A reminiscent coming-of-age story of love, depression, suicide, and friendship. Illustrated with a warm and viviMutual friend loss, mutual grief found
A reminiscent coming-of-age story of love, depression, suicide, and friendship. Illustrated with a warm and vivid narrative, that's at times, titillating, but at other times, melancholic.
The title Norwegian Wood seems to be inspired by the Beatles song of the same name. Some of the story's adopted voices, scenes and settings appear to be literary references to a few great novels, that our protagonists reads and mentions in the books, like The Magic Mountain and others.
Haruki Murakami's story holds your attention throughout by employing the right dose of anticipation that keeps the reader emotionally engaged until the very end....more
Like many of us, when I think of a metamorphosis, I think of a butterfly. A transformation that begins with an unimposing, immature insect form and enLike many of us, when I think of a metamorphosis, I think of a butterfly. A transformation that begins with an unimposing, immature insect form and ends with a beautiful, mature creature; the butterfly.
Kafka wonderfully illustrates such changes, both physical and behavioral, in The Metamorphosis (1915) and in his other two short stories The Judgment (1914) and In the Penal Colony (1913).
For instance, in The Metamorphosis, the son, Gregor, undergoes a reversed metamorphosis. Regressing from an individual with potential, dignity and self-worth into an anxious, misused selfless provider; a "cockroach". However, Gregor's regression provided an opportunity for his youthful, immature sister, Grete, progression. Who later overcomes her brother's humiliating state and blossoms into a mature beautiful girl; a "butterfly".
Kafka's transformations occur in duos and leap from one person's body and mind to another's.
In the remaining two short stories In the Penal Colony and The Judgment, the former a political allegory and the latter a representation of a father-son relationship, Kafka continues to explores the subject of transformations....more
We all know that the English had conquered the Irish at certain periods in history, but this Irishman, James Joyce, had conquered their language for eWe all know that the English had conquered the Irish at certain periods in history, but this Irishman, James Joyce, had conquered their language for eternity.
Possibly the first book I've read in which the scenes of the storyline and their accompanying settings are more difficult to follow than perhaps comprehending the allegory or themes of the story.
Ulysses (1922), a Latinized version of the name Odysseus, is a prime example of a modernist novel that unfolds in a single day in Dublin, Ireland.
Throughout the book, Joyce demonstrates his versatility with the English language and makes use of various styles from the different eras of English literature and the evolution of the language itself.
A few of the underlying themes are antisemitism, human sexuality, the quest for paternity, and the multilayered oppression of Irish nationalism and sovereignty by the Imperial British State and the Roman Catholic Church.
However, this stream of consciousness narration style felt like a reading a riddle, and while trying to decipher it made it challenging to connect and sympathize with the characters. Perhaps not a book for everyone....more
"It takes strength to remember, it takes another kind of strength to forget, it takes a hero to do both."
Even though written with a nonlinear narrativ"It takes strength to remember, it takes another kind of strength to forget, it takes a hero to do both."
Even though written with a nonlinear narrative the plot managed to be suspenseful and for such a short book I was quickly able to connect and empathize with not just the protagonist but with the other supporting characters as well.
As for the rating, the first half of the book deserves 4 stars, but the second half deserves 5 stars. As we know, when the story moves in this direction, it's easier to forgive the author for the first half, but when it's the other way around, it's less forgivable.
All in all, James Baldwin's Giovanni's Room (1956) is a captivating and moving novel that I would recommend. Let me end with a few of my favorite quotes from the book:
"I love her as much as ever and I still did not know how much that was."
"And no matter what I was doing, another me sat in my belly, absolutely cold with terror over the question of my life."
"The beast which Giovanni had awakened in me would never go to sleep again."
"No matter how many beds I find myself in between now and my final bed."
