Wednesday, 1 July 2015

COMPLETE QUOTES - To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee, 1960)


Image result for harper lee to kill a mockingbird book cover perennial classics



Below are 40 quotes from the acclaimed modern novel, To Kill a Mockingbird.  Nothing more needs to be said.  ENJOY!!!


Perennial Classics edition, 2002 (323 pages) 







When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow. (ch.1, p.27)

 “Hush your mouth! Don’t matter who they are, anybody sets foot in this house’s yo‘ comp’ny, and don’t you let me catch you remarkin’ on their ways like you was so high and mighty! Yo‘ folks might be better’n the Cunninghams but it don’t count for nothin’ the way you’re disgracin‘ ’em—if you can’t act fit to eat at the table you can just set here and eat in the kitchen!”  (ch.3, p.27)

“First of all,” he said, “if you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view-” “Sir?” “-until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” (ch.3, p.33)

“Atticus, are we going to win it?” “No, honey.” “Then why—” “Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win,” Atticus said.  (ch.9, p.87)

“This time we aren’t fighting the Yankees, we’re fighting our friends”. (ch.9, p.87)

“Before I can live with other folks I’ve got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience.”  (ch.11, p.120)

“Scout,” said Atticus, “n*****-lover is just one of those terms that don’t mean anything—like snot-nose. It’s hard to explain—ignorant, trashy people use it when they think somebody’s favoring Negroes over and above themselves. It’s slipped into usage with some people like ourselves, when they want a common, ugly term to label somebody.”  (ch.11, p.124)

“I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do. Mrs. Dubose won, all ninety-eight pounds of her. According to her views, she died beholden to nothing and nobody. She was the bravest person I ever knew.”  (ch.11, p.128)

Reconstruction rule and economic ruin forced the town to grow. It grew inward. New people so rarely settled there, the same families married the same families until the members of the community looked faintly alike.  (ch.13, p.149)

Dill had hit upon a foolproof plan to make Boo Radley come out at no cost to ourselves (place a trail of lemon drops from the back door to the front yard and he’d follow it, like an ant).  (ch.15, p.164)

“So it took an eight-year-old child to bring ‘em to their senses, didn’t it?” said Atticus. “That proves something—that a gang of wild animals can be stopped, simply because they’re still human. Hmp, maybe we need a police force of children… you children last night made Walter Cunningham stand in my shoes for a minute. That was enough.”  (ch.16, p.179)

“Jem,” I asked, “what’s a mixed child?” “Half white, half colored. You’ve seen ‘em, Scout. You know that red-kinky-headed one that delivers for the drugstore. He’s half white. They’re real sad.” “Sad, how come?” “They don’t belong anywhere. Colored folks won’t have ‘em because they’re half white; white folks won’t have ’em cause they’re colored, so they’re just in-betweens, don’t belong anywhere.”  (ch.16, p.183)

I wondered if anybody had ever called her “ma’am,” or “Miss Mayella” in her life; probably not, as she took offense to routine courtesy. What on earth was her life like?  (ch.18, p.207)

Tom Robinson was probably the only person who was ever decent to her. But she said he took advantage of her, and when she stood up she looked at him as if he were dirt beneath her feet.  (ch.19, p.218)

“Gentlemen, a court is no better than each man of you sitting before me on this jury. A court is only as sound as its jury, and a jury is only as sound as the men who make it up.” (ch.20, p.233)

“Don’t see how any jury could convict on what we heard—” “Now don’t you be so confident, Mr. Jem, I ain’t ever seen any jury decide in favor of a colored man over a white man…”  (ch.21, p.238)

I looked around. They were standing. All around us and in the balcony on the opposite wall, the Negroes were getting to their feet. Reverend Sykes’s voice was as distant as Judge Taylor’s: “Miss Jean Louise, stand up. Your father’s passin‘.”  (ch.21, p.241)

“How could they do it, how could they?” “I don’t know, but they did it. They’ve done it before and they did it tonight and they’ll do it again and when they do it—seems that only children weep.”  (ch.22, p.243)

The kitchen table was loaded with enough food to bury the family: hunks of salt pork, tomatoes, beans, even scuppernongs. Atticus grinned when he found a jar of pickled pigs’ knuckles. “Reckon Aunty’ll let me eat these in the diningroom?” Calpurnia said, “This was all ‘round the back steps when I got here this morning. They—they ’preciate what you did, Mr. Finch. They—they aren’t oversteppin‘ themselves, are they?” Atticus’s eyes filled with tears. He did not speak for a moment. “Tell them I’m very grateful,” he said. “Tell them—tell them they must never do this again. Times are too hard…”  (ch.22, p.244)

“I thought, Atticus Finch won’t win, he can’t win, but he’s the only man in these parts who can keep a jury out so long in a case like that. And I thought to myself, well, we’re making a step—it’s just a babystep, but it’s a step.” 
(ch.22, p.246)

“He told me havin‘ a gun around’s an invitation to somebody to shoot you.”  (ch.23, p.249)

“Jem, see if you can stand in Bob Ewell’s shoes a minute. I destroyed his last shred of credibility at that trial, if he had any to begin with. The man had to have some kind of comeback, his kind always does. So if spitting in my face and threatening me saved Mayella Ewell one extra beating, that’s something I’ll gladly take. He had to take it out on somebody and I’d rather it be me than that houseful of children out there. You understand?”  (ch.23, p.249)

“There’s something in our world that makes men lose their heads—they couldn’t be fair if they tried. In our courts, when it’s a white man’s word against a black man’s, the white man always wins. They’re ugly, but those are the facts of life.”  (ch.23, p.251)

