Just Finished Reading: Trial By Battle by David Piper (FP: 1959) [160pp] 

India, October 1941. 21-year-old Cadet officer Alan Mart is learning the ropes of command. Assigned under overbearing acting captain Sam Hall he can't seem to do anything right or satisfy a man who oscillates between being drunk, cynical or just plain self-destructive. Offered a cushy job teaching German to a bunch of commando-types he surprises himself by turning it down in favour of continuing to be abused by Hall. With the attack on Pearl Harbor and the Japanese attacks across the Far East, Mart finds himself leading a section of Indian soldiers in the jungles of Malaysia (with trucks painted in desert camouflage for their original assignment in the Middle East) against the Japanese onslaught. Initially unsure if he could be responsible for the death of another person – friendly or enemy – he quickly finds himself adapting to confusion, lack of sleep and random death. But that was before the full force of the Japanese advance falls on his section of the frontline. From then on there is only one reality – withdrawal, confusion and loss. 

I've been meaning to continue working through my small stack of Imperial War Museum Classics for a while now. I'm reading them (mostly) in narrative chronological order which makes sense to me. I've said before that my knowledge (and to be honest interest) in the Far East campaign is... limited. For some reason I'm for more focused on the conflict in Europe, Russia and North Africa that in the jungles of East Asia. So, it was 'nice (in an interesting way) to see things at ground level from the view of a young British officer thrown in at the deep end. I think that the biggest thing that struck me was that, despite being two years into the war, the British in India seemed both very laid back and VERY ill-prepared for any kind of attack. I suppose that they thought themselves well out of a European war (with the possibility of being assigned to North Africa still in mind) rather than anywhere closer – despite the fact that Japan and Germany where ALLIES! Which meant that, much like in England in 1939, soldiers and their equipment had to be hastily thrown together using whatever man and material came to hand. It was definitely a "learning on the job" mentality – which is often OK, expect where a single mistake (or just a spot of bad luck) could get you (and your men) killed. 

I did find the first half of the book (in India) rather slow and plodding but this may have been deliberate to emphasise the slow process of the British getting their act together. Once the action (or should I say chaos) moves to the jungle the pace certainly increases and the whole thing becomes more entertaining. Told very much from Alan Mart's PoV (and based on the authors wartime experiences) this was at times a visceral read that managed to get under my skin more than once. Looking forward I think I'll give that side of the war more attention in future. I think it deserves it. Reasonable.      

Just Finished Reading: American Sherlocks – Stories from the Golden Age of the American Detective edited by Nick Rennison (FP: 2021) [332pp] 

With the popularity of Sherlock Holmes both in his own country and across Europe, it should come as no surprise that he was both applauded and duplicated in the United States especially in the new media of daily newspapers and periodic magazines. This collection of 15 short stories dating from 1890 to 1920 shows off the range of results. 

As with all collections the quality of tale – both in its execution and narrative style – was variable. In fact, the first half of the book didn't impress me very much at all. Only when I reached the second half did I actually start enjoying the experience. I'm not sure if this was the result of stories improving or whether, as the moved deeper into the early 20th century, they simply became both more modern and more familiar.  

The first story, The Doomdorf Mystery by Melville Davisson Post (creator of 'Uncle Abner') was a locked room mystery that (unfortunately for my enjoyment) I solved instantly once a single 'off-hand' clue was provided. The 'mystery' rested on the readers (and a secondary character's) ignorance of basic physics that everyone these days should be familiar with – even if you haven't watched/read endless detective stories. 

Likewise other stories depended on the detectives 'sleight of hand' or rather dubious deductive reasoning. There was certainly very little in the way of forensic evidence or, rather surprisingly, police involvement at any point! Having read the previous non-fiction on early US crime scene forensics I now appreciate just why the police flayed about so much and built their cases on precious little actual evidence. My advice to criminals of that age – both fictional and real – was to claim they're innocent, go to trial and cause so much doubt about the prosecution case that they'd walk free more often than not. 

After the halfway mark things did get more interesting. One thing I did find surprising was the few female detectives. I think that the thing that struck me most strongly was that not only did they exist but that they were respected both inside the stories and by the reading public (who would've been predominantly male at that point I'm guessing. A case in point (pun not intended this time) was the amateur detective Elinor Frost in Christabel's Crystal (1905) that read very much like an English country house drama. More to my taste was professional female detective Clare Kendall in The Mystery of the Stolen Da Vinci by Arthur B Reeve (1913) where she uses all the technology of the period – the telephone, telegraph, fast cars and an intriguing recording device - to solve the crime. 

A few general observations are worth noting. Most of the crimes – not ALL murders! - seemed to take place in the upper echelons of society. I'm guessing that the 'mean streets' narratives of the 1930's – 1950's was a reaction to this. Very few of the stories involve the police at all – even once the crime or mystery is solved. Then there was the surprising number of suicides – by the caught criminal – sprinkled throughout the collection. I'm (very much) guessing that this was considered swift justice and cut out any messy court case – although handing the miscreant over to the authorities and either leaving it at that or adding a few lines on sentencing would have sufficed. Overall, this was worth the read if slightly disappointing. More Sherlock's to come. Reasonable.  

