#30: The Sistine Secrets by Blech and Doliner

Tags

art, book review, books, history

For my thirtieth book, I indulged one of my many obsessions– The Sistine Chapel.  For nearly as long as I can remember, I have been consumed by a curiosity about and a desire to visit this incredible place.  Michelangelo’s ceiling is indisputably one of the greatest achievements by any individual in human history.  I have never seen it in person, but even in reproduction the artwork is stunning.  I am not exaggerating when I say that I dream about the Sistine ceiling many nights.  Fortunately, my wife has accepted a life that includes my many quirks and unusual preoccupations. 

The Sistine Secrets: Michelangelo’s Forbidden Messages in the Heart of the Vatican by Benjamin Blech and Roy Doliner is an intriguing book.  It’s thesis is that Michelangelo encoded a number of secret messages in his Sistine artworks.  These messages are largely based on knowledge of Jewish scriptural tradition and Kabbalah that Michelangelo obtained during his years in the liberal-minded household of Lorenzo de’ Medici.  The authors support their arguments with visual evidence from Michelangelo’s paintings (including some details revealed by the extensive cleaning of the frescoes at the end of the last century) and clues from Michelangelo’s personal history and writings.  Their arguments are well-reasoned and well-documented.  Overall, the book  is a fascinating new look at the greatest works of art by the greatest artist in history. 

(Image courtesy Christus Rex)

That said, I do not necessarily agree with all of the interpretations offered by the authors.  This book suffers from the same weakness as nearly all books that offer interpretations of art, music, film, or literature.  The problem is tunnel vision.  Such works become so focused on their thesis that they ignore all other possibilities.  Tunnel vision is necessary to some degree, but an author should still acknowledge the possibility of other correct interpretations.  Michelangelo is long dead and left no clear indication of his intentions when painting the ceiling.  For that reason, no argument can definitively prove the artist’s purpose.  Blech and Doliner make a very strong case, and many of their interpretations seem indisputable.  My only complaint is that they don’t acknowledge other possibilities.

The Current Count–

30 Read, 70 To Go

Can your Kindle do this?

Tags

books

You've got nothing on this, Kindle!

In case you didn’t know, I am an old man.  Not physically (I’m 24), but attitudinally speaking I am an antique.  My old age is most evident when it comes to technology (read a previous rant here).  I am not the biggest fan of newfangled electronic devices.  That said, I am beginning to come around.  I recently upgraded to a smart phone and I even admire the utility of the iPad. 

One device I have not warmed up to is the Amazon Kindle.  I know, I know– it can hold a million books.  It has a built-in dictionary.  It has access to free classic books.  It can download magazines.  It is so much more convenient than lugging around a stack of hardbacks. 

What’s my problem with the Kindle?  The problem isn’t so much what’s wrong with the Kindle, but what is right with books.  The Kindle doesn’t have the old book smell.  The Kindle doesn’t give you the satisfaction of closing the cover when you finally get through all of those pages.  Most of all, the Kindle doesn’t come with a story of its own.

Every book has two stories to tell.  The first is the most obvious– the story written on the pages.  The second story is the story of the book itself, what journey it took to land in a particular reader’s hands.  The book pictured above is the perfect example.  This is a copy of “Notes on the Miracles of Our Lord (Third Edition)” by Richard Chenevix Trench, published in 1850.  This book came to me from my Grandma, as one book in a large box full.  She in turn had been given them by the widow of a long-time family friend.  This family friend was a pastor, which explains the obscure volume of Biblical commentary.  How it came to the pastor, I do not know.

What I do know is that a Mr. Andrew of Glasgow, Scotland acquired this book in September 1920.  I know this because Mr. Andrew recorded his acquisition on the flyleaf.  What a story!  This book journeyed from Glasgow, Scotland in the 1920’s to Canadian, Texas in the 1990’s to Dallas, Texas in the 2000’s.  That is just the tip of the iceberg.