“There’s nothing more sickening to me than a low-grade white man who’ll take advantage of a Negro’s ignorance. Don’t fool yourselves—it’s all adding up and one of these days we’re going to pay the bill for it. I hope it’s not in you children’s time.”  (ch.23, p.252)

“There’s four kinds of folks in the world. There’s the ordinary kind like us and the neighbors, there’s the kind like the Cunninghams out in the woods, the kind like the Ewells down at the dump, and the Negroes.”  (ch.23, p.258)

“If there’s just one kind of folks, why can’t they get along with each other? If they’re all alike, why do they go out of their way to despise each other? Scout, I think I’m beginning to understand something. I think I’m beginning to understand why Boo Radley’s stayed shut up in the house all this time… it’s because he wants to stay inside.”  (ch.23, p.259)

“People up there set ‘em free, but you don’t see ’em settin‘ at the table with ’em. At least we don’t have the deceit to say to ‘em yes you’re as good as we are but stay away from us. Down here we just say you live your way and we’ll live ours.”  (ch.24, p.267)

“Oh yes, the guards called to him to stop. They fired a few shots in the air, then to kill. They got him just as he went over the fence. They said if he’d had two good arms he’d have made it, he was moving that fast. Seventeen bullet holes in him. They didn’t have to shoot him that much.” (ch.24, p.268)

Mr. Underwood simply figured it was a sin to kill cripples, be they standing, sitting, or escaping. He likened Tom’s death to the senseless slaughter of songbirds by hunters and children.  (ch.25, p.275)

Atticus had used every tool available to free men to save Tom Robinson, but in the secret courts of men’s hearts Atticus had no case. Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed.  (ch.25, p.276)

“That’s the difference between America and Germany. We are a democracy and Germany is a dictatorship. Dictator-ship,” she said. “Over here we don’t believe in persecuting anybody. Persecution comes from people who are prejudiced. Prejudice,” she enunciated carefully. “There are no better people in the world than the Jews, and why Hitler doesn’t think so is a mystery to me.”  (ch.26, p.281)

“I heard her say it’s time somebody taught ’em a lesson, they were gettin‘ way above themselves, an’ the next thing they think they can do is marry us. Jem, how can you hate Hitler so bad an‘ then turn around and be ugly about folks right at home—”  (ch.26, p.283)

“Mr. Finch, there’s just some kind of men you have to shoot before you can say hidy to ‘em. Even then, they ain’t worth the bullet it takes to shoot ’em. Ewell ‘as one of ’em.”  (ch.29, p.308)

I gazed at him in wonder the tension slowly drained from his face. His lips parted into a timid smile, and our neighbor’s image blurred with my sudden tears. “Hey, Boo,” I said.  (ch.29, p.310)

“There’s a black boy dead for no reason, and the man responsible for it’s dead. Let the dead bury the dead this time, Mr. Finch. Let the dead bury the dead.”  (ch.30, p.316)

“To my way of thinkin’, Mr. Finch, taking the one man who’s done you and this town a great service an‘ draggin’ him with his shy ways into the limelight—to me, that’s a sin. It’s a sin and I’m not about to have it on my head.”   (ch.30, p.317)

“Well, it’d be sort of like shootin‘ a mockingbird, wouldn’t it?”  (ch.30, p.317)

Before he went inside the house, he stopped in front of Boo Radley. “Thank you for my children, Arthur,” he said.  (ch.30, p.317)

Boo and I walked up the steps to the porch. His fingers found the front doorknob. He gently released my hand, opened the door, went inside, and shut the door behind him. I never saw him again.  (ch.31, p.320)

Neighbors bring food with death and flowers with sickness and little things in between. Boo was our neighbor. He gave us two soap dolls, a broken watch and chain, a pair of good-luck pennies, and our lives. But neighbors give in return. We never put back into the tree what we took out of it: we had given him nothing, and it made me sad.  (ch.32, p.320)



Monday, 14 January 2013

QUICK HITS - 2012 Top 10 Books and Top 5 Misses

In my third full year of my reading journey, I completed 42 books in 2012.  I have now reached 134 total books read, averaging just slightly under my one book per week target for this past year. Nonetheless, only 5 books (including 2 re-reads) achieved my highest rating in 2012, the same number as in 2011. On the opposite end, all 5 Misses were truly bad, all scoring in the RED zone (5 rating or lower).   NOTE: where applicable, I have included existing capsule reviews in previous posts.

Top 5 – Masterpieces (Rating 10/10):

#100   Lolita – Vladimir Nabokov, 1955                          RATING:  10.0
Having viewed the two film adaptations of this controversial novel (my first 100 book milestone!), I was admittedly unprepared for the shock of the first person account of Humbert Humbert’s plot to seduce a 12 year old girl.  But not for the reasons you may think.  It is not pornographic; in fact Nabokov ensures that the most salacious thoughts/acts are masked in artistic prose.  Nonetheless, the novel takes one into the mind of a pedophile, and Humbert almost convinces the reader that his actions are justifiable. ALMOST, but we are not deceived by his erudition, social standing and command of language(s). Absolutely frightening even in light of the proliferation of graphic Criminal Minds/Law & Order SVU TV shows.  The ending is satisfying, but overall it is a sad tale about loss and no one emerges unscathed. Disturbing and complex.  (FULL REVIEW is coming soon)

