Saturday, January 12th, 2008
Steven Aldiss – Haiku Humor (1)
One umbrella The person more in love gets wet Even the winner of the argument has a hard time sleeping By saying not to worry he says something worrisome.
Archive for January, 2008
Saturday, January 12th, 2008
Jonathan Lethem – The Wall of the Sky, the Wall of the Eye (2)
A wonderfully inventive collection of stories, and again a work of Science Fiction as it should be written, with regards not only for the abstract gimmicky idea or the strange and attractive world, but for the mundane experiences of both the characters and the readers in such a situation, and well rounded and balanced characters. […]
Saturday, January 12th, 2008
Amerikanische Schönheit
In der Sonne zwischen den Gebäuden vor dem Bahnhof von Newark fangen sich die heftigen Windstösse, die nach einigen Tagen Frühsommerwetter den Winter wiederherstellen werden. Eine kleine Windhose entsteht auf dem leeren Vorplatz und zieht Kartonagen, Plastiktüten und vereinzelte Blätter im Wirbel mit, ein grosses Stück Pappe wird gegen das rechte Bein eines Bänkers auf […]
Monday, January 7th, 2008
Tamara Jenkins – The Savages (2)
Quirky, drab, touching and depressing, all at the same time, this is the story of a father slowly dying, and his estranged children struggling to find their place in what unfolds. I’m not entirely sure of its quality objectively – I suspect it’s rather good, if you must know -, for it hit close to […]
Monday, January 7th, 2008
Chase
West Side bis zum verbunkerten Rite Aid an der Ecke, dann Sip steil bergauf. Links ein Apartmentgebäude, komplett weihnachtsbeleuchtet, absurd in der sonst tristen Umgebung. Unheimlich auch, die Locklichter eines gefrässigen Tiefseefisches. Hinter Journal Square links Summit bergauf bis zum Reservoir und der weiten Brache davor, über die eisig der Wind pfeift. Entlang des Reservoirs […]
Monday, January 7th, 2008
Washington Street Station
Das Rad mit dem platten Reifen an der rechten Hand stehe ich in der eisigen Station unter der Strasse, Nebelwolken durch die Skimütze. Vorne im einfahrenden Zug sitzt hinter getönten Scheiben der Fahrer und blickt kurz von seinem Buch auf, als er den Zug zum Stehen bringt.
Monday, January 7th, 2008
Zach Braff – Garden State (2)
A delightful and touching comedy, with a lovely soundtrack, and wonderfully understated moments of dry humor, mixed with the emotionally touching story of trauma overcome and love found in the most unlikely of places, Jersey. I’ll go to southern Newark soon, looking for the infinite abyss and the old leaky boat guarding it, not to […]
Monday, January 7th, 2008
Barash / Lipton – The Myth of Monogamy (2)
To the reader interested in love, sex and animal and human happiness, though rare a beast such a reader might be, this book holds a treasure trove of observations, deliberations and insights. Always keeping in mind the obvious question – how does all this relate to us? – the authors lead us on a walk […]
Friday, January 4th, 2008
Herbert Asbury – All Around the Town (2)
Curious and strange, most of the stories in this book make for delightful reading and provide a colourful historical backdrop for the current New York to be viewed against. Unfortunately, though, the author is not all that trustworthy (an easy to check example is his assertion that cops are called that because New York’s police […]
Thursday, January 3rd, 2008
Swirling
Is this a colourful display of life and excitement, or a sad collection of dead beauty? And if both are there, aspects of the whole, what property of my mind is it that would pick one over the other? Is this like a Necker cube, shifting uncontrollably while we look on, or can we actively […]