Just Finished Reading: The Last Gentleman of War – The Raider Exploits of the Cruiser Emden by R K Lochner (FP: 1979) [303pp] 

In 1914 the war drums, ever louder, could be heard all the way in China. It would only be a matter of time before Germany's Far East fleet was trapped in her home port and either starved into submission or destroyed by the Allies superior numbers. There was only one thing to do – leave port and strike at the superior enemy forces wherever they could be found. In order to do that the commander, Admiral Graf von Spee, wanted to keep his entire force together. One captain, Karl von Muller, asked is his ship Emden could be detached to operate independently. After some musing the Admiral agreed and the historic exploits of that ship began. In the coming months Commander Muller not only managed to evade the sweeps of British, French, Russian and Japanese warships but he also managed to sink thousands of tons of Allied cargo vessels, destroy an oil facility in Madras, raid Penang (an Allied port) sinking both a Russian and a French warship running the Allies a very merry chase for over 3 months without any access to port facilities or the possibility of resupply. What's more, all of the encounters with civilian vessels – both enemy and neutral resulted in not a single death or injury (except maybe to their pride) which was universally praised by all sides. 

But such a run of luck (and skill) cannot last forever. Deciding to attack and destroy an isolated British radio station and cut the international cables which met there, Commander Muller made a fatal mistake. Believing that the nearest Allied warship was at least 250 miles away he sent ashore a party of men to undertake the task at hand. Aware that a message had been sent out of a 'strange ship' in the harbour the German crew knew that they had to work fast. What they didn't realise was just HOW fast they needed to move. Unfortunately for the Emden a heavily escorted Allied troop convoy was only 50 miles away and a fast cruiser – the Australian HMAS Sydney – was dispatched to investigate. Sydney was a more modern, faster and more heavily armed vessel than Emden which quickly found that it was outgunned and could neither stand and fight nor successfully run from her bigger opponent. Within a few hours of the opening salvo Emden lay wrecked, beached on a carol reef surrounded by the dead and dying. It was over – or not... 

The landing party has seen part of the fight and had a decision to make. They could either hide on the island (unlikely) or stand and fight (suicide against a cruiser and any troops sent to follow up any offshore bombardment). Neither option found favour. There was only one alternative – escape and return to Germany, which would mean sailing from North Keeling island (located 1750 miles west of Australia in the Indian ocean) across the Indian ocean, to the Red Sea coastal area, across Arabia to Constantinople and from there, by train, finally to Germany itself. This is exactly what they accomplished with minimal casualties all round. Unsurprisingly they were treated like heroes on their return over a year later. 

I knew the early part of this story having read about Graf von Spee's fleet actions at Coronel and the Falklands (where his command was destroyed much to the relief of the Royal Navy). But I didn't know much detail (or just how heroic) the actions of Emden were. It's an amazing story, well told with lots of detail gleaned from the dairies and reports of those involved on all sides. I was particularly impressed by the logistical nightmare of keeping a ship in action that needed HUNDREDS of tons of coal on a regular basis just to keep going - never mind food and other items. I can definitely see why they shifted to oil ASAP! If you're interested in WW1 away from the mud, shells and gas of the Western Front this is definitely a recommended read for you and worth the effort of tracking down a copy. 

Translated from the German by Thea and Harry Lindauer.  

Just Finished Reading: Istanbul – Memories and the City by Orhan Pamuk (FP: 2005) [333pp] 

On reading this interesting memoir by the Nobel Prize winning Turkish author I was pleased that I had read a history of modern Istanbul beforehand. This is, however, no criticism of this work. The previous history of the city gave me a good – indeed excellent – foundation to understand the deeper context that pervaded this work. The author was born in Istanbul in 1952 (around the time that the previous history book ended its narrative) so grew up in a city in the midst of change – from ancient to modern, from East to West, from religious to secular. It's not surprising that such a transition moulded and transformed the other into someone, in effect, living between two worlds and being nostalgic for a world that had been ‘lost’ (and was indeed crumbling or actively burning down around him) whilst struggling to exist in an officially sanctioned modern western looking world that was unfamiliar to him. It's odd how the official focus was very much directed at the west as an icon to look up to and emulate whilst the countries, and cities, rich Ottoman history was officially ignored, sidelined and sometimes actually denigrated. I think that would confuse anyone – never mind a sensitive soul searching for himself whilst walking the streets of an ancient city full of a rich culture from across an extensive fallen empire. I wasn’t at all surprised that his first impulse was to paint in order to reflect what he saw every day on his youthful wanderings. 