#99  The Book Thief  - Markus Zusak, 2005                RATING:   10.
This Australian novel was a recent selection by my wife Guylaine for our ‘Four Chicks & a John’ Book Club.  For me it was a re-reading of the novel that I purchased while on work in Sydney in 2008.  The second time around allowed me to focus on the structure and literary techniques utilized to deliver such an emotional wallop by the final pages.  The setting is a common one, Nazi Germany just before the wartime atrocities. What is different is that the Narrator is Death, and the main characters are Germans in a small town, many of whom do not agree with Hitler’s policies.  The title refers to a young orphaned girl and her relationship with her foster parents and neighbors.  Death is portrayed as a sympathetic figure and is touched by the various encounters with Liesel, the Book Thief.  A stranger come to Liesel’s home, and disrupts their lives forever. A MUST READ! (LINK to Book Thief QUOTES)

#98  On the Road - Jack Kerouac, 1957                      RATING:   10.0
This book has been described as life-changing, so I must say I had reservations when I began to read this classic account of the post-war US Beat Generation. Upon finishing it, I now wish I had read this novel as a young man!!  It captures vividly the youthful yearning to move, get on the road and explore the world. Perhaps with all the travel at my age and stage, I am trying to make up for lost time?  This novel is not just a buddy road trip story we see too often depicted in the movies.  In addition to the spirit of experimentation (sex, drugs, & jazz music) that predates the Hippie movement, the novel further explores the nature of friendship, God’s existence, and death.  In the end, it reminds us of the absolute joy of being alive and present in the moment. (LINK to FULL REVIEW)

#116  The Stranger - Albert Camus, 1942                      RATING:   10.0
I must admit that I was apprehensive re-reading this 'strange' French existentialist novel, as I was profoundly affected in a negative manner the first time due to this bleak and depressing tale of an outside who lives on his own terms. That was then. Today more than 20 years later, I see Camus accurately describing today's isolated and disaffected Modern Man. To Camus, who endured atrocities of WWII, life appears absurd and without meaning. In that scenario, anything goes. Who would have guessed that Camus was also describing our current Internet Age? (LINK to FULL REVIEW)

#125  Slaughter-House Five - Kurt Vonnegut, 1974             RATING:   10.0
My first foray into Vonnegut, I must say this unique non-linear book is magical.  Full of whimsy, time travel offsets the horrors of war (bombing of Dresden). With the recurring "So it goes" when bad or strange things happen. And a mysterious title that is strikingly appropriate.  A complex narrative that forced me to re-read the opening chapter immediately after finishing the novel (the beginning starts at the end, got it?).  Believe it or not, this sequence makes perfect sense; an infinite loop, stuck in time like Groundhog Day.  One of a kind writing that benefits from re-reading! 


Next 5 – Near Masterpieces (Rating 9-9.5/10):
The Autumn of the Patriarch by Gabriel…

#123  Autumn of the Patriarch - Gabriel Garcia Marquez, 1975       RATING:   9.5
Marquez does it again! Delivers the account of a Caribbean dictator entirely in stream of consciousness!  I mean ENTIRELY as in 255 pages!  A tour-de-force literary flexing of the muscles. Only Marquez would venture into this uncharted territory.  There are no punctuation, few periods, with words running on page after page with no breaks, save six 'chapters'. But what a story!  How often is one given such open access to the mind of a ruthless tyrant who instills terror in order to maintain solitary power? Voyeuristic, audacious and shocking at turns, this is literature at it's finest. Freud would have recognized this man's venal appetites and basic instinct to survive.

#103   A Hero of Our Time – Mihail Lermontov, 1840                RATING:  9.5
What an incredible gem of a discovery!  I had never heard of this Russian author, but a bright green used $2 paperback copy translated by non other than Vladimir Nabokov caught my attention.  What I learned is that ‘A Hero of Our Times’ is considered the first major novel in Russian literature, a chief source for the great masterpieces of later 19th century.  I did see themes & styles that clearly influenced Tolstoy, Dostoevsky and Turgenev.  The story seems oddly modern, with the immoral, bored but headstrong “nihilist’ youth struggling to find meaning in life. The title is ironic since Pechorin is an anti-hero who destroys hearts and friendships at will with little remorse. The narrative style and five part structure (non chronological) is highly sophisticated.  Brilliant story-telling with passages and quotes that linger for a long time.  In the Preface, the author warns that the public’s reaction and disbelief to a man being so bad as Pechorin is perhaps “because there is more truth in this character than you would desire there to be?”  Too bad Lermontov lived as passionately as his character; he died in a duel at age of 26 resulting from a trivial quarrel with a fellow officer.

#107  For Whom the Bell Tolls – Ernest Hemingway, 1940          RATING:   9.0
I was just about ready to throw in the towel after investing 250 pages in Hemingway's longest major novel, but then all of a sudden, the action and intensity heated up without pause until the final of the next 200 pages!  The setting and theme chosen were grand in scope - the story of a motley crew of of guerrilla freedom fighters defending the Republic from the fascist forces during the Spanish war.  But nothing much happens in the first half of the story.  American Robert Jordan has a mission to blow a crucial bridge in support of the anti-fascists, but all they do is talk, talk, talk about it rather than taking any definitive action.  Hemingway's trademark short, terse prose appears missing in action here, as the dialogue is repetitive and rather boring.  But I realize at the end that it was all by design.  Even in actual warfare there is much time spent waiting, talking and worrying about the next strike and ultimate outcome.  Then the shit hits the fan, all hell breaks loose, and best laid plans run amok. Which is exactly what happens in the final 200 exhilarating pages of this masterful novel.  The ending packs an incredible punch.  

