opinionated commentary on literary matters - from the complete review

The Literary Saloon Archive

11 - 20 July 2006

11 July: Vikram Chandra profile | Gujarati bookselling | Ahmad Nadeem Qasimi (1916-2006) | 'Jungfrau' takes Caine Prize
12 July: Memories of a Meltdown | Raja Rao obits ? | The Circumcision review
13 July: abc festival | Fred Wander (1917-2006) | Adventures in independent bookselling
14 July: Amélie Nothomb profile | Japanese literary prizes | Hubert Lampo (1920-2006) | In Hora Mortis - Under the Iron of the Moon review
15 July: Patrick White, not worth publishing ? | Willem Frederik Hermans in English ! | WwB book group on Voices from Chernobyl | Archipelago Books opportunity
16 July: Bangsa Membaca Bangsa Berjaya | The Swarm in North America
17 July: Caravaggio exhibit book | National Book Fair - Malawi | Indiana on Simenon | The Fourth Bear review
18 July: Raja Rao obituaries | More Rock 'n' Roll | LBC selection and discussions | In the Country of Men review
19 July: Daniel Kehlmann profile | Ruth Franklin on Black Swan Green
20 July: Craven on Patrick White | Ebadi interview | HK Book Fair | Ġuże’ Chetcuti

go to weblog

return to main archive

       Craven on Patrick White

       We mentioned The Australian's recent 'experiment', where they submitted an excerpt from a work by Patrick White under a different name, only to find it rejected by one and all.
       Whatever the merits (or not) of this little game, at least it's made for lots of discussion -- including some about Patrick White's work, such as now in Peter Craven's opinion piece, How could our literary world be so stupid ?
       He finds:

But the failure to notice the quality of White's writing (quite apart from the lack of culture indicated by no one spotting it) is objectively dispiriting and the exercise in arse-covering that followed was a disgraceful performance on the part of the Australian literary world.

(Posted by: complete review)    - permanent link -

---

       Ebadi interview

       Yet another interview with Nobel laureate and Iran Awakening-author Shirin Ebadi, this time by Negar Azimi in The American Prospect.

(Posted by: complete review)    - permanent link -

---

       HK Book Fair

       The Hong Kong Book Fair started yesterday. Today they announce the "10 Best Titles in 20 Years"; we're not sure exactly what 'best ' they mean -- Chinese ? Hong Kong ? all ? actual books or just book-titles ? -- but are still curious to see what titles they select.

(Posted by: complete review)    - permanent link -

---

       Ġuże’ Chetcuti

       We have no idea who he was, but how often does one hear anything about Maltese literature ? And he made it to 91 ! But, as MaltaMedia reports, Literature giant Ġuże’ Chetcuti passes away:

Novelist, poet and playwright Ġuże’ Chetcuti died on Tuesday, aged 91. Guze’ Chetcuti will be remembered for his significant contribution to the Maltese literature scene, as well as for the love for his country’s language and his involvement in the Akkademja tal-Malti (Maltese Language Academy).

(Posted by: complete review)    - permanent link -

       Daniel Kehlmann profile

       Daniel Kehlmann's bestselling Measuring the World is only coming out in the UK in the spring of 2007 (though it'll be available in the US this fall), but the publicity is already beginning: in Unlikely bestseller heralds the return of lightness and humour to German literature in The Guardian Luke Harding profiles the author and the book.
       He notes:

Since it was published last September, the novel has sold more than 600,000 copies in Germany, knocking JK Rowling and Dan Brown off the top of the best-seller list. Last week it was still at number two, 10 months after publication.

       And apparently:

And although its subject could hardly be more German, Measuring the World does not feel like a "German" novel -- more like the kind of thing that Gabriel García Márquez might have written had he been born in Stuttgart.

       (Huh ?)

