Ulysses Support Group Update: Meeting 3

In Penny's absence,
I thought I'd pen a
couple of notes
following the latest
meeting of her
Ulysses Support
Group...

Well done to the 5 of us that eschewed chocolate chomping for literary chewiness and pitched up at The Salamander to discuss the next instalment of Joyce's epic.

Pages 53 - 111 (of the OUP Edition text, available from Mr B's) were up for discussion. This is the bit where we meet Mr Leopold Bloom for the first time. In a refreshing change of style, gone is the intense, opaque and inaccessible voice of Stephen Dedalus and in comes a Mr Bloom that positively overflows with earthiness - and given that we are treated to the innermost thoughts of a man whilst on the pot and also when attending the funeral of a friend, there is plenty of soil to go around. Everyone agreed that this section was an easy(ish), rewarding read and that the myriad details of an early 20th Century Dublin morning were both fascinating and accessible. The large amount of dialogue between Bloom and his friends during this extract, meant we all hankered for an audio version replete with thick Irish accents, that could enhance our understanding of the rhythm of the language. In terms of understanding the content of the language though, we felt that even sans notes, this section works very well as a realistic 'stream of consciousness'. It can be read in isolation and still be enjoyed for what it is: one man's view of his world at a particular point in time.

Back to the more highbrow reading: what of Joyce's Odyssey mapping? There was much debate as to whether the recumbant Molly Bloom, resplendant in her bedroom setting was Bloom's Penelope or Calypso. We are anxious to find further clues to back one interpretation or the other. In fact, so keen are we to probe further into the potential extra-marital activities of both Mr and Mrs Bloom, we have agreed to meet again on Tuesday 10th May at 6:45pm. And our goal over the next two weeks? To read up to page 143. This means that those of you who were still on Easter hols won't have to wait ages for the next meeting and if you need to catch up, there is only another 30 pages to conquer. Go on, you know you want to! The mood of those around the table at this point is that the book is proving far more enjoyable than we were expecting. Or have I just spoken too soon? Only one way to find out...

Kate's Reading Challenge 2011: Books 8 - 11

8. ? by ? (?, 2011)

Book eight demands a rather enigmatic blog as I am not yet able to reveal exactly what it is, so instead, here's a few teasers...

~ It is a psychological novella revolving around a group of four male friends.
~ The writing is astute, descriptive and analytical.

~ I thought it was excellent and I read the whole thing in a day.

9. "The End of the Affair" by Graham Greene (Vintage, 2004)

One of Graham Greene's "Catholic novels" - but so much more than just a novel about religion. Greene's plots are so fantastically clever - this novel is told (predominantly) from the perspective of Maurice Bendrix, a writer who has had a love affair with married woman Sarah, which she ends suddenly and without explanation. Baffled and heartbroken Bendrix hires a private detective to follow Sarah, whilst at the same time forming a fragile and uncomfortable friendship with her completely oblivious husband.

The twists and turns in the plot are at times comparable to those of a Shakespearean tragedy and Maurice's occupation allows for some thought-provoking prose about the role of the writer.

This was my second experience of Graham Greene and whilst in all honesty I have to say that I preferred "Brighton Rock" to "The End of the Affair" this novel is another excellent example of Greene's master craftsmanship and sensitive, psychological style.

10. "Eating with the Pilgrims" by Calvin Trillin (Penguin, 2011)
A bit of a cheat for my non-fiction book this time, this little book (a glorious 99 pages) of food essays is part of Penguin's new "Great Food" series. From the author of "Tepper isn't going out", (The final book in my 2010 reading challenge) "Eating with the Pilgrims" is a hilarious collection of writings about New York bagels, spaghetti carbonara, Buffalo chicken wings and an incredible Chinese chef, whose refusal to stay in one restaurant results in an ongoing man-hunt by his hoards of hungry, determined fans.

The two essays revolving around a pair unsightly sea creatures; the catfish and the monkfish, stood out as being particularly funny. Trillin's valliant attempt to get his fussy, salad-hating daughter to sample some catfish is followed by a discussion of butchering a monkfish, an animal that is so horribly unattractive that "it makes the catfish look like Robert Redford!"

Throughout the tone is both warm and sarcastic and the descriptions of some of the New York eateries made me want to hop straight on a plane. In fact, this is perhaps the only level on which this book failed me - as I was desperately trying to avoid reading anything that made me want to go on holiday! Oops!

Marvellous Monday Book Group: 18th April 2011

Good weather prevails at
the Marvellous Monday
book group. Sunshine
streamed in through
the windows -completely
at odds with the drizzly,
bleak landscape of
Georges Rodenbach's
Bruges-La-Morte.