I experienced The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1979) by Douglas Adams (1952-2001) as a cleverish, satirical comedy, science fiction novel that's I experienced The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1979) by Douglas Adams (1952-2001) as a cleverish, satirical comedy, science fiction novel that's written in a tone, narrative, and dialogue style that seemed to have been inspired by Isaac Asimov's Foundation series. A fun, easy-going, read, so I can see why readers enjoy it. Nevertheless, it didn't captivate me enough, that is why I'm not sure that I'm up for reading the entire "trilogy" made up of five parts....more
In this last volume of In Search of Lost Time we read about the declining years of the characters that surrounded the story. We learn from the author In this last volume of In Search of Lost Time we read about the declining years of the characters that surrounded the story. We learn from the author how the evocations of his past and the people that surrounded his life have, in his final years, materialized themselves into a single character that embodied those memories.
Since the "past is like a photographic darkroom encumbered with innumerable negatives which remain useless because their intellect has not developed them." Proust urges us to shed the light upon these undeveloped negatives in order to become more aware of our past and our lives.
Reading this 4,215-page novel was a well-worth journey in itself and I am in agreement with much of Proust's philosophy on life and enjoyed learning about his distinct method of triggering, recollecting, and exploring the past through the prism of impressionism. Thankfully, his predictions of the future, such as: "We accept the thought that in ten years we ourselves, in a hundred years our books, will have ceased to exist" were evidently not the case with Proust or his work that we still enjoy to this day....more
Proust realizes that: "The inertia of the mind urges it to slide down the easy slope of imagination, rather than to climb the steep slope of introspecProust realizes that: "The inertia of the mind urges it to slide down the easy slope of imagination, rather than to climb the steep slope of introspection." Hence, he resolves to climb this steep, uncomfortable, slope throughout his novel. However, even with deep introspection, he wasn't able to overcome his retrospective and prospective jealousy in his relationship with Albert(ine). Was it jealousy or justifiable suspicion?
Parts of this novel were superfluous and redundant. In comparison to this 5th volume, the first few volumes exceeded in quality, despite the author and or his narrator/character finally achieving in this series his literary recognition. The various, already well-developed characters gradually adapted or expanded their sexual orientations which all seemed unnecessary, hopeless, and unconvincing.
Despite all of that the plot was realistic, narrative vivid, contemplations revealing, and the representation of relationships honest. Proust also shares his reflections on his loved and lost relationships and the process of grieving and forgetting, but most importantly forgiving. "I was suffering from a love that no longer existed. Thus does an amputee, in certain kinds of weather, feel pain in the limb that he has lost." All in all, I am looking forward to reading the last part of In Search of Lost Time....more
"By dint of imagining oneself to be ill one becomes ill, one grows thin, one is too weak to rise from one's bed, one suffers from nervous enteritis. B"By dint of imagining oneself to be ill one becomes ill, one grows thin, one is too weak to rise from one's bed, one suffers from nervous enteritis. By dint of thinking tenderly of men, one becomes a woman, and an imaginary skirt hampers one's movements. The obsession, as in the other instance it can affect one's health, may in this instance alter one's sex."
Proust narrates Sodom and Gomorrah: In Search of Lost Time, Vol. 4 in less of an impressionistic writing style compared to his previous volumes. This time around, the underlying topic of his characters is their sexuality and his innocence at one point in believing that the taste for one sex excluded the other. We also learn about his intimate but insecure relationship with Albertine and his sobering realization that he might share a similar fate as that of Swann. Lastly, Proust shares the inevitable subject of sleep(lessness): "A little insomnia is not without its value in making us appreciate sleep, in throwing a ray of light upon that darkness". and "We do not include the pleasures we enjoy in sleep in the inventory of pleasures we have experienced in the course of our existence."