#113  Notes from the Underground - Fyodor Dostoevsky, 1864        RATING:   9.0
What an opening line from one of the first existential voices to be heard; 'I am a sick man....I am a wicked man. An unattractive man. I think my liver hurts."  Such brutal honesty from the Underground Man, the Outsider, the Social misfit.  Disaffected man.  Sound familiar? This writing heralded a new form of Realism, which has become Dostoevsky's signature. We are drawn in to this novella to understand the inner-life of the unnamed narrator. What caused him to become so bitter? As the story unfolds in two distinct sections, we begin to gleam the world around him. A early introduction into the psychological genius of Dostoevsky during the time of imperial Russia.

#96  The Castle – Franz Kafka, 1926                             RATING:  9.0
Kafka’s great last unfinished novel is another staggering and surreal exploration on the themes of alienation, bureaucracy and helplessness.  The main character is simply named K., a land surveyor who attempts to get to the elusive Castle to fulfill his job.  Well, nothing is that obvious in Kafka’s nightmare vision.  The theme of this novel has been widely debated and discussed.  To me, it revisits the searching for God theme and never leads to a definitive answer (perhaps because it is unknowable or perhaps because we are unworthy).  Thought provoking with images that linger.


Top 5 Misses – Big Disappointments (Rating 2-5/10):


#119  Night Circus - Erin Morgenstein, 2011                            RATING:   2.0
An Indigo Bookstore "Heather's Pick," this fantasy novel is dull, dull, dull!  If not a Book-club selection, I would have given up after a few opening chapters. Instead I suffered through the mindless plot about rival Sorcerers Apprentices in a duel to the death. 'Twist' is that boy and girl fall in love and find a way to get around the death sentence. Turns out black magic can come in handy! Really I couldn't make this up if I tried.  What to do when you have zero interest in the plot or characters? Relish reading the major works of a literary master, such as Marquez, which I did.

#108  The Alchemist – Paulo Coelho, 1993                             RATING:   3.5
Since it's initial publication in Portuguese in 1988, the Alchemist has been published in 71 languages in over 160 countries selling 65 million copies. So what is the appeal?   I honestly don't know!!  This book is simplistic and dangerous, in my opinion.  Is it a fable, allegory, self-help book, or comic strip? Each reader will need to decide.  As for me, I really tried to keep an open mind the second time around.  Although I am not as repelled by the ending this time (simple message that your true treasure lies under your feet) I was very tired of the overused mantra, "when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you achieve it." But what really bothers me is the purely unbelievable passages - the boy outwits desert bandits by metaphysically turning himself into the wind, and carries on deep philosophical talks with the sun.  Really, I couldn't make up this New Age stuff!  I hate to admit it, but this book gets worse as one gains experience and common sense. 

#130 Jonathan Livingstone Seagull - Richard Bach,  1970        RATING:   4.0
Another Re-read best left alone and forgotten.  I didn't quite get the message the first time.  "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, call me an idiot."  What a bunch of New-Age (before the term was popular) dribble! This is equivalent the 'the Little Engine that Could' and that is the problem. Except otherwise reasonable-minded Adults were reading this little book and made it a runaway bestseller. The focus on self-perfection doesn't bother me, but really, the highest order is to appear instantly anywhere in the Universe, because "you have already arrived". Enough said! 

#126 The Public Image - Muriel Spark,  1968                      RATING:   4.5
This novel by the author of 'Prime of Miss Jean Brodie' held a lot of promise. A satire on the celebrity obsessed culture we take for granted as omnipresent. Alas, the plot failed to capture my interest. The characters were self-absorbed, but did not resonate. They appeared cartoon sketches. A disappointment given the fascinating premise. Perhaps that was the problem. High expectations!

#128 Night Flight - Antoine Saint-Exupery,  1931                RATING:   5.0
I was expecting more of 'Petite Prince' magic in the author's early novel, but it turned out to be a realistic depiction of the early days of aviation, when taking a Night Flight to deliver mail was perilous. The thin plot-line just doesn't hold up in today's advanced Space Age. The story seems quaint, a relic to by-gone age.  Not necessarily bad, just not very captivating. Oh, and a death occurs. Surprise!


Wednesday, 28 November 2012

FULL REVIEW: A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway


  
Title:          A Moveable Feast
Author:      Ernest Hemingway
Book # :    125                       
Type:         Biography
Genre:       Memoirs                
Year:         1964
Publisher:   Collier                    
Country:     US        
Language:  English                      
Media:       Paperback
Pages:       211
Rating:         9  



  
What is impressive about ‘A Moveable Feast’ by Ernest Hemingway is that it lives up to the standard of ‘writing one true sentence’ (p.12),   In fact this quality would later distinguish Hemingway from other writers. 

‘A Moveable Feast’ is a fond, but unglamorous retrospective of early life as a struggling, poor but happy artist in Paris from 1921-26 completed much later in his life in 1960 (when much of his contemporaries had passed away).  

The biography opens with an explanation of the title in the title page:

“If you are lucky to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast.”
  
Hemingway even explains in the Preface that this book may be regarded as fiction so that it may "throw some light on what has been written as fact."

The famous Paris 1920s expatriate literary / artistic circle are included; Gertrude Stein, Zelda & Scott Fitzgerald, Picasso, Ezra Pound, James Joyce, and Ford Madox Ford.  Woody Allen’s recent movie ‘Midnight in Paris’ wonderfully captures this ‘golden age’ of artist expression.

The book is structured in 20 short chapters, utilizing the trademark concise journalist style, with his homage to Scott Fitzgerald being by far the longest (for good reason, to properly portray this complex legend).