This was a memoir of painful honesty. The common theme throughout was the deep melancholy he felt growing up in a place that had not only seemed to forget its own history but had effectively been ordered to do so. Looking back was frowned upon. Wanting to look back, needing to look back to make sense of things was questionable and quite possibly disloyal. The only way to face was forwards and westwards. The authors quest for who he was and where he fitted into the grand scheme of things – especially within a Turkish historical context – was complicated (to say the least!) by his families emotional and financial slow-motion collapse throughout his young life. Despite being born into a moderately wealthy family (from money accumulated by his grandfather) his father continued to make bad financial decisions throughout his life bleeding money and slowly impoverishing the extended family. On top of this the authors father was often away from home and all too often with women other than his wife. This added complication was woven into the narrative almost as a microcosm of the city itself as it progressively crumbled, collapsed and was neglected into picturesque rubble. 

Apart from the often-beautiful writing (you can certainly tell why he won the Nobel Prize for Literature) the thing that I really liked about this book was the many photographs scattered throughout the text. Many of them were good and quite a few were simply excellent – sometimes breathtakingly so. I was MOST impressed. This book gives a great feel to the city of the author’s birth. He makes it seem exotic and familiar, dilapidated and picturesque, crowded and abandoned, timeless and ephemeral. I found it quite haunting. I look forward to reading more by this author and will likely be returning to him later in the year. Definitely recommended for anyone interested in the liminal spaces – in more ways than one - between the west and the exotic east. 

Translated from the Turkish by Maureen Freely

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: Captain Alatriste by Arturo Perez-Reverte (FP: 1996) [248pp] 

Madrid, 1620’s Spain. On his recent release from prison Captain Alatriste (played by Viggo Mortensen in the 2006 Spanish language adaptation) needs three things – a bath, his clothes fumigated and, most importantly, a way to earn a living. With Spain technically at peace the captain, along with many of his fellow soldiers, is out of work and hungry. So, when he hears of a well-paid assignment from a well-placed friend he puts his name forward. The desire of his potential employers to meet in secret behind masks was all the warning he needed. The task was to waylay a pair of foreigners and remove any documentation they carried. Simple enough, except that one of the potential employers wanted the extraction to take place from their dead bodies. It became abundantly clear that Alatriste was fast becoming ensnared in the machinations of political rivals and Holy Mother Church herself. Few, even with the captain’s hard-won skills fared well under such circumstances, especially when he decided to not co-operate.  

I first came across the character of Captain Alatriste by accident. I had been browsing through some foreign language DVD’s (as I do) and came across an odd one starring Viggo Mortensen playing a 17th century Spanish soldier. On watching it, in Spanish naturally, I was totally intrigued and delighted to discover it was based on an entire series of books. Fast forward 20 years and here we are. Obviously whenever the captain appeared in the novel I saw him as Viggo, so I didn’t have to use my imagination overly much. His character was very down at heel, scraping to get by between conflicts and unwilling to become a simple bandit or thief. Driven by his own sense of honour (which gets him into a lot more trouble than some of the other more ‘flexible’ characters) he decides to set himself against the plans of powerful people by disobeying orders at a critical moment. This drives the second half of the novel and, presumably, the future books.  

The feeling for early 17th century Madrid is handled well as is the almost Machiavellian political intrigue of the age (more on THAT later). Alatriste was a great character both simple in some ways and nicely complex in others. The other very good character – and almost a mirror image of the captain – was the Italian swordsman/assassin Gualterio Malatesta who crosses swords with Alatriste more than once. There are several very nice set pieces and some very good dialogue which I enjoyed greatly. The only criticism I had was with the pacing which stuttered on occasion. Overall though this was a good solid read and most certainly both entertained me and made me want to know more about that period of European/Spanish history. I shall be looking out for the other books in the sequence. Recommended (as is the movie if you can track down a copy).  

Translated from the Spanish by Margaret Sayers Peden 

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: 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: 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 

Just Finished Reading: Death and the Penguin by Andrey Kurkov (FP: 1996) [228pp] 

Post-Soviet Kiev, Ukraine. Viktor Zolotaryov always wanted to be an author, but earning a living especially now wasn’t exactly easy. But he was determined to try and spent his days dropping off short stories to local newspapers in the capital. He was both pleased, if somewhat surprised, to receive a call back from an editor who liked his style. The pleasure soon turned to confusion once Viktor learned about the job offer. His task was to write obituaries for the still living. Initially reluctant to undertake this rather bizarre assignment he relented once he discovered his rather generous salary offer. Anyway, he had another mouth to feed apart from his own. He’d picked up Misha, an Emperor penguin, from the local zoo after they advertised for those willing to take on looking after some of their collection due to lack of resources. Suffering from depression and a heart condition it was the least Viktor could do to feed Misha as well and as often as he could. When an obituary was published some weeks later Viktor was both pleased and saddened that this was his first time in print. When another followed weeks later Viktor began to worry. But when his editor started to direct who he should write about and how swiftly their deaths followed the worry began to morph into something darker. Was Viktor involved in something much bigger than simply extoling the virtues of the dead? Dare he even ask the question? Or would HIS name appear in a future copy of the newspaper... 