Pictured to the left is the inside cover.  It features two remarkable elements– a seal and an inscription.  The seal (close-up here) reads “Sig[illum] universitatis doctorum magistrorum et scolarium Sanctee Andree.”  Translated that is “Seal of the doctors, masters, and scholars of the University of Saint Andrew.”  This is the seal of St. Andrews University in Scotland.  As in the oldest university in Scotland.  The image of the seal is incredible.  The inscription is even better.  It reads “Awarded as a prize to Mr. Robert Bell for a valuable essay on the reasonableness and utility of confessions of the faith by Geo. Buist, Professor of Ecclesiastical History and Theology, St. Mary’s College, 25th March 1857.” (Close-up here)  A bit of internet research has informed me that George Buist was born in 1805 and died in 1860.  In addition to being a well-respected professor, Buist served as Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1848 and was consulted by Parliament numerous times on matters related to education.  Robert Bell studied Greek, Latin, and Humanities at St. Andrews before continuing his studies in theology.  George Buist had this book on his bookshelf.  Robert Bell earned it by a well-written essay in 1857.  Mr. Andrew got his hands on it in 1920.  Now it is part of my library.

When the Kindle can offer a pedigree like that, I might consider making the purchase.

#29: Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis

Tags

100 books, book review, books, literature

There are a very few books that give birth to characters too large to be contained within their pages.  Don Quixote, Odysseus, Falstaff– they burst from their books with lives all their own.  Nikos Kazantzakis’ creation Zorba the Greek is just such a character.  The book chronicles the relationship between the titular Greek, Alexis Zorba, and the Narrator.  The Narrator is a 35-year-old scholar and bookworm who rents a coal mine on the island of Crete in an effort to lead a ‘life of action’.  On the morning of his departure from the mainland, the Narrator meets Zorba.  Zorba is a 65-year-old peasant who convinces the Narrator to hire him as a cook.  They travel to Crete, where the Narrator makes Zorba foreman of the mine.  The plot of the novel revolves around the trials and tribulations faced by this unlikely duo.  The plot is of little consequence.  This is not a book that is read for what happens.  This is a book that is read for whom it contains. 

Zorba is a passionate, violently alive individual.  Lacking formal education, Zorba is nevertheless a sage.  His is the wisdom of the simple man, expressed by dance and singing when words prove insufficient.  Zorba answers the call of his spirit no matter the cost or the consequences.  He is the urge within us all to sever the ties of responsibility and society and live the pure life of the will.  The Narrator is our reason, constantly making excuses and denying the whims of the spirit.  The relationship between the two characters is poignant and inspiring.  This book is a much-needed reminder that in a life led by reason, we should all occasionally dance like a wild man.

The Current Count: 29 Read, 71 To Go

#28: Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

Tags

100 books, Africa, book review, books, literature

My most recent book was thrust upon me by circumstance, rather than selected for pleasure.  I discovered last week that I would be teaching the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe to my students for the next several weeks.  The only problem was that I had never read Things Fall Apart.  A quick trip to Half-Price Books and I had my twenty-eighth book.  I am happy to say that despite taking it up out of necessity rather than choice, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Things Fall Apart tells the story of Okonkwo, a mighty warrior in Umuofia, a group of nine villages in modern-day Nigeria.  Okonkwo is determined to be respected and feared as a warrior and clan leader, unlike his lazy and disgraceful father.  This determination causes him to fear any appearance of weakness or womanish behavior.  As a result, Okonkwo seems hard-hearted and devoid of affection for his wives and children, despite caring for them very deeply.  Okonkwo’s determination to avoid appearing weak eventually leads him to offend the tribal gods rather than admitting he is wrong.  He is punished for this offence when his gun explodes and accidentally kills another member of his tribe.  The punishment is seven years of exile.