But what stand out are the excellent descriptions of writing in Paris cafes, eating local food chased by wine or liquor. 

“I ate the oysters with their strong taste of the sea and their faint metallic taste that the cold white wine washed away, leaving only the sea taste and the succulent texture.” (p.6)

The passages regarding literature are a fascinating glimpse into the budding young writer/novelist:

“In those days there was no money to buy books.  I borrowed books from the rental library of Shakespeare and Company.” (p.35)

“To have come to all this new world of writing, with time to read in a city like Paris where was a way of living well and working, no matter how poor you were, was like having a great treasure given to you.”  (p.134)

“Tolstoi made the writing of Stephen Crane on the Civil War seem like the brilliant imagining of a sick boy who had never seen war but had only read the battles and chronicles.” (p.133)  

“War and Peace comes out as a hell of a novel, the greatest I suppose, and you can read it over and over…. But you can’t read Dostoyevsky over and over.” (p.137)

Some of the most poignant scenes address the out-of-work hungry artist.

“You got very hungry when you did not eat enough in Paris because all the bakery shops had such good things in the windows and people ate outside at tables on the sidewalk so that you saw and smelled the food." (p.69)
“All the paintings (at the Luxembourg museum) were sharpened and clearer and more beautiful if you were belly-empty, hollow-hungry.”(p.69)

Some passages are truly funny with unwavering brutal honesty,

“You shouldn't write if you can’t write. What do you have to cry about it for? Go home. Get a job. Hang yourself. Only don’t talk about it. You could never write.” (p. 94)

“Everyone is the same size in bed” (p.104)

“It is not basically a question of size in repose. It is the size that it becomes. It is also a question of angle.” (p.190)

The most poignant section concerns Scott Fitzgerald and his hypochondriac condition (I once again think of Woody Allen), over-domineering wife Zelda, and terrible insecurities.  Great artists are greatly tortured by internal demons.  Hemingway appears to be tolerant and genuinely concerned and loyal towards his friend, which is very different from the popular stereotype of him as the combative, intensely jealous rival. 

A fellow book-lover, Susan Berek, wonders if his early life was truly as happy as Hemingway would have us believe, or does it appear so with the passage of time.  One can never know so sure, but my vote is for YES! I feel that Hemingway near the end of life, as all of us do at times, reflected on the ‘best of times and worst of times’ and recognized that he was happiest when he was relatively unknown and not yet famous (think of ‘Rosebud’ from classic Citizen Kane film).

The final section makes as strong case, as Hemingway holds a mirror to his life, and acknowledges that the Paris period ended when he had an affair with the babysitter (how clichéd!!).  He loved his wife Hadley dearly in those austere years as they took on a unified and supportive front against Paris and the world.  Alas, everything good somehow comes to an end.  Everyone ultimately must take stock of his life (remember Socrates?), and Hemingway ends his reflection with fondness (and yearning perhaps?):

Paris was always worth it and you received return for whatever you brought to it.  But this is how Paris was in the early days when we were very poor and very happy.” (p.211)


Monday, 10 September 2012

REVIEW: The Stranger by Albert Camus

Title:          The Stranger                                    
Author:       Albert Camus
Book # :     116                        
Type:          Novel
Genre:        Existentialism                    
Year:          1942
Publisher:    Penguin                     
Country:      French Algeria         
Language:   French                                
Translator:   Stuart Gilbert                    
Media:         Paperback
Pages:        120
Rating:         10 




I must admit that I was apprehensive re-reading this classic of existentialism, as I was profoundly affected (in a depressing manner) when I first read this novel in my 20's. Back then I found the protagonist STRANGE and his world view to be bleak and depressing.      

Perhaps it was the scary absurd notion and central theme of this book that life has no meaning. In a God-less universe, how does one live?  With no rules whatsoever.  Everything is permissible, including killing another human being for no justifiable reason. Blaming it on the sun just doesn't make any sense!


However, even though there are no 'rules' or guiding principles per say, and in such a world any behavior is seemingly allowable, one must be willing to pay the consequences for one's action.  In the 'Stranger,' the price paid is of the worst kind!  I was very very depressed after reading this book.  Existentialism to me did not offer a positive or even viable philosophy!  Nonetheless, I realized this novel was unique, one-of-a-kind, portraying life in a new albeit harsh light. 


This is the primary challenge with the novel.  The principle character Meursault is completely unlikable. He has no purpose in life, drifting from work to play on the beach.  He appears distant and displays very little emotion. In fact, he is on trial for this deficiency.  In the end, he is convicted NOT for killing an Arab repeatedly in cold blood (made famous by the Cure song), but for not crying at his mother's funeral. He is deemed a threat to society and punished accordingly.


That was then.  Today, more than 20 years later, I have a very different perspective. Camus was way ahead of his time.  He is writing about the new Modern Man who has lost his way.  In this era of fierce Individualism and Reality Show freaks, Meursault would hardly register.  He is accurately describing disaffected narcissist nihilistic hedonist Youth in our age of Internet, Twitter and Facebook.  Even though Camus was describing conditions following Nazi Germany's atrocities on humankind and the senselessness of life, today technology has made us all 'comfortably numb.'  Too many headlines abound today of young teenagers perpetrating heinous crimes or murder for no justifiable reason.  For me, it started with 'wilding' murders in New York city in the 80s.  What a shame! 