Some of Proust's comparisons of a man's homosexuality to womanliness such as: "the unconscious but visible woman in him seeks the masculine organ." and drawing parallels between bisexuality and hermaphroditism in this day and age feels a bit dated. However, Proust's literal gift throughout his volumes is flawlessly and compellingly illustrating the behavior, appearance, and personality of the aristocratic female characters with whom he is infatuated during his adolescence and young adulthood....more
Proust's reflections on his young adulthood intertwined with his imagination continue to inspire and carry his seven-volume novel. This time around heProust's reflections on his young adulthood intertwined with his imagination continue to inspire and carry his seven-volume novel. This time around he provides us with an up close and personal glance into a 19th-century life of an aristocratic family The Guermantes, the way the Dreyfus case had degraded the social status of the Jews in France, and Proust's inescapable topic of his awkward romantic endeavors.
I particularly liked how Proust interweaves throughout the story his marginal or spontaneous realizations about himself or things in general, such as his or our "limits" of being infatuated with one woman at a time, his obsession with the idea of being in love rather than the woman of his interest, and things like "the knowledge that to kiss Albertine's cheeks was a possible thing was a pleasure perhaps greater even than that of kissing them."
The Guermantes Way: In Search of Lost Time, Vol. 3 had some significant resemblance to Vol. 1 wherein both volumes the two prominent male characters of high society fall for a prostitute almost unaware of her profession or reputation (perhaps it stands true that "we live in ignorance of those we love.").
Nonetheless, Young Proust's illustrations and portrayals of the personalities and conducts of the older leading female characters with those he is infatuated with are unsurpassable. However, I've enjoyed the first two volumes more than this third, although, I am looking forward to reading the rest....more
Proust structures a simple and lifelike plot in his veiled autobiography of his adolescent impressions and perceptions of love. Even though the plot'sProust structures a simple and lifelike plot in his veiled autobiography of his adolescent impressions and perceptions of love. Even though the plot's events, to an extent, are foreseeable and their intensity softened, Proust's narrative, on the other hand, is depicted in a wide array of colors, most often hazy, with various shapes and silhouettes, oftentimes distorted. He recollects his youthful encounters and subsequent reflections through a medium of fluctuating emotions and perplexed feelings. At times it feels like the story is all over the place but resembles one's unhampered thought process of raw impressions of experiences.
Within a Budding Grove: In Search of Lost Time, Vol. 2 embraces the style of impressionistic depictions substantially more than in the previous volume. Proust shows us how the state of our internal feelings encountered by the objects of our attention, from different angles, often distorted by light, changes our impression of the reality of that same object or event through time. I will end with a wonderful example of Proust's portrayal of an experience after meeting a girl he liked: "But so far as the pleasure was concerned, I was naturally not conscious of it until some time later, when, back at the hotel, and in my room alone, I had become myself again. Pleasure in this respect is like photography. What we take, in the presence of the beloved object, is merely a negative, which we develop later, when we are back at home, and have once again found at our disposal that inner darkroom the entrance to which is barred to us so long as we are with other people."...more
"When one is in love one has no love left for anyone"
This was a captivating read composed of long sentences expressing, in a melancholic tone, the dis"When one is in love one has no love left for anyone"
This was a captivating read composed of long sentences expressing, in a melancholic tone, the discomforts and foolishness of love, yet, the depictions of the awkwardness of love were counterpoised by the stories settings in the consoling and vividly illustrated landscapes of Normandy and Paris.
Proust's Swann's Way: In Search of Lost Time, Vol. 1 appears as an impressionistic illustration of his autobiography triggered by his (involuntary) memory and guided by the engraved and everlasting impressions of his bittersweet experiences of the past which are all entwined with a sense of nostalgia for the very same sentiments.
Both the narrator and main character are immersed in their thoughts and feelings, continually reflecting and reasoning exterior events and their personal experiences (which occasionally bring about clearance). However, this disquieting process is followed by anxieties and discomforts that are caused by the narrator/main character's evocations and reflections in which they spend much of their time - in their lonesome thoughts, rather than in the external realities which resulted in their indistinguishable view between tangible and imagined realities.
