"To compensate a little for the treachery and weakness of my memory, so extreme that it has happened to me more than once to pick up again, as recent and unknown to me, books which I had read carefully a few years before . . . I have adopted the habit for some time now of adding at the end of each book . . . the time I finished reading it and the judgment I have derived of it as a whole, so that this may represent to me at least the sense and general idea I had conceived of the author in reading it." (Montaigne, Book II, Essay 10 (publ. 1580))

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Black Lamb and Grey Falcon - A Journey Through Yugoslavia (Rebecca West, 1940)

I keep trying to make more sense out of the Balkans/SE Europe, it's not easy.

In 1937, West travels for about six weeks through what was then "Yugoslavia".  (She had gotten intrigued with the area on a visit the prior year.)  Yugoslavia - cobbled together after WWI - is struggling to form a state . . .  out of multiple and incredibly disparate pieces.  Reading this book gives a sense of just how disparate.  As her little tour group proceeds, Italy (Mussolini (cum Hitler)) is closing in.  (Feels a bit like this work in that regard.)

An absolutely delightful 1,150 pages.  My sense is that she researched meticulously; yet she had strong opinions, was biased toward certain groups; makes for an amazing combination of highly-readable-yet-informative.

The author apparently had a pretty interesting personal life - mistress to H.G. Wells, etc.

Geography wasn't kind to this part of the world - a crossroads for pretty much everyone (interestingly, the 2015/16 "refugee" "crisis" involves folks criss-crossing this region yet again).  Ottomans, Austrians, Russians, etc.  In midst of Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Islam, etc.

Astonishing geography; long, complicated histories; Croatia; Dalmatia; Bosnia; Montenegro; etc.

She has a long and interesting discussion of events in Sarajevo (Franz Ferdinand assassination).

"Constantine" as guide.

As she thinks about what happened in this part of the world - and in context of imminent Nazi threat - she seems to have a kind of epiphany - discusses that it can be necessary and fine to fight for something valuable, and laments that Western Europe seems to have lost its way in this regard.  (Another discussion that is ongoing.)

I read that this appears on lists of 100 best nonfiction books of 20th century.  I enjoyed it, immensely.

Friday, January 08, 2016

Schubert's Winter Journey - Anatomy of an Obsession (Ian Bostridge, 2015)

Unusual, different, interesting; will need to go through this again as there was too much to digest.

Bostridge is a world-renowned tenor - very familiar with him - like his style, not at all the overwrought/tiresome approach.  Pretty clearly, he has what it takes to be a writer as well.

Though the book is nontraditional.  He takes Schubert's Winterreise - a 24-song cycle (lieder) written as Schubert approached his very early death - and constructs a book by devoting a short chapter to each song.  At the outset I wasn't too optimistic about this approach, but in the end it all ties together really well.

The songs are settings for 24 poems written by Wilhelm Muller - not exactly world-famous; a Romantic poet.

Bostridge does an effective job giving context for the poems and the songs - linking it to contemporary events in the world and in Schubert's personal life; explaining areas where German historical references are used; interesting throughout.

Romantic themes - nature, death, feelings.  The linden tree.

Book design is neat.

I had no idea that one of my favorites - Thomas Mann - used Winterreise in The Magic Mountain - Bostridge explains in detail.  Neat.