I picked this book up some months ago because it looked ‘quirky’. It was most certainly that! Pitched as a ‘dark comedy’ I found the first half of the book frankly hilarious – probably because of the level of absurdity that none of the characters seemed to notice or comment on. One thing that made me chuckle throughout – amongst many things – was the fact that a member of the local mafia shared the penguin's name and was referred throughout as ‘Misha - non penguin’. I’m smiling now just thinking about it. I found the second half less funny mostly, I think, because I had become used to the absurdity and had simply accepted the bizarre goings on as ‘normal’. This did not, in the least, reduce my enjoyment though. This remains one of the highlights of the year (so far) and I intend to read far more from this author (or at least as much has been translated into English). The atmosphere of post-Soviet Ukraine was very palpable, and it was fascinating just to ‘be there’ in the aftermath of the soviet collapse. The many characters throughout were excellent from Viktor, the gangster Misha non-penguin, his young daughter Sophie, Sergey the local policeman and, of course, the brilliant if silent Misha (the penguin).  

This was certainly a strange read – not least of which because of the cultural divide. But one of the many things I liked about it was the ability of the author to get the reader to identify with people that, if handled badly, could feel rather strange and ‘other’. At the end of the final page not only did it feel like you got to know the characters and like them (even most of the ‘baddies’) but you missed them once you’d finished. Definitely recommended for a ‘different’ and often very funny reading experience. More to come! 

Translated from the Russian by George Bird.  

Just Finished Reading: Wailing Ghosts by Pu Songling [56pp] 

I’m not a great lover of the Horror genre (except for Vampires which I don’t really regard as horror to be honest) but, despite the micro-blurb on the back referencing macabre hauntings, monsters and magic, there was little in the way of the horrific to be had here. Despite its size we are presented with FOURTEEN tales, although one was a single page, and we are even presented with several examples of classical Chinese woodcarving artwork! There’s a LOT packed in here. 

So, what exactly are we presented with? The tales are essentially fables and morality stories in order to teach things like good manners and as explanations of luck (both good and bad). There are several tales of encounters with strangers who turn out to be spirits, gods, demons and so on. How these people are treated – in ignorance – results in good or bad things happening. In other words, treat strangers kindly because you never know who they might be. I couldn’t help drawing the parallel with similar Greek tales. Another theme – involving actual ghosts this time – again looked at the appropriate behaviours around ancestors and the unexpected rewards that occurred, such as staying overnight in a suspected haunted house and being invited to a ghostly wedding ceremony and receiving a silver cup as a gift. This cup turns out to be a long-lost family treasure of the local big wig. 

These are more interesting for their cultural differences than anything else. There’s no great character development or involved storytelling. They are, mostly, about a person having a strange experience, telling other people about it, and everyone learning a life lesson by it. So, parables. Interesting stuff especially as the author died in 1715 so there’s a historical aspect interwoven with the cultural one. 

Translated from the Chinese by John Minford. 

Just Finished Reading: Three Japanese Short Stories by Akutagawa & Others [50pp] 

This was a (short) collection of three (obviously!) short stories extracted from an upcoming – but since published – collection intriguingly called Penguin Book of Japanese Short Stories. I’d seen that before when browsing Amazon and is, it appears, part of a larger set of international short story collections. Needless to say, I’m keeping a look out for them as I think they’re an excellent way not only to check out new authors but also to dip those toes into authors from other countries and other cultures. 

The three examples here were... odd, to say the least. We started with ‘Behind the Prison’ by Nagai Kafu which told of a wandering son returning to the family farm (located by a nearby prison) and struggling to fit back into a quiet life after living abroad. Although nothing has changed, except that his parents have become inexplicably older, he very much has. The second story (and the best I think) was ‘Closet L L B’ by Uno Koji. This was a rather strange, although very amusing, story of a young man who dreamt of being an author. His mother and guardian (his father being dead) want him to become a doctor but they ‘compromise’ on him studying Law. Coming next to last in his class he has no intention of practicing law but instead watches the street life and daydreams from the comfort of his futon closet. Lastly, we have the oldest tale (the author died in 1927) ‘General Kim’ by Akutagawa Ryunosuke. This was a fantastic (as in fantasy!) tale revolving around an early attempted invasion of Korea and the rise of a young Korean hero with seemingly magical powers. It reminded me a bit of ‘Crouching Tiger...’ 