A slow-paced plot that gradually attracts the reader but never overindulges. Some wonderful internal and external dialogues that resemble a symphony, composed of several parts, moving back and forth in time. I quite liked these parts. All in all, I look forward to reading the second volume....more
This coming-of-age story is narrated in the third person, often with a satirical and cynical undertone, about an ordinary and naive protagonist and thThis coming-of-age story is narrated in the third person, often with a satirical and cynical undertone, about an ordinary and naive protagonist and the events and experiences that broadened and shaped his perspective.
At the surface, this is a story that's set in a Swiss sanatorium where patients from all around the world (mostly from Europe) treat their pulmonary diseases while constantly battling a smoldering fever that many don't take seriously. However, the the underlying theme being the simmering state and illness of European societies prior to WWI.
The Magic Mountain (1924) also shares great dialogues between the philosophies (Germanocentric) that shaped the Age of Enlightenment, communism, and religious beliefs. The book was a bit long but worth it. The introduction of a new character towards the end was a little exhausting but I was able to get through it. Nevertheless, I would recommend the book.
Dorian Gray is a hedonist, opiumist, (a)moralist, occultist, sadist, epicurean experimentalist, utopian absolutist, and a lover.
Our protagonist, DoriaDorian Gray is a hedonist, opiumist, (a)moralist, occultist, sadist, epicurean experimentalist, utopian absolutist, and a lover.
Our protagonist, Dorian, makes a wish for his portrait painting to bear and absorb the toll of time rather than himself. The wish was granted and Dorian got to preserve his beauty and eternal youth but only in exchange for his soul.
This premise reminded me of Goethe's Faust (1808) and the reflection of Dorian's soul in his portrait which showed his "beautiful marred face and his cruel smile" reminded me of Nietzsche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra (1883) when Zarathustra saw his reflection in the mirror and "saw a devil's grimace and scornful laughter."
The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891) is a philosophically deep novel with a solid plot that's compelling throughout and was a pleasure to read....more
Our protagonist Candide is a young, hopeful follower of his mentor Pangloss's optimistic philosophy of life in which pure nature is good and all that Our protagonist Candide is a young, hopeful follower of his mentor Pangloss's optimistic philosophy of life in which pure nature is good and all that happens in life, happens for the best.
Even though the narrative takes Candide through trials and tribulations in his lifelong journey across the oceans and seas, from East to West and back, he maintains his hopefulness, buoyancy, and innocence. However, towards the end of this satirical novella, he comes to a realization.
Voltaire's (1694-1778) Candide (1759) questions Leibniz's philosophy, suggests reading the Stoics, traveling, and most of all "cultivating one's own garden"....more
Aldous Huxley, with a satirical tone, introduces us to a society in which masses of embryos and fetuses are developed in artificial A Motherless World
Aldous Huxley, with a satirical tone, introduces us to a society in which masses of embryos and fetuses are developed in artificial surrogate mothers; incubators. Where infants and toddlers, in controlled environments, are psychologically and emotionally manipulated in order to develop characteristics beneficial for the common good. A society that learns while it sleeps, through hypnopedia, during which the individual is thought to have an intolerance for: family, as they "stink" of emotions, monogamous relationships, which are primitive and indecent, as they are based on passion, and a hatred for nature, books, and the lower caste.
Instead, people are thought to rejoice in order, synthetic music, consumerism, sexual promiscuity, and every pain, sadness or experience of naturally occurring moral dilemmas or human feelings are to be suppressed by pharmaceutical substances that can objectively shorten one's lifespan but subjectively lengthen its quality.
A world that employs the practice of eugenics in order to breed a superior alpha human for the sake of maintaining a quintessential community while variations of inferior human offspring’s are reproduced, by physically manipulating the development of the unborn during gestation, in the interest of creating a caste system that will maintain all features and elements of this utopian society.
This dystopian novel setting takes place in the Ford Era, 632 years after the Model T was first introduced. Huxley envisioned a future society in which Taylorism is engraved in every aspect of a functioning community and Freudianism a blueprint for childhood personality development. He designed a society governed by manipulation, not force. A culture that embraces machines, science, and sensory pleasures, but mocks religious rituals, beliefs, and spiritual values.
