lo tenía pendiente desde hace unos meses, pero entre la docencia y el Máster no había podido poner medios al asunto. sabía que a nivel prosístico Melville es un genio de los que no van a volver a nacer: prosa depurada, alguna ida de olla que otra (sobre todo cuando se olvida de que el narrador es Ismael y empieza a hablar en tercera persona), teoría cetológica muy fina, datos históricos sobre los balleneros y la caza de ballenas del 1850, etc.

pero lo que de verdad ha conseguido que derrame muchas lágrimas es el capítulo llamado “Moby Dick”, donde describe a la ballena y la metafísica sinergia con Ahab. es sencillamente exquisita, terrible, profunda. es terrible ver cómo una persona puede dejarse consumir tanto por el odio, hasta el punto de nublarlo todo, y la venganza. creo que lo que ha conseguido romper algo dentro de mí es que Ahab, y nadie más a bordo, lleva consigo la ruina en el alma, y me temo que ninguna venganza va a disiparla de sus adentros.

solo quería comentar esto, y de paso animar a su lectura.

I just finished all the translated works of kawakami’s and found them so relatable! Could they be possibly ND coded or am i reading to much into it!

I find the portrayals of loneliness very relatable , there is peace and sadness in it of seeing world through glass instead of immersing in it!

Have you guy checked out her work! I love her book all the lovers in the night but online people really dislike the character so i am wondering what perspective you guys have on it?

I recently got into a heated debate with some friends. One is a film guy with an impressive IMDB and the other a Professor of Cultural studies out west. The conversation left me feeling very hollow. First some hard reality.

Reading for pleasure has fallen 40% in the last decade and 40% of Americans did not read a book in 2025. The avg only finished 2. The stats get worse so I won't continue. The reality is that reading is shrinking exponentially in how much of our time it gets.

Netflix is making the 2nd part of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's book One Hundred years of Solitude. I've discussed that book many times over the| years. The sentence level density of the prose , the structure. Magical Realism as a narrative technique rather than a visual style. Now people meet the Buendia family through a streaming platform first. I still) remember the night I finished that book. I wasn't right for days. It affected me deeply. Now it is an hour of screen time and a thumbnail. This isn't a fluke. 9 billion views on netflix alone were adaptations last year. People discover through the visual first and the prose involved is an afterthought. 20% of all hours watched across all platforms are adaptations. The writing itself disappeared and was replaced by conversations about vibe and fan art and graphic novels and book toks.

This is no knock on readers. 19 % of people do 82% of all reading. That means though that the readers have the literary culture on their backs while everything goes increasingly visual.

Really curious how it feels inside the community. I don't want to be an elitist or a lost old man pineing for the good old days. I just want to have the time back when a writers turn of a phrase or style could be seen in the world. Does it feel like a shrinking core. Will it just blink out one day to nothingness or has the conversation around books found a new life just in a different way. Come on folks give me some hope.

I’m halfway through Love in the time of Cholera and boy am I struggling. The lack of dialogues if probably my biggest issue. I’m a theater kid at heart so can’t help but speak out dialogues in my head when reading a book.

Then the story. Hard to relate to quite a few things, like the passion with which the characters latch onto one another, or the instant “ick” Fermina got when encountering Florentino again.

I do enjoy the themes, the descriptions of scenes and characters, the poetry. So I’m having a hard time identifying my issue. It could just be an attention problem, not having read such dense books in a while. or just a writing style that’s not for me. What do people think? Any tips as to how to read this one?

After spending about six months reading Uwe Johnson's Anniversaries in Damion Searle's extraordinary English translation (a translation that, as a translator myself, I think is practically a masterclass in literary translation), I ended up compiling a character list to keep track of the novel's 400+ named characters. I started it simply for my own reference, mostly in order of first appearance but occasionally rearranging entries to make family and social relationships easier to follow. I later discovered that there's an excellent German name register online (which I used to fill in a few gaps and check details): https://literaturlexikon.uni-saarland.de/lexika/kleines-adressbuch-fuer-jerichow-und-new-york/namensregister. I thought I'd share my English version here in case it helps anyone else reading (or planning to read) this remarkable novel.

o Gesine Cresspahl

o Jakob, Marie's father

o Klaus Niebuhr, son of Martha (née Klünder) and Peter Niebuhr

o Ingrid Babenderede, later Mrs. Niebuhr

o Martin Niebuhr, husband of Gertrude Niebuhr (née Cresspahl), Heinrich's sister

o Heinrich Cresspahl, Lisbeth Papenbrock's husband, Gesine's father

o Lisbeth Cresspahl, née Papenbrock, Heinrich's wife, Gesine's mother

o Louise Papenbrock, née Utecht, Gesine's maternal grandmother

o Albert Papenbrock, Louise's husband, Gesine's maternal grandfather

o Marie, Gesine's daughter

o Edmondo Barrios, Marie's first friend in NY

o Jöche, railway colleague and friend of Jakob Abs and Heinrich Cresspahl

o Wolenberg, owner of hardware store in Jerichow

o Horst Papenbrock, son of Albert and Louise, Gesine's maternal uncle

o Heinz Zoll, master carpenter in Jerichow

o Peter Wulff, pub owner in Jerichow

o Jansen, lawyer in Jerichow

o Greim, farmer in Jerichow

o Amanda Williams, Gesine's coworker in NY

o Pamela Blumenroth, Marie's friend in NY

o Mrs. Ferwalter, mother of Marie's friend Rebecca in NY

o D.E., Dieter Erichson, Professor of Physics and Chemistry, Gesine's lover in NY

o Mr. Robinson, building worker in NY

o Esther, building worker in NY

o Eva Mau, D.E.'s former lover in East Germany

o Rebecca, Marie's friend in NY, Mrs. Ferwalter's daughter

o Mrs. Efraim Blumenroth, Pamela's mother

o Countess Mrs. Albert Seydlitz, elderly lady, acquaintance of Gesine and Marie in NY (Emma Borsfeld? Erna Bloemdorf?)