Despite not being massively impressed by this short collection – with the possible exception of the middle story – it hasn’t put me off in the least from continuing with the Penguin Modern shorts and seeking out the larger volume from which these shorts were extracted. I’m always in the market for works in translation (indeed I picked up two such last week) so there will be more to follow.  

Just Finished Reading: An Englishman in Madrid by Eduardo Mendoza (FP: 2010) [380pp] 

Madrid, 1936. It was an opportunity he could hardly refuse. Art expert Anthony Whitelands has been commissioned to appraise a selection of paintings to assess their origin and their value for a high-ranking Spanish family. With the political clouds darkening in that country, it might be the last time for several years (at least) that such a visit to his favourite European city is possible. Of course he accepts. What he doesn’t expect is that his visit is a ruse. There are no paintings, there is just one. One work that will change his career path, one work that will make his name, one work that would be a global sensation. If he can prove it is in fact as advertised, he would be the toast of the artistic world. But the word IF is a very important one. IF it is indeed by the great Spanish artist Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez its owners are sitting on an unimaginable fortune. The secret is, however, already being rumoured. The idea that the painting will be used to create a safe haven for the family outside Spain might be a lie. Will it be used to buy arms for the expected Civil War and will the authorities try to stop the sale? Will the Falangists, so desperate for weapons, intervene? Will the Socialists, or their Soviet handlers, prevent the painting leaving the country, or even worse destroy it? At the centre of everything is an Englishman. An innocent abroad – but innocent for how long? 

As usual with such things I picked this up a few years ago because “it looked interesting and different”. I had no idea, despite it winning the Planeta Prize, that it would be SO good. The blurb on the back, which I honestly usually just skim, called it a ‘perfectly balanced blend of PG Wodehouse (who I’ve never read), Evelyn Waugh (who I’ve only seen adaptations of) and Graham Greene (who I’ve never read a bad book by). It did have a Greene feel to it – so I guess the others must apply too! I wasn’t, at first, sure what to make of it. It was clear from the start that it was (very) well written which definitely helped. The description of mid 30’s Madrid and the Spanish culture of that time was super immersive. I’ve read a little about the Civil War and the circumstances around that conflict (MUCH more later) so I was aware of some of that but this really put you THERE, on the street, in the meetings, in the private smoke filled rooms and made you understand what was what – without the feeling that any great mental effort was involved. It had a quite wonderful FEEL to it that’s (obviously) difficult to describe. 

Then, as always for me, was the characterisation. Anthony Whitehead is a GREAT character. Full of passion for Velazquez and for Spain itself his rather blinkered approach gets him into trouble after trouble, but his mastery of the language and his personality make it difficult for anyone to actively dislike him. Even those who have been tasked to kill him apologise for the event and seem genuinely sad to do so! He becomes involved with teenage prostitutes (complete with babe in arms), high class ladies, aristocrats, both fascist and socialist activists, the Spanish secret police and the British secret service and even the Prime Minister of Spain itself. One of the funniest recurring jokes (there are MANY funny moments in this often-serious book) was the comments from the exasperated staff at the Englishman's hotel who have to deal with a seemingly constant stream of visitors – the police, radicals, prostitutes, spies - looking for him or leaving cryptic messages on his return. It did indeed often read like a classic farce which caused much chuckling and not a few laugh-out-loud moments.  

Needless to say, as you’ve probably picked up on by now, I absolutely LOVED this book. It is, not to put too fine a point on it, totally brilliant and is definitely one of the top ten novels of the year for me. Yet again a translated book knocks it out of the park. If you have any interest in Spanish history (especially around the Civil War period), Spanish culture (especially art and most especially Velazquez) or Spanish politics in the 1930’s, or just a VERY good read indeed that will leave you with a desire to visit that city in reality then this is definitely the book for you. A total and absolute delight and, therefore, very highly recommended. I’ll most assuredly be seeking out more by this author.  

Translated from the Spanish by Nick Caistor.   

Just Finished Reading: Aphorisms on Love and Hate by Fredrich Nietzsche (FP: 1878) [55pp] 

Reading the way I do, it’s hard to avoid Nietzsche. I’ve certainly come across him numerous times in my Philosophy reading and have read several books about his ideas. I only studied him more intently during my Masters degree course some years ago where we focused on his 1887 work ‘On the Genealogy of Morality’. It was funny when, as we were about to start the seminar that the Head of Studies popped in and said that she was always wary of teaching Nietzsche to undergraduates because of its explosive nature. I understand her trepidation. I described reading his work as like breathing pure oxygen. 

