July ended up being a whole month in translation. I didn't set out with that in mind but mid-way through the second book I decided it would be an interesting way to go. I've been through German, Russian, French, Portuguese, more German, Japanese, Hebrew, Polish and finally, more French. It feels like I've read a lot this month but 3 or 4 of them were fairly short.
Book 32: Siddhartha - Herman Hesse
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Simple prose tells a simple story of a devout man who refuses to follow the flock who yearn the teachings of the Buddha in favour of his own personal quest for enlightenment. A quick and no doubt important read and as a lifelong religious cynic, I enjoyed seeing the titular character find his enlightenment through the love and friendships of less heavenly beings right here on earth.
Book 33: The Master and Margarita - Mikhail Bulgakov
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I loved this. I started it years ago and for the life of me can't remember why I didn't complete it but, I didn't. This time I sailed through it. It's smart, funny as hell, absurd at times, a revelatory (to me) depiction of a place in time, and the magical elements always appeal to this reader. My only critique is more about me than the book but, it contains a large cast of characters all presented with Russian names (obviously), often with alternate, shortened versions and I just struggled at times to keep track of the players. That aside, I managed and would gladly tackle it a second time in the future.
Book 34: At Night All Blood is Black - David Diop
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Another quick one and considering the depth of the characterisation here, the novella didn't feel like it cheated me. A soldier slowly loses his sanity following the loss of his lifelong pal, still barely more than boys, in the Senegalese trenches during WWI. The madness manifests itself with unnatural bravery and barbaric violence that ends with the hands of his victims being removed and kept as trophies. At first these actions win the plaudits of his regiment but eventually, it becomes clear something isn't right and he needs help.
A really good little book that admittedly could be set anywhere and in any war so don't expect too much insight into the Senegalese Tirailleurs.
Book 35: The Alchemist - Paolo Coelho
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I enjoyed this but I think it was an example of the reality not living up to the hype for me. It read almost like a children's parable and the idea that your personal treasure may be right beneath your feet and one shouldn't forget one's roots seemed rather clunky to me.
I'm the first to admit that I'm a very face value reader and having never studied literature it wouldn't surprise me if others pick more out of this book than I did. I'm glad I crossed it off my list finally even if I was somewhat underwhelmed.
Book 36: Beware of Pity - Stefan Zweig
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This one blew me away, I thought it was excellent from start to finish. At ~400pp it's not short and this allows Zweig (famed for his short stories), to tell a really intelligent tale of an Austrian soldier's inner turmoil.
Due to a chance invitation followed by an embarrassing mistake, Lieutenant Hofmiller tries to correct his error by taking pity on a young disabled girl. And that's largely it. But, the way the story develops, the psychology of the protaganist and the way the words and actions of the subordinate characters play on his mind is just a masterclass in writing.
Book 37: Heaven - Mieko Kawakami
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I struggled with this one. The writing was good as it had been in Kawakami's earlier
Breasts and Eggs which I read last year. This story about two kids being bullied though, was just too dark for me to enjoy. The depravity and coldness of the perpetrators was near misery porn and as a father with two kids in school, I just found it too relentless.
At times, it seemed we might be in for a
Heathers style uprising, (the line, 'greetings and salutations' was even used) but, that proved to be merely my optimism as at every turn, the class bullies just sunk lower.
There was an effort midway through for one of the victims to challenge one of the bullies verbally, trying to express the pain it was causing him. The bully retorted with a juvenile philosophy on how he has as much right to bully as the victim has a right not to be bullied and to expect nothing different because it isn't a perfect world!
I was left wishing the bullies, only children themselves, harm and that left me most uncomfortable of all.
Book 38: A Horse Walks into a Bar - David Grossman
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This was a really great read. A stand-up comic slowly loses the plot on stage as he begins to recount his upbringing culminating in a very personal, childhood loss. It's narrated by an audience member, a friend not seen for 40 years who received a personal invitation to the night and who is subject to his own ghosts.
Grossman balances comedy and tragedy superbly and the stand-up dialogue owes plenty to the greats - Lenny Bruce and George Carlin to name a few. People of my generation may also draw parallels to the remarkable monologues of Eric Bogosian from Oliver Stone's
Talk Radio, boiling anger shifting to laugh-out-loud comedy with ease and confidence.
Book 39: Drive You Plow Over the Bones of the Dead - Olga Tokarczuk
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What a belter this is! I love a good mystery thriller and when it's tied up in a solid piece of literary fiction, more the better.
Set in a mountainous region of Poland that borders the Czech Republic (even calling the police can result in the mobile phone tower connecting you to the wrong nation's force), an animal loving older woman narrates this tale of the local townsmen suffering untimely deaths. As all the victims seem to be involved in either poaching or hunting, our narrator feels no great loss and is convinced, led by her astrological beliefs and passion for wildlife that it is the animals themselves taking revenge.
The tale plays out with a solid and satisfying revelation and left me wanting to read more from this Nobel and Booker International prize winning writer.
Book 40: The Devil in the Flesh - Raymond Radiguet
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I had a couple of days left in the month so this short book fit the bill nicely. It's a reread of a story I read some 25 years ago and loved.
Radiguet tells the story of a love affair between an 18 year old woman and a 15 year old boy. Full of very adult romance and passion, the affair is frequently tinged with juvenile jealousy, cruelty and carefree infidelity. Like every good romance, it isn't long before tragedy ensues.
Written when only in his late teens, the prose is simple but intelligent and it transpires, may have some basis in truth. Radiguet died shortly after publication when only 20 and one can't help feel that was a tragic loss of talent.
. The Investigation was pretty wild and I don't think the author even knows the truth about what happened to the Investigator. Good stuff all around.
