Farewell, My Lovely (Raymond Chandler, 1940)

Book club selection (via Lon).

I wasn't at all familiar with author Raymond Chandler or what I think was his favorite character - private detective Philip Marlowe.  In this novel,  Marlowe is witness to a murder at the story's outset; he then interacts with various police and other characters; eventually sorts out the story.

Plot line was pretty disjointed, but Chandler's writing is quite good.  He often comes up with unexpected phrase twists that are simultaneously communicative and funny.

As I understand it, Chandler was a pioneer in this genre.  Lots of things seemed cliched reading this in 2014 but I guess that label doesn't fairly apply to the pioneer of the style.

I didn't really care about any of the characters.  The book didn't really make me feel anything, or teach me anything.  I'm the wrong audience for what I'll call a well-written, entertaining page-turner - there simply are too many other books I want to read, and too little time to get to them.

The Daughters of Mars (Thomas Keneally, 2012)

Had seen favorable reviews when this was published in 2012.  And I liked it.  Two sisters are raised in Australian back country; older one goes to Sydney to work; they aren't terribly close.  But both volunteer for service during WWI recruitment drive.

So essentially this provides a very different take on WWI - perspective of Australian nurses who train in Egypt, serve on a hospital ship off Gallipoli (and then on the nearby island of Lemnos), and then make their way up to France.  The older sister (Naomi) ends up working in an Australian-run hospital in northern France, while the younger sister (Sally) works closer to the front (including stints at clearing stations).  They are in service all the way up to the end (including "Spanish" flu outbreak (which was quite interestingly discussed here)).

Not too much detail about medical stuff, but it does help give an idea about the challenges of 1915-era medical efforts running up against industrial killing.  Amazing to think of the doctors and nurses that faced this stuff endlessly, year in and year out.

The two sisters are pretty strong characters, but I didn't think the author romanticized what this was all about.

Medical personnel were critical players here, but quite naturally they tend to be overlooked by the historians and novelists in favor of other aspects of the war (though Hemingway did address the topic quite famously here).

Making this book all the more worthwhile.

Perilous Question - Reform or Revolution? Britain on the Brink, 1832 (Antonia Fraser, 2013)

Interesting, worthwhile, but not terribly compelling.

Things were dicey across Europe in 1832 - not all that long since French Revolution; unrest in France in 1830 leads to Louis Philippe; 1832 saw Parisians manning the barricades as described in this pretty famous book.  Unrest elsewhere on the Continent.

And in typically stable Britain - lots of forces in play.  Much attention focused on the need to Reform the electoral rules for House of Commons.  The famed "rotten boroughs" - places that perhaps were populated hundreds of years back are still entitled to elect one or two Members, while rapidly growing industrial centers in some cases had no representation at all.

Duke of Wellington - highly successful military leader (as described here) and effective conservative political leader - uninterested in any such Reform.

A new King - William IV - gives cause for hope of Reform.  But his conservative (and German) wife seems to slow his role.

Charles Grey becomes prime minister and is the key figure in pushing the Reform project.  (And his success causes great popularity; a new tea is introduced which to this day is named "Earl Grey".)

Growing influence of trade unions (Birmingham a key example).  The "people" are fired up - fear of violence is a driving force, interestingly enough.  Lots of changes going on - leading to actions such as destruction of machines believed to be taking away jobs.

House of Commons - led by Grey - approves Reform.  House of Lords - not accountable electorally - blocks it.  William IV finally agrees to appoint enough additional peers to tip the vote - which obviates the need for such drastic action.

Lots of echoes to current times here.  Passage of Reform in 1832 typically cited, apparently justifiably, as a good example of England's ability to evolve - and avoid France-style revolutions.  (Though note that following Reform, very few males still can vote and, of course, no females.  One step at a time.)

Armor and Blood - The Battle of Kursk - The Turning Point of World War II (Dennis E. Showalter, 2013)

". . . Kursk's defining event:  the tank battle at Prokhorovka.  All the elements of myth were at hand.  Prokhorovka offered a head-on, stand-up grapple between the elite troops of the world's best armies, on a three-mile front that left no room for fancy maneuvers or for air and artillery to make much difference.  The drama is heightened by a a familiar image of both sides attacking simultaneously - an encounter battle in the literal sense, suggesting predators in rut.  Like Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg, Prokhovoka offered an emotional turning point;  afterward, nothing was ever the same.  Afterward, the tide of war rolled only one way - toward Berlin." 

Wow.  And really, just the word "Kursk" connotes epic; mythic; amazing.  

But I didn't love this book - supposedly lots of new detail (based on recently-opened Russian archives) - but that doesn't guarantee a good story line.  (Or maybe someone with my low level of military know-how is better suited for something like this, which I much enjoyed).  

Still - it was much worth paging through this book.  Reinforced just how truly awesome this particular battle really was (using the word "awe" in its original sense).  Reading the preparations for the battle, and then the day-by-day developments - how could these combatants lock up like this (both at the individual and macro levels), and then somehow sustain the intensity?

Tigers were amazingly effective.  Germans controlling the air for the most part - Stukas doing damage.  But Germany was already grievously over-stretched, while Russia had made great advances since the staggeringly weak (presumably purge-abetted) performance during Barbarossa.  Exhausting, deadly battles all day long; moving and repairing equipment - and shifting formations - and digging in - by night.  Russians dig in their tanks - just the turrets showing - mobility often pointless against Tigers etc. anyway.  Incredible physical demands even considered in isolation from the endless pounding - absolutely amazing what these folks endured.  Psychological demands (if that's the right terminology) perhaps even worse?

Author introduces the key players in both armies - Model, Hoth, Manstein; Vatutin, Khrushchev.  Interesting, but they didn't really come to life.

Despite all the problems - and the incredible setback at Stalingrad - German army came close to pulling off a victory here.  (Though not clear that it would made a big difference given overall trend lines).  Nazis worried about Allied progress in North Africa - and Sicily invasion - going on roughly in parallel with Kursk (as discussed in this just-finished book).  

An Army at Dawn - the War in North Africa,1942-1943 (Rick Atkinson, 2002)

This is the first volume in Rick Atkinson's quite excellent trilogy covering US role in World War II.  For whatever reason, I read it last among the three books (volume two discussed here; volume three discussed here).  Would have been useful to have read the three works in the correct order - mostly to gather the background on key personalities plus understand how some of the initial maneuverings related to later efforts - but each of the three works also stands quite nicely on its own.  All highly recommended.

I had read a bit about the US efforts in North Africa as part of larger histories; also did some reading about the British experience there (for example, this book).  But very much ignorant for the most part.  So this was quite valuable.

A few ideas:

1.  The incredible amount of preparation required for the US military to participate effectively.  The lack of sophistication resulting in severe setbacks.  Reminiscent of WWI.  (And I don't have the slightest criticism of this - seems quite fine that the country didn't maintain a large standing military presence in the run-up to either of the world wars.)

2.  I need to better understand Hitler's thinking in relation to the Vichy regime.

3.  Such an awkward situation with the French military in North Africa - protecting this territory against the Allies was part of the Vichy government's deal with Hitler.  Weird that in the early going the Allies fought battles (sometimes pitched, sometimes desultory) with the French in North Africa!  While trying to work with the "Free French."  Casablanca-style intrigues.

4.  Rommel, Kesselring.  Manpower and materiel shortages plaguing German army (along with Italian ineffectiveness).  German troubles in Stalingrad and Kursk; Italy wavering; Hitler limited in ability to allocate resources to North Africa even while pulling some divisions away from Russia.

5.  The Allied politicians - Roosevelt and Churchill primarily. England pushing to prioritize the Mediterranean operation.  Eisenhower's maturation in an incredibly challenging job.  Titching between British and US military folk at all levels.

