Synopsis: A tribal patriarch in pre-colonial Nigeria is forced to confront the changes to his society brought on by the arrival of European settlers. The Anti-“Heart of Darkness”.
My Take: “Things Fall Apart”, Chinua Achebe’s first novel, is a seminal work in the modern literary cannon. Released in 1958, it was one of the works [...]
Entries Tagged as 'Literature'
“Things Fall Apart”, Chinua Achebe
August 28th, 2009 · No Comments · African, Fiction, History, Literature, Philosophy
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“Spring Snow”, Yukio Mishima
August 20th, 2009 · 1 Comment · Asian, Fiction, Japanese, Literature
Synopsis: Dilettante son of a nouveau-riche family seeking societal acceptance meets the refined daughter of an aristocratic family struggling to adjust to the changes in Japanese society brought on by the Meiji Restoration. A deeply intense and culturally significant story of forbidden love.
My Take: “Spring Snow” is generally regarded to be Yukio Mishima’s greatest masterpiece. [...]
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“Henry and June”, Anais Nin
August 12th, 2009 · 1 Comment · Literature, Non-Fiction, Over-Rated
Synopsis: Married woman meets famous writer and falls in love. Then falls in love with writer’s wife. Then falls in love with cousin. Then her psychoanalysis. Then diarises sexual awakening.
My Take: Yes, I admit have particular preferences when it comes to my reading habits. I read more than my share of modern Asian fiction, Kennedy [...]
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“Ulysses”, James Joyce
August 10th, 2009 · 1 Comment · Fiction, Literature, Owned But Unread, Unfinished
Synopsis: Leopold Bloom spends a day wandering through Dublin on June 16, 1904. Modern literature will never be the same again.
My Take: Ulysses is my literary white whale. I’ve sat down to try and read it a couple of times, but have never had the requisite endurance or appreciation. I get the feeling that I [...]
Tags:James Joyce
“Lincoln”, Gore Vidal
August 8th, 2009 · No Comments · American, History, Literature
Synopsis: The second instalment of Gore Vidal’s Narratives of Empire historical fiction series follows the travails of the United States during the Presidency of Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War. From the ballot to the bullet as it were.
My Take: It took me a while to give Gore Vidal a try. As regular [...]
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“Johnno”, David Malouf
August 4th, 2009 · No Comments · Australian, Fiction, Literature, Queensland, biography
Synopsis: Thinly veiled autobiographical account of David Malouf’s adolescence and early adulthood and his changing relationships with his eponymous best friend, Johnno and the town of his birth, Brisbane. A must for all Queenslanders.
My Take: I have a very warm spot in my heart for David Malouf. He’s the kind of writer that I would [...]
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"Scoop", Evelyn Waugh
July 7th, 2009 · No Comments · English, Fiction, Literature, Politics
Synopsis: A case of mistaken identity results in the pastoralist nature writer for the London tabloid, The Daily Beast, being sent as a foreign correspondent to cover a brewing Communist insurrection in the fictional African state of Ishmaelia. Satire that makes ‘Frontline’ look like a loving homage to the media.
My Take: Bitchiness like this can [...]
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"Less Than Zero", Bret Easton Ellis
July 4th, 2009 · 1 Comment · American, Fiction, Literature, Nihilist
Synopsis: Privileged LA teen returns to the West Coast on holiday from his East Coast University. The protagonist attempts to confront the emotional emptiness of his casually amoral life the only was he knows how – through sex, drugs and pointless consumption.
My Take: In my first year at university I went through a [...]
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