This is a story of one man's
obsession with the memory of his dead wife and the novel explores deadness in many forms - including Bruges itself, the 'dead town entombed in its stone quais, with the arteries of its canals cold once the great pulse of the sea had ceased beating in them.' For a short novel, there was plenty to discuss and it produced some contrasting opinions.

When Hugues Viane leaves his solitary mourning period to begin a doomed affair with a dancer, it quickly becomes clear that far from moving on, he is simply projecting the memory of his dead wife upon another woman. Was Jane Scott insufficiently defined for us to understand her motivation for remaining in such an oppressive relationship? Or are we only allowed to see her through Viane's eyes: a doll to be dressed in the clothes of his dead wife?

We collectively failed to identify the specific elements of the novel that mark it out as a 'symbolist' work. Even wikipedia was opaque, naming Rodenbach as a key proponent of symbolism without actually defining the movement. One unusual feature of the original text, reproduced in the Dedalus text (Mr B's preferred edition) are the accompanying black and white photographs of Bruges every couple of pages. Moody, deserted and monotonous visions of canal paths and stone certainly contributed to the effect that Rodenbach was aiming for.

The effectiveness of Bruges as a malevolent force produced conflicting views. Everyone agreed that Rodenbach's language was often sublime but there was also a feeling that ultimately it was a less convincing evocation of place than, say Thomas Mann's Death in Venice. Given that Chris + Chris had just returned from Bruges (laden with handmade choccies and genuine Belgian beer - yum) we were intrigued to find out whether they recognised Rodenbach's Bruges.

Unsurprisingly, they didn't and had a fabulous time admiring the architecture and eating fantastic food. We discussed possible reasons for the conflict: have our attitudes to preserving pre-20th century buildings changed over time? Was Rodenbach looking at a town whose local economy had died and where medieval buildings were symbols of a lack of dynamism and progress? Has Eurostar significantly revived Bruges' economy? Certainly, Rodenbach doesn't fill his Bruges with Gourmands and cheery travellers - the shadowy locals are pious and restrained.

Overall, despite the bleak nature of the story, the feedback was more positive than negative - and everyone agreed that the protagonist was interesting...and repugnant. There was a desire to tell him in no uncertain terms to pull himself together; his obsessive behaviour was convincing; others noted the hypocrisy of his moral compass.

Next up is the achingly beautiful A Month in the Country by J.L. Carr. Thanks to Rachel for choosing an uplifting text: regardless of the forecast, our next meeting on the 9th May will be sunny.

P.S. A reminder that the Ulysses Support Group is meeting in the Salamander Pub on Tuesday 26th April. We're aiming to be up to page 111 by then.

Mr B's 2011 Reading Journey Book 6 (New Mexico) - The Blackbirder by Dorothy B. Hughes

Moving Westwards again in my Reading Journey I've just hurtled through New Mexico in the hands of one of the queens of American suspense, Dorothy B. Hughes.

Whilst Penguin have recently reissued her better known "In a Lonely Place" and Persephone Books have reissued her late novel "The Expendable Man" (even if Hughes does sit awkwardly alongside some of the Bloomsbury Group types that Persephone are more known for), I went for the 1943 wartime thriller published in all its retro glory by the Femme Fatales imprint of the Feminist Press at the City University of New York. Wonderful kitsch cover, wonderful that they've kept the novel in print, pity about the plethora of typos.

As you'd expect from this genre, the pace is high from minute one as heroine Julie Guille (and various pseudonyms) is forced to suddenly flee her hiding place in New York City as ghosts from her past threaten to catch up with her. Heading South to Albuquerque by train she goes in search of the whispered about "Blackbirder" who can spirit refugees like her out of America by air if the money is right. But as she travels the repeated coincidental sightings of a limping man in gray start to niggle and soon everyone she claps eyes on are potential threats - whether they're Nazis seeking to capture her and take her back to occupied France under the direction of her traitorous uncle or the police or FBI wanting to question her about the crime-scene she left behind in New York (not to mention the false passport which got her into the country).

By the time she's made it to Santa Fe, Julie is surrounded by a cast of shady characters but it remains unclear exactly who is on whose side which leads to some genuinely surprising twists and turns.

I'm no connoisseur of the pulp and American noir genres to be honest (Ed's the shop expert on that front) so all I can do is compare Hughes to a master like Raymond Chandler or an English equivalent such as Eric Ambler. Chandler beats her hands-down for dialogue and Ambler's writing as a whole is more sophisticated, BUT I must say that Hughes' plot is an absolute corker and this is quality page-turning thriller. The book also gives the reader an interesting insight into a nervous America during World War 2 and I was surprised by how much of the action in the end takes place in New Mexico (I feared a loose New Mexican connection followed by much globetrotting), with Santa Fe and it's Indian inhabitants playing a major part.

