Great Jones Street

I was reading William S. Burroughs before I got my hands on this book. The book by Burroughs was called Exterminator! For the most parts, I did enjoy his wild imaginations. As I read on, the lack of links between stories lost my interests in finishing the book. So there I was, walking aimlessly into a bookstore in Helsinki, and found this book. The back cover mentioned something about "fame, rock star, withdraw, privacy"...

At reading the first few chapters, I knew I'd love this book... as it begins with a rock star growing tired of fame and fortune, and decided to leave the band in the middle of busy touring. Somehow after the rock star began his retreat, DeLillo got Burroughrized, wild imaginations flying everywhere, weird conversations sprouting out of nowhere... it seems as everyone is on drugs, probably DeLillo himself as well. However, I did manage to finish the book. Yes, it's kind of like parody, to music industry, to our obsessions with drugs and fame, to all the noise everyone is making (and complaining) around us. Though it's written in 1973, it couldn't be any more accurate to describe our society today... particularly here, in the cybersphere.

Nick Drake: The Biography

About a month ago, I somehow got bored with fiction books. I felt like reading something real, then I found this book. Perfect, biography, as real as it gets. Also, what intrigues me to read is that I don't know anything about Nick Drake, other than his three albums and the fact that he died young.

After finished reading this book, I still don't know anything about Nick Drake. Nobody really knows him. However, the author try to put all the pieces of his life together, families, friends, producers, girlfriend, acquaintance, musicians, critics... everyone contributes their thoughts about Nick Drake. So, you get the vague picture of this really tall pale man, a man with very few words, a man who plays wonderful guitar, but also a man who distant himself from everyone else... that leads to his severe depression, which more or less kills him (technically, he died of anti-depressant overdose). His whole life is a mystery, even his death is a mystery (was overdose intentional, or unintentional?). But that's what I like most. I wouldn't want to read the biography of The Rolling Stones, or U2... there's no mysteries behind their success. With Nick Drake, there's a lot of mystery behind... why he hated live performance? why was he depressed? why wasn't he successful during his time? Let these mysteries remain in the clouds of unknown, and let his sweet melodies flow into our ears.

Pulp

My first Charles Bukowski book, and his final book.

Not sure if this is a good start for Bukowski, but I enjoyed this book immensely. The whole book smells of booze and gunfire. I have not read a book as reckless and funny as this. I would love to read more of his books, only if they are as good as this.

In Praise of Older Women

I really enjoyed this book. The Sex Adventures of András Vajda.
I find my old selves several times in this book, love, sex, happiness... none of them really last...

A Visit From the Goon Squad

 

I picked up the book in the bookstore, because I noticed few words in the back cover that quickly aroused my curiosity, like "punk rocker", "self-destruction", "funny" and so on. As I have just finished reading it, I sort of like it, a very interesting structure and concept for novel. But that's it, the story floats on daily life's surface, past, present, future (prediction), all broken down to pieces and patched together as a novel called "a visit from the goon squad". 

In one page, Egan wrote: "The problem was precision, perfection; the problem was digitization, which sucked the life out of everything that got smeared through its microscopic mesh. Film, photography, music: dead. An aesthetic holocaust!" I like the term she coined, aesthetic holocaust, it could be applied to so many other cultural/art things, books for example.

Sentimental Education

For me, this book isn't really on my list of things that make life worthwhile living, but it's surely a great book. I enjoy it very much, the unbearable sorrow of love makes me want to feel what it's like to be in love. To be despised and to despise myself. Isn't love a kind of self-loathing?

Vintage Munro

My introductory book to the world of Alice Munro, and I love it very much. It is a short collection of her greatest works. The Canadian writer is an expert in short stories, exploring human complexities in an effortless and unique style. Though the story isn't very long, it gives you a lot to think about, to read between the lines. I'd definitely read more of her work.

• "The Moons of Jupiter" 
• "The Progress of Love" 
• "Differently" 
• "Carried Away" 
• "Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage"

August Strindberg

I'm reading August Strindberg's plays, just finished The Father.
Now, I know where Ingmar Bergman's strongly emotional dramas come from.
The on-going battle between sexes, the stories of the alienated modern man, desperate and alone in a forsaken universe will never cease to be out of my interest. "A man never knows anything, he only believes."

