I finished the 1st volume containing the 1st 3 novels, all about Christophe's early years: his birth in a musician's family impoverished by the father's alcoholism, his work/exploitation as a child musical prodigy, his loneliness, his sexual awakening. I liked Dawn best: there was more empathy for everyone, and Jean-Michel the grandfather is a great character. Youth was infuriating because the MC was an insufferable young man.
#NobelPrize
“She was like a girl of Holbein, in the gallery at Basle—the daughter of burgomaster Meier—sitting, with eyes cast down, her hands on her knees, her fair hair falling down to her shoulders, looking embarrassed and ashamed of her uncomely nose.“
Of course, I had to find the portrait mentioned by Romain Rolland in Youth. I have to say I find the girl quite pretty, and her nose not at all uncomely. 🙄
#NobelPrize
Romain Rolland comes up regularly in Stefan Zweig's memoir which I read earlier this year (they were friends). He is half forgotten these days, but the Jean-Christophe series was a best-seller at the time, and he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1915. So, I thought I'd try it... It's easy enough: all the books are in the public domain.
#NobelPrize
A 667-pages roadtrip novel, with chapters alternating between a disillusioned “you“ mainly looking for young women to spend the night with (those sections haven't aged well), and a “I“ looking for what I'll sum up as “Eternal China“: folksongs, old monasteries, folktales... and of course, the Soul Mountain in the title. I am glad I read it -I enjoyed the folk chapters- but I am in no hurry to read any more from this #NobelPrize winner.
#10BeforeTheEnd update:
I finished Paris noir and The Adventures of Vela. I was planning on starting Mejnun and Leyla but after Vela, I need a break on the long-form poetry front, so Soul Mountain it is! As it is a doorstop and I have a few days off, it should be perfect.
@ChaoticMissAdventures
Pic is of the Chinese Garden in Chaumont, back in June
#NobelPrize
The 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to László Krasznahorkai. I've only read the tagged book by him and I have to admit I didn't love it. I might try another work, just in case.
#NobelPrize
I finished the book, but I didn't like it much. I think I see what the author tried to do: denounce corruption, esp. the collusion between rich/business people, politicians, police & gutter press by writing a novel that uses some of the same tricks that the gutter press uses, but it was very “blokey“ IYYWIM & I didn't enjoy the dated, male-gazey aspect of it, nor the undeveloped characters.
#Peru #NobelPrize #FoodandLit
@Catsandbooks @Texreader
My 1st book from this year's #NobelPrize winner. I was impressed by the first half, but disappointed that the narrator's quiet & moving story was pushed aside for almost straight non-fiction, admittedly also moving, and about events in #Korea's history that needed telling. So the fiction ended up being an artificial framing device for near-journalistic work. I was happy to read it all & learned a lot, but with a slight sense of frustration 😊
Virginia recommends Love Poems on this week Manuscript Monday. 🥰
https://www.bookinterrupted.com/post/manuscript-monday-love-poems
#bookinterrupted #ManuscriptMonday #bookreview #bookrecommendations #bookclub #poem #lovepoems #NobelPrize #BooksWorthReading
Well, Jon Fosse has just received the #NobelPrize in Literature, and I hadn't read anything by him. Luckily, scribd has Aliss at the Fire in its catalogue, and it's under 100 pages long (nothing else, unfortunately). I've downloaded it and started it straight away, so I know what he's about 😁
Pic is Boy Playing the Piano by Bettmann. 2d