Just Finished Reading: Till September Petronella by Jean Rhys [53pp] 

This was a small collection of four short stories dominated very much by the titled work which ran to 35 pages. Although well written and very 'visual' I did struggle with it more than a little. Essentially (without given too much away) it revolved around the eponymous Petronella who had just arrived at a cottage 'in the country' - AKA outside London – at the invitation of a male friend presumably with the intention of 'having a good time'. Another couple was already there but Petronella quickly soured of the idea and managed to get a life from a local farmer to the railway station and went back to the city - with the farmer hoping to meet up with her next time he was 'in town' presumably for a 'good time'. That was essentially it... Which I thought was more than a little flat! 

Other stories – all well written – revolved around a wife getting revenge on her recently departed husband by destroying his beloved library on a bonfire in the garden and an old woman who is deprived of her LONG hair (which she loves) during a stay in hospital. Again, these stories fell rather flat as they all seemed to lack a recognisable narrative 'flow' despite, I'll say again, being well written. 

The only story I really liked was the last one – a mere TWO pages long – called 'I Used to Live Here Once', where the main character returns to a childhood home in the West Indies and is presented with an unexpected revelation. The 'twist' at the end caught me completely by surprise which I liked!  

Will I be looking out for any more of her work? Possibly not... but its always good to dip a toe to see if a new author will appeal. Reasonable. 

Just Finished Reading: Woman Much Missed by Thomas Hardy [56pp] 

...and Poetry..... AGAIN. I guess that its easier to have short booklets of poems than just about anything else plus not every author produced short stories to fit in this format. To be honest I knew (indeed KNOW) so little about Hardy that I wasn't previously even aware that he wrote poetry! But here we are...  

An impressive 35 poems are crammed into less than 60 pages which is some going. Mostly, as you might imagine from the title, revolve around the loss of his first wife Emma Gifford, whom he married on 17 September 1874. When Emma died in 1912 Hardy travelled to Cornwall to re-visit places associated with their courtship and the area repeatedly comes up in his poems of that period including the mythical location of Lyonnesse which was interesting to research further. 

Not being a poetry fan, nor to be honest particularly romantic, most of the contents fell rather flat for me. A few were quite affecting (or maybe effective) in getting across a mixture of loss and fond reminiscence but generally I can't say that I enjoyed them much. In fact I did find myself skimming the last quarter of the booklet. Maybe I'll like his novels better if I ever get around to reading them? 

Just Finished Reading: The Last Unicorn by Peter S Beagle (FP: 1968) [292pp] 

It was an overheard conversation at it changed everything. Whilst hiding in her wood she listened in to two hunters passing through. One warned that hunting here was useless because the local wildlife had learnt to hide too well in emulation of the resident unicorn. His companion laughed heartily and explained the unicorns were a myth and even if they had existed (which he doubted) they had long vanished from the world of men. Both amused and irritated by the debate she couldn't help but wonder: was she the last unicorn? If so, what happened to the others? Did they leave to go elsewhere or did they, rather illogically, die – being immortal kind of squashed this idea. There was, she thought, only one way to find out. She would have to leave her sacred wood and venture out into the world and seek out others of her kind or at least find out what happened to them and what might, ultimately, happen to her. Her quest was about to begin... 

Despite this being a classic (although apparently 'lost' for some time) and despite being listed as one of the 100 greatest fantasy novels of all time, I had honestly never heard of it or the author. I think a big part of that is that Fantasy isn't exactly my favourite gene. I've dipped my toes in before (and even wiggled them a bit) but have never really 'dived in' - to extend the metaphor a little further. This book/author might be the start of turning that around because I totally LOVED it! 

I think part of that reaction was sheer surprise. For one thing the novel was really well written - simply beautifully. But it was much more than that. As usual I'll bang on about characterisation. The unicorn herself, as she progressed from understandable naivety to depressing knowledge, is very well drawn. Her companions on the quest likewise are a delight. The immortal (but only until his magic actually starts working properly) wizard Schmendrick was a particular favourite of mine throughout. He's fully accepting of how inept he is but at the same time knows with iron certainty that he CAN do great things given the right opportunity. 

The world building is superb. If you have had any experience of either Fantasy tales or Fairy tales, you'll fit right in. Layered on top of this is the VERY knowing humour that had me literally howling with laughter. We meet a bandit chief who composes songs about himself so that he'll become a part of the local folklore and, eventually he hopes, a myth (yet he doesn't believe that Robin Hood was ever a 'real' person). There is a local villager who, when asked to explain his actions – or actually inactions - responds with (I'm paraphrasing slightly here) the fact that he knows what a hero narrative looks like when he sees one. One other conversation almost floored me the way it fell. One of the other main characters asked why the prince in the spooky castle was 'so important'. The magician looked at her and said, "You've never been in a fairy tale before, have you?" MUCH laughing ensued as the magician clearly knew he was a character in a story and was happy to go along with it! 

This is the kind of book that you could read to your children at bedtime (I suggest for the over 7's as some of the ideas might simply fly over their heads otherwise and there are a few scary bits for the very young). Older children would, I think, not only get a LOT out of this but also get a lot out of re-reading it every 3-5 years. Each read, I think, would reveal more as they matured. But that doesn't mean that this is simply a well-written and enjoyable children's book. Nothing of the sort. This is one of those rare books that just about anyone can read and enjoy. All readers of all ages will get different things from it, but everyone will come away entertained, bedazzled and oddly comforted too. It is a tale of heroism, friendship, love, conviction, exploration and much, much more. Definitely a highlight of the year and DEFINITELY recommended even if you're not normally a Fantasy fan. More to come from this author. 