This Side of Paradise

My gosh, it's unbelievable how Fitzgerald wrote this book at the age of 22 (wrote during 1919, published in 1920). At such young age, he exhibited his wide knowledge of literature, poems, philosophy, politics and romance. He was capable of deep understanding of emotions as well as self-criticism. Yes, he is a young egotistic and a romantic, but he is also aware what his weakness are. Although the writing style is kind of messy (blending all different kind of styles of writing...), it shows how ambitious and serious he is about writing (if he failed, he will never get Zelda back...). This is his début as a novelist, and it shows prominence, as he later established himself as a master in writing with The Great Gatsby.

I really like Fitzgerald's writing. The first half of the novel is that not appealing to me. There were times when I felt like putting down the book. Luckily I didn't, because the second half was well worth it. He is really talented at depicting a particular sense of feeling, when he pins them down in words, the feeling becomes a reality. So often while I was reading the book, I know just exactly how he felt and what he thought, yet it's not exactly my personal experience, and somehow I can really reflect these feelings. "I know myself, and that is all---"

The Adventures of Augie March

What a masterpiece!

This book actually took me quite a while to finish, and I enjoyed very much. Saul Bellow has become one of my favourite novelists, his writing always gets me. He discusses things like fate, death, family, love, power, sense of belonging, all the topics that I'm interested in. Interestingly, the story he told about brothers, more or less happen to me in my life, I feel like I'm reading my fate. I guess history has a funny way of repeating itself, only when you look back on it, you see how little difference you're entitled to make. True, a man's character is his fate.

“Everyone tries to create a world he can live in, and what he can't use he often can't see. But the real world is already created, and if your fabrication doesn't correspond, then even if you feel noble and insist on there being something better than what people call reality, that better something needn't try to exceed what, in its actuality, since we know it so little, may be very surprising. If a happy state of things, surprising; if miserable or tragic, no worse than what we invent.”

Madame Bovary

Madame Bovary, what an iconic figure for woman, a woman who brings ruin for herself and everyone around her. But my heart is with Monsieur Bovary.

This is a fantastic book, digs deep into characters' conscious and feelings, also these characters are extremely real. The crafting of the book is truly a masterpiece. For me, it's a book that is a bit difficult to read, detailed and unrelated descriptions are kind of distracting for me.

The Victim

It is his second work. Along with his first novel Dangling Man, they are considered Bellow's "apprentice works", before he unleashed his true literary voice in The Adventures of Augie March.

I should have read that before I took the book from library shelf, should have chose Augie March even it is massive. Well, that's my next book. This is not bad... but not at his best.

The Beautiful and Damned

My God, the first half of the story was the story of my life... I was in a relationship just like what Fitzgerald have written, except that she's not as beautiful as Gloria in the book, but her personalities and thinking are very much alike with Gloria. After I've read some critical essays, some people find that this novel lacks of unity. True, the first half of the story is quite different to the second half, but who cares! He has written this book with heart and soul (obviously, there are a lot of input from his personal life), and told the tragic romance with fierce poignancy. The joy and hardship of being in a relationship. It also questions the big question, "what's the use of doing anything when nothing is worth doing?" This is a wonderful masterpiece. Maybe because I'm a hopeless romantic, and a hopeless pessimistic... 

Herzog

Saul Bellow has just become one of my favourite writers of all-time. I, "am" Herzog, in many ways. This is another novel that has dug deep into a character's psychological mind, apart from Dostoevsky's Notes From Underground, which is another novel of "me". I have taken something like 20 to 30 pages of notes from Herzog. I don't even know how to describe the book to you. It's too personal.

Here, I throw this question, because I have been thinking about it,
"What is good literature? "

For me, good literature isn't about the smartness of wording, it definitely isn't about good storyline or awards or sales figure, and it's not so much about style. I guess for me, it's more to do with the deep understanding of characters and the universe (this, I mean everything, family, lovers, society, culture, ideology, you name them) surrounding them, the deeper the better. Is that it? No, but words always fail me, and I'll let myself fail.

The Man Who Loved Children

More people should read this book.
This is just a magnificent book, the scope, the details, the characters, the plot, the ending... really, it is a unique book like no others.