6. Difficulties with ambitious amphibious landings - large, but significantly smaller scale than would be undertaken in Italy and Normandy.

7.  Kasserine Pass.

8.  Quite a bit of focus on a division (34th) with heavy representation from Southwest Iowa (including a leader from Red Oak).

9.  The story of Count Stauffenberg's injuries in North Africa at the hands of strafing fighters; he uses his recuperation period to work on the assassination plot involving the briefcase under the conference room table (recounted in the recent Tom Cruise movie (Valkyrie)).

10.  The goums and their penchant for collecting Nazi ears for bounties (fake submissions suspected, however).  I need to re-read Irvin Bormann's diary on this topic.

11.  As in the other two volumes:  plenty of references and connections to wars fought in these areas going back to classical times.  (In this case:  a focus on Carthage.)

12.  Patton was pulled away from the final stages to focus on plans for invading Sicily (leading into volume two).

Borrowed from PJr.

The Rule of the Clan (Mark S. Weiner, 2013)

Saw some favorable references, but this wasn't very interesting.  At least it was pretty short.

The author addresses the difference between traditional clan-based governance systems and the modern liberal state.  I think he's obviously correct in noting that the modern liberal state - with its emphasis on individual rights - can't function without a strong central government.  But he seems to fear that the government (U.S.) in its current iteration can't be scaled back without risk that we'll devolve into something more along the lines of a clan-based system.

Which is pretty ridiculous.  To surpass clan systems, the state does need to be strong - but primarily in matters such as protection of individual rights (property and otherwise), police force, military, etc.  And no doubt some involvement in infrastructure etc.  But the current U.S. system veers far toward usurping individual rights.  So that was kind of an off-target sideshow for the author.

Somewhat interesting discussions about clan systems in various setting - Scotland, Iceland, the middle east, etc.  Concepts of honor and shame.  Subjugation of the individual - especially if you happen to be female.  Why clan systems tend to work in the absence of a centralized state - participants obtain protection in an anarchic setting plus strong group identification - but at the expense of individual liberties.

An unexpected and completely immediate overlap with a just-read book:  as the author describes the transition from clan to state in Britain, who should he cite (at p. 147) but Edwin of Northumbria, a central figure in this piece of historical fiction.  The author discusses the role of religion in assisting the transition from clan to modern state (centralization) - also a theme in the linked work.  Big Religion and Big State work well together!

Author notes the tendency to glamorize those old-timey clan systems - the feeling of inclusiveness can seem attractive as the modern liberal state can leave folks feeling disconnected.  Yet in the end, folks with a choice tend to migrate out of clan-ism.

Clan systems aren't going away.  They are dramatically different than our (U.S.) society - which should make us humble when intervening in middle east situations.  But we seem to remain un-humble.

Isaac's Storm - A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History (Erik Larson, 1999)

Book club selection (via NOC).

Recounts a hurricane that devastated Galveston, Texas in 1900.  Story primarily built around the character of Isaac Cline, lead representative in Galveston of the federal government's still-young weather bureau.

A few thoughts:

1.  First part of the book did an interesting job of putting the storm in context.  Gave some basics on hurricane formation plus some history of the manner in which scientific understanding had advanced as to these matters.  I liked this.

2.  Author emphasized the limits of human knowledge of complex weather systems in 1900, and that much uncertainty remains to this day.  Seems relevant to everyone's favorite cause du jour (climate change, formerly known as global warming).

3.  Galveston as an up-and-coming city; economy based on port activities.  Topography seemed risky for flooding, but boosters and others convinced themselves otherwise.  Sounded a bit like the "rain follows the plow" rhetoric employed by Plains States boosters back in the day.

4.  Isaac not a terribly sympathetic character; some conflicts with his weatherman-brother (Joseph), etc.

5.  Author did a good job taking the reader to the scene of the hurricane and letting us imagine how that might have felt.  And the difficult scenes in the storm's aftermath.

6.  Still - as the author points out, source material was very scarce.  So there's an element of "winging it" here.

7.  Galveston didn't recover.  Houston bloomed with the oil industry.

8.  Weather forecasting bureaucracy was a mess - shockingly, key government workers seemed primarily interested in keeping their jobs and enlarging their personal prestige.  For example:  adamantly ignoring folks in Cuba who were pretty experienced in observing these kinds of stories.

Hild (Nicola Griffith, 2013)

Historical fiction - what I'd call a "romp".  Like this.  A category I rarely read.  But I quite enjoyed this, blew through it quite quickly at the gym.  Maybe I should spend more time with this genre?

The author somehow became aware of a figure from 7th-century Britain - St. Hilda of Whitby - limited information available, so the author decided to build a full tale around the scanty record.  I read that this now will become a three-part work.  This first novel covers Hild from her earliest memories (three years old) to her early 20s.  

Hild's mother (Breguswith) positions her as a seer - the "light of the world" - and Hild delivers.  Bright, perceptive, courageous - she becomes seer for her crafty uncle (Edwin of Northumbria) who is a minor king but rapidly consolidating power over larger territories.

Hild grows up with Cian; Begu becomes her "gemaecce" and Gwladus her accommodating body servant; Hild is increasingly adept at seeing patterns everywhere.  Also at cultivating information networks.  So she has better quality information than others, and superior skills at putting pieces together.  In short: highly valuable to someone like Edwin.

So did this give me some insights into 7th century Northumbria?  And if so, are they worth anything?  I think it's "yes" and "yes".  Author is not a historian, but seems to have done enough checking around such that the reader gets a feel for time/place (if only the author's version).  What became England was a bevy of shifting alliances - England was not unique.  Clan behavior.  The importance of trade.  Kings who travel from place to place within their domain(s) - lest allegiance of locals wanes.

Roman ruins.  Old gods - including Woden - giving way to Christianity.  But always with political overtones. Hild is baptized - but not out of any sense of piety.  Edwin believed church backing would help him increase and consolidate his power base (well, that has been a pretty typical strategy before and after the 7th century.)  Priests hanging around - from Ireland or coming over from mainland Europe.  Irish priest - Fursey - teaches Hild to read and write (on Edwin's orders); also emphasizes the value of literacy as the power struggles continue and become more sophisticated. 

I may well go on to read the next two novels if/as they become available.

If This is a Man (1947) | The Truce (1962) (Primo Levi)

Levi was an Italian Jew - a chemist - deported to Auschwitz.  Survived, and made it back home to Turin.  Felt a need to write down his experiences - not previously an author, but all this seemed to turn him into an effective writer indeed.

Much of the power here is that he was not writing for a commercial audience in 1947.  As this belatedly helped me understand, the "Holocaust" as a concept didn't exist - and wouldn't for many more years.  Levi simply recorded, without hatred, his vivid recollections of surviving in Auschwitz.  To help himself think it through; to record for others.  Spare, non-dramatic - and therefore excruciating.

Here in 2014, have we "heard it all before"?  Yes - but I'd say Levi's book - as a first-person account written very shortly after the war - is in a class by itself.  And worth reading no matter how much other material of this sort one has previously read.  His detailed descriptions of the markets going on in the camp (and involving townspeople) were new to me.  The dreaded "selections."  Cold, hungry, degraded.

Also interesting in respect of the camps:  the large number of countries represented among, and languages spoken by, the prisoners.  Levi encountered several Italians (and a few others) who were crucially helpful allies.

He was one of a handful of survivors out of the 500+ deportees in his group.  Survival aided in part by his skill set - as a chemist, he was assigned to a lab and avoided some of the harsh outdoor work as his second winter in the camp set in.  Also was lucky to be very ill at the time the Russians liberated the camps, as he was left behind in sick bay while the Nazis dealt with many of the other prisoners.