I found the Brave New World (1932) well-written with an engaging plot that strengthens as the story unfolds, nevertheless, some scenes were overstated. Also, the storyline was somewhat loose with not quite convincing characters that were only subsequently developed. But what I liked the most about the book is how Huxley quite accurately predicted the future....more
This was a captivating read narrated in an ominous tone by our fictional chronicler, a 14th-century Albanian Catholic monk, Gjon, in which the focal cThis was a captivating read narrated in an ominous tone by our fictional chronicler, a 14th-century Albanian Catholic monk, Gjon, in which the focal characters are a stone bridge and a totemic river and their fatal encounter.
In this allegorical novel, Ismail Kadare (1936-) tells a story loosely based on and inspired by an ancient Illyrian legend of a castle construction. But instead, Kadare constructs a three-arched bridge over the unbridled Wicked Waters river. However, the construction encounters what seems to be an impassible hurdle and the townspeople's opinion was that only a human sacrifice offered to the river can overcome it.
The bridge can be seen as a metaphor for the link between Asia and Europe during the Ottoman invasion and conquer of the Balkans. The "chaining" of the river was the beginning of what was to become a permanent influence, and to some extent a disappearance, of the local traditions, cultures, and beliefs of the natives.
This short novel has some incredibly creative dialogues and reflections in which we also witness how the resurrection of old superstitions and myths can be effectively utilized to justify even the ultimate sacrifice. Thanks to my GR friend Bob for a wonderful recommendation....more
This book is a work of art and my first five-star read this year. While consuming every word and savoring each page I've noticed my pencil's point vanThis book is a work of art and my first five-star read this year. While consuming every word and savoring each page I've noticed my pencil's point vanish by the end of the first few chapters.
We (1920) is written by the Russian writer Yevgeny Zamyatin (1884-1937) who was a one of the first Soviet dissidents and whose We earned the title as the first book to be banned by the Soviet censorship board.
The premise of the story takes place several hundred years in the future. In which the protagonist, a mathematician and engineer, is developing a spaceship for his 'One State' government. The space mission's purpose is to conquer the extraterrestrial planets and impose on its inhabitants the One State system of government that is exclusively dictated by rationalism.
The characters in the story are nameless. But they are all assigned a number; something that resembles a serial number: for the male characters they start with a consonant followed by a rigid prime number, and for the female characters they begin with a vowel attached to a beautifully rounded even number.
The entire One State is made of transparent glass structures dominated by curveless geometry and enclosed by a green wall. The people live by a predetermined daily schedule, outlined by the authority, which is precisely defined by an almost perfect equation with barely any unknown variables. Everyone is under constant surveillance by the Benefactor and his "guardian angels" for the benefit of the We, rather than the I.
Every citizen's life is a mechanical one; dreamless and devoid of passion. Any involvement in asymmetrical art, music or poetry is punishable by execution. The only melody permitted is the one in tune with the mathematical notes.
The State has to approve for everyone a brief visits by their partner, where the State usually assigns two or three companions for each person all for the sake of mimicking a triangle or square. During the protagonist's short impersonal walk with his assigned companion, he spontaneously meets another, free-spirited woman, with whom he becomes infatuated with and eventually falls in love. This leads him to develops a sense of self-awareness, and as a result, he is diagnosed by the State's doctor with a terrible illness; the birth of a soul. What will happen to the space mission? What’s behind the green wall? Will his "illness" ever be cured and will his love endure it all?
This compelling read is a fusion of dystopian science fiction and political satire with religion root metaphors. It reads like a poetic prose with beautifully crafted expressions, with the right dose of sarcasm, and Zamyatin's unfinished sentences that leave you wondering......more
Why do many of us find enjoyment in reading dystopian novels but would dread living in such a society? Why does our imagination find stories of oppresWhy do many of us find enjoyment in reading dystopian novels but would dread living in such a society? Why does our imagination find stories of oppression compelling and attractive while in reality, we have an inborn repulsion and intolerance for injustice? Perhaps it's just human nature and certain stories produce in us a wide spectrum of feelings and subsequently we get to experience the color of emotion we desire. These are some of the thoughts that came to mind while reading Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949).