Reading Nietzsche is, however, far from easy. He’s not a philosopher you can skim read or casually dip into. He’s the kind of thinker that requires a paragraph or more to unpack a single sentence. It’s almost as if he has compressed, zipped, his ideas inside the words he uses and some effort – and sometimes a great deal of effort – is required to unfold them into ideas your brain can process. I guess it's like the difference between eating simple carbohydrates which the body can easily convert to useful energy compared to complex proteins that take time and effort to absorb but provide vital elements that the body needs. Fortunately, the course tutor was excellent – and probably one of the smartest people I’ve ever known – so he managed to get his point across without completely frying our brains. This certainly helped with reading this slim volume. 

Containing extracts from Human, All Too Human (published in 1878), this covered a fairly wide area – not just Love and Hate – to do with ideas like Good and Evil, Suffering, Pity, Morality, Revenge, Justice and much else besides. Being typically Nietzschean the booklet positively drips with often razor sharp one liner’s. Here’s a few examples: 

Most men are much too concerned with themselves to be malicious. 

There will be but few people who, when at a loss for topics of conversation, will not reveal the most secret affairs of their friends. 

It is much more agreeable to offend and later ask forgiveness than to be offended and grant forgiveness.  

The best friend will probably get the best wife, because a good marriage is based on a talent for friendship. 

This was a fun little read and a reminder (as if I needed one) to get back into reading Philosophy again. I have (I think) most of Nietzsche’s works on my (mostly) Philosophy bookshelf so there’s no excuse. Expect one or two next year. Part of the Penguin Little Black Classics series. 

Translated from the German by Marion Faber and Stephen Lehmann. 

Just Finished Reading: First Person Singular by Haruki Murakami (FP: 2020) [245pp] 

I have been hearing good things, indeed great things, about Murakami for some years now so picking up a collection of his short stories seemed to me a no-brainer. Although I’m still musing about how I feel about him/his writing I’m certainly not sorry that I (finally) took the plunge. 

This collection contained 8 short stories all of which are based in Japan. What I’m struggling with is exactly how to classify them. They’re... odd. Not exactly Fantasy or even the much-used phrase ‘Magical Realism’, but strange, almost dreamlike at times. Although all of the stories are essentially based in reality, they have a quality about them that's hard to pin down – as you can no doubt tell from me struggling with definitions and my thoughts on the topic even after two weeks thinking about it. I think that at the heart of his stories – at least in these examples – are encounters with the surreal, even with the supernatural (but in a deeper, more philosophical, sense than mere ghosts). 

There’s Cream, where a vacillating student is invited to a music recital at a locked and obviously abandoned building where he meets an old man who tells him how to reset his life. The funny Charlie Parker Plays Bossa Nova where a strange record store selling impossible records is discovered and lost in the space of a few hours, and the even stranger tale Confessions of a Shinagawa Monkey, where a talking monkey relates his life story to a hostel’s single guest (but who would believe him, right?) only to have it kind of confirmed some years later in a random encounter. 

I think that the only word that describes the feeling I had when I turned the last page was haunting. It was almost as if the reader is given a glimpse, a short insight, a peek behind the curtain of reality to see, if only for a few brief seconds what is really going on. Sort of less ‘magical realism’, more real reality. It was weird, strange, bizarre and very well written. I can certainly see why the author is so well regarded. Needless to say, I shall be reading more of his work. I think I want my reality stretched again in such intriguing ways. Definitely recommended if you don’t mind your sense of reality being bent a little bit.          

Translated from the Japanese by Philip Gabriel 

Just Finished Reading: The Sage of Gunnlaug Serpent-tongue by Anon [52pp] 

Dreams cannot easily (or safely) be ignored. So, when Thorstein Egilsson dreamt of two great eagles fighting to the death on top of his house, he sought advice from the local wiseman. The inference was clear. Thorstein’s wife was about to give birth, and she would produce a daughter of surpassing beauty who men would fight and die over. To avoid such a fate Thorstein instructed his wife to leave a daughter exposed to the elements and the wolves but to keep a son. This she promised to do... but fate is a trickster and a mother's love is not to be trifled with.....  

I’ve come across the Nordic saga’s many times over the years but have never actually read any of them – even extracts such as this. That might change after enjoying this slim booklet. I think the first thing that struck me was how similar to Greek myths they are (and not wholly based on the fact that I’m presently reading a book steeped in Greek mythology. The idea of Fate and the fact that it cannot be avoided – except is VERY exceptional circumstances – is central to both ‘belief systems’. Even the Gods themselves must bend before the Fates, so mere mortals have little chance as this tale shows. As usual the very fact of trying to avoid a fated outcome brings it about. “Fate, it seems, it not without a sense of irony”.  

