RIP Kurt Vonnegut
1923 – 2007 http://books.guardian.co.uk/obituaries/story/0,,2055622,00.html
View ArticleLes Rougon-Macquart – an introduction
When I was 18 one of my ‘world of zines’ correspondents recommended a book called Germinal by a writer called Émile Zola. Back then I was even more open to new suggestions than I am now, so I dutifully...
View ArticleLes Rougon-Macquart #1 – La Fortune des Rougon (1871)
AKA “The Fortune Of The Rougons” The first book in a series is often the most famous. Even if later works have much greater success, it will be revisited by readers, curious about the back-story of the...
View ArticleLes Rougon-Macquart #2 – La Curée (1871-2)
AKA “The Kill” The second book in the Rougon-Macquart series takes a secondary character from the first novel, and transplants him to a new place with a more flexible class structure, an even more...
View ArticleJourney To The West
I don’t know as much as I should about Chinese culture, but I’m a busy man, and it’s hard to change that. How can I educate myself in 2000 / 3000 / 4000 + years of culture while doing a … Continue...
View ArticleLes Rougon-Macquart #3 – Le Ventre de Paris (1873)
AKA “The Belly Of Paris” or “The Fat and The Thin” As I began to read this I thought it was the third in the Rougon-Macquart series – and it is, in a sense. It’s the third to be written, … Continue...
View ArticleLin Yutang – My Country And My People
My attempt to educate myself in Chinese culture via its literature is proceeding very slowly indeed. The next one on the pile, ‘Romance of the Three Kingdoms’, is bigger than ‘War & Peace’ and...
View ArticleLes Rougon-Macquart #4 – La Conquête de Plassans (1874)
AKA The Conquest of Plassans or A Priest in the House It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these, and for good reason. While the first three books in the series were a breeze to get through, this …...
View ArticleLes Rougon-Macquart #5 – La Faute de l’abbé Mouret (1875)
AKA The Sinful Priest / The Sin of Father Mouret / Abbé Mouret’s Transgression / The Demise of Father Mouret After the tedium of La Conquete de Plassans I was reluctant to pick up another book about...
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