Just Finished Reading: The Black Ball by Ralph Ellison [53pp] 

This was a short collection of short stories from the acclaimed author of the 1952 classic Invisible Man. All four were about different aspects of the black experience mostly in the US – from casual racism to targeted violence.  

For me the best of the bunch was the last one – and not just because it was based in the UK (actually in Wales). Called ‘In a Strange Country’ it told the story of an American black sailor in WW2 looking around the local area after his ship had docked to unload supplies in Britain for the war effort. Set upon by several white American soldiers he is rescued by some locals and taken to a local pub to recover. Bought a pint of beer by one of his rescuers he really doesn’t know how to respond and struggles to understand how white men are treating him so well. Slowly he begins to understand that the locals are treating him simply as a ‘Yank’ and as someone who came from another country to help them fight a common enemy – Germany. Later taken to the local hall he is introduced to more people who look past his skin colour and who appreciate his more than decent singing voice. 

I’ve heard of several real incidents like that after an increasing number of American servicemen – both black and white – were based in Britain during the run-up to D-Day and after. As the American services were still segregated at that point some insisted on segregated pubs and other venues when based in the UK. Without such a history here, they were denied that request which caused some friction between white and black Americans some of whom were forced to either mix or leave for the first time in their lives. I image both sides were hit by the significant culture shock. I’ll see if I can find some history books covering this interesting topic from a US and UK perspective.  

Just Finished Reading: How to Use Your Enemies by Baltasar Gracian (FP: 1647) [54pp] 

This was SO much fun! Extracted from the larger Penguin Classics work ‘The Pocket Oracle and Art of Prudence’ it read very much like Maciavelli’s ‘The Prince’ except that this book was aimed at the average person rather than the higher levels of society.  

Broadly speaking this was a list of acts and activities that could both protect the reader from the actions of others as well as advice on how to profit and progress in a world that is far from safe or secure. A few examples will show what I mean: 

Cautious silence is the refuge of good sense. 

A person without knowledge is a world in darkness. 

No one is born complete; perfect yourself and your activities day by day until you become a truly consummate being. 

Don’t so belong to others that you don’t belong to yourself. 

Always be suspicious of unbroken good fortune; far safer is fortune that’s mixed, and for it to be bittersweet even whilst you are enjoying it. 

...and that’s just a random handful of quotable moments from the first NINE pages! This is one of those classic advice manuals that are timeless (as is human nature and the human experience) and can be dipped into or read and re-read at regular intervals through a life and will reward your attention every time you do so. I’ll definitely be picking up the longer work (not at full price though as I think it's somewhat OVER-priced!) as soon as I can source a copy. 

I’m not sure if I’m surprised or not that Gracian was a Jesuit priest and presumably knew a thing or two about the uses and abuses of power as well as how people could, indeed needed to, protect themselves against both. From what I can tell from his writing he was one SMART cookie. Definitely recommended, but I’d plump for the full work rather than this booklet extract.  

Translated from the Spanish by Jeremy Robbins  

Just Finished Reading: The Mysterious Mr Quin by Agatha Christie (FP: 1930) [254pp] 

As my reading of Miss Marple’s books seems to have stalled (temporarily!) I was looking around my stacks for another (non-series) Christie to get my teeth into before actually BUYING the next Marple book. So... my gaze fell on this oddity, and ODD it was too! 

Comprising of 12 short stories this was a Christie that I’d never encountered before or was even aware of. The main protagonist in each tale was a Mr Satterthwaite who prided himself on noticing things that other people either missed or ignored. His great hobby was, therefore, watching people. Ever the outsider he compensated by being a consummate observer of humanity and human foibles. Then Christie added another element that was rather unexpected – the occult (for want of a better word) in the guise of Mr Quin. Mr Quin – indeed Mr Harley Quin – is... strange, other-worldly, mysterious. He shows up out of the blue and, without seeming to expend much energy, helps solve problems. These are not always crimes, although often they are or at least crime related. He doesn’t DIRECTLY solve, or indeed do, anything but restricts himself to asking questions and prompting both thought and action – especially from Mr Satterthwaite. I could help but think of Quin as a Dr Who type character – appearing and disappearing without anyone noticing, always in the right (or wrong) place and the right time and very hard to ignore. He makes a point of leading OTHERS to the right solution and never actually provides the answers others seek. One of the other (relatively) strange themes throughout the dozen stories is romance with Quin either bringing people together (who are fated to be such) or enabling those in bad relationships to find the right one. He’s even handed too with BOTH sides of a relationship eventually finding true (or lost) love as well as preventing people from committing suicide with The World’s End being a prime example of that. 

I think that my favourite story was The Man from the Sea which was a combination of lost love/suicide prevention and rather sweet to boot. Others, like The Sign in the Sky, were more normal detective stories revolving around things in plain sight that had been overlooked for some reason leading to the resolution of a mystery or solving of a crime. Overall, this was a fun read with the added spice of being a slice of Christie’s writing I was previously completely unaware of. Recommended for all Agatha Christie fans – but be warned... it can get a bit STRANGE! 

Just Finished Reading: A Cup of Sake Beneath the Cherry Trees by Yoshida Kenko [51pp] 

On plucking this out of the Penguin Classics boxset I thought: Oh... ANOTHER poetry booklet. What FUN! But I was, thankfully, wrong. This wasn’t poetry at all. It was instead the musing of a 14th century Japanese monk on Life, the Universe and Everything. It was, actually, rather interesting if a bit strange from time to time. 

