Currently Reading: Chapter II

[P. Wretch]

Bunting's almost embarrassing at times, knowing what we now know.

Knowing what we now know about what? The impossibility of taking poets seriously as figures of authority/insight? I agree that Bunting's work displays a certain ideological pomposity at times, but in that he's no more embarrassing than Pound or many other modernists (or, indeed, many contemporary writers). I think the main attraction now is probably his musicality, the emphasis on the sound of words (well illustrated by your quoted example), something he shares with Zukofsky.

[faster]

Bunting's almost embarrassing at times, knowing what we now know.

Knowing what we now know about what? The impossibility of taking poets seriously as figures of authority/insight? I agree that Bunting's work displays a certain ideological pomposity at times, but in that he's no more embarrassing than Pound or many other modernists (or, indeed, many contemporary writers). I think the main attraction now is probably his musicality, the emphasis on the sound of words (well illustrated by your quoted example), something he shares with Zukofsky.

Yeah, I'm not sure how to say it. I mean, I can only read it with admiration, maybe, and not with affection? It's actually the musicality (a very specific sort of musicality) that makes me cringe a little? Man, honestly, I don't have a very good way of talking about it, but he really really reads "dated" to me. Much of it is undeniably great, and at the height of his powers he's in complete control of an almost dizzying array of effects (sound- and otherwise), but it's almost like reading Chaucer or something for me.

[Adrian]

Collected Works of Cesare Pavese (4 volumes) - beautifully published fabulous Dutch translations.
a book of Jazz Pieces by Henk Romeijn Meijer, a Dutch journalist/jazz musician. Lushly illustrated with a lot of old jazz sleeves.

[faster]

Nick Land - Fanged Noumena

[surfer]

Foe - J.M. Coetzee

[diederich]

Nick Land - Fanged Noumena

what i've read of this so far is fantastic.

[surfer]

Forthcoming releases of note:


Release date 11/22

written in 1989. Dont know if this is juvenilia or not.

[Gerardo A]

I think it'll be up your alley, man, it has to do with role-playing games (German style, I think). Haven't bought it yet but it's on my list, although I'll probably get first another posthumous novel of his that was published this year in Spanish (The Third Reich was published in Spanish last year), called something like "The heartaches of a true policeman" (Los sinsabores del verdadero policía). That one is apparently the seed of 2666 as a few choice characters appear again (Amalfitano) and apparently a lot more is revealed about Archimboldi (spelled Arcimboldi in the newly-published novel).

BTW if the translator is Natasha Wimmer it's probably a great English version.

[cdeupree]

Started the new Stephenson this weekend, already well hooked into his vision of computer gaming and viruses.

[Adrian]

Lydia Davies has just translated six stories of my favourite Dutch author into English. Go here: http://asymptotejournal.com/article.php ... 1&curPage=
enjoy!

[surfer]

Mark have you read his second novel?



a review: http://emmettstinson.blogspot.com/2011/ ... sonae.html

an excerpt: http://www2.xlibris.com/bookstore/book_ ... okid=93417

UChicago is publishing A Naked Singularity in March, so that should (will) bring down its currently high price tag, for those of us who havent read it.

[mudd]

yeah, i've read it. it lacks pretty much all of the qualities of the first book. very unfortunate. i'm afraid i don't agree with that review very much at all.

m

[surfer]

good to know, thanks

[Dohol]

re-reading

[billygomberg]

starting in on

[grant]

[Gaendaal]

starting in on

I was ultimately very disappointed by this but in a similarly aquatic mode, I'm now reading Trilobite! by Richard Fortey and planning on following that up with 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea.

[faster]

Set the Land aside to pick up David Graeber's book on debt:

[Jesse]

i'm reading that as well, joe. he's brilliant. took an art major intern anarchist to draw my attention to it, grateful.

[faster]

Yeah, really into Graeber right now. His commentary and involvement in OWS is inspiring.