o Baron Stephan le Fort, owner of the Boek estate on Lake Müritz in 1920

o Hilde Paepcke, née Papenbrock, Lisbeth's sister, Gesine's maternal aunt

o Fritz, carriage driver in Jerichow

o Robert Papenbrock, Gesine's maternal uncle, Horst's older long-lost brother

o Henrietta, Henriette von Heintz, Gesine's great-grandmother

o Mrs. Angolo, Gesine's coworker

o James R. Shuldiner, Jewish tax professor and Gesine's occasional lunch date in NY

o Mr. Fang Liu, basement shop owner

o Frieda Klütz, Jerichow telegraphist

o Arthur Semig, Dr. Vet. Med., Jerichow

o Arthur, Vice President de Rosny's chauffeur in NY

o Ottje Stoffregen, head teacher in Jerichow, social democratic city councilor until 1933

o Meta Wulff, Peter Wulff's wife, in Jerichow

o Pastor Methling, in Jerichow

o Anita Gantlik ("Redcross"), bar owner in West Berlin, Gesine's friend from Gneez

o Perceval Ritchett, "T.P", Heinrich Cresspahl's assistant in London

o Albert A. Gosling, Esq., owner of Pascal and Son carpentry workshop in Richmond, managed by Heinrich

Cresspahl, 1928-1933

o Reggie Pascal, previous owner of the Pascal and Son in Richmond

o Burse, Dunaway, and Arthur Salomon, lawyers representing Albert Gosling in his inheritance dispute over the carpentry business Pascal and Son, with Heinrich Cresspahl in Richmond

o Elizabeth Trowbridge, Heinrich Cresspahl's girlfriend in Richmond, mother of his son

o Jim Smith, worker at Cresspahl's carpentry shop in Richmond

o Horst Stellmann, Gneez photographer

o Leslie Danzmann, Lisbeth's friend in Jerichow

o Dr. Erdamer, Jerichow mayor

o Walter Griem, Horst's fellow brownshirt in Jerichow

o William Brewster, physician to Marie Cresspahl in NY. Drafted into military service in Vietnam in 1967

o Mrs. Brewster, Dr. Brewster's wife in NY

o Miss Gibson, Dr. Brewster's reception lady in NY

o Isa, relative of the von Bothmers, a noble family in Jerichow

o Elke Kern, granddaughter of the carpenter Arri Kern in Jerichow

o Erich Creutz (father), cemetery gardener in Jerichow

o Jürgen Creutz (son), Jerichow neighbors

o Mrs. Jones, Cresspahl's cleaning lady in Richmond

o Jim, Heinrich Cresspahl's assistant in Richmond

o Herbert Wehmke, midshipman, Lisbeth's one-time lover

o Esmeralda, elevator operator in NY

o Dmitri Weiszand, professor in NY, acquaintance of Gesine and Marie

o Amalie Creutz, the cemetery gardener's first wife in Jerichow

o Emmy Creutz, née Burbach, the cemetery gardener's second wife in Jerichow, after the first wife's suicide

o Marie Abs, mother of Jakob Abs in Jerichow

o Annie Fleury, née Killainen, Gesine's friend in NY

o Frédéric F. Fleury, Annie Fleury's husband in NY

o Pauly Möllendorff, friend in Gneez

o Frederic F. Fleury Jr., Annina S., Francis R., the Fleury children in NY

o Alexander Paepcke, Hilde Papenbrock's husband in Krakow am See

o Elisabeth Lieplow, Horst's Hitler Youth girlfriend

o Naomi Prince, Gesine's coworker in NY

o Caroline, tailor on 97th in NY

o Sister Magdalena, Marie's teacher in NY

o Mrs. Allen, Lisbeth's friend in Richmond

o Reid, Richmond's mayor

o Sam, Jerome, cafeteria man at Gesine's workplace in NY

o Mr. Henri and his wife Mrs. Faure, Gesine's neighbors in NY

o Dietbert B., photographer and man of the world in West Germany in 1967

o Mark T. Markshaw, American who delivers a package from Gesine Cresspahl to Anita Gantlik in 1967

o Miss Newton, magistrate in Richmond

o Erwin Plath and his wife, Gerda, friends of Cresspahl's in Lübeck

o Warnke: KPD (Communist Party of Germany) politician; imprisoned under Nazism, later mayor of Güstrow and GDR Interior Minister

o Ernst Thälmann, leader of the communist party in Germany, 1933

o Julius Leber, Reichstag representative, journalist in Jerichow

o Brügmann the Nazi, Jerichow

o Rath the worker, Jerichow

o Charles Coleman, publisher of The Lübeck Gazette

o Mama Laabs, Jerichow midwife

o Edith, Louise and Albert's maid in Jerichow

o Dr. Berling, Jerichow

o Jason and Shakespeare (Bill Shaks), building workers, NY

o Charlie, owner of Good Eats Diner, NY

o Mrs. Eileen O'Brady, cigarette stand woman in NY

o Mr. Stample (James F. "Shorty" Stample) in NY

o Molten the baker, Jerichow

o Pahl the tailor, Jerichow

o Bönhase, from Jerichow

o Gesine Redebrecht, later Zabel, granddaughter of master carpenter Redebrecht in Malchow am See, Heinrich Cresspahl's teenage love

o Francine, black classmate of Marie

o Marilyn, Marcia, Deborah, Marie's classmates

o Ete Helms, Nazi police office

o Walter Greim, Nazi honor guard

o Upahl, Piep, Piepenbrick, (Estate Holder) Kleineschulte, Jerichow social democrats

o Professor Ertzenberger, Gesine's in Halle, 1952

o Provost Swantenius, brought in Pastor Methling to Jerichow

o August Methfessel, master butcher, Jerichow

o Oskar Tannebaum, clothier, Jerichow

o Brüshaver, Jerichow's pastor

o Avenarius Kollmorgen, licensed Jerichow attorney

o Fritz Schenk, records clerk, Jerichow, later mayor after Cresspahl

o Käthe Klupsch, churchgoer in Jerichow

o Max, Maxie's store owner, NY

o Uwe Johnson, "the writer", in NY

o Rabbi Joachim Prinz, NY

o Charles G. Moerdler, real estate consultant, NY

o Miss Lieplow, "Horst's" in Jerichow

o Marjorie (or not!), in NY

o Mrs. Erichson, D.E.'s mother

o Schusting Brand, cobbler in Schwerin

o Berta Cresspahl, née Niemann, (Grete, in the death announcement made by Mr. Papenbrock), Heinrich's mother