The second half of the novel takes place during and after Okonkwo’s exile.  SPOILER ALERT!! White men have come to Umuofia, bringing with them religion and government.  Okonkwo resists the new state of affairs and attempts to rally the other members of his clan to do so as well.  When his fellow villagers fail to respond appropriately to the outrages of the white men, Okonkwo realizes that the old ways will never return.  He hangs himself in despair, sacrificing his honorable reputation to escape this new world. SPOILERS OVER

I happened to read Things Fall Apart immediately after Hemingway’s True at First Light and soon after Churchill’s My African Journey.  As a result, I have seen three distinct perspectives on the colonization and ‘civilization’ or Africa.  I highly recommend this approach.  I enjoyed Achebe’s book more for having read Hemingway and Churchill.  Achebe’s book is definitely a landmark text.  His is a voice that cries out against the outdated view of the ‘white man’s burden’ as the proper task of civilized nations.  Things Fall Apart is a Greek tragedy transplanted to African soil.  Achebe writes in a rhythmic style that makes extensive use of traditional African proverbs.  The result is an authentic look at precolonial African culture.  By showing the human qualities shared by all men, Achebe reminds us that we are all essentially the same.  Being civilized is not the same as being superior, and Okonkwo’s tragic story throws the difference into high relief.

The Current Count:

28 Read, 72 To Go

#27: True at First Light by Ernest Hemingway

Tags

100 books, book review, books, Hemingway, literature

 I know, I know.  Three books in the past three weeks.  Not exactly a championship pace.  I could make excuses (grades, dogsitting, etc.), but I won’t.  The truth is, I have just been lazy.  From time to time I have to relax the pace in order to avoid burnout.  I will definitely make up for lost time when the summer rolls around. 

I did recently spend a week dogsitting for my mother and stepfather, a situation which inspired my choice for book twenty-seven.  Ernest Hemingway’s True at First Light is a fictional memoir recounting Hemingway’s African safari of 1953-1954.  My own adventure with the Heart of Darkness (an affectionate nickname for the canine trio that owned my house for a week) made True at First Light the perfect choice.  Hemingway worked on this book for the next several years but gave up due to struggles with his failing memory.  The book remained unpublished until 1999, when Patrick Hemingway (son of Ernest) edited the manuscript by half and released it as True at First Light.

The Heart of Darkness-- Elroy the Bulldog, Cricket the Dachshund, and my dog Duke.

I enjoyed this book very much, but also felt a certain amount of guilt while reading it.  The circumstances of the publication seem wrong.  The fact that Hemingway did not want this book released and doubted his writing powers during its composition make reading it seem like violating the dead.  That said, the pleasure of reading it far outweighs the guilt.  The book presents a Hemingway aware of his advancing age and waning confidence as a writer.  The descriptions of African life are evocative and sincere.  This book proves that Hemingway on the decline is a far better writer than just about anybody.  True at First Light has the signature Hemingway heartache– a beautiful but bittersweet story that reminds the reader of the fleeting nature of beauty and worldly happiness.

The Current Count:

27 Read, 73 To Go

The Number One Obstacle to Reading…

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books

The Beast imposes his will...

… is a 65 pound Border Collie mix named Duke who firmly believes two things: that he deserves your undivided attention and that he is a lap dog despite his size.  Tomorrow he might let me finish another book.  Maybe.

#26: The Birth of Tragedy by Friedrich Nietzsche

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100 books, book review, books