One of the things that does surprise me reading this sort of thing was how often very different philosophies from very different cultures tend to come to broadly similar conclusions on the human condition that we all have to deal with. I suppose that it’s the fact that, despite culture or sometimes vast chasms of time we are all still human beings doing what humans do. That side of things changes very little in the grand scheme of things. 

Being of the time and place involved, the author does have a very hierarchical view of things. Those in the highest places, especially the Emperor himself, are exalted and deserve to be in those places because they are (obviously) superior beings. At the same time the poor and destitute are in THEIR place because of fundamental failings in character or through their behaviour in previous incarnations.  

Probably the strangest thing the author said was that everyone should aim to be dead before reaching 40 years of age. Personally, my post-40's where some of my very best years! There was much about how distracting women are (true) and how men have their heads turned all too easily (also true). Much also about friends and the pleasure of good conversation (couldn’t agree more), and, of course, the delight of sitting alone reading a good book! 

As you might expect there are several criticisms throughout the text on the pursuit of wealth, power and fame. What is the use of such things, the author maintains, when they stop you appreciating the beauty of a snowy landscape and forget to remark on it to an acquaintance.  

This was a booklet full of interesting cultural insights, gentle wisdom and a few funny stories. As an introduction both to Japanese culture and Buddhist philosophy it's pretty fair. Recommended. 

Translated from the Japanese by Meredith McKinney

Just Finished Reading: The Great Hunger by Patrick Kavanagh [50pp] 

So.... Poetry..... AGAIN! I think that both Penguin Classics boxsets are trolling me presently. Weirdly, and very unexpectedly, I didn’t mind these poems. I can honestly say, hand on heart, that I didn’t skim a single one.  

I’m not sure exactly why this was so. Generally, the poetry is about the natural world (in his Irish home) with multiple references to mountains, trees and such. By far the longest poem – hence the title of the booklet – was The Great Hunger itself. Going in I’d assumed that it was going to be about the Irish Potato Famine, but it was nothing of the sort. It was instead about the struggles of a farmer, tied to the land and to his overbearing mother leaving him alone in the world as both he and the land ages. It was, to coin a phrase, all very poetic. 

Whilst I’m not exactly going out and buying all of this poet’s works, I certainly wasn’t sorry that I read them and don’t consider my time wasted doing so. I don’t think that I’ve finally been ‘turned on’ to poetry, but that I’ve stumbled across a poet that doesn’t leave me cold, bored and confused with his use of language. We’ll see how the NEXT poet in either of these boxsets' fares! Reasonable.

Just Finished Reading: Alone on the Beach at Night by Walt Whitman [55pp]

Poetry AGAIN! I do think I'm open to this sort of thing - at least I feel that I am. There have been poems that I've liked (and, indeed, at least partially memorised) but mostly the whole genre passes me by. I'm not entirely sure why. But reading a poem is like reading a random selection of sentences (or even just words) that fail to make any coherent theme in my head. They leave me somewhere between perplexed and bored. It's almost as if I'm reading something in a language I'm aware of but one I'm only partially familiar with. Broadly speaking the meaning of these things - assuming they HAVE any - eludes me! But I'll keep trying as long as the Penguin Classic booklets keep giving examples to be confused by. Maybe I'll hit on one poet I like and that might open me up to liking some others. Stranger thing have indeed happened!

As to the booklet itself, it contained 19 poems - mostly quite short - which seemed to have a common theme of coastlines, beaches and ships at sea. I'm afraid that none of them really stood out. A few where nostalgic looking back at beach trips in the authors childhood and a few were based around storms either during or shortly after the event. Overall, I didn't skim too much but the temptation was definitely there. No doubt there will be more Classic poetry to come... [sighs]    

Just Finished Reading: Paths of Glory by Humphrey Cobb (FP: 1935) [201pp] 

The Western Front, France. It was a mistake, just not the one they suspected. After only 5 hours at the rest area, the 181st Company were on the way back to the front line – although a different section than before. Even the officers didn’t quite know why they were marching back so soon after being relieved. After weeks of exhausting combat, they certainly needed, and deserved, their rest but the veterans were cynical enough to shrug their shoulders, grumble and keep moving. On arrival at their new trench the Colonel finally received his orders. In two days, they would assault and take the German position known locally as ‘The Pimple’ and hold it until relived. This would be the third attempt and would not fail, indeed the General’s reputation and hoped for promotion depended on it. The attack, as everyone suspected, failed in spectacular fashion and with significant French casualties. Not satisfied with the effort, or lack of according to the General, a court martial was called and four of the attackers would be put on trial for cowardice in the face of the enemy – a capital offence. With the weight of the General Staff ranged against them is there any hope or will they all be shot at dawn? 

I’d seen the 1957 movie adaptation directed by Stanley Kubrick and starring Kirk Douglas a few times so was looking forward to reading this. I was not disappointed. Although the movie is somewhat different the main core of the story remains the same – with the attack, the longer court scenes and the ending making it across media largely intact. The biggest change I think was the inflation of the role of Colonel Dax (the regiments commander) from a fairly peripheral role in the book to a central one in the movie as befits the star of the film. Being a quite short book, it doesn’t have any time to pad the plot and this spareness intensifies the tension as the unit involved come to terms with the objective they’re about to attack (from the perspective of a great deal of experience) and their incredulity at standing trial accused of a cowardice they did not commit. Each section leader was given the task of choosing one of their men to stand trial, knowing exactly what the outcome would be, and their choices of how to do so was fascinating – especially that of the devoutly Catholic Major. We also get to know the men on trial and how each reacts to their predicament. Again, sparse text results in excellent characterisation. 

