The Life of an Author
Literature │The Life of an Author (publihed in “Avrupa”) As I gaze across my room, allowing my eyes to fall upon the vast number of books that I have accumulated through many years; presents from people that know that I am obsessed with the written word, books that I buy from the market, the second hand shop, and the ones that I buy for myself at full price as a treat, I noticed that I have collected a decent number of biographies, autobiographies and diaries. It was while taking a second glance at these books that I had to ask
A Handful of Dust by Evelyn Waugh
Literature │A Waste LandA Handful of Dust by Evelyn Waugh (published in ‘Avrupa’ newspaper) As I searched among the library shelves for a Vita-Sackville West novel, and unable to find one, I set out to find another book, as I can not abide leaving the library empty handed, and that was when I came across Evelyn Waugh. I knew that he had written Brideshead Revisited (1945) which had been turned into a film for a second time in 2008, but that too was not available; however, I was not disheartened, as I came across A Handful of Dust and returned
The Brief Wondrous Life Of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
Literature │The OtherThe Brief Wondrous Life Of Oscar Waoby Junot Diaz (published in “Avrupa” newspaper) I believe that honesty is of upmost importance, in fact, it is vital, and that is why I am going to immediately declare that within the first few chapters of this novel, I nearly put it down and cast it away for good; but I kept on reading having been told that it was a good book, and as you may know, when someone tells you that a book is good, you almost feel that it is your obligation to be a fan of it
The Short Story and “I”
Literature │The Short-Story and ‘I’ Runaway by Alice Munro (published in “Avrupa” newspaper) “I don’t really understand a novel…I don’t understand where the excitement is supposed to come in a novel, and I do in a story…I kind of want a moment that’s explosive, and I want everything gathered into that.” These were Munro’s thoughts on the short-story form in 1986; the problem is that not many people share her highly regarded opinion on this form. It seems that, the short- story form is something that does not receive as much respect as the novel, and is regarded as lacking
The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
Literature │The Other SideThe Reader by Bernhard Schlink (published in “Avrupa” newspaper) The Reader” was a great success, finally allowing Kate Winslet to gush over an award at the Oscars for “Best Actress”, but I am not going to talk about how great the film was, I am going to leave that up to the film section, and I am sure that there is a lot to say about it. The Reader, written by Bernhard Schlink, was published in Germany in 1995, Schlink, it appears, is a man of many talents; from 1988 he was a judge, as well as
JANE AUSTEN – Better Late Than Never
Literature │Better Late than Never Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (published in “Avrupa” newspaper) It has come to my attention, with full gusto, that the phrase “better late than never” resonates deeply when it comes to the reading of an Austen classic, and I will share with you the reason why. Having been a student of English, and briefly touching upon Austen’s Mansfield Park, and Northanger Abbey for a gothic course, I was drawn into Austen’s alluring use of satire. She mocked the laughable elements of society which made people act in foolish ways; she also mocked the institute
On Being Ill
I’ve had my fair share of bouts of illness which can last up to months and months, and I know many other who go through these bouts too. These bouts leave you feeling as though your soul is being slowly drained away, you can’t sleep, you can’t eat, you can’t work, you simply can’t function. But what is worst about being ill, it that sometimes you can not see the light, and the thought of being well again is alien…an employer’s dream ehh. Well, this is what it is like when being ill for a long time. Along with
Virginia Woolf’s The Years
Literature │A Voice through TimeVirginia Woolf’s The Years (published in “Avrupa” newspaper) The Years was going to be something new; it was going to “…take in everything, sex, education, life etc and come with the most powerful and agile leaps like a chamois, across precipices from 1880 to here and now”, wrote Virginia Woolf, and this, she certainly achieved. As I edged closer to the end of this novel, my fingers gripping to the pages, hoping that it was not going to end yet, even after 410 pages or so, I knew that it was going to have to. As
Turgenev’s First Love
Literature │ From Russia, With LoveA Review of Turgenev’s First Love (Published in “Avrupa” Newspaper) The scene is set, after a party of guests have left and two friends remain seated, they decide to tell one another the stories of their first loves. First loves are meant to be sweet and charming, but as with much Russian literature, we know that nothing is going to be clear cut and easy. The novella’s protagonist, Vladimir Petrovich declares, “My first love was certainly not at all ordinary”, and it is then that we know for sure that we are in for an
Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates
Literature │The Many Lives of a Book:Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates (published in Avrupa newspaper) I have often wondered about what makes one pick up a book. Is it the luring picture on the cover? Is it a recommendation from a friend? Or maybe because it is the book that everyone is talking about and Revolutionary Road is on everyone’s lips at the moment, but it is not the book, it is the film. Revolutionary Road was Yates’ first novel, written in 1961. The novel was an immediate success, landing itself as a finalist in the National Book Awards. The
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