acommonreader.st
Mrs. Dalloway, London: Hogarth Press, 1925. Dust jacket designed by Vanessa Bell. Picture source It is difficult–perhaps impossible–for a writer to say anything about his own work. All he has to say has been said as fully and as well as he can in the body of the book itself. If he has failed to […]
Picture sourceMy posts on Isaac Babel, and all the quotes in them, come from The Complete Works of Isaac Babel, edited by Nathalie Babel and translated by Peter Constantine. This review of the translation is far from glowing, noting “other translations give you a much better sense of his [Babel’s] abilities.” But I liked the completeness […]
List of victims in 1905 Odessa pogrom The most terrible pogrom in the history of Jewish Odessa took place on October 18-22, 1905, when there were some 175,000 Jews living in the city. It enveloped the entire city and the bloody [activity] spread from the central streets to the outlying districts, primarily Moldovanka, which had […]
Starting August 9th, The Orwell Prize will begin running the entry from George Orwell’s diary that was written 70 years ago. Here is the introduction from The Orwell Diaries page, where the entries will be posted: ‘When one reads any strongly individual piece of writing, one has the impression of seeing a face somewhere behind […]
Pratique Harbor, Odessa (circa 1890 – 1900) Picture sourceBabel’s stories of life in Odessa, or more properly in the Moldavanka neighborhood, were published starting in 1921 and continued into the 1930s. Jan Dudas’ recent pictures of the district can be found on Flickr here. If possible, these works feel more direct than The Red Cavalry […]
Konarmiya (Red Cavalry) and The Odessa Stories “In late May 1920, the First Cavalry of the Soviet Red Army, under the command of General Budyonny, rode into Volhynia, today the border region of western Ukraine and eastern Poland. The Russian-Polish campaign was under way, the new Soviet government’s first foreign offensive, which was viewed back […]
Isaac Babel Picture sourceThere is a wealth of information regarding Isaac Babel available online, a tribute to the power of his stories despite having been “erased” by the Soviet regime for many years. Here is a list of some of the available resources: Babel’s Wikipedia entry Gregory Freidin, Professor, Director of Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities […]
Picture sourceMost of the so-called “romances” of Shakespeare get mixed reviews, sometimes called failed experiments. The blending of tragedy and comedy in A Winter’s Tale mimics the fine line in real life between the two (and the play itself seems to be making somewhat of a comeback). While the whole is enjoyable what really stands […]
This production is a filmed stage production from the RSC’s 1998/99 season performed at the Barbican Theatre, London. The staging is mostly stark (with the pastoral scene as a notable exception), which allows the players’ performances to be the central focus. Despite the minimal sets, some uses were rather innovative (for example the draped sheets […]
Winter’s Tale: Act Four, Scene Three, (Florizel, Perdita, Shepherd, Clown, Mopsa, etc.)James FittlerPicture source The act opens with Leontes lamenting his loss of Hermione, with a scolding Paulina to continually remind the King that he is responsible for his wife’s death. The effusive praise heaped on Hermione does get tiring, begging the question of how […]
Perdita by Anthony Frederick Augustus SandysPicture source The passing of 16 years is performed by the character Time, who begs our forgiveness with liberties taken in speeding ahead and also fills us in on what has happened: Leontes leaving,Th’ effects of his fond jealousies so grievingThat he shuts up himself, imagine me,Gentle spectators, that I […]
Samuel Middiman engraving of Act Three, Scene Three Picture sourceScene i is very short, but packed with stylistic foreshadowing of things to come in addition to basic information of things that have happened offstage. The two lords sent to the Oracle in Act II Scene i have returned. Cleomenes and Dion describe their visit to […]
Mrs. Siddons as Hermione at Drury Lane, 1802Act II’s power comes from three sources: Leontes’ further descent into paranoia and madness, his rule sliding into tyranny, Hermione’s calm submission to her fate, certain that the truth will be revealed and absolve her of any wrongdoing, and Paulina’s role as the lone voice of reason, calling […]
Ian McKellen as Leontes Picture source Scene i consists of two nobles, one each from Bohemia (Archidamus) and Sicilia (Camillo), providing the foreground of where the action currently lies. The long-standing friendship of their two kings, dating back to their childhood, is established as well as the young prince Mamillius’ promise as heir to the […]
John Gielgud as Leontes Picture source Text of the play The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (MIT) Project Gutenberg MaximumEdge.com has a useful search feature Links about the play Wikipedia’s entry on the play “Retelling the Tale” by Gideon Lester at the American Repertory Theatre site—a performance history Notes on the […]
The Periodic Table consists of 21 short pieces, each titled with an element from the periodic table. The pieces include personal and family stories of Primo Levi as well as fictional tales while the relationship to the title element ranges from peripheral to central. More than anything else, the book gives insight to Levi’s composition […]
While I had The Periodic Table on my list to re-read soon, I was surprised when a co-worker recommended it. It was such a coincidence, I thought now was a good time to approach it again after more than 20 years. Originally published in 1975, my first encounter with it was when it was translated […]
All of the posts related to The Relic are listed below, and I’ll repeat the closing of the last post: The Relic combines comedy, romance, and satire in a bawdy picaresque tale. Even with all the spoilers in these posts, I highly recommend this unique work and author. It is a true pleasure to read […]
The last two chapters return us to Teodorico’s waking life, following him home from the Holy Lands. After being carried back in time, Teodorico finds that he is indifferent and weary of the shrines and sights. The languor of soul is serious: “I did not even feel interested in the pretty Jewish girls” of Nazareth. […]
And now for something completely different… After enjoying the women and champagne at the end of Chapter 2, Teodorico is transported by dream back to the first century AD. Following Topsius on a whirlwind trip to Jerusalem, we are given a detailed view of the city and temple as it might have appeared at the […]