of chess problems, either.Amateur Reader (Tom)https://www.blogger.com/profile/13675275555757408496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-1228334649867480102017-06-08T11:21:49.412-05:002017-06-08T11:21:49.412-05:00Well, read some Perec then! He's not always jo...Well, read some Perec then! He's not always jolly; "W," for example. I should point out that the crossword puzzles are not an experimental gambit, but simply the puzzles he composed for "Le Point," as a sideline. They do apparently have some of his humor, though. Doug Skinnerhttp://www.dougskinner.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-44387153501474966792017-06-08T08:41:26.018-05:002017-06-08T08:41:26.018-05:00I should read La vie mode d'emploi, I'm su...<i>I should read La vie mode d'emploi, I'm sure it's great.</i><br /><br />It is, and you should! I wrote a bit about it <a href="http://languagehat.com/where-have-all-the-abunas-gone/%22" rel="nofollow">here</a>.Languagehathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13285708503881129380noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-52351639259824066742017-06-07T22:04:48.102-05:002017-06-07T22:04:48.102-05:00Oh, I disagree there. I blame American readers pl...Oh, I disagree there. I blame American readers plenty.Amateur Reader (Tom)https://www.blogger.com/profile/13675275555757408496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-74012291691359773262017-06-07T21:59:55.706-05:002017-06-07T21:59:55.706-05:00Nor the readers.Nor the readers.Bellezza https://www.blogger.com/profile/18073864187188953633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-71662953651486935162017-06-07T21:32:31.774-05:002017-06-07T21:32:31.774-05:00Ha ha ha! Hats off at the table, pal!
A differen...Ha ha ha! Hats off at the table, pal!<br /><br />A difference between literature and fashion or perfume is that it is not that our best <i>writers</i> are any worse than the best French writers. No, the problem is not with the writers.Amateur Reader (Tom)https://www.blogger.com/profile/13675275555757408496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-88887855372092453542017-06-07T21:14:46.593-05:002017-06-07T21:14:46.593-05:00The only Perec book I've read is Avoid. It was...The only Perec book I've read is Avoid. It was strange, to me, but clever. Probably over my head in many places.<br /><br />As for French and culture; my word, they shame America in more places than bookstores and murals! Perfume, for one, and fashion, food, grace and manners.<br /><br />Surely I've mentioned the time I was dining on top of the Eiffel Tower in the Jules Vernes restaurant and glanced over to see an American in a Budweiser cap. I still twitch when I think of that representation of America abroad.<br /><br />Bellezza https://www.blogger.com/profile/18073864187188953633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-75770793224277074802017-06-07T15:05:50.770-05:002017-06-07T15:05:50.770-05:00Queaneau - just Zazie, a long time ago. I really ...Queaneau - just <i>Zazie</i>, a long time ago. I really just started the Aragon. "I fondle my delirium like a pretty pony."Amateur Reader (Tom)https://www.blogger.com/profile/13675275555757408496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-20789349767665113082017-06-07T14:38:32.426-05:002017-06-07T14:38:32.426-05:00Queneau? Have you read Queneau? So enjoyable, and ...Queneau? Have you read Queneau? So enjoyable, and a delight to teach. <br /><br />I hope you are enjoying the Aragon. I am so fond of the Surrealists.Jennyhttp://shelflove.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-23690062221025592162017-06-07T14:02:07.232-05:002017-06-07T14:02:07.232-05:00The English version of La disparition was widely, ...The English version of <i>La disparition</i> was widely, lovingly reviewed, when it was published twenty years ago. Reviewers were dazzled, in part simply that the translation existed.Amateur Reader (Tom)https://www.blogger.com/profile/13675275555757408496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-41255975496248592152017-06-07T12:50:38.497-05:002017-06-07T12:50:38.497-05:00Hi Tom
I love this mural in Lyon.
I should read La...Hi Tom<br />I love this mural in Lyon.<br />I should read La vie mode d'emploi, I'm sure it's great.<br /><br />PS new goal: read La disparition in French and compare it to the English translation :-) <br /><br />Emmahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09716351799835873036noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-11996313107235279062017-06-07T12:44:54.329-05:002017-06-07T12:44:54.329-05:00But we don't even treat our rock stars like ro...But we don't even treat our rock stars like rock stars anymore. If we did, Stephin Merritt, John Darnielle and Rennie Sparks would be our next Nobelists. Or at least they would sell more records.<br /><br />Perec is such a jolly avant-gardist. I should read him someday. Maybe not the book that consists of nothing but crossword puzzles.Amateur Reader (Tom)https://www.blogger.com/profile/13675275555757408496noreply@blogger.com