I was honestly hooked on this story from the off. Despite being dropped straight into things – mid march from the Front before being called back – there is no need to settle into things, and you fall right into the action. I’m guessing that this is because, at least looking back on the events over 100 years ago, we have enough cultural touchstones so little explanation is required. On publication, less than 20 years after the event, many of the readers could draw on personal experience to fill out any background. Despite being written by an American who served with the Canadians on the Western Front this brilliant novel has a very French feel to it and actually reminded me of Under Fire by Henri Barbusse. Although not exactly an anti-war novel per se, this narrative hits HARD. Don’t expect to come away from this untouched emotionally but do expect to find yourself in the days and weeks after finishing it pausing for thought. Quite excellent and therefore definitely recommended. 

Just Finished Reading: Confessions by Saint Augustine [347pp] 

If you have read as widely as I have (or for as long) you couldn’t help but hear about this classic work – in more sense than one – of early Christian text. Like most other such work I had, until recently, no intention of actually reading it. Surprisingly I did, however, find another foundational text The Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius more than a little interesting, though mostly because of the quality of its writing and its philosophy. So, why did I choose to read this? Essentially, I discovered that Stephen (over at Reading Freely) was doing a re-read and thought it might be interesting adding myself to any group doing so (it actually ended up with just the two of us) adding an Atheist perspective to the reviews and, presumed, debate. 

So, what did I think? It all started with an age-old philosophical debate on the question “Who was I before I was born?” Which can be a fun debate before you start adding science and what we understand about reproduction – human or otherwise. No conclusions were reached (no surprise there) because what debate could exist was happening in a factual vacuum. It wasn’t long after that we reached the first significant speed bump when the author said: “For it is better for them to find you [God] and leave the question unanswered than to find the answer without finding you.” This goes against my fundamental beliefs and my suspected problem with the text became a confirmed one. 

The text however was scattered throughout by interesting things. One thing I did find interesting was just how LONG it was before Augustine was baptised despite his mother being a Christian. I had presumed (wrongly?) that baptism took place ASAP after birth to ensure the child’s entry to Heaven if, in all too many cases, s/he died in the first weeks/months of life. [Side note: Although both my brother & I were christened as infants I have a distinct memory of my sister WALKING to her christening in her best outfit]. 

Augustine spent a great deal of time talking about his youth and student experiences in Carthage. It sounded pretty normal to me – hanging out with questionable people, having ‘fun’ at others expense, drinking too much, gaming and chasing women. Although I did think that some of his ‘acting out’ was for the attention maybe his parents (and especially his mother) seemed not to have given him. 

At this point I started skimming bits. The CONSTANT praising of God at the beginning and end of every paragraph or section got increasingly tedious very quickly. Even the occasional good metaphor didn’t really help here. 

One thing did surprise me - already in his late 20’s he had been aware that his understanding of things was inadequate and deeply lamented the idea. Yet... he seems to have made only minimal efforts to seek the truths he was looking for. Despite having access to documents from some of the best thinkers of the age – either owning them already or having access to them through friends – he was ‘too busy’ to read them and then debate others with what he had found. That seems a little odd especially when I have been reading everything I could get my hands on for the last 50+ years in that self-same quest. His supposed motivation didn’t really match his actual effort. 

Probably the highlight of the entire book (for me at least) was when he delved into Astrology in order to disprove it. He actually ran quasi-scientific experiments which, with some more effort, may have actually been valid. His comments of outcomes of a slave and a ‘middle-class’ man born very close together and at approximately the same time being VERY different as well as the lives of twin brothers (from the Bible I think but the concept of Twin Studies stands) made me both nod in approval and laugh out loud. If only he used this level of reasoning elsewhere! 

Near the end of the book things got very philosophical with debates about Memory, Language and much else. As an introduction to Greco-Roman ideas, it might be an interesting source document but wasn’t exactly heavy on content. Yet again the author warned against the danger of being TOO inquisitive and wanting to know things – which was both kind of ironic from such a supposed seeker of Truth and kind of what I expected. This was followed by pretty constant verbal self-flagellation about being unworthy. 

Then we were back to philosophy again with a debate of origins of the Universe. Interestingly the questions mused upon still come up today including what happened BEFORE the Universe came into being. It did catch my eye when he talked about ‘pauses’ or God ‘resting’ between creation events – of course being completely unaware of the HUGE time gaps between the Big Bang, the formation of the Earth and the arrival of humans. Pause just doesn’t do it justice. But as the discussion ranged around the ideas of ‘before’ and ‘after’ there followed a LONG (and pointless) discussion about the nature of time itself. As far as I know, Time can only really be fully discussed (if not completely understood) using mathematics WAY above my paygrade. So, MUCH skimming was done here! 

Lastly there was a rather in-depth series of arguments over semantics in the Bible. Not being an English Lit person, I’ve never (fortunately) undertaken a serious course in textual analysis, so I have no clear idea if the debate in Book XII held any water. So, much skimming etc.. 

As you can probably tell by now (I hope!) I was rather less than impressed by this book. If I hadn’t been buddy-reading with Stephen I most probably would’ve DNF’d it around the halfway mark. Overall, I thought it was very light on content and often only borderline interesting. Skimming bit was definitely a necessity. Apart from the Astrology bit (which honestly made me chuckle) the only thing that stuck with me was the fact that Roman civil servants who converted to Christianity – or at least those mentioned in the book – left public service to pursue their new Religion. This brain drain couldn’t have been a good thing for an already failing Western Empire. I think (not having read it yet) this was one of the factors Gibbon cites in his ‘Decline and Fall’ as a cause of that decline. Maybe he was right? So, definitely not a recommended read from me but might appeal to those less cynical and less atheistic than I am. 