What can I say about a book that so many have read and reviewed? Well, during the first half of Orwell's book I was distracted, as the plot, to a significant extent, resembles Yevgeny Zamyatin's We (1920). It's obvious the Englishman was more than just inspired by the Russians We. To give just one example: in We the protagonist records his thoughts in his secretly kept journal while anxious that the One State will get a hold of it and as a result, he will be executed. He writes and plans to share his journal with the people his authoritarian government is preparing to conquer in the future. Similarly, Orwell's protagonist, Winston Smith, is also keeping a diary, strictly hidden from The Party while concerned that the government authorities will find it for which he will be executed. Winston Smith also writes for and plans to share his diary with future generations. There are several other similar examples.
Although, the second half of the book was exceptionally original and overall Orwell's plot was very engaging. Also, his detailed descriptive narrative allowed me to effortlessly visualize every single scene clearly.
Orwell depicts a society that resembles a communist state run by a totalitarian regime. All party members live by strict daily routines under constant surveillance by Big Brother, where your thoughts are your only freedom. The majority of the population, the uneducated working-class, is continually being manipulated by the government and thus live in ignorance, humiliation and unawareness. Our protagonist, Winston Smith, is struggling with low self-esteem and dreams of rebellion. He gradually becomes aware of himself and his surroundings and is able to formulate his own opinion on things. Winston later meets Julia and they enter a relationship, but their love wasn't convincing or I just couldn't relate to it. Altogether, this is a great science fiction novel without the impossible futuristic science but with the possible social and political science.
Nietzsche's Zarathustra instructs his followers to renunciate all man-conceived ideals of ethics and morality and those of God and virtues. As moral pNietzsche's Zarathustra instructs his followers to renunciate all man-conceived ideals of ethics and morality and those of God and virtues. As moral principles are nothing more than a (by)product of man, a mere fiction, that exists nowhere else in nature other than in our minds. Once we negate the flawed values of morals, that have been instilled in us from day one, only then can life itself be truly liberated.
Morals, at the end of the day, degrade individuals and make them weak, and the philosophy of living in moderation will only get you so far as being or becoming mediocre.
Instead, we should determine our own purpose in life, pave our own paths, and shape our own destinies. We must embrace the innate human will, the will for life which in turn is the will for power. We are to strive to become creators of original ideas and values even at the expense of being inconsiderate and ruthless, as the world revolves around those who innovate new values i.e. new perspectives. Hence, by being courageous and artful while listening to your own body one can nurture the real values of mental and physical health.
In this reforming process of becoming better, do not consider or be fearful of God, as God is just an assumption, "God is dead", and that fear inside of you it's what's keeping Him alive. Instead, be your own God!
Zarathustra's utmost aspiration for man is to overcome man. To create something above ourselves. To evolve into something that exceeds man. This over-man or beyond man will perceive us just like we perceive our ape-like ancestors.
Thus Spoke Zarathustra (1883–1892) is a dark and insubordinate philosophy written in a prose poem that's filled with paradoxical reasonings. The first three-quarters of this philosophical fiction is a work of art full of melodic poetry and original ideas. However, there was some creative exhaustion toward the end of the book. Even though, the dialogues between Zarathustra and his soul and shadow are among my favorite parts.
Without reading anything else by Nietzsche the misogynistic views felt like they were incited by his lack of luck with his relationship(s) with women; he sounded resentful. I can see how Nietzsche's philosophy could have been used to fuel the imperial fascist ideology, but I'm not sure it should be taken so literally. It can be considered more of his creative expression as an artist just for the sake of it's aesthetic and literary value....more