Total Chaos with Family and Friends

With some Ovid sprinkled on top: three books I’m reading now

Good title, no? Ha. I knew I’d get you. Come on in.

I could go inside John’s Bookshop pretty much every day and buy a book. Or, I could just move into the store. I love this bookshop. It’s near my house. The shop owners — John and Gerald — get me any book I want and they offer little pieces of chocolates at check out. A few days ago, I went inside to actually browse as I usually order my books — I read mostly in English and, duh, I’m in a German-speaking country so the English section and selection are small. It was hot, muggy, and sweltering outside; perfect to spend a few minutes inside the cool caverns of literature. I got lucky and found the three books.

Family and Friends

I saw Anita Brookner’s book in the window months ago. Looked her up. She was a fairly unknown author and probably still is. I enjoy discovering new writers through the virtue of serendipity. Since I haven’t read it yet, this review made its case:

It’s about a family: a matriarch and four children living in London. In slow, studied language we learn about each character in turn and how they interact. Brookner’s close observation of human nature is exemplary, especially the women — the subtle slights and double meanings. None of these characters are particularly nice, and not an awful lot happens. The final line of the book is so perfect: ‘Let the dancing begin.’ ~ review by Claire on GoodReads

That is indeed a perfect final line. Can’t wait to get started.

Total Chaos

Jean-Claude Izzo was a French poet, playwright, screenwriter, and novelist who achieved fame in the mid-1990s with the publication of his three noir novels, Total Chaos (Total Khéops), Chourmo, and Solea: known as the Marseilles Trilogy. I’ve read them before in German and have seen the three-part French mini-series starring Alain Delon as Fabio Montale, a cop, a loner in search of the justice courts don’t provide. It’s been a while and definitely worth reading in English now.

Izzo was born in Marseille and died too early at the age of 54 — lung cancer — in Marseille. I mention this cause of death because I imagine Izzo sitting in street cafes, watching, listening, absorbing, writing, always a Gitanes dangling from his mouth or between his fingers as he jots down notes on napkins.

This trilogy is to Marseille what Raymond Chandler’s noir writings are to Los Angeles. Perfectly imperfect, wildly chaotic, deeply dark noir.

French crime fiction that’s as hardboiled as hardboiled gets. Tough guys, tasty meals, crimes of passion…sign me up three times. I also really like crime stories where race issues aren’t swept under the rug, and being that Marseilles is one of those melting pots teeming with a populace that’s French, Italian, Turkish, Arabic, Chinese etc., characters from a wide variety of backgrounds abound. Izzo really adds a whole lot of authenticity to his books and confronts big city issues of institutionalized racism and crime born from moral decay head-on. ~ review by Kit on goodreads.com

Metamorphoses by Ovid

I already tried and partially succeeded in reading Homer’s The Odyssey and The Illiad. Getting through it was possible only through the help and enthusiasm of Professor of Classical Studies Peter Struck, University of Pennsylvania, in an online class focusing on Greek and Roman Mythology. His course made Greek Mythology accessible for me. Because it just all seemed too crazy, ludicrous, and random — I never really was interested in these albeit staples of great literature. But being born from the thigh of a God, and the relationship mishmash going on amongst the Gods and Mortals seemed rather strenuous reading. Far-fetched too. I mean, c’mon. You see, I am a practical person i.e. realist so being born from the thigh of a God..well, yeah no.

But — here comes the but — Professor Struck revealed the meaning and beauty of these masterpieces to me. Don’t get me wrong: it’s still a struggle to dive in an Ovid as opposed to basically anything else. But the effort one puts into it is worth it. These types of books — the so-called classics — are much easier to digest and more importantly, understand, when accompanied by a course, a lecture, a class. Not always possible. I’m going for Metamorphoses on my own. Let’s see how far I get.

To read the great Roman poet while living in Rome, and to continue reading him while you are in mourning for the city once it’s gone ~ was outrageous. In the best way. Grand. Epic. Eternal. ~ review by Rachel

And I always thought Ovid was Greek. Oops.

I’ll write my reviews in due course.