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.