Translated from the Latin by R S Pine-Coffin 

Just Finished Reading: The Three Electroknights by Stanislaw Lem (FP: 1977) [52pp] 

I read some Lem decades ago and found him very different from the standard UK or US sci-fi author. That made him both interesting and difficult. I haven’t read, but I do own, his most famous work ‘Solaris’ and intend to read that at “some point” in the future. I’ve tried to watch the original Russian version but failed on both attempts. I did really enjoy the Steven Soderbergh directed US remake in 2002 which starred George Clooney and Natascha McElhone. I thought it was quite excellent. 

But, to this booklet... It contained 4 (very) short stories including the titled piece. Although each was readable the first three didn’t do very much for me. The final story ‘The Tale of King Gnuff’ was something else though. At first it was a pretty standard fantasy tale with a decided Shakespearian twist. A young man is elevated to the throne in a kingdom far, far away but has a problem. He’s both a coward and incredibly paranoid. Thinking that his family are plotting against him he strikes first and has them all executed. Still not feeling safe he slowly eliminates anyone who could possibly be a danger and over time empties his capital of threats. Still not satisfied he installs advanced surveillance, builds walls around the city and automates all services. But to monitor things 24/7 (not trusting anyone else) he needs to plug himself into the machine that oversees his security. But there’s a problem. When he sleeps – as he still needs to do – his subconscious mind seems to be plotting rebellion. The King is stumped – how do you fight yourself in the dreamworld and know if you’ve won? I couldn’t help but think that this was a less than subtle comment about Stalin and his years of Terror. Mostly reasonable with the final story being very good indeed. 

Translated (presumably) from the Russian by Michael Kandel.

Just Finished Reading: Spartacus by Lewis Grassic Gibbon (FP: 1933) [237pp] 

Italy, 73BC. As soon as Kleon heard the news he knew exactly what to do. Taking a knife, he went into his master’s bedroom and calmly slit his throat. Leaving the house and the city he made his way south meeting up with other runaway slaves who were all searching for one man – Spartacus. Even if it was a dream, it was a dream worth having. They were free. For how long no one knew. It would only be a matter of time before the masters came to reclaim their property or, more likely, to kill them all and to destroy for ever the very idea that mere slaves could revolt without paying the ultimate price. Spartacus the man was almost a myth already – the gladiator who had stood against Rome itself. But he was far from alone. The slaves who gathered around him were far from the rabble portrayed across Italy. Many had fought in the arena and many more were both prepared and able to train to fight. It wasn’t long before the slave army had become the Free Legions and had won their first battle against a hastily put together Roman force. Now with more confidence, more weapons and more recruits they needed to decide what to do next. Would it be crossing the border into freedom or an attack on Rome itself? Only Spartacus could decide. 

As a fan of Spartacus himself (mostly because of the badly aged Kirk Douglas film to be honest) and having read a few history books about the fabled slave revolt I jumped at this fictionalisation of the events back in the Roman Republic. Finding out its age and classic status (completely unknown to me) made me want to read it all the more. I was not disappointed. Despite being slightly slow at times and, at least at times, feeling slightly oddly written – I did wonder if the author was going for a mix of ‘modern’ and classical style – this was both a fun and fascinating read.  

Told from several perspectives (mostly from the Free Legions sub-commanders as well as Spartacus himself and the Roman generals who opposed him) this gave a rounded – if fictional – interpretation of events. Interesting for such an old novel there was a ‘meta’ moment were some of the characters wondered how the revolt would be seen in the future and how much of reality would survive the inevitable mythologisation that was already happening! I found that musing, between battles, quite fascinating and mused on it quite a bit. Although there were a handful of battles described – very well I thought – there was much more going on. We saw various nationalities discussing their gods and other beliefs, and we saw friendships form and relationships develop. All of the main characters were well drawn and believable which certainly helped with immersion into the story. Being the time and event in question there are more than a few moments of violent death which might disturb some readers. Whilst not particularly graphic the narrative doesn’t pull every punch so be prepared for more than a little blood and people being nailed to trees. Recommended for any fans of the classical world or of the slave revolt itself. 

Just Finished Reading: Three Tang Dynasty Poets [53pp] 

I wasn’t expecting to review a booklet of 8th century Chinese poets today. What I was expecting to review was a short selection of avant-garde works by Gertrude Stein on Food. But just a few pages into that I decided that it was essentially unreadable, or at least that I valued my time/effort in excess of what was required to power my way through her (very) short work. Life is too short and my review pile too small for that sort of thing – so here we are. I had promised myself that I would read ALL of the Penguin short classics, but I have failed. [sobs] Life, and reading, however, goes on. 

THIS short booklet held the works of three poets (from 8th century China) and broke down into three main themes – nature, the missing of/longing for a separated loved one and a few tales of combat from this rather violent age. Generally, I much preferred the nature poems. 

I think the one I liked best was actually the first one – Song of the Peach Tree Spring – where a fisherman stumbles upon an idyllic hidden community and is so entranced that he decides to live there permanently only to discover he can’t find his way back.  