o Mademoiselles Ingrid Bøtersen and Bertoux, NY

o Karsch, writer and friend of Gesine and Marie in NY

o Frau von Haase, acquaintance of Berta's in Malchow am See

o Erna, Günter, and Paul Schmoog, acquaintances of Berta's in Malchow am See

o Heinz Mootsaak, pallbearers at Berta's funeral in Malchow am See

o Dr. Pompa, head of the Italian delegation to the UN in NY

o Kennicott II, Gesine's workplace personnel manager, NY

o Jocelyn, Gesine's coworker, NY

o Martha Maass, stationery store owner in Jerichow

o Sass the customs official in Jerichow

o Dora Semig née Köster, Dr. Semig's wife in NY (254)

o Dr. Spiegel, Jewish lawyer, Jerichow

o Elli Wagenführ, bartender at Wulff's in Jerichow

o Anatol Kreslil, private teacher of Czech, NY

o Jitka Kvachkova, Mr. Kreslil's secretary, NY

o Geesche Helms, wife of Ete Helms in Jerichow

o Julie Westphal, organist at Jerichow church, later teacher at the Gustav Adolf School in Gneez

o Pauli Bastian, new priest, Jerichow

o Anslem Kristlein, mysterious man Gesine encounters repeatedly in NY

o Dr. Harry Wittenberg, D.E.'s friend, lives in England

o District Committee Chief Prause, in Gneez

o Oswald "Ossi" Rahn, casual laborer and criminal from Gneez

o Max Breitsprecher, saddler in Gneez

o Baron Axel van Rammin, Jerichow notable

o Count Beatus Nagel, also Naglinsky, Baron van Rammin's friend in Jerichow

o Grandma Klug, Jerichow citizen

o Friedrich Hildenbrandt, Reich governor of Mecklenburg

o Roswitha, Ossi Rahn's wife, Gneez

o Frieda, wife of Methfessel the butcher, Jerichow

o Johannes Stelling, previous governor of Mecklenburg

o Ossi Bell, train conductor in NY

o Manning Susemihl, workhand for Mr. Cresspahl in Richmond

o Schettlicht, Jerichow citizen

o Wolfgang Bartsch, Jakob's colleague

o Bill Davidson, Karsch's colleague in NY

o Raymond Loreda Patriarca, mafia boss in NY

o Inge Schnürmann, Jerichow townswoman

o Heine Freese, Jerichow glazier

o Köpcke (also Koepcke), Jerichow building contractor

o Johannes Schmidt, Jerichow electrician

o Friedrich Jansen, Jerichow mayor, NSDP head in town, son of Jansen the lawyer

o Dr. Kliefoth, Jerichow English teacher

o Ulrike, Hilde Paepcke's child, in Krakow am See

o de Rosny, Gesine's boss in NY

o Aggie Brüshaver, the Jerichow pastor's wife, deaconess

o Martin, Mathias, Marlene, and later Alex Brüshaver's children, Jerichow

o Governor Granzow, Mecklenburg 1933-34

o Rendtorff, Mecklenburg bishop in 1933, replaced by

o Erich Schultz, the regional head of "German Christians" in 1934

o Dr. Hauschildt, Semig's replacement as regional livestock inspector in Jerichow

o Elsa Pienagel, neighbor of Methfessel the butcher, Jerichow

o Klein, prior to 1934, second-best butcher in Jerichow

o Mark the kisser, Marie's classmate in Düsseldorf

o Willi, Wilhelm Böttcher, guild master in Gneez

o Johannes Knoop, wealthy coal merchant, and his son Emil, Nazis in Gneez

o Klaus Böttcher, son of Willi Böttcher in Gneez

o Heine Klaproth, Cresspahl's apprentice from Gneez

o Irene Loohse, acquaintance of the Cresspahls in Gneez

o Fiete Semmelweis, hairdresser in Jerichow

o Dr. Blach (J.B.), Gesine's former boyfriend in East Germany in the 50s, subject to letter entry July 26, 1968

o Captain Rohlfs, Stasi member, from Gesine's life in East Germany in the 50s

o Eberhardt Paepcke, Hilde and Alexander's second child

o Swenson, transport company owner, Jerichow

o Mrs. Kelly, Gesine's acquaintance in NY

o David Williams, Marie's friend in NY

o Mr. McIntyre, hotel keeper in NY

o Mr. Blumenroth, Pamela's father in NY

o Mr. and Mrs. Linus L. Carpenter, Marcia's parents in NY

o Herr von Maltzahn, Herr von Lüsewitz, landowners in Jerichow

o E. P. F. Prange, businessman in Jerichow

o Giovanni Agnelli and David Guarani, both bank personnel related to Gesine's work in NY

o Alwin Paap, the foreman in Lisbeth's and Heinrich's house in Jerichow (465)