"If This is a Man" didn't find an audience for a number of years.  Levi wrote a number of books after it.  After "If This is a Man" caught on, he wrote a companion piece - "The Truce" - recounting his long journey from Auschwitz back to Turin.  The Russians were in charge of most of the trip, and his stories of the journey are consistently interesting.  It was the days of "displaced persons."  I particularly liked his description of how it felt to pass through Germany on his way back to Italy.

His story is truly amazing (the cliche actually applies here).  PJ recommendation.

Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition (Daniel Okrent, 2010)

This book was written in parallel with a much-promoted Ken Burns mini-series - though not directly used in it.  Burns bores me at this point - same style, too plodding, too formulaic.  But this book was generally informative and useful.  A few take-aways:

1.  Drinking was a problem in 19th century America - there seem to be stats to support this view.  So there was a long run-up to Prohibition.  A need for change, even if this approach was incredibly ill-advised.

2.  It's enormously difficult to amend the U.S. Constitution.  And it happened.  (Actually twice, including repeal.)

3.  The 16th amendment - permitting a federal income tax - was a key milestone in the movement toward passage of the 18th amendment (prohibition).  Feds relied heavily on alcohol excise taxes going back to the Whiskey Rebellion - therefore there could not be Prohibition without an alternative revenue source.  (And Big Gov itself could never have arisen without the federal income tax - a whole different story.)

4.  Interesting discussion of the pre-Prohibition urban saloon as intertwined with urban political machines.

5.  Germans controlled the big breweries - so WWI anti-German environment was exploited to obtain passage.

6.  Amazingly effective leadership - primarily Wayne B. Wheeler - ran the "dry" movement.  I had no idea of the extent of control by "drys" over elections - and therefore politicians - at all levels of government.

7.  Didn't know about the extent of the shipboard rum-running - fleets sitting just outside territorial waters.  Didn't know how much product gushed through Detroit.

8.  Didn't know about the effect on California's somewhat-young wine industry.  They pulled up most of their vines and replaced with cheap grapes - easy to ship, and it was legal for folks to buy grapes (and ferment at home).

9.  Beaulieu Vineyards controls the "sacramental wine" exception - ties to Catholic Church and rabbis - huge plus for them when Prohibition ends.  No need to pull up their vines - religious market was large, plus lots o' product leaked out to non-religious end-users.

10.  Many parallels to today's War on Drugs.  Law enforcement corruption, diversion of resources, over-aggressive enforcement, citizen scofflaws, etc.  Social changes, including changes in drinking patterns (probably especially by women).

11.  Booze cruises - in international waters - led to today's cruise ship industry ("trips to nowhere" didn't exist prior to Prohibition).

12.  Classic coalition of "Baptists and bootleggers" interested in preventing repeal of Prohibition.

13.  Author states there were 1,345 American brewers in 1915 - but only 31 were up and running within three months after return of legal beer.  Prohibition led to a market controlled by a few major players selling bland product - a situation which wasn't corrected for decades.

14.  Interesting overlap with immigration "reform" - with echoes for ongoing debates on the subject.  Immigration in Prohibition era involved unreliable/undesirable southern and eastern Europeans - many Catholics - considerable fear that demographics would lead to votes for "wet" politicians.  Along with other bigotry factors - this leads to passage of the 1924 immigration "reform" law and its annual quotas.  Sets an annual ceiling of 2% of immigrants already in the U.S. as reported in census data.  To achieve the goal of keeping out newcomers - pretty much openly discussed - the act looked back to the 1890 census - before the undesirables started showing up!  

Ah, the fine intentions of the Progressive movement . . .

This Side of Paradise (F. Scott Fitzgerald, 1920)

Book club selection (via Lon?)

Fitzgerald's first novel.  Amory Blaine is handsome, smart, indulged.  Basically:  seems to not know how to be happy.

The story line traces through his upbringing with his eccentric mother, close friendship with a priest-friend of his mother's, several romances (none of which goes anywhere), adventures at Princeton, a WWI stint (no details provided), working at (and resigning from) an ad agency, poverty, heavy drinking (prohibition comes into play), tries to be a fall guy in NJ, etc.  Searching.

Fitzgerald does give the reader a feel for what the world may well have felt like at the WWI fault line.  Political, social, literary trends; rapid change.  And Fitzgerald is good with the language, though I thought a bit glib.

Amory wasn't a particularly likable character.  Having troubles, but not sympathetic.

The ambiguities here yielded worthwhile "book club" discussion.

Still don't know why Fitzgerald is considered so wonderful, though this was worth reading.

And:  still not a fan of his best-regarded work.

Bourgeois Dignity - Why Economics Can't Explain the Modern World (Deirdre N. McCloskey, 2010)

At an overview level most of us are aware that our minds are packed with assumptions - many useful, many just plain wrong.  What turns out to be devilishly difficult:  identifying specific assumptions, why we hold them, why we wish to cling to them.  Especially incorrect assumptions.

I grew up with a pretty typical education.  Inundated during those school years, and thereafter, by mainstream news and information sources.  Also:  most folks with whom I interacted over the years mouthed the same standard narratives - listening to adult conversations while growing up, listening to adult conversations even today.  Result:  nonstop exposure to the standard narratives most of the country lives by.

That's where this book fits for me.  A highly useful discussion not only critiquing standard narratives within the book's scope, but explaining how those narratives came to be "standard," with some thoughts as to why so many are so invested in keeping them so.

McCloskey describes "the great fact" - that no one disputes - that virtually the entire planet lived on $3 per day (or worse) for millennia; that something happened in the Netherlands around 300 years ago - quickly copied and expanded shortly thereafter in England - that this something (or somethings) expanded wealth by at least a factor of 16 (much higher in the wealthiest countries).

As a result, lives are incredibly better in countries where this "something" took hold.  Not perfect.  But "incredibly better" is a pretty fine achievement.  Especially for the poor.  And no one with a shred of knowledge of history - and by that I mean no one - would ever "go back" to live in those allegedly good old pre-innovation days.

[Despite this:  constant disparagement of bourgeois values by the "clerisy":  intellectuals, artists (now including TV/movie types), aristocrats, journalists (not to mention politicians chasing votes from the mass of folks without enough knowledge or interest to think independently of the standard narratives).]

How we explain this "something" that fueled a growth explosion starting ~300 years ago goes such a long way to how we view public policy today.  McCloskey illuminates the basis for many of the standard anti-capitalist (including the "exploitation" hobby horse), anti-growth narratives - fashionable since 1848 (certainly pounded into my head during college and to this day) - this discussion opened up many new ideas for me.

[Interesting:  as wonderful a writer and economist as Marx was, the author explains how Marx was so often just plain wrong on the history (which of course weakens everything else).  In his defense, somewhat:  professional historians didn't really exist in 1848, so he didn't have much good information with which to work.  But the damage has been done in terms of persistent distortion via the clerisy-narrative, down to the present.]

Her own explanation of the primary driver in support of explosive growth:  a new respect, and language, became acceptable in relation to innovation (and innovators) in the Netherlands, then England, then many other places.  It's a compelling, thought-provoking idea.  Give dignity and freedom to the innovators:  and just watch what happens.  McCloskey traces the effect across geographies and timelines.

This book is part of a series; another equally valuable book by this author is discussed here.

Displaying the closing two paragraphs below (though they make much more sense for those that RTWT).

Under Western Eyes (Joseph Conrad, 1911)

Conrad remains one of my favorite authors; almost in the zone with Dostoevsky, Mann, Solzhenitsyn.

Had never heard of this book but recently saw a favorable review in WSJ.  Many overlaps with this book (published 39 years earlier, surprisingly enough - the themes endured in Russia).