Friedrich Nietzsche’s first book provides me with my twenty-sixth selection.  The Birth of Tragedy from the Spirit of Music was originally published in 1872 and is very much the work of youth.  In it we find an exuberant Nietzsche, boldly challenging the understanding of Greek tragedy that prevailed in the German academies of that time.  Although I have a solid knowledge of Greek history and culture, I do not know nearly enough to challenge or agree to Nietzsche’s assertions.  His fellow academics almost unanimously rejected his ideas, and the book would damage his academic reputation for the rest of his career.  The great sin that warranted such negativity is Nietzsche’s assertion that the Greeks were not simple, noble, naive people.  Instead, according to Nietzsche, the Greeks struggled with the negative feelings that accompany the knowledge that life is fleeting and the world imperfect.  There are two ways to deal with these feelings.  The first is to seek beauty and order in individuality.  The second is to recognize the common life force that endures forever in all of nature.  Nietzsche believes that the Greeks embodied the first response in the myth of Apollo, patron god of beauty and the plastic arts.  Dionysos, god of wine and nature, represents the other.  The struggle between these two impulses, the Apollonian and the Dionysiac, is the struggle between light and darkness.  Apollo represents the optimistic side of life that allows individuals to achieve greatness.  Dionysos represents the commonality of all nature that is aware of the fleeting quality of its various forms, but accepts it through communion with the greater whole.  These opposing urges eventually combined in the form of Greek tragedy.  Tragedy provides the highest possible experience of both the Apollonian and the Dionysiac urges.  Eventually Euripides and Socrates sought to deny the Dionysiac urge and bring the entire world into the light.  This killed tragedy and planted the seeds for the destruction of Classical Grecian culture.  Nietzsche’s arguments on this topic can be a bit confusing, and it is here that his youth is most visible.

After establishing his theories about Greek tragedy, Nietzsche goes on to trace the decline of the Dionysiac spirit in human history.  He believes that the Socratic drive for knowledge as the source of all good replaced the Apollonian/Dionysiac dualism that had led to the flowering of Greek culture.  Socrates killed myth, and without myth tragedy cannot endure.  Instead science replaces the mythology of Ancient Greece and the standard of knowledge becomes the driving force of culture.  According to Nietzsche, mankind was just beginning to realize the insufficiency of this new system in his day.  German culture was showing signs of a rebirth of true tragedy in the works Goethe and Wagner.  Such a rebirth of the Apollonian/Dionysiac spirit is needed if man is to recapture the cultural heights reached by the Ancient Greeks.

The Birth of Tragedy was republished in 1886 with a critical preface by Nietzsche.  He criticizes his youthful arrogance in grappling with such complicated issues before he had the literary or intellectual skills to fully develop them.  His critique is very fair.  Nietzsche gets so overcome by his own excitement about his topic that he makes leaps without demonstrating the logical foundation for his assertions.  Despite that fact, this book is an excellent read.  The chapters dealing with Greek tragedy specifically are a bit narrow to be popularly enjoyed, but the chapters reflecting on the various aesthetic, moral, and cultural currents affecting Western society are as true and perspicacious now as they were then.  Even in his first major work as a thinker, Nietzsche reveals the genius that would lead him to be one of the most influential philosophers of the modern age.  For that reason, it is well worth reading.

The Current Count:

26 Read, 74 To Go

My Top Five Books (So Far)

Tags

100 books, book review, books

As promised, here is the list of my top five books from the twenty-five that I have read so far.  This ranking is completely subjective and is not an attempt to say a particular book is ‘greater’ than another.  These are simply the five books I have most enjoyed over the past few months.  I am also trying to pick the books I think my readers would be most interested in, so I am avoiding my nerdier history and philosophy selections.  With no further ado, the list.

#5: Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned by Wells Tower

Wells Tower’s collection of short stories is full of pitiful characters in depressing situations that somehow leave you in a happy mood.  Tower’s prose is outstanding.  His sentences have an edge to them that few seasoned writers can boast.  I am especially fond of the eponymous story, which follows a middle-aged Viking on one last plundering raid.  Go buy this book and support a fresh voice on the American literary scene.

#4: The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John Le Carre

Le Carre’s gripping tale of Cold War spy Alec Leamas is a spy novel worthy of Hemingway.  This is not James Bond using gadgets to defeat supervillains and seduce chesty double agents.  This is the story of a real man used as a pawn in the cutthroat game of Cold War power politics.  Read it and feel glad that your life is a bit less complicated than that of poor Mr. Leamas.