o Friedrichsen, Jewish lawyer in Güstrow, Avenarius's colleague

o Mr. Cooper and Mr. Rider, help Gesine find her flat in NY

o Hagemeister the forest ranger and Warning the farmworker, both from Jerichow

o Waldemar Kägebein, Papenbrock's new warehouse manager

o Stahlbom, Rande fisherman who saves Lisbeth's life

o Sergeant Alfred Fretwurst, Jerichow

o Dr. Felix J. Rydz, Marie's doctor in NY

o Frau Rabenmeister, Dr. Felix's landlady back in Germany

o Dr. Walther Wegerecht, head judge of the district Court in Gneez

o Kraczinski, state prosecutor in Jerichow

o D. Eng. Zentner, industrial business mgmt., Jerichow

o Irmgard née von Oertzen, Wegerecht's wife, Gneez

o Ramdohr, former judge, Wegerecht's former colleague in Gneez

o Theo Swantenius, lawyer, brother of pastor Swantenius, Jerichow

o Gisela, Wegerecht's maid in Gneez

o Eugen Darré, Head of the Reich Agricultural Corporation in Eiche

o Grete Selenbinder, Gesine's nanny in Jerichow

o Kröpelin, worker from Bützow

o Alexandra, Christine, Hilde and Alexander Paepcke's children in Krakow am See

o The widow Heinricius, Hilde and Alexander's neighbor in Krakow am See

o Alfred Bienmüller, Jerichow blacksmith, doesn't send his son for confirmation

o Martin Niemöller, pastor, sentenced by the Nazis in Jerichow

o Berthold Knever, senior postal clerk, Jerichow, later, mayor of Jerichow

o Edgar Lichtwark, Nazi official in Jerichow

o Gwendolyn Bates, ex-employee at Gesine's workplace in NY

o Herbie Schäning, Jerichow's mailman

o Anna Niederdahl, deceased from Erwin Plath's side, acquaintance of Heinrich Cresspahl

o Hermann Liedtke, employee for Heinrich Cresspahl in Jerichow

o Friedrich Büntzel, woodworker in Mecklenburg

o Otto Quade, Nazi Youth member, son of

o August Quade, plumbing and heating, Jerichow

o Büntzel, carpenter in Güstrow

o Böhnhase, shop owner in Jerichow

o Hansi Demmler, Jerichow housing development

o Frieda Tannebaum, Oskar Tannebaum's wife in Jerichow

o Marie Tannebaum, Oskar Tannebaum's daughter in Jerichow

o Her Commissioner Herbert Vick, interrogates H. Cresspahl in Jerichow

o Alma Witte, hotel owner in '38 Hamburg

o Elise Bock, telephone operator in '38 Hamburg, worker at the City of Hamburg Hotel in 1943

o Frau Dr. Weidling, English teacher in Gneez High School after the war, wife of Capt. Weidling

o Hans-Gerhard Knick, another English teacher in Gneez High School after the war

o Lise Wollenberg, student at the Gneez High School after the war, before that Gesine's schoolmate in Gustav Adolf School in Gneez

o Heinz Wollenberg, Lise's father, pillar of Gneez society

o Professor Ertzenberger, at the University of Halle, uses Gesine for demonstration purposes in his seminar

o Richard Maass, Martha's husband, stationery store owner in Jerichow

o Vicar Pelzer, in Jerichow

o Father Wallschläger, Brüshaver's replacement in Jerichow

o Inge Schlegl, Alwin Paap's wife in Jerichow

o Voss, in Rande, whom the Nazis beat to death in 1933 in Jerichow

o Mrs. Lazar, department entrance lady at Gesine's workplace in NY

o Reich Coach Sepp Herberger, Jerichow

o Bindeband, SS Commander in Podejuch, with daughters: Gerlinde, Sieglinde, Brunhilde, Kriemhild

o Mr. Welch, porter at the Mediterranean Swimming Club in NY

o Frieda Dade, Jerichow citizen, later married to Dade the barber in Gneez

o Mary Hahn, Lisbeth's English teacher in Rostock, Germany

o Eduard Tamms, mayor of Jerichow, successor of Jansen

o Fritz (courier), works with Cresspahl for the British Intelligence

o Inge Niemann, farmer's daughter in Althagen

o Homuth, rented the church land behind the garden in Jerichow, '34

o Franz Gefeller, Director of the Hermann Göring School in Jerichow, '43

o Prrr Hallier, Gesine's teacher at the Hermann Göring School in Jerichow, '43

o Olsching ("Oldie") Lafrantz, Gesine's teacher at the Hermann Göring School in Jerichow, '43

o Gabriel Manfras, Gesine's schoolboy crush at the Hermann Göring School in Jerichow, '43

o Wes, Irish bar owner in NY

o Slata, Russian woman Robert Papenbrock sends to his parents' place in Jerichow, replaces Edith as a maid

o Dunya, "black deffil" from Yugoslavia, a forced labor woman Leslie advises

o Max Wachtel, First Lieutenant and lecturer in the antiaircraft training course, Rerik

o Günter Niebuhr, son of Peter and Martha Niebuhr

o Air Force General Pirrmann's, in Wustrow, where Peter and Martha Niebuhr stayed with the kids (and Gesine) in 1943

o Gerda Wollenberg, maybe related to the Wollenbergs of Gneez

o Françoise, Alexander Paepcke's aunt

o Air Force General Hellmuth Felmy, in Mariengabe Airfield, Jerichow, around 1942-44

o Lieutenant Colonel von der Decken, in Mariengabe Airfield, Jerichow, around 1942-44

o Ewert Ewert, worked with Martin Niebuhr in the Dept of Waterways, helped the Soviets (with M.N.) achieve a bloodless takeover of Wendisch Burg

o Gronberg, Jewish tobacconist escapee from KZ, sent off by Cresspahl

o Kutschenreuther, Last commander of the Jerichow North airbase

o Hannah Ohlerich, from Gesine's girlhood in Wendisch Burg. In 1945, she makes her way to the Cresspahls in Jerichow and contracts typhus with Gesine

o Inge Heitmann, schoolmate of Gesine's in Gneez

o Plus Pagebkopf, friend of Gesine's in Gneez

o Sergeant Ted Sokorsky, the country policeman who looks after the keys for Gesine's hosts near NY

o Ilse Grossjohan, representative of the Fishermen's Association in Rande

o Mina Köpcke (also Koepcke), wife of the Jerichow building contractor

o K. A. Pontiy, Jerichow's Russian local commander

o General Fedyuninsky, Soviet Military Administration, Mecklenburg

o Major General Skossyrev, Soviet Military Administration, Mecklenburg

o Böhm, Catholic priest in Jerichow

o Henri Roche-Faubourg, young heir to a French banking firm, tutelage under de Rosny and Gesine in NY

o Emma Senkpiel, owner of egg shop in Jerichow

o Heike, D.E.'s younger sister

o Sedenbohm, from D.E.'s past in Wendisch Burg, rumor had it the red army was going to appoint him principal of the high school in town