Protagonist (Razumov) is a student in St. Petersburg unwittingly drawn into an assassination situation when the assassin (fellow student Haldin) shows up in Razumov's room shortly after the deed, seeking safety until he can make his escape.  Haldin ends up getting arrested and executed in pretty short order.

All this puts Razumov - getting attention from anarchists and police alike - in a very difficult situation; he seeks to cope throughout the story.

Razumov is the illegitimate son of Russian noble who has a small role in the tale; Razumov grew up without family and very much a loner; this plays into his handling of the situations he encounters.  Razumov had simply wanted to thrive in his schooling and get a decent job - this avenue was now completely closed.

Razumov is whisked out of Russia and into Switzerland shortly after the assassination.  Where he encounters the assassin's sister and mother - previously sent abroad by Haldin in anticipation of trouble for them should he succeed in the assassination.  These two quite naturally are most interested in what happened to Haldin (who was the shining star of the family).  Haldin's sister (Nathalie) is a strong character though inexperienced.  Razumov also encounters various Russian emigres, many involved in plotting against the government "back home" and anxious to employ both Razumov and Nathalie.

Conrad does a great job with this.  The story is told through the "Western eyes" of a middle-aged Englishman resident in Geneva who had come to know Haldin's sister (as her English teacher); he stays involved as things unfold and eventually has access to Razumov's diary.  The protagonist's struggles are really well done.

Conrad makes quite a lot of the inability of "Western eyes" to see/understand what was going on in Russia, and between Russians.  Not quite sure what to make of that.  Conrad was Polish - though moved to England and wrote in English - and had family experience with Tsarist-repression.  So there are several layers going on here.

Joseph and His Brothers (Thomas Mann; published in four volumes in 1933, 1934, 1936, 1943)

I'll repeat:  I'm a big fan of Thomas Mann.  So I knew I would take up this work - but was wondering - what's going on here?  1,500 pages to re-tell, or re-cast, Old Testament stories that Mann's reader-universe already knew intimately?

The introductory materials indicate that Mann saw this work as his magnus opus - but that clearly isn't anyone else's perception.  Too long for widespread readership.  Rocky start - he was already in exile before the first volume was published in his native (now-Nazi) Germany, making it unlikely that there would be any critical acclaim or wide distribution.  Etc.

Written over the course of 16 years - last volume written in "sunny California."

I love Mann's writing style - wordy, full of ideas, spinning out conversations and ideas in tremendous detail.  It works for me.

This book reminds me that Bible is full of foundation stories - marvelous, profound, human.

And it's pretty much common sense that Bible knowledge is useful if not indispensable in absorbing so many great works of Western culture (as discussed here).

Mann has a highly effective way of communicating how deep the past runs - how long folks have been living the foundation stories.  The opening sentences of the book:  "Deep is the well of the past.  Should we not call it bottomless?"

Interesting aspect - Mann describes Yahweh's covenant with Israel as a win-win - Abram (as he was then known) restlessly looking for an ur-God; on the other hand, God can't have a presence on earth without a people dedicated to Him.  Playing with the idea of a God with needs!

But the basic element here:  marvelous stories.  (And they're marvelous stories even before Mann expands them in his wonderful style.)  A sampling (not always in chronological order):

• Abram - the wanderer; the covenant.
• Abraham and Sarah - time in Egypt.  Ismael via slave girl.
• Isaak via Sarah - though she was too old.
• Abraham and Isaak; the sacrifice.
• Abraham's servant - Eliezer - sent on a long journey to find a wife for Isaak - but goes quickly, the earth leaps up to meet him!
• Isaak and Rebekah
• Esau (the hairy one) and Jacob
• Rebekah helps Jacob get Isaak's blessing
• Esau the unfavored older son - like Cain - echoes within Jacob's group of sons
• Jacob wrestles with the angel
• Rebekah sends Jacob far away to live with her brother Laban (so the tense situation with Esau might have a chance to settle down); she never sees her favorite again
• Jacob makes Laban wealthy, starting with finding a well for him; Laban distrustful and untrustworthy
• Laban sneaking in Leah (in place of Rachel) after Jacob works seven years to get Rachel
• Jacob and Rachel - after seven more years
• The 12 sons of Jacob; leading to the 12 tribes of Israel 
• Leah fertile; Rachel supplying only #11 (Joseph) and #12 (Benjamin) 
• Reuben - eldest; Simeon and Levi - warlike in this telling; Judah #4
• Four of the 12 sons born to Jacob by slave-girls (when nothing happening with Leah or Rachel)
• Jacob outwitting Laban the deceiver; starts the return to the homeland
• Rachel dying along the road after giving birth to Benjamin
• Jacob transferring favoritism from Rachel to Joseph (he had her eyes, after all); hard feelings among Joseph's bros
• Jacob the King of Flocks - the blessed one - everything he touches turns out well
• Jacob the trickster
• Jacob the mystic, the ascetic
• Jacob individually with the name "Israel"
• Joseph wheedles the coat of many colors out of Jacob (in this telling, it is a fantastic unisex gown of some sort that Laban had acquired for his daughter to wear at her wedding)
• Joseph in the pit; Joseph sold to passersby; bros telling Jacob that Joseph must have been killed by a wild beast
• Joseph sold into the house of Potiphar (powerful, wealthy courtier of Pharaoh) - quickly rises from bottom rung to chief steward
• Potiphar's wife finally notices Joseph, and how
• Potiphar's wife asks Potiphar to send Joseph away - this scene was brilliantly written; Potiphar demurs
• Joseph talks business with Potiphar's wife, too much
• Joseph - back to the pit; his "calm" jailer; Joseph correctly interprets dreams for two jailed members of Pharaoh's senior household staff
• Joseph called from prison to interpret Pharaoh's dreams (after the professional interpreters failed) - foresees seven years of plenty, seven years of famine
• Pharaoh appoints Joseph as his chief steward; preparations for famine
• Joseph's brothers (without Benjamin) come to Egypt - the only place with grain - but don't recognize Joseph.  
• The reveal - on return trip - to the 11 bros only.
• Perhaps my very favorite part of the story:  how Jacob learns, after all these years, that Joseph is alive and well.  The role of the songs of Serah in gently breaking the news to much-aged Jacob that Joseph lives - just delightful.
• The name "Israel" now also refers to Jacob's family - Israel moves to Egypt at Joseph's behest.
• Judah - the lion - foreshadowing lineage to come - receives Jacob's blessing.  Not Joseph.
• Tamar - believes Jacob's stories, foresees Judah as receiving the blessing, inserts herself into the key lineage (marries two of Judah's sons in succession (both die quickly); then seduces Judah himself)
• Jacob buried back in the land of his ancestors - not Egypt.

Trust me:  there's lots more over the course of 1500 pages.  Just delightful.

Notes from Underground (Fyodor Dostoevsky, 1864)

Decided to read this book while reading this most interesting biography of Dostoevsky.  Short; just a bit over 100 pages in this edition.

Notes from Underground was written at a turning point in Dostoevsky's career.  His initial successes had dimmed; he had lived as an exiled convict.  The protagonist is a disaffected government worker who has gone underground, i.e. stepped out of normal society.  Bitter, unhappy, etc.  A type Dostoevsky is observing as Russia changes, also resonant with parts of the exile community.

Notes starts with a statement of the protagonist's philosophy - said to reflect closely the author's own views at this time - the paramount importance of free will, even if irrational or harmful to the individual exercising it - rejecting "the Utopian socialism to which he once owed allegiance" - which I understood to hold that human behavior can be happily engineered via experts employing reason.  Protagonist is bitter, cynical, observant to a point.  "I am a sick man" - famous opening line.