I understand Meursault much better today than I did more than 20 years ago. He found meaning for his existence in the purely physical world - his love of nature, cigarettes, sex. The sun is seen as a force that causes him great discomfort (mother's funeral,  blinding reflection off knife on the beach) and ultimately leads to his downfall.   I now feel pity towards him rather than revulsion.  A life without purpose is hollow and empty.  Despite all the modern distractions, people are very lonely and screaming for attention and love.   In the words of Socrates many many years ago, "the unexamined life is not worth living."




Friday, 29 June 2012

QUICK HITS (EXPANDED) - April - June 2012 Books Read


I was on track for the second quarter of 2012, until my distraction with The Fifty Shades rubbish in May.  Oh well, summer's here and I look forward to uninterrupted time to enjoy a number of great books.  The beginning of April 2012 also marked an important milestone, my first 100 Books Read.

April 2012



#100   Lolita – Vladimir Nabokov, 1955                          RATING:  10.0
Having viewed the two film adaptations of this controversial novel (my first 100 book milestone!), I was admittedly unprepared for the shock of the first person account of Humbert Humbert’s plot to seduce a 12 year old girl.  But not for the reasons you may think.  It is not pornographic; in fact Nabokov ensures that the most salacious thoughts/acts are masked in artistic prose.  Nonetheless, the novel takes one into the mind of a pedophile, and Humbert almost convinces the reader that his actions are justifiable. ALMOST, but we are not deceived by his erudition, social standing and command of language(s). Absolutely frightening even in light of the proliferation of graphic Criminal Minds/Law & Order SVU TV shows.  The ending is satisfying, but overall it is a sad tale about loss and no one immerges unscathed. Disturbing and complex.

#101   Reading Lolita in Tehran – Azar Nafisi, 2003         RATING:  6.0
Disappointing - more of an account of living in Tehran, Iran during Ayatollah Khomeini’s rule than a real literary discourse or book on books.  Even though the four chapters were titled Lolita, Gatsby, James and Austen, they were merely incidental to the depressing conditions of living under a backward religious dictatorship. We have heard this story a bit too often since the book’s publication.  The most provocative quote is a play on the opening line of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a Muslim man, regardless of his fortune, must be in want of a nine-year-old virgin wife.”  Enough said!!

#102   The Wanderer – Alain Fournier, 1912                   RATING:  8.0
A reference from ‘On the Road’ to this little known novel filled me with anticipation.  I was not disappointed.  The writing style is unique and the story moves along at a quick pace.  A page turner from a 26 year old French author recounting the time and adventures of a new boy (grand  Meaulnes) who becomes a lodger in their tiny town. The novel is subtitled ‘the End of Youth’ and deals with Meaulnes’ chance encounter with a stunning adolescent girl and the attempt to re-capture that magical moment.  In my opinion, the end of the story takes a turn into unnecessary melodrama, diminishing an intriguing and believable tale. Fournier died several years later during WWI while working on a second novel.
 
#103   A Hero of Our Time – Mihail Lermontov, 1840     RATING:  9.5
What an incredible gem of a discovery!  I had never heard of this Russian author, but a bright green used $2 paperback copy translated by non other than Vladimir Nabokov caught my attention.  What I learned is that ‘A Hero of Our Times’ is considered the first major novel in Russian literature, a chief source for the great masterpieces of later 19th century.  I did see themes & styles that clearly influenced Tolstoy, Dostoevsky and Turgenev.  The story seems oddly modern, with the immoral, bored but headstrong “nihilist’ youth struggling to find meaning in life. The title is ironic since Pechorin is an anti-hero who destroys hearts and friendships at will with little remorse. The narrative style and five part structure (non chronological) is highly sophisticated.  Brilliant story-telling with passages and quotes that linger for a long time.  In the Preface, the author warns that the public’s reaction and disbelief to a man being so bad as Pechorin is perhaps “because there is more truth in this character than you would desire there to be?”  Too bad Lermontov lived as passionately as his character; he died in a duel at age of 26 resulting from a trivial quarrel with a fellow officer.


May 2012

#104  Eugene Onegin – Alexander Pushkin, 1833           RATING:   7.5


The only book read in May, due to my crazy work travel schedule and the misadventure of reading The Fifty Shades trashy horribly written nonsense. But before that I had read a third Russian in 40 days, playwright Pushkin's classic tale of the anti-hero Eugene Onegin. The intricate original 14-line stanza iambic tetrameter structure (aBaBccDDeFFeGG) is impressive, especially so in English translation, although this is not an easy read.  From a plot perspective, similar story as 'Princess Mary' from A Hero of Our Time (Lermontov obviously influenced by Pushkin), with a twist. Beautiful maiden Tatyana falls madly in love with Eugene, only to be rebuked. An innocent flirtation ensues with his best friend's girlfriend, leading to a duel and a senseless death. All too late Eugene, after a period of abandonment, realizes he in fact does have strong feelings for the then married Tatyana. No happy ending here, only missed opportunities. Oddly modern and realistic portrayal of unrequited love.  


June 2012



#105  Ruth – Elizabeth Gaskell, 1853                            RATING:   7.0
An interesting premise, a young orphaned girl who becomes a kept woman to a rich 'gentleman,' doesn’t quite maintain our interest for the full length of novel. Written by a female writer during a Victorian era when the Bronte sisters and Jane Austen were using pseudonyms. Sensitive portray of young woman led astray who confuses lavish attention with love and suffers society's wrath.  Story of redemption gets too heavy with religious sermonizing and melodrama. Selection #17 of 4C&J Bookclub that was rather poorly received, with overall low rating of 4.4. 

