Selected Pickings
"The Wanderer" by Alain-Fournier
Because everyone who reads this novel seems to be forever in its thrall...
"Cascando and Other Short Dramatic Pieces" by Samuel Beckett
Because Beckett is "essential", yet a little of him goes a long way...
"Selected Poems" by Elizabeth Daryush
Because of Marianne Moore...
"The Complete Plays" by Joe Orton
Because there's been nothing funnier in drama since Sheridan and Goldsmith...
"Swithering" by Robin Robertson
Because I took an instant dislike to his poetry, and precedent indicates that he might evolve into a favorite...
"The Algonquin Literary Quiz Book" by Louis D.Rubin, Jr.
Because books are meant to play games with...
"Rhinoceros" by Eugene Ionesco
Because rhinoceri are absurdly under-represented in world literature...
"A Choice of Comic and Curious Verse" edited by J.M.Cohen
Because the editor's name alliteratively conforms with his chosen title, in a comic and curious manner...
"Thomas Gray, Philosopher Cat" by Philip J.Davis
Because of the title, and because novel-writing mathematicians intrigue me...
"David Blaize" by E.F.Benson
Because it's a boarding-school story by the author of the Mapp and Lucia stories...
"Sigismund" by Lars Gustafsson
Because of his splendid obscurity...
"Langrishe Go Down" by Aidan Higgins
Because I've never read an Irish novel I didn't admire...
"All quiet on the Orient Express" by Magnus Mills
For too many reasons to mention...
"Kai Lung's Golden Hours" by Ernest Bramah
Because I have an infinite appetite for orientalist kitsch...
"The Blind Owl" by Sadegh Hedayat
Because I'm teaching myself to be politically correct, and I needed a token Middle Eastern writer...
"3 More Novels" by Ronald Firbank
Because, with Firbank, more is always better...
And to think I thought I'd gotten over my book-sale addiction...
Because everyone who reads this novel seems to be forever in its thrall...
"Cascando and Other Short Dramatic Pieces" by Samuel Beckett
Because Beckett is "essential", yet a little of him goes a long way...
"Selected Poems" by Elizabeth Daryush
Because of Marianne Moore...
"The Complete Plays" by Joe Orton
Because there's been nothing funnier in drama since Sheridan and Goldsmith...
"Swithering" by Robin Robertson
Because I took an instant dislike to his poetry, and precedent indicates that he might evolve into a favorite...
"The Algonquin Literary Quiz Book" by Louis D.Rubin, Jr.
Because books are meant to play games with...
"Rhinoceros" by Eugene Ionesco
Because rhinoceri are absurdly under-represented in world literature...
"A Choice of Comic and Curious Verse" edited by J.M.Cohen
Because the editor's name alliteratively conforms with his chosen title, in a comic and curious manner...
"Thomas Gray, Philosopher Cat" by Philip J.Davis
Because of the title, and because novel-writing mathematicians intrigue me...
"David Blaize" by E.F.Benson
Because it's a boarding-school story by the author of the Mapp and Lucia stories...
"Sigismund" by Lars Gustafsson
Because of his splendid obscurity...
"Langrishe Go Down" by Aidan Higgins
Because I've never read an Irish novel I didn't admire...
"All quiet on the Orient Express" by Magnus Mills
For too many reasons to mention...
"Kai Lung's Golden Hours" by Ernest Bramah
Because I have an infinite appetite for orientalist kitsch...
"The Blind Owl" by Sadegh Hedayat
Because I'm teaching myself to be politically correct, and I needed a token Middle Eastern writer...
"3 More Novels" by Ronald Firbank
Because, with Firbank, more is always better...
And to think I thought I'd gotten over my book-sale addiction...
posted by Cheshire Cat at 5:00 PM
4 Comments:
tsk tsk. addictions are not for getting over! enjoy.
I have to admit I quite like Robertson, at least in his shorter poems. I was a little bored by his Acteon poem, which I think went on too long and could have used considerable editing, but I loved the Flaying of Marsyas and there were at least a half-dozen other poems in Swithering that I enjoyed, if only because they sounded so lovely.
space bar: yes, i confess i'm quite enjoying the relapse
falstaff: when i develop a prejudice so quickly, it's because i'm blind to some aspect of the poet's work. it happened with louise gluck, and now i absolutely adore her. happened also with that spender poem, "I think continually...' - i realized my sharp reaction was because of a deliberate choice on the poet's part to privilege cadence over meaning. through the lens of this realization, the poem suddenly looked very different.
then again, there are poets like bly and sharon olds who I'm pretty sure will never have any appeal for me. it'll be interesting to see into which category robertson falls...
to think you'd thought.
i hate when you're all busy and stuffs. :(
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