Second part of Notes is referred to as the Story of the Falling Sleet.  One aspect is a sad scene where the protagonist is utterly incapable of connecting with his school pals (I read this was based somewhat on the author's unhappy experience in military engineering school - orchestrated/forced by his father.)  More centrally:  he then meets up with Liza - the fallen woman - severely painful interactions.  Liza perhaps somewhat foreshadows Sonya (Crime and Punishment).  These scenes are wonderfully written - yes, painful.

The impoverished protagonist doesn't have a very satisfying relationship with his valet.

After Notes - pretty much a direct path to Crime and Punishment and enduring fame for the author (along with continuing personal challenges:  bio is must-read).

Dostoevsky = hard to beat.

The Siege (Helen Dunmore, 2001)

Novel is set in the amazing, horrific siege of Leningrad in World War II.  Father, daughter and much younger son (mother died in childbirth so son effectively is being raised by the daughter) try to survive through the siege (with a focus on the awful first winter); as that winter grinds on, they are joined in their flat by an aging, out-of-favor actress and a young doctor.

The story of the siege is told in detail in The 900 Days, a very wonderful book that is discussed here.

I'd strongly recommend reading The 900 Days, and it would be OK to skip this little volume.

Not that it's awful - at worst, it's an accessible way to get a feeling for the situation.  A somewhat more personal interpretation of how it might have felt on starvation rations in those freezing Leningrad apartments.  But that aspect also comes through pretty clearly in The 900 Days, accompanied by a description of the wider context that makes the individual survival stories even more compelling.

Cancer Ward (Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, 1968)

Solzhenitsyn has a lot to say; he's certainly a favorite author.

***

But before talking a bit about the book I must note Solzhenitsyn's marvelous way of describing a problem I'm constantly but rather incoherently whining about - the incredibly negative effect of nonstop TV.  It's becoming increasingly stressful to enter a waiting room or airport lounge or gym or wherever - no escape.  Here is Solzhenitsyn discussing a character (Vadim) who felt the same way about radio in 1950s USSR (Vadim was a new patient entering the cancer ward and was carrying a small stack of books he wished to read there):

How well-said:  "The permanent mutter was . . . a theft of time, a diffusion and an entropy of the spirit, convenient and agreeable to the inert but intolerable to those with initiative."

***
Dust jacket reviews note comparisons with this book to The Magic Mountain (by another of my favorite authors).  The comparison makes some sense - setting is a medical facility with various patients fighting disease while serving as backdrop for multiple story lines, social commentary, etc.

Novel set in mid-1950s - time of big change in USSR - Stalin had died in '53, Khrushchev-led denunciation of previously-sacrosanct Papa Joe was happening.

Not really a linear story here, though a few characters are given prominence.  Various folks come in and out of the cancer ward; we don't really get to resolution on some number of them.  Which is fine (again, somewhat reminiscent of The Magic Mountain).

Novel starts with admission to the ward of a patient named Rusanov - party member spouting party lines; stress with his tumor is exacerbated by stress with changing political landscape, likely return of exiles he had denounced, etc.

Kostoglotov - main character, patient in the ward - had been in the camps - now on medical leave and getting something of a glimpse of "normal" life (at least to the extent anything seems normal to a patient in a cancer ward!)  Solzhenitsyn of course uses the camps and the lives of exiles as important topics in several of his works, and it's handled very effectively here - threaded throughout the work are illuminations of life for someone exiled "in perpetuity" in middle-of-nowhere Asia.  Author includes a few other characters exiled or living in the camps - interesting - even details about how they recognize each other in the cancer ward (or anywhere "outside").  Poignant tales of an elderly couple who were Kostoglotov's friends-in-exile.  The typically ridiculous bases for punishment.  The atmosphere of fear, denunciation, disappearances, arbitrariness.

Among the medical personnel - Vera Gangert ("Vega") - in a generation where so many of the men had been killed - not entirely sure how to take her - not a lot of detail but she had had a disappointing history with men (starting with her first/young love, killed in WWII) - she hits it off with Kostoglotov.  While simultaneously insisting he take a hormone therapy which likely ended his career as a man (as Solzhenitsyn explains it).  Vega was willing to have a non-physical relationship with Kostoglotov, but he never really warmed up to the idea.  Sad situation.  Also poor, ill Dontsova.  Zoya - very healthy.

At behest of Dyomka, Kostoglotov visits the zoo after his cancer ward discharge.  But finds that it can be difficult for someone from the camps to enjoy watching caged animals.

The Pianist (Wladyslaw Szpilman, 1945 (translation 1999))

Book club selection (via PJ).

Hadn't realized the quite-fine movie of the same name was based upon a book by the protagonist.  And it's interesting that - for once - the movie pretty much tracked the book.

Szpilman was a pianist for Polish Radio in the run-up to World War II; he was playing a Chopin Nocturne on the air when the Germans knocked out the station.  There followed the awful times for Warsaw Jewry (Polish situation described here, for example).  Establishment of Warsaw Ghetto; systematic reduction of the population; random violence; overcrowded conditions leading to illness, starvation, misery.  He recounts the scene in the train yard (also in the movie) where his father purchased a black market overpriced chocolate and cut it into six tiny pieces - the last family meal.

Very spare writing style, which I think was also very effective.  Hard to believe the author - with all the challenges simply to survive - was able to put this together in 1945.  It generally was suppressed for decades thereafter.

The friendly German is an interesting character - very helpful to have his diary extracts at the back of the book (also the epilogue).  Some discussion whether the diary extracts were somehow written after the fact, but I rather doubt it.  Still, would have been mighty dangerous for the diarist if his musings had fallen into the wrong hands.

Another reminder of the sorry opportunism of local populations - often crueler to the Jews than the Germans were (which is saying a lot).  The incredible risks taken by those willing to assist Jews.

Szpilman played the same Nocturne as the first broadcast on Polish Radio following expulsion of the Nazis.  Pretty amazing story.

Emma (Jane Austen, 1815)

Spotted this on the library shelf and - never having read Austen - decided why not?  There must be something going on  what with worldwide readership, numerous movies (in the only one I've seen Greer Garson really is quite excellent as Elizabeth Bennet).  Emma is fairly long - this version runs to 495 pages - but I'll say that it pretty much held my attention throughout.

Titular heroine is witty, smart, wealthy young woman who somewhat overrates herself - the flaws create some interest.  Austen provides a detailed look at folks in various stations of life in the village of Highbury - that element is pretty interesting.

Emma's dad is a kindly fuss budget (I can see myself making some of his observations about food).  Her sister and family live in London; her ex-governess (who functioned more as a dear friend than a useful guiding hand) lives in walking range with her new (somewhat older) husband; son of new husband creates interest around town.  Jane Fairfax.  Mrs., Miss Bates.  Elton marries an obnoxious wife after Emma rejects him.  Knightley.  Harriet Smith.  Etc.

Nothing about it was terribly compelling, yet I can see why Austen is credited with keen ++ observation powers, ability to re-create dialogue, sketch characters, etc.  I think it was worth my time.  And that it shall be the last Austen novel I read.

Into Thin Air - A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster (Jon Krakauer, 1997)

Book club selection (via Zach).

Initially somewhat unenthused about this book.  The little I've thought about them, I mostly regarded Everest hikers as rather selfish thrill-seekers (selfish because of the high potential for adverse consequences to family members, Sherpas etc.)  But it turns out that the book was really quite good (though I don't think it changed my impression of the Everest hiker crowd).

The author was a pretty accomplished hiker and rock climber but had no high-elevation experience to speak of.  He finagled an assignment with Outdoor magazine to accompany an Everest expedition.  This was the 1990s, which we learn was the period when non-extraordinary climbers started being accepted on Everest climbs in far larger numbers than previously - if they could just come up with a significant cash payment and get through a fairly quick acclimatization program.  The author had in mind a story about commercialization, environmental harm, disruption to natives, etc.

