#18: Pictor’s Metamorphoses by Hermann Hesse

Tags

100 books, book review, books, Hesse, literature, Nobel Prize, short stories

For my eighteenth book of the year I decided to go with Pictor’s Metamorphoses and Other Fantasies by Hermann Hesse, marking my fourteenth book by the German-Swiss Nobel laureate.  Hesse is an author who never seems to disappoint, and Pictor’s Metamorphoses is no exception.  It is a collection of short stories from throughout Hesse’s life (including one from his childhood).  Although the subject matter is diverse, they are united by certain magical or fantastic characteristics.  Most of the stories are only a few pages long, and the longest are only a few dozen pages in length.  This makes for a quick and relaxing read that is highly enjoyable.

My favorite story in the collection was “Bird”.  This story is about a unique bird that lives in a Swiss town and becomes something of a symbol for the area.  Eventually he becomes a legend and attracts the attention of a curious noblemen from the North.  A bounty is placed on the bird’s head, and the townspeople struggle with their desire to earn the easy money and their respect and love for their mascot.  One citizen in particular has had a special bond with Bird over the years, and decides to capture him.  He readies a gun with the finest birdshot to be found and waits.  Eventually Bird appears to him and the man shoots.  Bird disappears, without leaving so much as a feather behind.  He is never seen again.  Hesse’s descriptions of the communal spirit and the relationship between tradition and modern issues are poignant and thought-provoking.  His ability to create an authentic and enchanting atmosphere is unrivalled.  I would recommend any book  by Hesse, including Pictor’s Metamorphoses.

The Current Count

18 Read, 82 To Go

#11: A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway

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100 books, book review, books, classics, Hemingway, literature, Nobel Prize, Paris, travel

Papa Hemingway provides my eleventh book of the year.  A Moveable Feast is a collection of memoirs from Hemingway’s time in Paris during the early 1920’s.  The story behind the book is an interesting one.  In 1956 a trunk was discovered in the basement of the Ritz Hotel in Paris containing notebooks Hemingway had filled during his time in the city.  He had them transcribed and worked on editing them into book form during the last few years of his life.  His fourth wife edited the manuscript following his death.  The end result was controversial, with many experts later questioning the validity of Mary Hemingway’s edits.  Another (equally controversial) edition has since been published, edited by a Hemingway grandson. 

Hemingway in Paris

 

A Moveable Feast is an enjoyable read but is not my favorite Hemingway work.  It contains many fine examples of the classic Hemingway style, but has a somewhat artificial feeling.  Whether it is the result of posthumous edits or Hemingway trying to recapture a youth that lived up to his tremendous reputation, the book doesn’t have the same depth of emotion as his short stories, novels, or other non-fiction works such as Death in the Afternoon.  The book does paint a romantic and irresistible picture of a time and place that no longer exist.  Hemingway makes 1920’s Paris sound like a Bogart movie put on paper.  His descriptions of meals, locations, and people are charming and evocative.  Read it for the glimpse of a bygone era and for the glimpse of Hemingway before he was the legend.  Just don’t read it expecting another For Whom the Bell Tolls.

The Current Count:

11 Read, 89 To Go

#6: Rosshalde by Hermann Hesse

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100 books, book review, books, Hesse, literature, Nobel Prize

The sixth book selected for my challenge was Rosshalde by Hermann Hesse.  Hesse is one of my favorite authors of all time.  His novels are always insightful, poignant, and deeply moving.  That being said, Rosshalde is probably my least favorite Hesse work.  It has all of the same qualities as his other books, but is simply too predictable.  It tells the story of world-famous painter Johann Veraguth at his idyllic estate, Rosshalde.  Veraguth is trapped in a loveless marriage out of devotion to his young son Pierre.  The painter yearns for a life of freedom, away from the daily disappointment that life at Rosshalde has become for him.  The only thing that keeps him from packing up and going to live with his best friend in India is his son.  Veraguth finally decides that he must surrender his son to his wife for all of their sakes.  Tragedy strikes and the boy dies, freeing Veraguth from both the facade of his life in Rosshalde and the pain of leaving behind the one person he truly loves.

Hesse- 1946 Nobel Prize Winner for Literature

Don’t get me wrong, Rosshalde  is a very moving book.  Hesse evokes the pain of a conflicted soul as well as (if not better than) any other writer.  The plot is simply very predictable.  I had a pretty good idea of what was coming after only a few pages.  It is a beautifully written book well worth a read, but do not expect something as original as Steppenwolf or Das Glasperlenspiel.

The Current Count:

6 Read, 94 To Go

#2: The River War by Winston S. Churchill

Tags

100 books, Africa, book review, books, Churchill, history, Nobel Prize, Sudan

Last night I finished my second book of the year, The River War by Sir Winston Churchill.  The River War is a history of the joint British-Egyptian reconquest of the Sudan in the late 1890’s.  Churchill participated in the campaign as a cavalry officer.  I greatly enjoyed the book, but would not recommend it to another reader unless he or she is either a history nut or a Churchill fan.  I am both, and subsequently loved it.  Churchill’s analysis of a modern, scientific campaign against an ill-equipped and untrained yet fanatical foe is particularly interesting in light of the recent war in Iraq and the ongoing struggle in Afghanistan.  Churchill is a member of that elite group of authors who elevate the English language to an art form.

The Current Count:

2 Read, 98 To Go

#1: Cancer Ward by Alexander Solzhenitsyn

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100 books, book review, books, literature, Nobel Prize, Russia, Solzhenitsyn, USSR

The first book of the new year is done!  I finished Cancer Ward by Alexander Solzhenitsyn earlier today.  Loosely based on Solzhenitsyn’s own experience with cancer in the post-Stalinist Soviet Union, Cancer Ward follows the life of Oleg Kostoglotov as he undergoes treatment in a regional cancer clinic.  Kostoglotov is a political exile who has spent his entire adult life in the Soviet army and a prison camp.  Through his interactions with other patients (including an arrogant Soviet bureaucrat) and the clinic staff, we are given a glimpse of the complex dynamics that governed all facets of Soviet life.  Solzhenitsyn’s reflections on the nature of life and death transcend the Soviet setting and speak to readers from any culture.  This book can be very depressing at parts, but is ultimately hopeful in the face of all possible resistance.  I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a deeper read.  Many thanks to my good friend Daniel of Surf Waco for turning me on to Solzhenitsyn.

Current Count:

1 Read, 99 To Go