Fans of this vintage of thriller should definitely try Hughes out if they haven't already, whether it's this one or Ed's favourite The Expendable Man.

Mr B's 2011 Reading Journey Book 5 (back to Texas again) - The Last Picture Show by Larry McMurtry

Reading Larry McMurtry's "Roads" back in January (blogged about previously) left me wanting to read his magnus opus "Lonesome Dove", until I saw quite how Magnus it really is. After dismissing that 1000 page option I decided instead to read "The Last Picture Show" his classic American "coming-of-age" novel set in Thalia, Texas - a fictional version of his real home town Archer City, Texas.

This is a superb novel which paints a vivid picture of life in a small Texan town in the early 1960's from the perspective of three late-teens. Sonny is on the point of graduating high-school and is already sharing an apartment with his best friend Duane. They work hard to pay their rent and to afford to hang out at Sam the Lion's pool hall and to take their girls to the picture show on a Saturday night, after which a number of bases may, or may not, be rounded. But whilst Sonny's girl is underwhelming and unwelcoming Duane is dating the rich, beautiful and exotic Jacy, leaving Sonny and the rest of the town's male population to just dream. Until, in Sonny's case, he begins an altogether more dangerous sexual adventure with a more mature resident of the town.

Sonny and Duane are surprisingly earnest and mature characters in a town full of small-minded busybodies and tough-nuts (there are a couple of seriously alarming scenes of rural misbehaviour hidden in here!) but the manipulative tease Jacy proves to be the main catalyst for heartache in the novel. The bit-players are ALL so well-drawn and stick with you long after you've finished the novel - such as the lazy bully sports teacher Coach Popper, the Fonz-esque pool shark Abilene, cash-strapped late night cafe waitress Genevieve, local legend Sam the Lion and the vulnerable simpleton Bobby with his obsessive street-sweeping.

It's a novel of friendship, community, first experiences of love, sex, adultery and death and is laced with atmosphere and humour. The more I think about it the more I want to wax on about it, but that's tricky without drifting into plot spoilers.

It seems to demand a soundtrack of Carl Perkins, Hank Williams and, most of all Roy Orbison....which makes me want to rent the movie (which starred a young Cybil Shepherd as Jacy and a young Jeff Bridges as Sonny) to find out what the soundtrack actually consists of.

My lovely edition (a U.S. one which was all that was available until early March) is above and the brand new Penguin Modern classic version is here - Penguin again picking a corker of a forgotten American gem to induct into their modern classics stable.

Mr B's 2011 Reading Journey Book 4 (Arkansas) - The Dog of the South by Charles Portis

After my annual Bath Lit Fest and aftermath blogging hiatus I'm back to prove I haven't just stopped reading.

From Texas, oddly, I decided to briefly go North to Arkansas, mainly because, with "True Grit" competing strongly in the Oscars, I really wanted to read Charles Portis' other novel in print in the UK, "The Dog of the South". It's not exactly evocative of Arkansas, but the plot description of a man who, taking his route from the locations on stolen credit card receipts, is about to set off from his home in Arkansas, south across Texas towards the Mexican border in pursuit of his wife and her ex who have run off together in his car.

It sounded like a genuinely funny road trip novel and, to a point, it is. The narrator Ray Midge is a very mellow character who somehow keeps his search for the errant Norma on course despite being joined by increasingly bizarre traveling companions. For the final phase of his trip to Belize (where Norma and her beau - another character who turns out to be seriously unhinged - have apparently ended up) Midge gives a ride to Dr Reo Symes. The latter is definitely the novel's most peculiar character and their conversations on the road South contain some hilarious exchanges. The deluded, borderline bankrupt and opinionated Symes has some particularly ingenious views to share on the subject of reading when defending what he views as the greatest book of all time "With Wings as Eagles" by John Selmer Dix (a self-help manual on the subject of sales).

Midge: "They say Shakespeare was the greatest writer who ever lived"

Symes: "Dix puts William Shakespeare in the shithouse"

"The doctor went on and on. He said all other writing, compared to Dix's works, was just 'foul grunting'"

Comic literary criticism aside though, the book's appeal waned a little, for me at least, as it neared its climax. It stays eccentric and the cast of oddball (and not very likeable) characters keeps expanding, but at the expense of the momentum of the original plot.

And on the vital subject of aesthetics, I like the cover I have (above) but I wish I'd known about this brand new one which has just come in.