But it happened that his climbing date (in May 1996) - and he did successfully make it to the top - was the date of a sudden storm which, coupled with human error, bad luck, etc., resulted in eight deaths.  Not surprisingly, this gave him the material for quite a tale.  And I liked how he presented it.  Generally spare style.

Some things that struck me (and made for some interesting conversation):

1.  If you've invested $65K plus expenses (in 1997 dollars) for likely your one shot at a lifetime dream:  folks can be reluctant to risk completing their ascent to help another hiker.

2.  Even if you're willing to abandon the ascent to help others in need:  how far can you go; how much do you risk your own safety (consequences for your loved ones, among other considerations) to help another hiker?

3.  And these hikers in need typically are complete strangers or, at most, someone you just met.  Each of whom was fully aware of, and accepted, the inherent dangers.  No doubt they signed pages of liability waivers.  Do they have a right to impose on others?

4.  Getting off that topic:  based on this reading, climbers doubtless are thrilled to make the top, but it seems like a pretty joyless enterprise overall.  Astonishing effects of high elevation - can't think straight, etc.

5.  Walking past oxygen canisters and other trash from prior expeditions; also a few frozen corpses.

6.  Quote from Japanese climber who walked past struggling Indian team members:  "We were too tired to help.  Above 8,000 meters is not a place where people can afford morality."

7.  Beck Weathers:  wow.

An Officer and a Spy (Robert Harris, 2013)

The Dreyfus Affair is endlessly interesting.

I like how the author sets up the context, going back to France's 1870 defeat in the Franco-Prussian war (discussed here, for example), followed immediately by German unification (discussed here, for example).  But he could have gone back further - France perceived itself, more or less accurately, as a unified kingdom going back to the Merovingians, or Carolingians, or however one wants to define it.  Always superior to the German hodge podge.  Until 1870.  Which made these developments all the more distressing to France.

So guess who gets blamed for Germany's late 19th century ascent - in a preview of 1920s-1930s German method (or a throwback to so many situations involving hard economic times or whatever over the centuries) - it's of course those Jewish backstabbers at work, like always.  (Today we call them the 1%ers in a more-than-occasionally analogous setting.)

The strands of anti-Semitism running through French society ran deep, and certainly were not unique to France.  What happened here helps us understand how so many local populations in WWII - with Nazi prodding, or perhaps just being opportunistic - were more cruel to the local Jewish populations than even the Nazis.  (And perhaps helps understand 21st century behaviors - though with the wipe-out of Jews in large swathes of Europe, much of that action takes place in the Middle East (or via Middle Eastern emigrants in European cities).)

Also interesting to think of the manner in which institutions curl up in a defensive posture - a mixture of legitimate concerns and self-interest (to be honest, though, I think we'd have to say the latter motivation typically predominates, heavily).  Government institutions have so much power that their defensive capabilities are pretty frightening.  Secret trials, hiding behind national security considerations, refusal to follow laws and procedures imposed on the rest of society (basic email retention, for a current example), cynically whipping up impressionable citizen-suckers - all the nonsense that goes on to this day, and won't ever stop.

The author chose to tell the story via a novel - and it's interesting throughout, well worth reading, goes by quickly.  Though I would like to know why the novel format was chosen.  The story is sufficiently compelling in its own right and - because the author tells us that he hews very closely to the facts - I was regularly left wondering what was real, and what was added for sake of the novel.  But that's a minor concern that does not detract from the overall worthiness of his effort.

Told through the eyes of Picquart.  Himself from Strasbourg area - bombed by Germany in 1870 with modern efficiency - similar to what happened there courtesy of Allies in World War II as discussed here.  Dreyfus an Alsatian also, which made him an easier target.  Interesting how these pieces fit together.

Role of Emile Zola - PJ and I rather enjoyed watching this movie version of his bio, which I had not realized won an Academy Award for Best Picture.  Rare for a bio, but Paul Muni is pretty talented.

Dreyfus affair captivated French public opinion for a very long time, including many discussions here.

Recommended.

The Childhood of Jesus (J.M. Coetzee, 2013)

Unquestionably the worst book I've read in a very long time.  Selected because of positive reviews from a couple websites I trust, and because I'm making a bit of an effort to read more current fiction.  (But will revisit whether that effort is worthwhile.)

(Maybe reviewers give the author some slack because he's a Nobel Prize winner?  But we know that award doesn't correlate with much of anything, right?)

Some kid (David) on a boat full of emigrants loses his identity paperwork when a storm hits; an older fella (Simon) on the boat takes custody of him.  They land in "Novilla" - some weird place where no one cares about much of anything and they all lose contact with the past.  There is a shadowy government that takes care of everyone's basic needs.  The search for David's mother takes a weird turn.  Simon isn't happy in this lifeless place.  David is pretty bright and has trouble in school.

Various allusions to possible divinity of young David (and in case the reader is obtuse, the author hits you over the head as to this issue with the title).  But none of this works, either.

Would never have finished except it only took three sessions in the gym, and I incorrectly assumed something interesting might happen.  Ugh.

Forgotten Ally - China's World War II 1937-1945 (Rana Mitter, 2013)

I overlook just how long China was caught up in what became known as World War II - well into year five before Pearl Harbor was bombed.  Also hadn't appreciated that all this action was draining on Japan as well - some rationing was already underway there prior to Pearl Harbor.  Which helps make the Pearl Harbor gamble, and other adventures, somewhat more understandable from their perspective.

China - what a mess.  Chiang Kai Shek trying to lead a nationalist government starting in late 1920s (following Sun Yat-Sen) after the humiliations over the years (opium wars, Boxer Rebellion, foreign concessions, etc.).  But little national feeling; and insufficient centralized power.  Warlords still control territories.  CKS spends time in Soviet Union and comes away strongly anti-Communist.  But back home in China - Communists are making headway; but Nationalists are somewhat stronger.  Communist remnant forced in 1934 to undertake the now-mythologized "Long March" to isolation in the northwest.  Where Mao gained influence over the years.

Communists and Nationalists worried about Japan, but more worried about each other.

CKS blows up a dam to slow down the Japanese - with breathtaking disregard for the lives of his own people.  Nationalist forces arrogant; civilians starve while they commandeer.  All this ultimately benefits Mao.

Chinese military thoroughly unimpressive despite some modernization efforts.  After Pearl Harbor, US is interested in keeping China in the war as a distraction for Japan.  But no trust develops among the allies.  Gen. Stillwell (US Army) installed as chief of staff but mostly fights with CKS, not effective.  CKS's wife a force for propaganda in U.S. (as discussed, interestingly, in this book).  In the end, some Japanese forces were tied down.

Mao's Cultural Revolution of the 1960s did not come out of nowhere - already in the late '30s and early '40s he was demonizing non-peasants up in his northwest-China power base.  Main butchery to come.  Just one of several absolutely astonishing 20th century killing machines.

Young Stalin (Simon Sebag Montefiore, 2007)

Subject matter seemed interesting, and I had much liked what the author did with this book.  So gave this one a try.  Not great - but interesting, entertaining, worthwhile.  Stalin is a completely amazing character.  Book is based in large part upon relatively newly-available material as state archives open up (somewhat) in Russia and Georgia.

Some thoughts:

1.  Georgia is really far away from Moscow or St. Petersburg.  Stalin grew up in a very different world.

2.  Georgia was a pretty wild place in those days; probably still is.

3.  Bolsheviks needed money, and Stalin had a knack for organizing large-scale heists with his trusted, and so-wild, Georgian comrades.  A bank robber before a politician.