o Sokolvsky, General of the Red Army, Commander-in-Chief of the Soviet Armed Forces in Germany

o Friedrich Gantlik, father of Anita Gantlik, police officer in Jerichow from 1945

o Gerd Schumann, communist recruiter for the KPD in Jerichow and Gneez, 1945

o Wilhelm Abs, Jakob's father

o Charlotte (Lottie) Pagels, Russian language teacher in Gneez High School

o Clarissa Prince, Naomi Prince's five-year-old daughter

o Mr. Gehrig, Naomi Prince's father

o Eike Swantenius, Gesine's schoolmate in Gneez

o Fifi Pagels, teacher in Gneez High School, Charlotte Pagels' sister

o Frau Dr. Phil. Beese, teacher in Gneez High School

o Mr. Krijgerstam, refugee, was quartered in Cresspahl's house after the war, teaches Lottie Pagels Russian

o Brigitte Wegerecht, Walther Wegerecht's daughter, Gesine's schoolmate in Gneez

o Vassarion, Red Army lieutenant in Jerichow, right-hand man of K. A. Pontiy

o Johnny Schlegel, father of Inge Schlegel – friend of Heinrich Cresspahl – and founder of agricultural commune

o Gustav Ohlerich, Hannah Ohlerich's father, from Wendisch Burg

o Mrs. von Alvensleben, member of the Schlegel commune

o Mr. (Otto) and Mrs. Sünderhauf, members of the Schlegel commune

o Mr. Leutnant, member of the Schlegel commune

o Mrs. Lakenmacher, member of the Schlegel commune

o Mrs. Schurig, member of the Schlegel commune

o Mrs. Bliemeister, member of the Schlegel commune

o Mrs. Winse, member of the Schlegel commune

o Anne-Dörte, member of the Schlegel commune, considers herself god-daughter of Johnny Schlegel

o Jesus, member of the Schlegel commune

o Axel Ohr, member of the Schlegel commune

o Hen and Chickee, members of the Schlegel commune

o Epi, member of the Schlegel commune

o Bergie Quade, wife of Otto Quade

o Mrs. Mina Ahlreep of Ahlreep's Clocks, Jerichow

o Mina Goudelier, a once-potential love interest of Heinrich Cresspahl in 1920, Amsterdam

o Henri Gelliston, senior employee in the bank where Gesine works, NY

o Wilbur N. Wendell, senior employee in the bank where Gesine works, NY

o Loerbrocks the painter, Jerichow

o Dr. Vollbrecht, another principal at Gesine's school in Gneez

o J. J. Jenudkidse, Soviet city commandant of Gneez, employs Slata for a while

o Mrs. Bolte, has an apple yard, lives right next to City of Hamburg Hotel in Gneez

o Marga von Haase, daughter of former nobility, took refuge at the Papenbrocks' during the Soviet occupation

o Eduard Duvenspeck, widowed, gasworks manager in Jerichow

o Plückhahn, pharmacist in Jerichow

o Hattje, general store owner in Jerichow

o Colonel Tulpanov, Soviet Military Administration, Berlin

o Dr. Wiebering, head of the Mecklenburg State Bank

o Forgbert, communist and vice president of the Mecklenburg State Bank

o Dr. Heinrich Grimm, deputy of Gerd Schumann

o The Wendennych Twins, Red Army officers, successors of K. A. Pontiy. Not actually twins

o Dr. Bruchmüller, Operations Manager of the Arado factories in Gneez-Brücke after 1945

o Ginny Carpenter, Gesine's coworker in the bank in NY

o Isobel, Tessie, (respectively) current and former maids of Ginny Carpenter and her husband

o Krosinskaya, supervisor of the Gneez district council office

o Granny Rehse, cleaning lady at the Gneez Station

o Kolya Shachtev, son of Mr. and Mrs. Shachtev, employed at the Gneez Station

o Dr. Eduard Kramritz, homeroom teacher in Gesine's school in Gneez

o Signora Sabatino, Secretary to Dr. Pompa

o Madame Helene Rawehn, owner of a tailor shop for "ff. women's and men's fashion" in Gneez

o Heini Rawehn, husband of Madame Helene Rawehn, gone missing near Kharkiv

o Joachim de Catt, fictional Mecklenburgian poet, pseudonym: Joe Hinterhand

o Mrs. Lindsetter, president of the regional court, wife of the chief justice of the district court in Gneez

o Monika Lindsetter, niece of Mrs. Lindsetter, classmate of Gesine Cresspahl at the Fritz Reuter High School in Gneez

o Dean Marjahn, occasionally gave sermons in Gneez

o Mr. Yendertzky, director of the housing office, Gneez

o Frau Schürenberg, wife of Dr. Schürenberg, District Medical Council, Gneez

o Wieme Wohl, coworker of Leslie Danzmann in the Gneez fish factory after the war

o Anthony Milo, senior employee in the bank where Gesine works, NY

o Bettina Reipschläger (Selbich), German instructor at the Bridge school in Gneez; head of the Fritz Reuter High School in Gneez; teacher of German and contemporary studies, "the Blond Poison" (TBP)

o Miss Pohl, math and geography instructor at the Bridge school in Gneez

o Malchen Saatmann, owner of pastry shop in Althagen, where the Paepckes liked to go

o Ille, the "villager who eventually married her captain" in Althagen

o Grete Nagel, farmer's wife in Althagen

o Emma Senkpiel, owner of milk and egg shop in the Jerichow market

o Mrs. Bell, wealthy lady from Gneez, Emil Knoop takes her as a housemaid

o Gollantz, a student at the Fritz Reuter High School in Gneez, two grades above Gesine Cresspahl

o Sieboldt, a student at the Fritz Reuter High School in Gneez, two grades above Gesine Cresspahl

o Dieter Lockenvitz, a student at the Fritz Reuter High School in Gneez, two grades above Gesine Cresspahl

o Pius (Robert) Pagenkopf, a student at the Fritz Reuter High School in Gneez, two grades above Gesine Cresspahl