(Posted by: complete review)    - permanent link -

---

       Ruth Franklin on Black Swan Green

       There's nothing like pieces on book reviewing to elicit commentary from ... book reviewers (and literary webloggers ...), so expect Ruth Franklin's review of David Mitchell's Black Swan Green in The New Republic -- titled 'The Trouble with Book Reviewing' ... -- to be much discussed. (The piece is available at the ultra-annoying registration and cookie-enabled requiring TNR-site here -- occasionally these things free up and are readily accessible, so give it a try. And see also our review of Black Swan Green.)
       She begins by discussing book reviewing in general, noting:

The writer seeking fresh language with which to express her enthusiasm soon discovers that this particular vocabulary has been colonized by p.r. flacks whipping up empty, fluffy blurbs. The result is that all praise now feels like exaggerated praise. Sixty years ago, Orwell famously complained of the book reviewer's clichés, the "stale old phrases" that get trotted out in the desperation of deadlines: "a book that no one should miss," "something memorable on every page." Nothing has changed, not even the syntax. In this blurbing age, we are still deluged by dizzy claims

       We're certainly on board with her when she argues:

Surely the health of book reviewing is endangered not by someone like Dale Peck -- whose wildly negative piece on Rick Moody, which appeared four years ago, still comes up whenever the public conversation turns to the climate of literary judgment -- but by those critics who, for a variety of reasons, reject straight talk about bad books.

       That's aimed directly at The Believer-gang -- and she notes:

Of course critics should review books rather than personalities -- but that point seems to have gotten lost in the pages of Julavits's own magazine, which actually thrives on literary personalities (what other justification could there be for Nick Hornby's asinine column?), and where the desire for "nice reviewing" has thoroughly enervated the discussion.

       She does eventually get around to Mitchell and his book(s) -- which she is impressed by. Indeed, she writes:

Of all the books that I have read as an adult, the novels of David Mitchell have come closest to resurrecting my own childhood reading utopia.

       So she's firmly on board the Mitchell-fan-train.

(Posted by: complete review)    - permanent link -

       Raja Rao obituaries

       It took them long enough, but finally there are a couple of obituaries in the UK papers:

• Daily Telegraph
• The Guardian (Letizia Alterno)
• The Times

       (The NY Times also got around to it on Saturday.)

(Posted by: complete review)    - permanent link -

---

       More Rock 'n' Roll

       We mentioned the first British reactions to Tom Stoppard's Rock 'n' Roll; now John Lahr reviews it in The New Yorker. And see also Tara Pepper's Stop-Rocks in the international edition of Newsweek.
       See also the Faber publicity page for Rock 'n' Roll, or get your copy from Amazon.co.uk; we haven't been able to elicit a copy from Faber, so you'll have to wait a while longer for our review.

(Posted by: complete review)    - permanent link -

---

       LBC selection and discussions

       Lots of activity at The Litblog Co-op again, including the new Read This ! selection, and weekly discussions of al the nominated books.

(Posted by: complete review)    - permanent link -

---

       In the Country of Men review

       The most recent addition to the complete review is our review of Hisham Matar's In the Country of Men.
       This is apparently one of the big débuts of the year -- something that is even mentioned in some of the reviews, as in Celia Brayfield 's in The Times:

It is no surprise to learn that before its publication, In the Company of Men has been hailed internationally as one of the most brilliant literary debuts of recent years.

       We're curious as to who has been doing the hailing -- especially since we were kind of disappointed. Well, more than kind of.
       We're even more disappointed, now that we learn he would have had better (or worse, depending on how you want to see it) material to work with .....

(Posted by: complete review)    - permanent link -

       Caravaggio exhibit book

       Perhaps taking a page from what The Da Vinci Code did for the Louvre, the Stiftung museum kunst palast in Düsseldorf actually went so far as to commission a book to go with their upcoming Caravaggio-exhibit (opening 9 September).
       The book -- Maler Mörder Mythos ('Painter Murderer Myth') -- offers stories by a fairly impressive selection of authors, with an emphasis on the mystery-contingent -- Henning Mankell, Andrea Camilleri, and Ingrid Noll among them.
       Sounds like a decent idea; get your copy at Amazon.de or see the Hatje Cantz Verlag publicity page.

(Posted by: complete review)    - permanent link -

---

       National Book Fair - Malawi

       They just held the National Book Fair in Malawi and in The Malawi Nation Jack McBrams uses the occasion to write On publishing in Malawi.

(Posted by: complete review)    - permanent link -

---

       Indiana on Simenon

       In New York Gary Indiana reviews Georges Simenon's Red Lights.
       See the publicity pages from NYRB and No Exit, or get your copy at Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk.