4.  His oft-noted seminary days - possibly a religious calling, mostly because this was the one place where some education could be obtained.  Stalin was not good at obeying authority.  Forbidden books, such as Balzac, Thackeray, Schiller, etc.  Even Gogol and Chekhov were banned there.

5.  A poet!

6.  Infighting among Bolsheviks and Mensheviks.  Czarist secret police were actually pretty effective at infiltrating all groups.  Led to climate of suspicion, finger-pointing, witch-hunts - premonitory of  Stalin in the 1930s.

7.  Amazing adventures during several exiles to Siberia; the last time, all the way up in a tiny village well north of Arctic Circle (Kureika - living with aboriginal tribesmen).

8.  Where he managed to twice impregnate an underage girl.  Seemed there was a trail of affairs wherever he went.  All skillfully covered up in later years.  But not very good at conducting his marriage - neglected a young wife who died.

9.  Early conflicts with Trotsky.  Didn't end until the ice pick incident.

10.  Hitler, Stalin, Lenin living in Vienna simultaneously in 1913.

11.  His amazing willingness to slaughter - developed during these early years presumably - photo section has an interesting example of the way that group photos changed over the years in Soviet Union as group members fell out of favor over the years.

12.  Very interesting summary of Bolsheviks taking power from Kerensky government; this was an extremely close-run thing.  Not inevitable!  Lenin with incredible will power; Stalin always ended up going along.

All this very much larger than life, interesting throughout.

The History of Love (Nicole Krauss, 2005)

Book club selection (via Nick).

One of the advantages for me of this little "book club" is that I am forced to read stuff I otherwise would not select - such as modern fiction.  This book fits that category, and was worth reading.  Even if it didn't entirely fit together (or maybe I just didn't follow well).

Young Jewish lovers in Poland; the guy (Leo) writes a book ("The History of Love") to/for his girlfriend (Alma); Nazis close in and Alma (pregnant though this is unknown to Leo) goes to America; Leo goes into hiding in Poland; Alma ends up marrying son of owner of business where she works (concluding Leo must be dead and the kid needs a father); Leo eventually makes it to America, learns of Alma's situation, watches Alma and his son (who became a famous writer) pretty much from afar; takes up locksmithing via Polish contact; does a little more writing; grows old in obscurity.

The manuscript for The History of Love was entrusted to Leo's childhood friend in Poland; he emigrates to South America and eventually publishes it in Spanish in a limited edition under his own name (also thinking Leo was dead); and gained some notoriety thereby.  A key character is a young girl named Alma (after the lead character in Leo's book, which book was beloved by the parents of Alma #2); she has an annoying brother nicknamed "Bird"; their father had died young; Alma #2's efforts to be a matchmaker for her mother lead her to research the origins of her name, which process brings elements of the story into focus.  Finally.  Somewhat.

Story is told through several narrators and bounces around in time and geography.

Best parts of the work were written in Leo's old-man voice.

King Lear (William Shakespeare, between 1603 and 1606 (with later revisions))

My "Shakespeare project" continues.  (And I continue to think it's well worth the little time that it requires.)

King Lear = famous tragedy.  Universally admired.  But I had a problem:  the tragic side of this is just too tragic for my taste.

King Lear has three daughters - bequeaths his kingdom to the older two (Goneril and Regan), cutting out the much-beloved younger sister (Cordelia) because she wouldn't play along with whatever game he dreamt up at bequeathing-time.  (But the King of France marries her nonetheless.)

Goneril and Regan are the grasping type; they quickly tire of hosting the ex-king and his knights (which was part of the bequeathing-deal).  Loyal Duke of Kent and Duke of Gloucester (with his loyal son Edgar and disloyal bastard Edmund).  Invasion from France.  Edmund successfully flirtatious with both Goneril and Regan, which was a little weird.  Kent and Edgar are in disguise for big chunks of the play.

Cordelia loyal.  Lear descends into madness.  Quite a few folks die.

Days of God - The Revolution in Iran and Its Consequences (James Buchan, 2012)

Gift from PJr and Nedda.

Author focuses on the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran.  With a great deal of very useful background about 20th century events in Iran that led up to 1979.

A good reminder of the special kind of power that religious leaders (whether sincere or using religion as an avenue to power) hold over the faithful (or gullible, or whatever descriptor you prefer).  In many ways the success of Khomeini et al reminded me of modern U.S. politics - where belief systems seem to trump quaint concepts like listening carefully to those with whom you disagree, exploring alternative viewpoints, etc.  (Or as commencement season warms up:  the now-quaint idea of permitting speakers at the graduation ceremony who may not have 100% litmus test scores on points of college orthodoxy.) (Sigh.)  Where traditional religion loses its hold, it seems that other religious-like belief systems quickly step in.  (Which in turn reminds me of the Bolsheviks as I just finished reading a biography focused on ex-seminarian Josef Stalin's early adventures.)

Be that as it may - the book itself was really quite good, I ended up constantly dog-earing pages.  Definitely would recommend it.

Some thoughts:

1.  For all Persia's historical glories, I hadn't realized how thoroughly backward the country had become as 19th century turns into 20th.

2.  Pahlavis did not have a long pedigree; oft-criticized; but it seems like they did accomplish quite a bit through several incredibly challenging decades in the 20th century.  Reza Pahlavi - Iranian Cossack background!

3.  Challenges with new-found oil reserves, initially cutting bad deals with the Brits.  Oil wealth thus was not a factor until much later than I had realized.

4.  No active modern tradition of a centralized state - the bazaars were incredibly important.  And funded the Iranian clergy, which in turn became even more powerful.

5.  Useful explanation of Khomeini's rise, and why he turned on the U.S. as Iran's worst enemy - when the U.S. had really been a bit player compared to esp. Britain.  (The author says that the excuse was what seemed like a fairly insignificant set of rules about diplomatic privileges and immunities for U.S. citizens in Iran.)

6.  Petrodollars started gushing due to better deals with Brits et al, higher worldwide petro use, then the 1973 embargo.  Incredible growth; incredible spending (much on military); but as always in these situations - sustainable economy cannot be bought.  Not likely the necessary institutions will take root now.

7.  Stories of the Shah's departure, Khomeini's installation, the hostage crisis, the war with Iraq.

What a mess . . .

The Moon is Down (John Steinbeck, 1942)

This was quite unusual, and I didn't even know anything like it existed.  Steinbeck, of all people, as government propagandist?  CPG (Steinbeck fan) recommended.  It's a short book, and the plot involves a takeover of a northern European country by an aggressive neighboring power.  Pretty clearly:  Norway and Germany.  The locals fight back, surprisingly effectively.

As I read it, I was pulled up regularly by the notion that it wasn't the great writing I normally associate with Steinbeck - somewhat cheapened by what seemed like obvious propaganda dimensions.  (Also:  we've since learned that a large percentage of the population in the occupied countries were all too happy to collaborate with the occupiers - even if they all claimed to be resistance or partisan heroes after the war.  So that makes it a little tougher to accept the images of heroic resistance that suffuse this book.  (And I say this without the slightest negative judgment on anyone in those circumstances, I'm mostly grateful I never had to face those choices.))

And who would ever have thought of Steinbeck as a propagandist in the first place?  Even further:  he had no special knowledge of Europe or the war or the conditions in the occupied countries.  Yet it is clear that somehow this book hit a responsive chord across Europe.  It was translated into many languages; outlawed by the Reich; smuggled regularly; etc.  I don't know if these things can be predicted or planned, but Steinbeck somehow "got it" in terms of communicating effectively with Europeans in occupied countries, in a way that the professionals at this sort of thing simply didn't.

