I’m reading Thomas Mann’s ‘The Magic Mountain’ at the moment, having just read his Nobel Prize winning novel ‘Buddenrooks’. Mann’s writing is sparkling, and it is my intention to read everything he wrote, so taken am I with his use of words and language. I encountered a phrase yesterday-verbal chicanery-which caused me to smile. It… Continue reading Verbal chicanery
Category: Books
Thomas Mann and “The Magic Mountain”
I am reading “Anna Karenina” and listening to “The Magic Mountain” by Thomas Mann at the moment. I never read anything of Thomas Mann’s prior to recently reading “Buddenbrooks”. Now I am so taken with the quality of Mann’s writing that I intend reading everything he has written. Mann was a German writer, and some… Continue reading Thomas Mann and “The Magic Mountain”
The stunning beauty in the writing of Thomas Mann
I am taken aback at how beautiful the writing of Thomas Mann is in his Nobel Prize winning novel, ‘Buddenbrooks’. It is precise, descriptive, unique, and accurately captures the scenes and characters so well that the story is utterly credible and believable. Mann was only 25 when he wrote the book, and it is hard… Continue reading The stunning beauty in the writing of Thomas Mann
Thomas Mann’s Buddenbrooks
I am reading my first book by a German author at the moment: ‘Buddenbrooks’ by Thomas Mann. It is superbly written with beautiful, credible descriptions of characters which allows you to see them as real people, not inhabitants of a novel. ‘Buddenbrooks’ won the Nobel Prize for literature for Mann. ‘Buddenbrooks’ is described as the… Continue reading Thomas Mann’s Buddenbrooks
The problem with audiobooks
I am a huge fan of audiobooks and I have one on the go all the time for a couple of years now. But recently I think I have noticed a flaw. It won’t stop me from continuing to listen to audiobooks-I most certainly will-but I will be aware of a small problem. Let me… Continue reading The problem with audiobooks
Perhaps I can write a novel
Sometimes I toy with the idea of writing a novel. I have written a number of non-fiction books but wonder if I would be able to write a fiction book. If I could write one it would open up a whole new world of writing for me. Often, I am discouraged and say ‘you could… Continue reading Perhaps I can write a novel
What I am reading at the moment
I am reading ‘Resurrection’ by Leo Tolstoy and listening to ‘The Power and the Glory’ by Graham Greene at the moment. ‘Resurrection’ is Tolstoy’s last long novel and is supposed to be a panoramic look at Russia at the end of the 19th century. The book’s main character is a well to do, wealthy Prince… Continue reading What I am reading at the moment
Graham Greene’s ‘The Quiet American’-spare, economic writing and deep cynicism
I’m listening to Graham Greene’s ‘The Quiet American’ at the moment. It is only a short book-less than ten hours I think-but it packs a lot in with a spare, economic, clipped style of writing. I have read ‘Brighton Rock’ and ‘The End of the Affair’ and Greene appears to have a particular, unique style.… Continue reading Graham Greene’s ‘The Quiet American’-spare, economic writing and deep cynicism
Why I must reread Anna Karenina
I recently finished reading ‘Anna Karenina’ by Leo Tolstoy. I enjoyed it but found it long and boring in parts. I was perplexed by this as I had read, prior to taking up the book, that some people were of the opinion that this was the greatest novel ever written. Even allowing for the subjectivity… Continue reading Why I must reread Anna Karenina
Charles Bukowski-a gateway drug back to poetry
I came across Charles Bukowski for the first time on YouTube, I think. Short videos, most less than two minutes long, with haunting music behind a narration of one of his poems. Bukowski came to the United States from Germany with his family when he was a child. He had a rough childhood with a… Continue reading Charles Bukowski-a gateway drug back to poetry