If you are going to read this book, don't read any introduction or essays about this book. Just let the book carries you... the book is quite long, and the joy of reading this book is getting to know each characters and the stories of their life through their everyday conversation.

第二十章

學無憂，唯之與阿，相去幾何？善之與惡，相去若何？人之所畏，不可不畏。荒兮其未央哉！衆人熙熙，如享太牢，如春登臺。我獨怕兮其未兆；如嬰兒之未孩；儽儽兮若無所歸。衆人皆有餘，而我獨若遺。我愚人之心也哉！沌沌兮，俗人昭昭，我獨若昏。俗人察察，我獨悶悶。澹兮其若海，飂兮若無止，衆人皆有以，而我獨頑似鄙。我獨異於人，而貴食母。

白話譯文：棄絕後天擾攘的學習，免除憂愁煩惱吧！人家唯唯諾諾說你好，或者人家拿言語呵斥你，那相去有多遠啊！人家評價是善，或者人家評價是惡，兩者距離可有多遠啊！人家所畏懼的，我們也就不可以不畏懼，這是世事之然啊！不過，大道廣闊，無涯無際，永不停歇！世俗大眾，熙熙嚷嚷，好像享用了豐富的宴席一般，好似春日裡登臺遠眺一般，總湊個熱鬧！唯獨我澹泊的、寧靜的，起不了什麼兆頭，就好像那還沒長大的嬰兒一般。閒散悠遊，沒有什麼特定的目的，好像無家可歸似的。世俗大眾總要為自己打算，留個有餘，而我獨獨像是有所缺憾一般！我守著愚人之心啊！渾渾沌沌的啊！世俗人求的是烜赫顯耀，我獨獨喜歡默默無名。世俗人總好精明能幹，我獨獨喜歡渾渾無心。心地恬澹好像大海一般，飂闊無涯，永無邊際。世俗大眾總要個目的、有個憑藉，而我獨獨固守自然，寧願鄙陋。我獨獨不同於一般世俗大眾，我所尊貴的是回到母親的懷抱，渴飲母愛甘泉！

Give up learning, and put an end to your troubles.

Is there a difference between yes and no?
Is there a difference between good and evil?
Must I fear what others fear? What nonsence!
Other people are contented, enjoying the sacrificial feast of the ox.
In spring some go to the park, and climb the terrace,
But I alone am drifting not knowing where I am.
Like a new-born babe before it learns to smile,
I am alone, without a place to go.

Other have more than they need, but I alone have nothing.
I am a fool. Oh, yes! I am confused.
Other men are clear and bright,
But I alone am dim and weak.
Other men are sharp and clever,
But I alone am dull and stupid.
Oh, I drift like the waves of the sea.
Without direction, like the restless wind.

Everyone else is busy,
But I alone am aimless and depressed.
I am different.
I am nourished by the great mother.

A Personal Matter

大江健三郎的個人體驗。

看完了大江健三郎的這本書，覺得大江的書比村上春樹的書好多了。可能是討論的東西嚴肅多了，也有可能是我很久沒有看村上的書了。

這本書雖然是小說，可是大江幾乎把現實生活中的自己寫進了小說，私人程度驚人。但更驚人的是，大江如何誠實的面對自己懦弱，恐懼，厭惡，一部真摯的內心剖白。

Seize The Day

Another great American novel from another great American writer, Saul Bellow.

This is actually my first Saul Bellow novel, and I was struck by it, for its beautiful and masterful proses. There were so many good ones that I just kept copying down the sentences, even the book is only 120+ pages.

In my humble opinion, this book is perfect, for me that is. A story about a man on a losing streak would never lose its flavour for me, the despair, the sorrow, and the pain will always accompany me for the rest of my life. Seize the day.

菸

One Day

"What are you going to do with your life?" In one way or another it seemed that people had been asking her this forever; teachers, her parents, friends at three in the morning, but the question had never seemed this pressing and still she was no nearer an answer... "Live each day as if it's your last', that was the conventional advice, but really, who had the energy for that? What if it rained or you felt a bit glandy? It just wasn't practical. Better by far to be good and courageous and bold and to make difference. Not change the world exactly, but the bit around you. Cherish your friends, stay true to your principles, live passionately and fully and well. Experience new things. Love and be loved, if you ever get the chance."