So that's pretty cool, even if the book will be remembered as effective propaganda rather than a grand literary achievement.

Which means it met the author's goal.

Dostoevsky - A Writer in His Time (Joseph Frank, 2010)

At this point I'm pretty sure I find Dostoevsky more compelling than Tolstoy - which is saying a lot.

The author spent the better part of three decades putting together a 2500 page biography of Dostoevsky; his work later was condensed to the 900-page version described here.  I thought it was quite wonderful, quite compelling throughout.

Dostoevsky could hardly be a more interesting character.  His temperament or personality was of the type that deeply soaked up his life experiences - so deeply that I would think this contributed to some of his ongoing health issues.  And this temperament was fed with a succession of life experiences that provided endless fuel for his novels.

There's also the time-and-place in which he lived - Russia in the throes of continuing social and political ferment during second half of 19th century - Dostoevsky deeply interested, and playing a meaningful role for several decades.

The life experiences are just amazing:  adored mother dies while he is very young; domineering if well meaning father continually imposing will, though dies when Dostoevsky is only in late teens; unhappy experiences in military engineering school attended per father's diktat; continual shortage of funds; some early success among highest literary circles in Russia but it doesn't stick; gets caught up in the political turmoil of the day, including materials not appreciated by a repressive state; arrested, questioned, spent some time in prison; sentenced to death and taken to prison courtyard to be executed, only to have sentence commuted to exile in Siberia (authorities planned commutation all along but Dostoevsky didn't have an inkling - the near-death experience was entirely real to him); shipped to Siberia; in jail in exile with population consisting primarily of serfs (his first exposure of this nature, and he drew some dubious conclusions about the depth of character of these folks); unhappily married to a woman met in Siberia (she dies); eventually had his civil rights restored and resumes writing; constant money problems; severe gambling problem; had the good fortune to meet a second wife who probably can be said to have saved him; loss of infant child; dealing with severe epilepsy throughout his adult life; deadline pressure when writing for monthly publications; financial pressure never really solved; Crime and Punishment a break-through event; develops and sticks to a deep belief, from Siberian days, in Christ - but a Russian version; staunch supporter of the tsar (notwithstanding earlier views - this is linked to the serf-Russo-Christian belief set however that's described); embarrassingly anti-Semitic; monthly publication Diary of a Writer dominates Russian political discussion for a couple years; young people somehow relate to an aging and now-conservative voice; famous and revered in later days; unthinkable evolution from convicted exile to tutor to members of tsar's family; the public reading at the Pushkin memorial that moves those in attendance so deeply.

The life story is just too amazing if not surreal.

This book also goes into a lot of detail about Dostoevsky's novels, and links them to events in his life and in Russian society, culture and politics.  The right sequence here is to read the biography after reading the novels - this made for a fascinating re-visitation of the books.  And pretty much demands a complete re-read.  Applies to all of the major novels, but especially to The Brothers Karamazov - the background provided here makes the book far more astonishing than I could have imagined.  I liked the book but definitely didn't "get it" in terms of most of what Dostoevsky was doing.

Do any modern authors attempt anything remotely like what Dostoevsky sought to do in The Brothers Karamazov?  (Even just the portion involving the legend of the Grand Inquisitor?)

Those who follow today's political debates - including the blandishments of the progressive wing - would benefit a great deal from reading the 19th century version of the discussions.  There's so little that's new.

There is an incredible amount of useful, interesting material here.  Not sure how to process all of it.  Highly valuable book.

Cousin Pons (Honore de Balzac, 1847)

Another novel in The Human Comedy grouping.  Which is a wonderful title and a strong concept; Balzac understandably successful and widely lauded for these novels.  A bit more background about the author in summaries of the other two Balzac novels I've read:  here, and here.  

This one is quite late in his list of works. A gentle old faded bachelor musician (Pons) - with some connections among the aristocrats and wealthy - falls out of favor.  No longer invited for opulent dinners - his passion.  Has a staunch German musician-friend, but nevertheless experiences depression over his declining circumstances.  Pons was a quiet connoisseur of fine arts throughout his life and had amassed a collection that those around him belatedly recognize as quite valuable.  Machinations of lawyer, landlady, relatives, etc. as Pons's health fails comprise much of the story line. 

I think it's too cynical.  Not one of my favorites.

2666 (Roberto Bolano, 2004)

Well.

I just don't read things like this very often . . . modern fiction . . . not even sure how to identify worthy items in this category.  (When it comes to fiction, I typically stick with works that have stood the test of time - I'll never work through that list anyway, and the hit rate for quality is very high.  But this was a referral, and a good one.)

The author - who died before this project was entirely finished - wrote five separate novels, and probably intended to issue them as such.  Some overlapping elements across the five; more not-overlapping elements.  Differing styles across the five novels.  His executors decided to publish it all together in one 900-page book.

If there's a center to the book, it is the fictional city of Santa Teresa in Sonora (Mexico) - across the Arizona border; a growing, changing maquiladora town from the 1990s (if that term is still used).  Industry, narcos, unsophisticated workers drawn from villages.  Modeled on Ciudad Juarez (though that's across the border from El Paso).  Anyway, literally hundreds of women were killed in Ciudad Juarez in largely unsolved crimes in those years, and fictional Santa Teresa is going through the same trauma.

Book 1:  four professors who made a career out of literary criticism of the works of a long-unseen, aged (if still alive), obscure (until these four raised his profile) German novelist named Archimboldi (odd pseudonym) decide to track him down.  The trail leads to Santa Teresa; they are hosted around town by Amalfitano, who teaches at the local university.

Book 2:  Amalfitano is having a hard time in Santa Teresa; back story about his emigration from Spain and his wife leaving him (she also doesn't have it easy); Amalfitano is raising their daughter, experiencing great tension in the city especially with a growing-up daughter; losing it mentally.  A book hangs on his clothesline.

Book 3:  Fate; an African-American journalist doing a story in Detroit; ends up in Santa Teresa to cover a boxing match because the sportswriter for his publication died; he learns of the killings, meets up with Amalfitano and his daughter; encounters creepy characters; I got really nervous wondering how this would play out.

Book 4:  the crimes - the author goes into details about the murders (taking place in 1990s into early 2000s) - I just dealt with this in a manner similar to how I deal with too-violent movies - though skipping graphs instead of covering my eyes.  Law enforcement struggles; corrupt or incompetent or whatever; the atmosphere in maquiladora towns in those days; a very tall 40-something American citizen (emigrated to the U.S. from Germany) ends up in prison accused of murders, but the killing doesn't even pause while he is in jail.

Book 5:  Archimboldi's story; he grows (very tall) up in interwar Germany and loves being in the sea; various odd jobs as washes out of school; a series of searing experiences in the 1930s continuing as he works his way through WWII in the German army - mostly eastern front (Romania); encounters a baroness who he had met at one of his first jobs; falls in love with a mentally ill girl; living in bombed-out Cologne in post-war years; does some writing and after quite a bit of struggle is identified by a respectable publishing house; eventually a bit of a link to some elements from other stories.

The several plot threads are one thing, and plenty fascinating in their own right (and leave one mulling, just on that level).  But there's much more.  The reader encounters various asides and detours of gorgeous writing and imagination - for example just out of book 5 - Ansky's notes or the typewriter renter's ideas about writing.  I need to go back through some of those riffs and try to understand why the author included them, how they fit into the plot lines, etc.  Plus they're just fun to read.

The graphic and poetic intermingle somehow, if that communicates anything.

Threads are not tied together, no resolution to much of anything, characters show up and are skillfully developed to where I'm interested in them, then they disappear.  The reader is left to do a lot of mulling, which is what I like.

Glad I own the book, will go back through and flip, and think, or wonder, or something.