As I’ve said several times now, poetry just isn’t my thing. There has been a vanishing few that have captivated my attention (some of which I memorised, at least in part, decades ago and can still recall with a bit of effort) but generally I see them – much like comic books – as just too short or ephemeral to appreciate. I guess my brain just doesn’t work that way. 

No doubt in either of the boxsets I’m presently working my way through there will be more poetry works to try to engage with. I wonder if any of them will ‘stick’?     

Translated from the Chinese by G W Robinson and Arthur Cooper 

Happy Birthday: Charles John Huffam Dickens (7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His works enjoyed unprecedented popularity during his lifetime and, by the 20th century, critics and scholars had recognised him as a literary genius. His novels and short stories are widely read today.

Born in Portsmouth, Dickens left school at age 12 to work in a boot-blacking factory when his father John was incarcerated in a debtors' prison. After three years, he returned to school before beginning his literary career as a journalist. Dickens edited a weekly journal for 20 years; wrote 15 novels, five novellas, hundreds of short stories and nonfiction articles; lectured and performed readings extensively; was a tireless letter writer; and campaigned vigorously for children's rights, education and other social reforms.

Dickens's literary success began with the 1836 serial publication of The Pickwick Papers, a publishing phenomenon—thanks largely to the introduction of the character Sam Weller in the fourth episode—that sparked Pickwick merchandise and spin-offs. Within a few years, Dickens had become an international literary celebrity, famous for his humour, satire and keen observation of character and society. His novels, most of them published in monthly or weekly instalments, pioneered the serial publication of narrative fiction, which became the dominant Victorian mode for novel publication. Cliffhanger endings in his serial publications kept readers in suspense. The installment format allowed Dickens to evaluate his audience's reaction, and he often modified his plot and character development based on such feedback. For example, when his wife's podiatrist expressed distress at the way Miss Mowcher in David Copperfield seemed to reflect her own disabilities, Dickens improved the character with positive features. His plots were carefully constructed and he often wove elements from topical events into his narratives. Masses of the illiterate poor would individually pay a halfpenny to have each new monthly episode read to them, opening up and inspiring a new class of readers.

His 1843 novella A Christmas Carol remains especially popular and continues to inspire adaptations in every creative medium. Oliver Twist and Great Expectations are also frequently adapted and, like many of his novels, evoke images of early Victorian London. His 1853 novel Bleak House, a satire on the judicial system, helped support a reformist movement that culminated in the 1870s legal reform in England. A Tale of Two Cities (1859; set in London and Paris) is regarded as his best-known work of historical fiction. The most famous celebrity of his era, he undertook, in response to public demand, a series of public reading tours in the later part of his career. The term Dickensian is used to describe something that is reminiscent of Dickens and his writings, such as poor social or working conditions, or comically repulsive characters.

Just Finished Reading: A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift [53pp] 

This consisted of five short articles of which ‘A Modest Proposal’ was the longest. As the author was writing in the early-mid 18th century several things immediately jumped out at me. First was the sometimes-odd spelling. As far as I know, what we now regard as modern ‘correct’ spelling is a comparatively recent affair. I’ve noticed this a few times in Classics including some very odd spelling in works of Jane Austen. Personally, I like the fact that such things are left in unchanged. The most prominent difference between ages is the seemingly random use of Capital letters (for emphasis?) and what seems like the overuse of punctuation. None of that makes for a smooth or fast read – although you do get used to it in longer novels. I used to struggle with older text styles but, after some effort, started to actually enjoy it. 

The first thing I enjoyed here was a short – 3 page – piece called ‘A Description of a City-Shower' which amused me with the descriptions of public behaviour during a random downpour. I particularly liked the observation of women ‘shopping’ without any intention of buying anything just to get out of the rain. As someone who has done exactly that it all felt very modern and normal. 

The titled ‘Modest Proposal’ was a piece of political satire that, I imagine, was quite harsh at the time and still, even after around 300 years, managed to retain at least some of its dark humour (or that might be me to be honest). I can certainly imagine the political ‘elites’ reading it, chuckling, and then thinking twice about it – just as the author no doubt intended.  

Whilst interesting for a number of reasons, this brief booklet doesn’t really ‘translate’ well over the centuries. I’d be the first to admit that my knowledge of Britain in the 18th century is limited (to say the least) so I definitely missed some of the charged rhetoric aimed at people who I’ve never heard of before. I think also that the power of political satire, looking back so long, seems a pale imitation of what we’re used to today. Or maybe our satire is just less sophisticated or subtle. One thing this slim volume has done is to prompt me to read more about the time it came from – so that’s a win, I think.  

Just Finished Reading: Crimson Snow – Winter Mysteries edited by Martin Edwards (FP: 2016) [317pp] 

Despite the fact that (as usual) we haven’t had any snow, nor are we expecting any, I thought this collection from the British Library Crime Classics seemed seasonally appropriate. 

Containing 11 tales from 19th century period pieces such as The Ghost’s Touch by Fergus Hume (which to be honest was a fairly mediocre starting point!) to more modern stories this was, as is so often the case a mixed bag. However, that’s not to say that any of the stories were particularly poor – they weren't. In fact, many of them were more than satisfying. 

Early on I was impressed by The Chopham Affair by Edgar Wallace where a quick-thinking lawyer ends a blackmail scheme in a clever and rather permanent fashion. Then we had a tale of theft and attempted insurance fraud – aided by Santa no less! - thwarted by the most able detective Albert Campion in The Man with the Sack by Margery Allingham. 