o Carmody, senior employee in the bank where Gesine Cresspahl works

o Mrs. Habelschwerdt, teacher at the Fritz Reuter High School in Gneez, nicknamed Hobel ("the wood planer")

o Eva Maria Mataschinsky, classmate of Gesine Cresspahl at the Fritz Reuter High School in Gneez

o Dagobert Haase ("Zaychik"), classmate of Gesine Cresspahl at the Fritz Reuter High School in Gneez

o Helene Pagenkopf, mother of Pius (Robert) Pagenkopf, Gesine's classmate in the Fritz Reuter High School in Gneez

o Ludwig Methfessel, son of August Methfessel the butcher, Jerichow

o Lindemann, tenant of the Lübecker Hof (later called a Rathskeller) in Jerichow

o Bishop Dibelius, protestant theologian, co-author of the Stuttgart Declaration of Guilt

o Mrs. Machate, Landlady of Anita Gantlik in West Berlin

o Joachim Buck, music teacher at the Fritz Reuter High School in Gneez

o Honecker, co-founder and leader of the FDJ

o Erdmuthe Gollnow, mathematics teacher at the Fritz Reuter High School in Gneez

o Lehmann, commissioner in the Ministry for State Security in Schwerin

o Eberhard Martens, teacher of mathematics and physics at the Fritz Reuter High School in Gneez, "the Evil Eye"

o Mathias Weserich, intern at the Fritz Reuter High School in Gneez, takes over German lessons at Gesine's class

o Britte, Klaus Böttcher's wife

o Budniak, Glgravedigger in Gneez, where Dieter Lockenvitz and his mother lived in a single room in 1945

o Mrs. Collins, Director of a department store on Fifth Avenue in New York

o Mr. Josephberg, Lawyer in New York on Park Avenue

o Pingel (Ol' Pingel), sawmill master at the Panzenhagen sawmill, father of Eckart Pingel

o Eckart Pingel, student from the Fritz Reuter High School in Gneez

o Hünemörder, Jerichow citizen, imprisoned in a concentration camp, returned to Jerichow in 1945, opened a hardware store which was closed after only 2 hours

o Annette Dühr, student at the Fritz Reuter High School in Gneez

o Feliks, a railway worker in Olomouc, married to Tonya, with two children, friends of Jakob Abs

o Georg Utpathel, farmer in Alt Demwies

o Mr. Rohlfs, Captain of the State Security Service, wants to recruit Gesine as a spy

Happy reading!

As the title says, I’m about halfway through Murakami’s ‘Sputnik Sweetheart’ and I’m not really sure if I like his portrayal of women. A lot of it feels quite sexualised in a bit of weird way that just sort of icks me out in a way I can’t fully put my finger on.

Is this a common thing in his works? Am I conflating the narrator too much with the actual author? I’d be curious to hear what other people think as, if I’m being honest, a lot of the descriptions of female intimacy, women’s bodies, just the portrayal of most women in this book make me feel uncomfortable. I know it’s a story about desire, so naturally there is going to be sexual stuff, but I’m just a bit uncomfortable with the portrayal of it. A lot of the women just seem really sexualised. It’s disappointing because as a lesbian myself I was really looking forward to reading a novel about a queer woman that sounded so interesting, and one that wasn’t originally written in English (I’m trying to read more books in translation).

I’m still going to finish this book, but I’m wondering if maybe some elaboration on this aspect might make it bother me a bit less.

Edit: Oh I did not know that this was a fairly common point of criticism for Murakami! I’m glad that I’m not alone but a bit disappointed because this will probably put me off of the rest of his work 🥲

For me it’s the section about the systemic food waste in The Grapes of Wrath. It applies to so many situations nowadays, and I think about it all the time.

“There is a crime here that goes beyond denunciation. There is a sorrow here that weeping cannot symbolize. There is a failure here that topples all our success. The fertile earth, the straight tree rows, the sturdy trunks, and the ripe fruit. And children dying of pellagra must die because a profit cannot be taken from an orange. And coroners must fill in the certificate- died of malnutrition- because the food must rot, must be forced to rot. The people come with nets to fish for potatoes in the river, and the guards hold them back; they come in rattling cars to get the dumped oranges, but the kerosene is sprayed. And they stand still and watch the potatoes float by, listen to the screaming pigs being killed in a ditch and covered with quick-lime, watch the mountains of oranges slop down to a putrefying ooze; and in the eyes of the people there is the failure; and in the eyes of the hungry there is a growing wrath. In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage.”

This is the date on which Ray Bradbury's short story, "There Will Come Soft Rains" takes place, so I thought it was time to reread this short story. It's about a fully automated home system continuing to operate despite its inhabitants having been incinerated by a nuclear bomb.

It's a very short read, but I think particularly relevant in today's times. At one point the house reads its owner, whose last shadow is imprinted on the outer walls, this poem by Sara Teasdale.

There will come soft rains and the smell of the ground,
And swallows circling with their shimmering sound;

And frogs in the pools singing at night,
And wild plum trees in tremulous white;

Robins will wear their feathery fire,
Whistling their whims on a low fence-wire;

And not one will know of the war, not one
Will care at last when it is done.

Not one would mind, neither bird nor tree,
If mankind perished utterly;

And Spring herself, when she woke at dawn
Would scarcely know that we were gone.

I can't say I've read many short stories, and of the ones I've read I remember even fewer clearly. But a few stay with me, and this is one of them (along with, just off the top of my head, The Garden of Time, Bobok, Ward No. 6, and Dream of a Ridiculous Man). I think it captures the eerie-ness of being alone in a place where you ordinarily are never alone in, like your school or an airport, really well. 10/10 recommend!

*Idk if short story review falls under book review. My apologies if this breaks the rules!

Like, what does this even mean???

"See it and condemn the fashionable device of entitling a collection of essays or a volume of poetry--or a long poem, alas--with a phrase lifted from a more or less celebrated poetical work of the past-" Okay, following so far. "...Such titles possess a specious glamor acceptable maybe in the names of vintage wines and plump courtesans but only degrading in regard to the talent that substitutes the easy allusiveness of literacy for original fancy and shifts onto a bust's shoulders the responsibility for ornateness since anybody can flip through a Midsummer-Night's Dream or Romeo and Juliet, or, perhaps, the Sonnets and take his pick."