#106  Mister Pip – Lloyd Jones, 2006                          RATING:   6.0
What sounded like a noble idea, a white man stays behind on a tropical island during an escalating conflict to read Dicken's 'Great Expectations' to the children, shockingly becomes very graphic about the horrors and dehumanization of war. The adventures of orphaned Pip in Victorian London are a welcome reprieve from the chaos of island fighting, until through a bizarre misunderstanding/twist of fate 'Pip' becomes a 'real' rebel fighter who is ruthlessly hunted. Interesting writing from New Zealand author, but it is very depressing.  My last minute more modern (short listed for Man Booker prize) pick for the 4C&J Bookclub.  Wish I had stuck to my original classic novel selection of 'Tess of the d'Ubervilles'.  

#107  For Whom the Bell Tolls – Ernest Hemingway, 1940     RATING:   9.0
I was just about ready to throw in the towel after investing 250 pages in Hemingway's longest major novel, but then all of a sudden, the action and intensity heated up without pause until the final of the next 200 pages!  The setting and theme chosen were grand in scope - the story of a motley crew of of guerrilla freedom fighters defending the Republic from the fascist forces during the Spanish war.  But nothing much happens in the first half of the story.  American Robert Jordan has a mission to blow a crucial bridge in support of the anti-fascists, but all they do is talk, talk, talk about it rather than taking any definitive action.  Hemingway's trademark short, terse prose appears missing in action here, as the dialogue is repetitive and rather boring.  But I realize at the end that it was all by design.  Even in actual warfare there is much time spent waiting, talking and worrying about the next strike and ultimate outcome.  Then the shit hits the fan, all hell breaks loose, and best laid plans run amok. Which is exactly what happens in the final 200 exhilarating pages of this masterful novel.  The ending packs an incredible punch.  I read the final 10 pages with tears streaming down my eyes in a window seat on a plane that was in a final descent for landing. What an vicarious reading experience!  I honestly felt transported to the mountainside of Spain.  If only Papa would have condensed the first part of the novel..........


#108  The Alchemist – Paulo Coelho, 1993                   RATING:   3.5
I decided to give the Alchemist another try after being learning from Lia, a receptionist at an accounting firm, that Coelho was Brazilian (I mistakenly thought he was Spanish due to setting of story), and I am currently interested in all things Brazilian due to my frequent work travels. Since it's initial publication in Portuguese in 1988, the book has been published in 71 languages in over 160 countries selling 65 million copies. So what is the appeal?   I honestly don't know!!  This book is simplistic and dangerous, in my opinion.  Is it a fable, allegory, self-help book, or comic strip.  Each reader will need to decide.  As for me, I really tried to keep an open mind the second time around.  Although I am not as repelled by the ending this time (simple message that your true treasure lies under your feet) I was very tired of the overused mantra, "when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you achieve it." Where have we heard this before? 'The Secret,' right? Then why haven't I won the lottery.  Oh yeah, the book will have you believe I abandoned the idea just at the moment I was to receive my wish.   A very convenient argument, Mr. Coelho! But what really bothers me is the purely unbelievable passages - the boy outwits desert bandits by metaphysically turning himself into the wind, and carries on deep philosophical talks with the sun.  Really, I couldn't make up this New Age stuff!  I hate to admit it, but this book gets worse as one gains experience and common sense.  A further downgrade from my original rating.

Wednesday, 27 June 2012

FULL REVIEW: The Epic of Gilgamesh, Anonymous, 2000 BC (SPOILER ALERT)


SPOILER ALERT!

To celebrate the First 100 Books Read, I will occasionally select those masterpieces I have discovered earlier that have made a lasting impact.  The Epic of Gilgamesh is ranked #6 on my All-Time Top Books list.


Have you heard of the magnificent Epic of Gilgamesh? I have read the Penguins Classics version from 1960s and the recent modern Stephen Mitchell translation.  Both clearly capture the majesty of this 2000 BC poem that was discovered in 19th century in clay tablets with cuneiform characters in the ancient Akkadian language.

The earliest surviving work of literature, predating Homer and the Hebrew Bible, this poem is unlike anything ever written.  The story is centered on this historical king who reigned in Mesopotamian in the great city of Uruk in 2750 BC.  It seems oddly very modern as it explores themes of friendship, quest for fame and quest for immortality, similar themes that appear in Homeric epics.

The narrative is sparse but evocative describing Gilgamesh as arrogant and insensitive leader.  Enkidu is created as a rival by the gods, but they instantly become friends and venture in search of fame by slaying a forest monster. Gilgamesh humiliates goddess Ishtar who punishes Enkidu with death.  Gilgamesh voices his grief at losing his best friend and his profound fear of death.  This leads him on a spiritual quest to search the one exception to the rule of mortality –Utnapishtim, whom Gilgamesh learns achieved immortality by building the Ark during the Great Flood at the request of the gods who decided to wipe out the race because humans had become too numerous and too noisy!!!   

In the end Gilgamesh achieves wisdom, reluctantly realizing that there is no way to overcome death and decides to focus his energy on restoring his great city (which ultimately becomes his enduring legacy, as ironically, its vast achievement is beautifully described in this remarkable poem).

For me personally, what most resonated was the astonishing description of Gilgamesh’s grief at losing his dear friend (soul mate) Enkidu and the disbelief / unwillingness to accept that the same fate (death) should apply to him: “Must I die too? Must I be as lifeless as Enkidu? How can I bear this sorrow that gnaws at my belly, this fear of death that relentlessly drives me onward?  This leads him on a personal quest / odyssey in search of eternal life on earth.