The other thing I noticed/liked was the scattering of insights into the Nordic/Anglo-Saxon civilisations of the time as various characters (most especially the eponymous Gunnlaug) travelled around the North Sea with visits to Norway and England as well as travels within Iceland where the sage is based. Although the tale itself was only written down around 1270-1300 the action takes place around 990-1010 which I’m moderately familiar with reading around the Battle of Hastings and the Norman Invasion. My background reading made the customs and some of the main characters – Kings mostly – readily understandable. If you’re interested in the period and ever wondered about the Saga’s - and even wondered if you might want to read a complete one – this is definitely an entry port for you. Recommended.  

Translated from the Icelandic/Old Norse by Katrina C Attwood

Just Finished Reading: News From Berlin by Otto De Kat (FP: 2012) [203pp] 

Switzerland, June 1941. It was a dangerous whisper in a public place. Dutch diplomat Oscar Verschuur was delighted to see his daughter Emma and her German husband Carl on an official trip from Berlin. What he didn’t expect was the content of her whispered message. She had discovered from her husband that Germany was about to attack its supposed ally and invade the Soviet Union. She even had a date, June 22nd, and a name that meant nothing to her: Barbarossa. But what was Oscar supposed to do with this information? Who could he tell? His Dutch colleagues? Hardly. The neutral Americans? The British? Would they believe him? Would they accept any news out of Berlin except as misinformation or simply lies? Even if he managed to pass the information on, even if an Allied contact believed him, would the Russians? They had little love for the capitalists and assumed, rightly to be honest, that they desired to break the Axis-Soviet Pact, so what would their reaction be? What was worse was the fact that Emma’s actions were bound to have been seen and reported back to Berlin. Oscar was often under surveillance and if the warning could be traced back to him then his daughter, and his son-in-law, would be real danger. But to do nothing? To let the attack go ahead unhindered? Could he live with that? The deaths of thousands, or even millions, that his words might avoid... What to do... What to do... 

On the face of things this sounds like a pretty standard “race against time” espionage ‘thriller’. There are some *faint* echoes of that, but this is much, much more. Oscar is a man of secrets. No one is quite sure what his function is and exactly what he’s doing in Switzerland. His family is, like so many others during the war, scattered across Europe. His only daughter is in Berlin under constant threat of Allied bombing attacks. His wife Kate is in London savouring the drop in German air attacks (as the Luftwaffe presumably reposition on the soon to be Eastern Front). Oscar has just started an affair with a fellow Dutch refugee and Kate is still thinking about her first husband who died in Italy before the war. All of the main, and subsidiary, characters have deep believable backstories and motivations for what they do – or don’t do. They’re all real in that sense as is the central tension created by Emma and the leak from the German Foreign Office. We now know that Stalin had been warned repeatedly by the Allies (and by his own military intelligence!) that an attack was coming but refused to accept the fact and his country paid a very heavy price for that denial. Oscar, of course, didn’t know any of this (unfortunately for his sleepless nights) but OUR knowledge of that fact makes his situation all the more dramatic I feel. 

I’d been looking forward to reading this since I picked it up in my Indie bookshop last year. By page 3 I knew I’d picked a winner. The prose is sublime, the characters very well drawn and it was overall a delight from beginning to end. I think the author has 3-4 more books in translation, so I’ll be looking out for them. One of the highlights of the year. Highly recommended for lovers of well-written character driven stories. 

Translated from the Dutch by Ina Rilke.

[Oh, I almost forgot.... There was ONE disappointment. I was hoping that this would add Switzerland to my fictional world tour but, 'unfortunately' the 'action' was too split between Berlin, London, Lisbon (briefly) and various parts of Switzerland to count.]  

Just Finished Reading: Mrs Rosie and the Priest by Giovanni Boccaccio [54pp] 

First, some background.... Although I’ve been *aware* of these books I only really, really, thought about actually going ahead and buying the boxset of 80 of them after Marianne posted a review of an Oscar Wilde short book in this series on 14th March. What I’d failed to realise was that the boxset – if I’d actually paid attention – only contained the first 80 booklets (as far as I know there’s now around 127 in the set). The Wilde booklet is number 119... However, after the initial ‘disappointment’ I’m still pleased I purchased the set especially as they were on offer (half price) which makes each one about £1 each – which isn’t too shabby! Actually, I was SO impressed by the idea behind the boxset that I also bought the equivalent Penguin Modern classics which ‘only’ contains 50 booklets of which more later. My 'excuse', as if I need one, is that its my birthday soon so purchases like this simply don't count.  