(Posted by: complete review)    - permanent link -

---

       The Fourth Bear review

       The most recent addition to the complete review is our review of Jasper Fforde's The Fourth Bear.

(Posted by: complete review)    - permanent link -

       Bangsa Membaca Bangsa Berjaya

       Bangsa Membaca Bangsa Berjaya -- we like the sound of that. It's the motto for Malaysian reading campaign, and apparently means: 'a nation that reads is a nation that succeeds'
       In Now, read this ! in The Star Daphne Lee interviews Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim about the campaign and provides an overview of the reading-situation in Malaysia.

(Posted by: complete review)    - permanent link -

---

       The Swarm in North America

       Back in May we wondered Will The Swarm succeed ?, as the English translation of Frank Schätzing's The Swarm came out (see the HarperCollins publicity page, or get your copy at Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk).
       It still hasn't been widely reviewed in the US, but James Alan Gardner reviews it in The Globe & Mail this weekend. He finds:

So how does The Swarm stack up against the rest of its genre ? In particular, is Schatzing Germany's answer to the techno-thriller king, Michael Crichton ? I say yes -- partly because Crichton needs an answer and Schatzing is there to supply it. Crichton is familiar with science, but he's never much liked it; in a Crichton book, science is a malevolent genie and scientists are fools who pull the cork from the bottle.

       But also:

Schatzing also brings a European sensibility to the genre -- most notably, hostility toward American triumphalism; this starts off subdued, but eventually gets heavy-handed (both the hostility and the triumphalism). Because of this, The Swarm will never become a bestseller in the United States. Perhaps this explains why the translation by Sally-Ann Spencer leans toward British English rather than the American variety.

(Posted by: complete review)    - permanent link -

       Patrick White, not worth publishing ?

       Already widely linked to, Jennifer Sexton reports in The Australian Why bother with Patrick White. They tried that popular trick of retyping part of a famous novel -- in this case The Eye of the Storm by the great (and Nobel-approved) Patrick White -- and submitting it under a different name to "to 12 publishers and agents". You can guess the rest .....
       Yes, yes, there are all the usual excuses (sorry, we don't buy them ...), as well as observations such as:

As to whether readers are missing out, Salusinszky doubts it. "Australian readers are only missing out if there are lots of Patrick Whites out there submitting manuscripts that are rejected. But I don't think (there) are. They (publishers) are sent a lot of crap," he says.

       Fair enough -- though still not an excuse we have much patience for.

       Nevertheless, this is an interesting example -- but for quite a different reason. There's no mention of the sad fact that -- at least in the US -- publishers aren't interested in publishing White's work, even when they do know he is the author. Yes, as we've mentioned and complained about repeatedly, only a single (!) White fiction title is currently in print in the US (the NYRB re-issue of Riders in the Chariot). American publishers have decided White definitely isn't worth publishing -- which we find even more depressing than the fact that these dozen publishers and agents reacted as they did.

(Posted by: complete review)    - permanent link -

---

       Willem Frederik Hermans in English !

       It's almost enough to get us to dance in the streets (and briefly ignore how American publishers ignore Patrick White (see above ...)): Harvill has brought out (in the UK) a book by the great Dutch author Willem Frederik Hermans, Beyond Sleep -- and are planning a new translation of The Dark Room of Damokles.
       We reviewed both last year, and were very impressed (two more Hermans reviews should follow later this summer) -- and hadn't realised that The Dark Room of Damokles actually already had been translated into English (in 1962, by Roy Edwards). But Hermans certainly hasn't made much of an impression in the English-language world -- a major, major oversight.
       In A pioneer from the domain of fish in The Guardian Michel Faber reviews Beyond Sleep and introduces the author, noting:

Beyond Sleep (Nooit Meer Slapen) has been Hermans's most popular book in Holland, which may explain Harvill's decision to publish it first, ahead of greater achievements such as The Darkroom of Damocles (a fresh translation of which is queued for publication in 2007) and Het Behouden Huis (not on the agenda). Those two books, suffused by Hermans's experiences in the second world war, are as disturbing and powerful as anything by Joseph Heller or Kurt Vonnegut. Beyond Sleep is a much gentler, even amiable affair, a deadpan comedy set in 1960s Norway.