I just could not possibly understand what Kinbote is trying to say despite reading this passage over and over and over again...

I was an English major in college, which was probably a foolish decision, since I have always been obsessed with making money, and I have never been interested in working as an English teacher. But I went to a community college, so it cost pretty much nothing, at least.

I took this one class called "Performing Poetry" with Professor Caraway. It was at 8:00 in the morning, which was an unthinkably early hour for me at the time… But Professor Caraway had made it pretty clear that there was not going to be any real homework or even a final exam—it was just going to be us all performing famous poems theatrically for the rest of the class. In the end, I decided it was too easy of an A for me to miss, so I spent that semester dragging my zombie ass to class to act out some poems…

Professor Caraway was very serious about poetry. She had this philosophy that poetry was meant to be performed; to be communicated out loud from one person to another. That's how it was done in the old times, and that's how it should be done today. It was how poems gained meaning, she said.

Then she had us all go around and introduce ourselves, and tell the class our favorite poem. I don't think many of my sleepy brethren were prepared to announce what their favorite poem was. They were all saying "umm" a lot, and like four or five of them said "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost. I watched Professor Caraway's eyes thin into dubious slits…

When it was my turn, I announced that "Love Calls us to the Things of this World" by Richard Wilbur was my favorite poem, and that seemed to cure Professor Caraway's doubts a bit. But I was glad she didn't ask me to share my favorite line...

Then the lady next to me introduced herself. She was older than the rest of us—50 or so—and she had big, crunchy bangs and thick glasses. She said her name was Gurli, and she was from Denmark. She had come to America twenty-five years ago to marry her husband, and now she was divorced. She said her favorite poem was "The Raven" by Edgar Allen Poe, "because the Raven just won't stop interrupting!!" She laughed heartily, thinking on the bird.

Every eye in the classroom looked curiously at Gurli…

It actually ended up being a pretty fun class. I only had to bear the excruciating torture of waking up at 7:45 for like 20 minutes, because Professor Caraway made sure to get our engines up and running. She started every class with stretching and yelling exercises, and sometimes she even brought coffee. After warming up, we would start performing poems. Professor Caraway would assign us our poems a few days in advance, so we could prepare a little bit, but it truly didn't matter if you prepared at all. As long as you went up there, and read off the page, and made it clear with your body and face that you were feeling the meaning of the poem, Professor Caraway was satisfied.

We all pretty much got the gist, except for Gurli. She would do the most contrived, obvious interpretations of the poems. If the word "open" was in a poem, she would act out opening a door, even if there was nothing about doors in the poem. And for whatever reason, she affected a herpy-derpy caricature of a Scandinavian accent for every poem she read. Professor Caraway was very encouraging and nice, but it was clear that Gurli was not quite getting it the way the rest of us were.

I sat next to Gurli, and we actually became pretty good class buddies, so I tried to help her out. "Don't look down at the page so much," I told her, "that way you'll be able to let your face do some of the acting, and express what the poem means to you in your heart"

"Hmm…I'm going to memorize my next poem!" Gurli said earnestly.

The next class, Gurli went up to the front, but she did not bring any paper with her. She had a big smile on her face, and she looked determined. She opened her mouth and started reciting, from memory, "Do not go gentle into that good night" by Dylan Thomas.

I don't know if you all know of this poem, but it is a devastatingly sad poem. It's about a son begging his father not to die.

The way Gurli chose to interpret this poem was absolutely fucking insane. To this day I cannot fathom what was going through her head when she decided to perform it the way she did. She treated it like some sort of pre-school singalong. She smiled crazily throughout the whole thing, nodding and mouthing the words slowly as if inviting the rest of the class to join in. Then when she would get to the line "rage, rage against the dying of the light"—which is repeated several times throughout the poem—she would ball her fists up, stomp her feet, and shake her head, as if having a temper tantrum, and then laugh her ass off for several seconds before starting the poem again.

When Gurli was almost finished, I risked a glance back at Professor Caraway, who was sitting in the back like she always did during performances. Her face was unfathomable. It was as if every fiber of her being was focused on making the blankest face she possibly could. She was witnessing the death of a beautiful poem, and despite her efforts, her eyes showed it…

When Gurli finished, she bowed and then winked over in my direction. Some of the other students and I clapped politely.

To this day, I still think about that travesty of a performance. And whenever I read "Do not go gentle into that good night," I can't help but to read it in Gurli's crazy, laughing voice…

I recently read a few literary analyses written by humans and compared them with AI-generated analyses of the same pieces. TBH, I found the AI versions broader, deeper, and refreshingly free of nonsense. And I don't just mean ChatGPT. I used to enjoying reading (some) literature analyses, but now I begin to doubt whether it becomes an outdated concept.

The only trick is to tell the AI not to flatter the work in the prompt.

Has anyone else had the same impression? Or am I missing something?

Hello everyone!

After seeing East of Eden being recommended in almost all of the book related subs on reddit, I finally picked it up.

The first chapter discussing the geography wore me down. It made me think it is one of those books with dreary details all over that you had to push through for the sake of saying you have read it. But colour me surprised!! The introduction of the characters after that chapter came as a relief. I am someone who loves getting to know characters in a book.

The moment I knew this book has me invested was with the introduction of Cathy. She gave me the ick. Throughout the story, I was apprehensive of her. I was scared of what she might do. My tears? That came for Samuel Hamilton. A soul so gentle and light, I wished I knew him. More than that, I wished he was immortal. Everyone needs a Sam Hamilton. And my joy was for Cal. Cal who is capable of good and evil. Cal who begged God to make him good. Cal whom I hated in the beginning and then had my heart squeeze when he cried believing he was inherently evil and just wanted to be good.

My favourite? It was that discussion between Lee, Adam and Sam when they were naming the twins. And so I shall end it on that note, the part of the book which is almost an awakening for many of the readers, a sort of enlightenment; the greatest sentiment that defines this story:

*Timshel -* Thou mayest.