Most human beings ponder this existential question of what is the purpose of life, and what happens when one dies. For some, it seems inconceivable that death represents the end, but they lack the complete faith in God to comfort and guide them in this earthly life.  Ironically, Gilgamesh twice is given the opportunity by Utnapishtim for immortality and eternal youth (the test of staying awake seven days and capturing the Magic Plant), but Gilgamesh lets them both slip away.  Why this happens is a mystery – perhaps it was simply not meant to be!  After the quest comes to an end, Gilgamesh is left with only the conventional advice on how to live;
“love the child who holds you by the hand, and give your wife pleasure in your embrace” and that “man’s life is short, at any moment it can be snapped”  


There are so many other thought provoking passages in this short epic that hint at deeper truths/mysteries:

  • Gilgamesh introduced as a ruthless tyrant, with each virgin bride required to be first mated by Gilgamesh because “every girls’ hymen belonged to him”
  • ‘wild man’ Enkidu being civilized/tamed by the temple love priestess Shamhat by opening offering him sex through seven days of non stop lovemaking!
  • the fascinating role of the temple priestess (not a prostitute!) whose life is dedicated to initiating men to the sacred mystery of sexual union– a refreshing healthy view that is very different to the Judeo-Christian view of Adam and Eve after the Fall
  • the flimsy rationale (fame!) to pursue the monster Humbaba of the Cedar Forest (they are not attacked directly by a monster like in Beowulf) and Enkidu’s insistence, despite pleas of mercy from Humbaba, that Gilgamesh kill the monster
  • Goddess Ishtar being scorned by Gilgamesh, and her human-like response - fury by sending the Bull of Heaven to destroy his palace
  • Enkidu’s ill-advised taunts and hubris (outrageous arrogance) at the Goddess Ishtar after killing the Bull of Heaven –“if only I could catch you, I would rip you apart” - who suffers the expected consequence; a slow agonizing death!
  • Gilgamesh’s first challenge on his quest is through a dark tunnel, situated between twin mountains, as the suns sets and he must reach the end before the sun rises (running nonstop for twelve hours)!!?
  • The elaborate Noah story with details of the Flood that are eerily similar to and pre-date the Bible – building the boat, selection of animals, the six days of the flood, and the loosing of birds on the seventh day.
  • A snake (the same as in the Eden story?) slithering off with the Magic Plant and casting off its skin while Gilgamesh is bathing in a pool of water….

In summary, the Epic of Gilgamesh has power to move and astonish.  It is incredible that ‘the oldest story in the world’ is so relevant today and can speak directly to one on a deep, personal basis.  This is a remarkable feat of Great literature. 

This is a true Masterpiece that I will revisit often and savor each line similar to how the British discoverers must have experienced it, with the story slowly unfolding with each of the original thousands of clay tablets.


Rating -  10/10


Sunday, 10 June 2012

The First 100 Books Read - LOOKING BACK


The road to complete 1001 literary books hit a critical milestone in April 2012, with my First 100 books read.  The journey began back in Sept 2009 with the completion of 'Don Quixote' after failing to finish it in two previous attempts. The First 100 milestone was reached with Vladimir Nabokov's still disturbing 'Lolita.'

The First 100 has taken me 32 months to complete.  At this rate I will be in my early my early 80s before I reach my target.  Thankfully, I have picked up the pace in the past year (a book a week) and should be done before I reach 70 years of age and still have my wits about me!

Looking at the distribution of ratings, excluding the the three '10' rating re-readings, the normalized curve is as strangely uniform in the following pattern:


%         Rating      Description
10%     10             Masterpiece
20%     9-9.5        Very Good
20%     8-8.5        Good
20%     7-7.5        Mixed
20%     6-6.5        Average
10%     5 or less    Poor


Therefore, only half the books read would qualify as worthy of recommendation!  Any book with a '10' rating in my opinion should be the first consideration in a choice of what to read, and I would personally draw from this list as a potential for re-reading in the future.

In addition, I have noted that fully 42 of the First 100 books were not written in English!  This speaks to the Global experience and enduring power of words, in whatever language.  But is does present the challenge of ensuring that the translation is modern, clear and relevant.
I have often been branded as a reader who focused exclusively on the 'classics.'  Well, a review of publication dates of the First 100 would deny that.  Fully 2/3 of all the books were from 1900 and later.  OK, many of these would be considered 'modern classics' but 1/5 are actually from the 2000s. Nonetheless, I do prefer the Russian, Victorian and early American masters.

I have been asked, how did Lit1001 come about?  The idea came to me after a chance meeting with Ben Cook in a work-related training session in the summer of 2009.  His background in Literature and subsequent encouragement was the impetus I needed to establish this current lofty goal of  reading 1001 literary works. At the same time, my wife Guylaine Plourde established the 4C&J Bookclub that created a disciplined approach to a diverse range of books. In addition, I  recently re-connected with a school buddy Santino Bellasario, now a Literature professor at a private school, who added a critical dimension that has been helpful.  It was only natural then that this blog should be created to communicate progress on a broad basis.  Thanks to my son Vincent for his technical computer capabilities in setting up this blog. 

Another interesting statistic is that fully 50% of  Lit1001 blog's pageviews (in the six months it has been established) are outside of Canada, providing exposure that I could not have imagined!  The pageview distribution is as follows:

50%   Canada
22%   US
12%   Russia
16%   UK/Germany/other

Finally, I want to thank all my personal friends and colleagues who have encouraged on this fantastic voyage!  You know who you all are!!!!


For a complete list of the First 100 Books Read by Date click on this link: The First 100 Books Read (by Date)
For a complete list of the First 100 Books Read by Rating click on this link: The First 100 Books Read (by Rating)