Has anyone read the two Quirke novels by Black, aka John Banville?

I went up to college in '83 when Dublin was on the cusp of shedding the 50's, there were still tenements in the Georgian squares, and becoming what it is today - and I simply don't recognise it. Neither in the language nor in the mood. Its also nothing like the literature coming out of 50's Ireland, or Dublin for that matter.

Anyone got an opinion?

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Scoundrel, scamp, brother of the angle

Anyone read this gem ? I tempted to order it just out of curiousity.

BigD

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Part of a series rehashing English classics with horror elements. I spotted it in several bookstores in London recently.... and then ignored them.

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Bring on Summer!

Charlie Brooker - The hell of it all. Just got this and am finding it funny and thought provoking. Great to read just before you go to sleep.

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One should either be a work of art or wear a work of art.

Yeah I have it here on my shelf. Dawn of The Dumb is also excellent!
Some of is metaphors are laugh-out-loud funny. His improvised quips on tv shows have been a bit disappointing however. He obviously needs time to build up his insults. The one about sawing off someone head and eating out their brains with a rusty spoon was particularly inspiring..

BigD

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You make your own luck.

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The place for fun and chat in Switzerland.

Just finished reading Precious, the book that the film was based on. It is a pretty bleak book TBH.

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One should either be a work of art or wear a work of art.

I have just finished Night-Soldiers by Alan Furst. He an expert in espionage-historical-fiction, mostly just pre-war. Hard going at some points , but very rewarding. Eric Ambler is a much easier read and straightfoward in terms of plot and characters, but Furst, like Le Carre adds a real depth and bleakness to the environment and the characters' lonely unrewarding existence without respite or redemption.

Another great book (indeed generally judged to be a classic) is The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad. One of the first in the genre and very unusual. Highly recommended.

That's enough flowery language for one day...

BigD

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You make your own luck.

www.shootingthecheese.ch
The place for fun and chat in Switzerland.

I just finished Snow Crash, it was awesome. It had computers and skateboards and the mafia and guns. It was in the future.

I have been reading a bit through the posts in this section and I am happy to see that there are quite some members interested in literature. That's great ! I would like to define myself as a passionate reader, but this is not true anymore, since I have read almost nothing in the past three years. Coming back to the world of books is one of my other projects (after arranging the photos !), and I am really looking forward to it.

I used to devour books when I was a child. From that time I loved many books, one of them was The glassblower's children by the Swedish writer Maria Gripe.

Among the books that I read recently I liked a lot The gambler by F.M. Dostoyevski. This is the only book that I read from this author, and I found astonishing his wit and sense of humor, it feels like it was written by someone living in our times, and the book was written in 1866 !. The writer has a modern mind, that's clear, probably one reason why he is so brilliant and his books read around the world.

The story is partially based on the writer's own experience in the casino of Wiesbaden and is about a group of European gamblers stranded in a hotel. The way Dostoyevski describes the characters of the people and their attitude according to their nationality is hilarious. Lucky you (most members in this forum?) the British nationals are practically the only ones saved from his strongly sarcastic critizism. Poles, Germans and Russians: take the book with a pinch of salt, French: read at your own risk !

I got Crime and punishment as a present and despite the size, I'll read it for sure.

This sounds great. I like novels for which the historical setting and evoked atmosphere is a key part. I know Wiesbaden quite well. Unfortunately your recommendation came a few minutes to late for my amazon order, but I'll pick up a copy !
BigD

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You make your own luck.

www.shootingthecheese.ch
The place for fun and chat in Switzerland.