Finally, the book itself... This was actually four stories extracted from the much larger work The Decameron and included the title story itself. My two favourite stories were, however, Andreuccio’s de Perugia’s Neapolitan adventures which was honestly a very funny farce where a young man on his first business trip to Naples gets scammed by a local beauty out of all of his money. Then, through a series of mishaps and adventures gains a ring far more valuable than any purse of gold he started with. Ricciardo da Chinzica loses his wife is somewhat less amusing but is an interesting critique of husbands who don’t pay enough attention to their much younger wives. I guess some themes are eternal! Overall, the four stories are rather amusing, somewhat ‘bawdy’ but not a patch on such tales today and often deeply critical of the Catholic church which got the author into a lot of trouble! 

Translated from the Italian by Peter Hainsworth. 

From Wiki:  The Decameron or Decamerone, subtitled Prince Galehaut and sometimes nicknamed l'Umana commedia ("the Human comedy", as it was Boccaccio that dubbed Dante Alighieri's Comedy "Divine"), is a collection of short stories by the 14th-century Italian author Giovanni Boccaccio (1313–1375). The book is structured as a frame story containing 100 tales told by a group of seven young women and three young men; they shelter in a secluded villa just outside Florence in order to escape the Black Death, which was afflicting the city. The epidemic is likely what Boccaccio used for the basis of the book which was thought to be written between 1348–1353. The various tales of love in The Decameron range from the erotic to the tragic. Tales of wit, practical jokes, and life lessons also contribute to the mosaic. In addition to its literary value and widespread influence (for example on Chaucer's Canterbury Tales), it provides a document of life at the time. Written in the vernacular of the Florentine language, it is considered a masterpiece of early Italian prose. 

So, we’re definitely off to an ‘interesting’ start. What the set of booklets will allow me to do is expand my reading – I don’t think I’ll ever regard myself as ‘well-read’ but I’m going to try – read books translated from a host of other languages and maybe (at least) press up against the boundaries of my various comfort zones. One of the things it will do, and something I haven’t done in at least 50 years or so, is get me reading Poetry... Not usually my thing, but I’m willing to give it a try in booklet size chunks. It’ll be interesting to see where things lead.  

Just Finished Reading: Heroes by Valerio Massimo Manfredi (FP: 1994) [274pp] 

The War is finally over. After long years of conflict Troy has fallen and is burning. Eager to leave the Greeks know that the Gods will not approve of the killings and desecration of temples, the result of years of tension and disappointment. They are not wrong. The journey back home is cursed for many. Some will not make it back alive. Others are blown off course and spend years in far off lands complete with new unwanted adventure and loss. Others, the hero Diomedes among them, manage to complete their journeys only to find that their home has changed beyond recognition and that only death and betrayal await them. Knowing that his wife wants him dead and her lover to take the throne, Diomedes manages to convince part of his fleet to follow him to unknown lands and, eventually, to far off Hesperia to build a new city and begin a new life. Meanwhile, back in Greece Menelaus plots his revenge against his brother's wife while a deeper conspiracy begins to unfold. After years of war there will be no peace for the heroes of the Trojan Wars. 

I’ve read a few books by this author and this was one of his earlier works – his fourth book. I found it to be essentially a book of two parts. The primary tale was of Diomedes and his band of warriors wandering up and down Hesperia – which we know today as Italy – looking for a new home, fighting primitive tribes and coming to terms with their fates. I did find this rather pedestrian to be honest and very little seemed to happen. The second thread was, I thought, much more interesting – the intrigue and plotting back home in Greece involving Menelaus and others in revenge over the death of Agamemnon and the political machinations that followed from it. I enjoyed that a great deal and would have ranked this book highly if it had been the primary (or only!) plot line. 

A few other things interested me – the fact that Diomedes had an, almost fatal, encounter with a warrior wielding an IRON sword which made very short work of his BRONZE sword and armour! Another thing was the ‘true’ role of Helen in the Trojan War... I’d heard it before when reading other books on myths so it didn’t come as a huge surprise. In a previous work I learnt that there is no agreed upon ‘canon’ in Greek myths and there are MANY variations on a theme none of which is the ‘correct’ version. The myths we know these days are just one ‘agreed upon’ version. The BIG thing that I’d never come across before (which, to be honest, the author may have created out of whole cloth) was the ‘REAL’ reason for the war itself – which wasn’t what we had been led to believe. It was, taking into account the beliefs of the time, a creditable one. I’ll see if I can find reference to it elsewhere. 

Overall, this was a fair read. I was a little bored at times by the Diomedes story but the Menelaus plotline more than made up for it. An interesting look at a timeless story. Recommended and more to come from both this author and this Myth series. 

Translated from the Italian by Christine Feddersen-Manfredi

Just Finished Reading: The Goodbye Cat by Hiro Arikawa (FP: 2021) [244pp] 

After enjoying the authors previous novel – The Travelling Cat Chronicles – I was looking forward to her next work. I was not disappointed. Rather than a novel, this was a selection of short stories featuring cats (obviously) and how they affected their owners during a change or crisis in their lives. Oddly (at least in my mind) almost all, if not actually all, the cats in question were strays picked up by various characters in various ways. Whether that’s a standard way to have a cat in your life – in Japan or elsewhere – I don’t know. My last cat arrived in a roundabout way, via the landlady of a friend's girlfriend... 