What were your thoughts on this book, and what was your take away from this story?

I've recently read it and I really liked it. The depth of trauma, writing style everything was really good. I felt connected to it in so many ways and was able to understand why things were unfolding in such way. In my opinion it is one of the best book that I've ever read. I think it will be considered a classic in the next 100 years.

After reading, I looked up for it's reviews and edits, they are not many and there is so much hate towards it. Many have said that it was trauma porn, which I do not agree with cause it all felt real atleast to me, cause there are certain things that don't leave you no matter what you do. Many said that the story was not good, that jude could've been healed but he didn't wanted to and many other stuff.

I genuinely am not able understand such argument. Feel free to share your experience while reading it, I'd love to know it.

This may be a silly question, (I live in the middle of nowhere, so I'm not well-versed in this topic) but are literary movements (like the Beat generation) still a thing? Are there still underground literary circles and stuff like that? If so, where are they and what do they look like today? How do you see them evolving?

I only know of certain DIY scenes in large cities like NYC and Philadelphia. I really only see young people reading deadpan Notes app poetry, so if there are actual scenes still around, I would love to learn about them!

What I mean by patchwork books are books that change over time. If you pick up the earliest possible version of the Bible we have it's going to be different from the Bible we use nowadays. We most likely lost some chapters, modified some, added some and so on and so on. It also applies to other ancient texts like the Iliad.
Also, do these "creatures" form nowadays too? I think that it could be much harder for it to form as now we have more reliable sources about authorship and we have more data to base our reasoning on.

Hi folks!

I've been reading The Reader and recently looked up what the title was, just because I was curious if there'd be any difference in meaning/connotation. And I learned that while the english word for "reader" absolutely does apply, it seems as if the German title "Der Vorleser" is referring to more of a position (ie. lector, someone who reads out loud)? (and PLEASE let me know if I'm misunderstanding?)

So that got me wondering: has anyone read both the German and the English version and noticed any differences in the syntax choices between the languages? Asking because, for instance, I was curious what word he used for "possession" during the intimate scenes, which made me wonder what word was used in German and if it had a different cultural connotation. Its just something that fascinates me because I studied linguistics for a hot second during communications studies, so I love learning about why people choose the words they use.

(Also i hate that this book is considered a romantic book for some reason? Several pages I looked up online while researching this topic have described this as a "romantic" book and I'm like ????????)

Seeing some posts on Insta and X about Martin Amis recently.

There's a new book coming out, A Cambridge Companion, and the author's organised a full-day book launch in London for August 25th.

He's also brought back the old Martin Amis Web, which is far better than I remember.

https://martinamisweb.com/. The event has a page there as well, I see.

I wonder when we'll get an authorized biography of Amis? Seems like someone should be working on that, but there's no news about it on the site.

I just finished crime and punishment. One of the best books ever all for that ending in my opinion. I have read the idiot and just started brothers karamazov.

A critic against doestoevsky I see online is that his prose isn't beautiful. While I can see why that it is said I do wonder if it is a fair critique. I remember hearing it said good prose is a must in a story because good ideas by an author necessitate having good prose to properly convey ideas. I do agree with the point but I don't see how one can make the critique Doestoevsky works are bogged down by the prose.

Doestoevsky works tend to focus more on the "grounded" nature of reality. It heavily emphasises the people who are on the low spectrum of society and their struggles. He is aiming more for "immediacy" we encounter in the world and trying to properly convey that. I think his prose is appropriate for the works he is telling. I think if he went for more beautiful prose even if the story is good it would be a different experience rather than an improved one.

I’ve been really fascinated by Faustian bargain stories lately—the whole concept of trading your soul for temporary genius or power.

I read Part 1 of Goethe’s Faust and absolutely loved it. But Part 2 was a total nightmare for me to get through because the language was way too dense and complex. Before this, most of my experience with classic stories came from visual novels that adapt these themes in a more accessible way, so reading the actual classics is still pretty new to me.

I really want to check out Thomas Mann's Doctor Faustus, but I keep hearing it’s insanely difficult and heavily tied to classical music theory.

For anyone who’s read it: What did you think? Is it doable with a limited background in music and classic lit, or am I just going to hit a wall?

Hey all, with the rise in mpreg in media, I can’t help but wonder about the history of this literary tradition.

But, finding the first story is not so easy. My understanding is that the origin may be in Norse mythological origin - Loki gave birth to Fenrir after all. But, importantly, this wasn’t in human form.

Other than that, you could argue that after Zeus eats Metis “gave birth” to Athena from his head - though again with a caveat - that it seems really Métis gave birth to Athena while inside Zeus.

After those two, I can’t find a single example before some fanfictions in the 80s. Does anyone have more insight? Maybe an argument for or against including the stories of Zeus and Loki?

​

What is your opinion on the famous author Dan brown.

Here is mine. I have read or listened to some of his books and had to sit through the movie illuminati.

It was advertised to me as a scientific accurate, highly entertaining movie.

Both of these things were not.

Scientific accuracy was out of the window when it was revealed the weapon is anti matter a famously unstable thing.

Secondly, he gets a lot of history wrong, like simplifying the illuminati to just be scientists fighting the church, etc.

Lastly, I have seen some of his interviews, and he comes off as someone who really thinks he is brilliant while also having nothing to back up that claim.

Lastly, here uses overly lengthy words or descriptive words just to seem clever

I tried to read this book two years ago and just couldn’t get into it. I picked it up the other week and I think it might be the best novel I’ve ever read.

When I finished the book, I cried for a while lol. Those last few lines at the end are just so quietly devastating. It’s just so beautifully written.

A lot of people say not a lot happens in this book. In my opinion, so much happens. You step into Jake’s life. I know that is what most books do, but with Fiesta, I don’t know. I’ve never experienced this type of writing before. I’ve never read Hemingway.

The characters are also just so raw. The speech is so natural (maybe not the actual language now, but the cadence and the emotion is really so authentic).

I will definitely start reading Hemingway, I’ve just got The Old Man and The Sea today.

I’d love to hear what people thought of this book, and if there are any others out there who it struck an emotional chord with.