In the middle of the volume, we had the rather long but ultimately clever Death in December by Victor Gunn where a police detective and his sergeant are snowed in during the Christmas festivities and are on hand to unravel two intersecting mysteries involving a locked room and a vanishing ghost. I particularly liked Murder at Christmas by Christopher Bush where a visiting detective (I was thinking at this point that it might be a bad idea to invite anyone associated with the police to a party as they seem to attract crime!) uncovers the details to a revenge killing in a nearby village. I did enjoy the tight plotting and the clever ending.  

Despite the lack of actual snow outside I did enjoy its presence between these pages. Its impressive just how much crime happens over the holidays – but then again it IS a peak period for arguments, suicides, murders and divorces so we should expect a plethora of crime stories based during the season! I’ll certainly be looking out for more seasonal reading for next Christmas. As always such a collection is a great way to dip into new authors and some will, no doubt, be showing up in longer formats in the future. Reasonable. 

Classics Questions 

This list (somewhat modified here) has been showing up a LOT lately, and although I’m not partaking in any Classic Club challenges I thought I’d throw some answers out there. So... 

If you could explore one author’s literary career from first publication to last, who would you explore? 

There’s a few I’m intending to do this with – George Orwell (both fiction and non-fiction), Agatha Christie (one I finish the Miss Marple series I’ll start on the others) and Virginia Woolf (probably). I WAS going to say the Maigret series by George Simenon, but there are 77 of them and I’m not sure I’m going to be around long enough to finish ALL of them even if they tend to be rather short! Oh, and I forgot Graham Greene!  

First classic you ever read? 

1984 by George Orwell around age 14. It was given to me (to borrow) by my High School English teacher. She had no idea how it would affect me.   

Favourite children’s classic? 

Surprisingly I didn’t read much as a child so missed out on the standard children's classics. I did, however, start reading some of them recently and have been honestly impressed. I think my favourites are probably Peter Pan by J M Barrie (which was intriguing – for a host of reasons – rather than enjoyable), The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling (mostly for the tale of Rikki-Tikki-Tavi) and Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson which I thought was very good.  

Which classic is your most memorable classic to date? Why? 

‘Memorable’ is a multi-faceted word so... I think one of the earliest classics to have a significant impact on me was The War of the Worlds by H G Wells. It's a great story that still resonates. Despite being my 2nd favourite by the author, I still love Persuasion by Jane Austen. One other is Frankenstein by Mary Shelly. I’m still amazed that such an iconic work could have been written by a teenager – even one oddly educated and surrounded by the greats of the age.  

Least favourite classic? Why? 

I have a few that might surprise people. My most well-known (I suspect) is The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald. I think it’s HIGHLY overrated. Another is Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte which I do struggle with the idea that this is a ROMANTIC classic. I was not impressed!   

Favourite movie or TV adaption of a classic? 

Probably the 2005 movie version of Pride & Prejudice with Keira Knightley. But I first fell in love with the story (and Elizabeth Bennett) during the 1995 BBC version, starring Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth.  

Favourite classic author in translation?  

Hans Fallada, Hermann Hesse, Albert Camus and Georges Simenon. 

Do you have a favourite classic poet/poem, playwright/play? Why do you love it? 

Poetry really isn’t my ‘thing’, but I am quite partial to a bit of Shakespeare. I’ve only seen most of his plays by their movie versions but did see Romeo & Juliet on stage which I thought was amazing.  

Favourite edition (or series) of a classic you own, or wished you owned, if any? 

My favourite edition of a classic I own is an old hardback of Pride & Prejudice I picked up from a second-hand bookshop sometime in the deep past. On the face of things it doesn’t look like much, but not only did I fall in love with the story (and author) on reading it it’s also a small piece of history in that it was printed in the aftermath of WW2 and is printed on VERY thing paper to save resources. Part of its beauty (and value to me personally) is how delicate it is. My favourite classic series is the ever-growing number of books in the British Library Crime Classics. The Imperial War Museum Classics are a close second.   

Which classic character most reminds you of yourself? Which classic character do you most wish you could be like? 

Not my thing I’m afraid. There’s no one quite like me! 

What is the oldest classic you have read or plan to read? Why? 

The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli (1531). Why? I’m interested in politics and it hardly gets more classic than this. Although thinking about it The Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius is MUCH older!  

Do you reread classics? Why, or why not? 

I don’t re-read much, but I have read several classics more than once. I THINK I’ve read 1984 three times so far and Brave New World at least twice... Classics are so for a reason. You can often get something new out of them every time you read them.

Has there been a classic title you simply could not finish? 

I’ve DNF’d several classics over the years. Most recently they are Erewhon by Samuel Butler, Catch-22 by Joseph Heller, Hard Times by Charles Dickens and The Purple Cloud by M P Shiel. 

Has there been a classic title you expected to dislike and ended up loving? 

Well, I would never start a book I was EXPECTING to dislike – life is far too short for that kind of thing – but there have been a few (not already mentioned) that ended up impressing me a great deal. They are A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse, Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D H Lawrence, The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, Goodbye to All That by Robert Graves, The Plague by Albert Camus, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kessey, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene, A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde and The End of the Affair by Graham Greene,  

If you’ve ever participated in a read along on a classic, tell us about the experience? 

Yes. I MUCH enjoyed ‘buddy-(re) reading all of the Sherlock Holmes books with Marian H a while back. It was really good both the revisit some of my favourite stories and to discuss them with someone who has also just re-read them.