Off to a great start with ‘The Goodbye Cat’ a story told from the point of view of Kota, a new cat in the Sakuraba family who is ‘promised’ to go to Heaven if he lives long enough and fills out the correct forms. Both funny and quite sad. ‘Bringing Up Baby’ might have been my favourite tale if it wasn’t for two later ones. It told of a socially inept husband of a long-suffering wife who despaired of him ever being able to cope with their new baby – until he finds a kitten in a discarded pizza box and adopts it. Looking after such a small and needy creature (Spin, the cat that is!) turns him into the husband and father she most needed. A very heart-warming story. 'Cat Island' was a bit of a mystical one revolving around a young boy coming to terms with his father's second wife helped by an old woman who is much more than she seems to be. 

The last two in the collection were a surprise. At first, I thought ‘Finding Hachi’ was an earlier draft of Travelling Cat, but it turned out to be an expansion of the novels plot where we learned more about the main characters first cat and his early family tragedy. In ‘Life is Not Always Kind’, the final story, we learn even more about the background of the Travelling Cat’s main character Satoru Miyawaki and his second cat Nana. I was really pleased to be immersed in that lovely narrative again.

Not only are these stories bound to be loved by anyone who is remotely a fan of felines they also give lots of little insights into Japanese culture which is fascinating in its own right. The author has a real eye for life's daily drama too. 

One additional thing that I loved about this book was that each story was preceded by an excellent drawing of a cat by someone who both clearly knew and loved cats. You can see the quality of his work on the cover too. The artist’s name is Yukata Murakami and you’ll be seeing examples of some of his work in future. I’m already looking forward to the author's next book which, as far as I can tell, is a series of short stories based around train travel. Highly recommended although the more sensitive might need a tissue or two ready. 

Translated from the Japanese by Philip Gabriel. 

Just Finished Reading: Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi (FP: 2013) [272pp] 

Sometimes he didn’t know why he did it. It was easy to blame the alcohol in his system, but that wasn’t the real reason, and he knew it. It was part protest against the uncaring authorities and part homage to the dead – at least that’s what he told himself to justify the grisly tasks. The product of those tasks, the recovery of unclaimed body parts from the explosions across the city, was laying in nearby room almost ‘complete’. It was, he thought, almost ready to deliver as a rebuke to the new regime and their American backers. Then, almost as if it had never existed, the body, the patchwork corpse, vanished one stormy night. Had someone claimed it? Had it been stolen by someone for some purpose? Clearly the authorities hadn’t taken it, or he’d be in prison or worse. So where was it? It wasn’t long before he and his neighbours started hearing the rumours – of dead agents of the previous regime, of fruitless police chases and a man that bullets couldn’t kill. He dismissed the idea that it involved him or his ‘project’. Things like that didn’t happen in the modern world, right.....? 

I’d been hearing about this for a while – mostly on BookTube – so when I saw it in my fave Indie bookstore, I snapped it up. It certainly lived up to its hype and I really liked it. It’s a strange tale though! I don’t think that you needed to have read Shelly’s original, but I think knowing that story fairly well enhanced my enjoyment as I saw parallels and concordances with the 1818 classic. The writing/translation was excellent with a sprinkle of horror/fantasy and magical realism salted through a tale of down-on-the-streets survival in an ultra-violent city balanced on the edge of chaos and destruction. The ‘monster’ - a fascinating construct/character in its own right – was obviously a metaphor for the violence and seemingly endless cycle of revenge killings going on in Baghdad after the events of Gulf War II, but the author didn’t constantly hit you over the head with that obvious fact. The writing was a LOT more subtle than that. One of the, many, things I loved about the book was the number of fully fleshed out characters involved in the events as they evolved – from the ‘creature’ builder himself to the lonely grandmother awaiting the return of her son from the long-ago Iraq/Iran War, to the opportunist real-estate man trying to make a FAST buck and the reporter misled by his boss and harassed by the authorities and finally the military man trying to make a name for himself in a wild-west environment aided by his fractious team of astrologers. It was quite a ride!  

If you want to read something very much out of the ordinary that’s both well written and thought provoking, then this is definitely the book for you. I’m not in the least surprised that it was nominated for literary prizes and won some too. A little violent at times and a little gory at others – but probably not much more that Mary Shelly’s version – this is a highly recommended read that will stay with you long after the distant sound of car bombs have faded. 

Translated from the Arabic by Jonathan Wright.