       And:

In the final analysis, it is the relative slightness of this novel, rather than anything lost in translation, that may cause the uninitiated reader to wonder why Hermans has been hailed as one of the greatest postwar European writers. Beyond Sleep is an engaging yarn once it hits its stride, intermittently thought-provoking, frequently funny, well worth investigating. But there are darker, stronger Hermans works still waiting for their chance to cross the Channel.

       Lets hope they get there (and elsewhere) soon -- and where are those American publishers for Hermans' work ... ?

(Posted by: complete review)    - permanent link -

---

       WwB book group on Voices from Chernobyl

       The Words without Borders book group on Svetlana Alexievich's Voices from Chernobyl -- led by our very own M.A.Orthofer -- has now started: join in here !

(Posted by: complete review)    - permanent link -

---

       Archipelago Books opportunity

       We're fairly sure that a lot of our readers are Archipelago Books fans (as we are) -- and maybe some of you would like to take advantage of this opportunity:

Archipelago Books Needs Liaisons !

We are looking for Archipelago Books devotees who want to act as liaisons to their local literary communities. This is a great part-time volunteer opportunity for someone excited about Archipelago and who is already involved in the literary scene of his or her city. Liaisons will help spread the word about Archipelago through bookstores, book clubs, book fairs, and personal contacts. They will speak to book critics and editors on the press’ behalf about our forthcoming titles, help us bring people together for local events and spread the word within the community. Although this is a volunteer position, liaisons will receive free copies of all of our titles and an invitation to an annual meeting of liaisons from around the country to compare notes and celebrate!

We are looking for liaisons in all major cities, including: Portland, Seattle, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Austin, Washington D.C., Denver, Ann Arbor, Kansas City, Pittsburgh, Miami, St. Louis, Anchorage, Memphis, Phoenix, and Madison. Think you might know just the right person in your community ?

       Contact them at: jill@archipelagobooks.org

(Posted by: complete review)    - permanent link -

       Amélie Nothomb profile

       In Memoir of a megalomaniac in The Independent Christina Patterson profiles Amélie Nothomb

(Posted by: complete review)    - permanent link -

---

       Japanese literary prizes

       As Mainichi reports, Japan's top literary prize winners unveiled.
       The Akutagawa Prize went to Ito Takami for Hachigatsu no Rojo ni Suteru ('Throwing Stuff Away on a Road in August')
       The Naoki Prizes went to Miura Shion for Mahoro Ekimae Tada Benriken and Mori Eto for Kaze ni Maiagaru Biniiru Shiito ('A Plastic Sheet Flowing in the Wind').

(Posted by: complete review)    - permanent link -

---

       Hubert Lampo (1920-2006)

       As Expatica reports, Flemish author Hubert Lampo died on Wednesday:

Born on 1 September 1920, Lampo is primarily remembered as one of the symbols of the magical-realism in post-World War II Flemish literature.

       His most famous novel ("Some 44 reprints of the book have been published") has been translated into English, as The coming of Joachim Stiller (way, way out of print, but listed at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk). (It was also made into a film by Harry Kümel -- whom you may also remember from Nicholas Royle's novel, Antwerp.)
       See also the Hubert Lampo Genootschap, a bibliography, and the Het Parool obituary.

(Posted by: complete review)    - permanent link -

---

       In Hora Mortis - Under the Iron of the Moon review

       The most recent addition to the complete review is our review of Thomas Bernhard's In Hora Mortis - Under the Iron of the Moon, the new translation of two of his poetry collections.

(Posted by: complete review)    - permanent link -

       abc festival

       It's time for augsburg brecht connected, the Bertolt Brecht Festival in Augsburg. Among the highlights: more than 1500 of Brecht's 2,334 poems will be read by some 1000 Augsburgers today !
       At the same time, they're also holding the 12th IBS Symposium -- on 'Brecht and Death'.