#3: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey

This is a novel that is almost painful to read.  The utter lack of self-confidence on the part of the asylum patients is heartbreaking.  Randall McMurphy is a tragic hero worthy of Shakespeare, losing his all for the sake of his comrades.  The despicable “Big Nurse” Ratched is also a villain for the ages.  I love the Jack Nicholson movie, but I enjoyed the book even more.

#2: Cancer Ward by Alexander Solzhenitsyn

Continuing the theme of books that will break your heart, I have selected Solzhenitsyn’s classic story of a man fighting cancer and oppression in Soviet Russia.  Despite the saddest of possible lives, Oleg Kostoglotov emerges as a hero who inspires us all with his unrelenting humanity.  This is not a book for someone wanting a cheerful read, but is absolutely worth the effort.

And the final, number one, best book I have read so far is…

#1: The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran

Gibran’s book is beyond words.  Despite its brevity, The Prophet is overflowing with timeless wisdom that can be applied to all our lives.  A bit philosophical for some tastes, this book is nevertheless a must read.  It is also my dear, sweet great-grandmother’s favorite book.  In case you aren’t aware, you don’t argue with the Granny.

Twenty-Five and Counting– My Head Hurts

Tags

100 books, books

I have reached the first major milestone of the year– 25 Books.  I appreciate all of the encouragement and the many reading suggestions offered by my faithful readers.  I promise I am not ignoring your suggestions, but it can take a while to find certain books at HPB.  Eventually I hope to read all of the recommended titles.  That’s one of the goals yet to be reached.  For now, I want to look back at the one I have accomplished.

I finished my twenty-fifth book last night, on the ninety-first day of the year.  That puts my pace at 1 book/3.64 days.  Right on schedule.  I had hoped to be ahead of that pace after Spring Break, but certain events slowed me down.  Perhaps in the summer I can build a cushion to make up for fatigue in the home stretch.  I am averaging right at 210 pages per book.  My selections have been fairly diverse so far, and I hope to keep that trend going.  Here is the breakdown so far:

9 Novels: Cancer Ward, The Sirens of Titan, Rosshalde, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, The Lacuna, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Beneath the Wheel, The Godfather, The Prophet

6 Histories/Biographies: The River War, Churchill: An Unruly Life, A Moveable Feast, History of the Crusades, The Gallic Commentaries, My African Journey

4 Philosophies: Of the Conduct of the Understanding, Human, All Too Human, Dialogue on Good, Evil, and the Existence of God, Arguing About War

3 Dramas: The Comedy of Errors, Julius Caesar, Hamlet

1 Short Story Collection: Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned

1 Poetry Collection: A Boy’s Will

1 Reference Book: The Elements of Style

Later this week I will post my top five from the first twenty-five.  Until then, thanks again for reading the blog!

#25: My African Journey by Winston S. Churchill

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100 books, book review, books, Churchill, history

Twenty-five down!  I will post tomorrow reviewing my progress at this major milestone, but tonight I will limit myself to a review of Winston Churchill’s My African Journey.  In 1905, Churchill was appointed Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies.  He undertook an informal tour of British possessions and protectorates in Africa, reporting in serial fashion to newspapers.  In 1908 he assembled those reports and published the result as My African Journey.  I have made no secret of my Churchill obsession.  He is one of the most fascinating individuals to grace the pages of history.  This book, like his others, drips wit and personality from every page.  I am not blind to Churchill’s flaws, and many are on display in My African Journey.  His antiquated view on race relations and the superiority of the European to the African natives would be unbearable were they espoused today.  While his views certainly evolved after 1908, they represent his unique position straddling the Victorian and the modern eras.  It was this conflict between two ages that helped shape Churchill into the guiding light for Britain in the darkest days of World War II.  My African Journey offers a look at the man before he was a legend.  Churchill’s extensive literary output over the course of his life gives readers the rare chance to watch him grow from ambitious youth to national hero.  My African Journey is an entertaining stop along that journey, and I wholeheartedly recommend it as such.

The Current Count:

25 Read, 75 To Go