(Posted by: complete review)    - permanent link -

---

       Fred Wander (1917-2006)

       Austrian author Fred Wander -- probably still best known as Maxie's husband -- died on Monday. He was among the handful of German-writing authors that moved to East Germany -- and he did so at the relatively late point of 1958 (he stuck it out until 1983, when he moved back to Vienna).
       For English information about some of his books, see the Goethe-Institut description of Der siebente Brunnen and the Hanser foreign rights information for Das gute Leben ('The Good Life').
       For German obituaries, see Klaus Bellin's in ND, or Oliver Pfohlmann's in the NZZ.

(Posted by: complete review)    - permanent link -

---

       Adventures in independent bookselling

       The Guardian continues its focus on independent booksellers in the UK, giving Nic Bottomley space to explain his Declaration of independence. He describes opening a new independent -- and promises to blog about it at Culture Vulture.

(Posted by: complete review)    - permanent link -

       Memories of a Meltdown

       Starting this weekend I'll be leading the next Words without Borders Book Group discussion, which will be on Svetlana Alexievich's Voices from Chernobyl. Among the points of interest to me is how authors tackle such a subject-matter; non-fiction documentary approaches such as Alexievich's seem to dominate -- and it's interesting timing to find that there's now an English translation of an Arabic book about the disaster, Mohamed Makhzangi's Memories of a Meltdown (see the American University in Cairo Press publicity page, or get your copy from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk).
       Nada Bakri's The wrong place at the right time in the Daily Star pointed me towards it. Bakri writes:

As a document of the twists and turns leading toward the Soviet Union's collapse, Memories of a Meltdown is most accurately described in the author's own words: "investigative literary reportage celebrating the reality of lived moments."

       See also an excerpt at Words without Borders, and Aida Nassar's Living under a cloud in Daily Star Egypt.

(Posted by: M.A.Orthofer)    - permanent link -

---

       Raja Rao obits ?

       We mentioned Raja Rao had passsed away a few days ago, and exepcted that he would get his due -- i.e. that there would be serious obituary coverage in all the major dailies.
       We're still waiting -- the best we've come across so far is Urs Schoettli's Zwischen den Welten, zwischen den Zeiten in the NZZ (link likely only short-lived). What's going on here ? He was both an important literary figure -- and a pretty damn good writer, too.

(Posted by: complete review)    - permanent link -

---

       The Circumcision review

       The most recent addition to the complete review is our review of Dalos György's The Circumcision.

(Posted by: complete review)    - permanent link -

       Vikram Chandra profile

       As the publication date for Vikram Chandra's much-anticipated (or at least much hyped) Sacred Games approaches (UK: 7 September, US: 9 January 2007), the profiles begin: an early entry: Benedicte Page's Vikram Chandra: The mean streets of Mumbai in The Bookseller
       See also the publicity pages at Faber and HarperCollins, or pre-order your copy at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com.

(Posted by: complete review)    - permanent link -

---

       Gujarati bookselling

       In the Business Standard Krupa Kansara observes that Gujaratis turn to books with passion
       A few odds and ends about the local book market, including:

However, according to Shah, "Crossword is primarily an English bookstore, but here, we focus more on Gujarati books. Today, Gujarati books contribute seven per cent to total book sales."

       Not too impressive, if a store specialising in Gujarati books only has them make up seven per cent of sales .....
       Interesting also the attitude:

Talking about the new fever of graphic novels, Shah said, "Graphic novel is a work in the comics book format, usually with lengthy and complex storylines, often aimed at more mature audiences. Well, certain bookstores in the city do stock such novels, but we being a family bookstore do not encourage such novels."

(Posted by: complete review)    - permanent link -

---

       Ahmad Nadeem Qasimi (1916-2006)

       The BBC report that Pakistan literary giant is dead:

One of major literary figures in the Urdu language, Ahmad Nadeem Qasimi, has died in Lahore at the age of 89

       We are not familiar with his work.

(Posted by: complete review)    - permanent link -

---

       'Jungfrau' takes Caine Prize

       The BBC report that the story 'Jungfrau' by South African author Mary Watson won the Caine Prize. (No information at the official site last we checked.)

(Posted by: complete review)    - permanent link -

previous entries (1 - 10 July 2006)

archive index

- return to top of the page -

© 2006 the complete review


Main | the New | the Best | the Rest | Review Index | Links