Forfatter: Mirthful

Tematrio

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tematrioI think it’s the first time I manage to get in an answer to Lyrans tematrio (thematic trio). Today the challenge is: «berätta om tre av dina favoritklassiker!» («tell us about three of your favourite classics»), and a challenge it is, too. How to chose?

1. I’m sorry, I can’t get past Jane Austen, and today I’m going to go for Persuasion (though I might as well chose Emma. Or Pride & Prejudice. Or Sense & Sensiblility. Or even Mansfield Park). There is something about Anne and her naval hero, her sense of duty and her competing instinct towards rebellion. And there is something about Captain Wentworth, too. How he so wants to ignore the woman who spurned him all those years ago, but how can he? It was obviously meant to be. The dreaming teenager in me loves the love story, but the adult realist in me loves it, too. I also love the intimate and realistic portrait of Anne’s dysfunctional family and the priceless descriptions of the more minor characters that Jane Austen is justly famous for. And since I’m in the middle of my favourite maritime story, whose author, by the way, was a great fan of dear Jane, there is something very appealing about the naval side of the novel. I adore the image of Anne, married, on board ship with her Captain that the film from 1995 provides. To me it’s the perfect happy ending. (Oh, and who could forget the immortal line, uttered by Anne’s useless father in the same film? «You want to marry Anne? Whatever for?»)

2. Hundre års ensomhet (or Cien años de soledad) by Gabriel García Márques is going to be my second choice, partly because it’s one of the books I have an increasing urge to reread. As it is I don’t actually remember too much about it except thinking it exceptionally good. I mostly remember the staggering realisation on reaching the end of the book that… But, hush, that would be a spoiler.

3. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston must be a classic, yes? It’s on the 1001 books list, anyway, and old enough by now to have proven it will stand the test of time. A gem of a book, where Janie Crawford tells the story of her life, and what a life! Another one on my «needs to be reread» list.

Adding to Mount TBR

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Well, that’s the danger, but also the purpose, of reading bookblogs. Anyway, here are a few books I’ve put on my «to look for» list:

blackoutBlackout by Sam Mills was reviewed by Bookwitch this morning, and it sounds like a must-read. Banned books, rewritten classics and a government who knows best, protecting people from themselves? Give it to me!

The Fever series by Karen Marie Moning seems like something I need to check out. Silje shared a taster from Faefever in this week’s Smakebit på en søndag, and reading about Bloodfever on her blog intrigues me. Definitely something to look for (preferably second hand) in Scotland in a few weeks.

Papirpiken

Another taster, this one from Elida, pointed me towards Papirpiken – or Le Fille de Papier, which is its original French title. So, nt something to look for in Scotland, but I might try to get the Norwegian translation from the library, because it sounds very nice.

On the whole, these tasters (organised by Mari) are going to be dangerous. Too many books, so little time!

And as if new-to-me books and authors are not sufficient, Labben reviews Ishiguro’s A Pale View of Hills and Lyran finishes Murakami’s Norwegian Wood, reminding me of authors whose unread books are already in my possession, I just need to find time to read them.

Sigh.

Catch of the day

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Yesterday, at Sverresborg skole (a very small, badly signposted jumble sale):

  • Oda! by Kjetil Bjørnstad – paperback, thought we ought to have it as it’s the lass’ first name

Today at Steindal skole (the largest jumble sale in Trondheim, as far as I’m aware, but with a site that hasn’t grown with the goods and the visitor numbers, meaning it’s really not possible to browse comfortably ANYWHERE on the first day, and only barely on the second):

  • Toy Story 2 picture book – much joy at this since it’s the lass’ favourite, Jessie being relatively prominent.
  • Ina er den ivrigste by Annik Saxegaard – a duplicate, I have all the Ina books but I still buy them whenever I come across a copy at jumble sales.
  • Mennesker og bøker by Knut Coucheron Jarl, Oslo 1942 – no idea what this is like, but anything printed in Oslo during the war has a certain degree of interest. Needs research.
  • Mitt liv som læge by Anna Walter Fearn – I ought to get hold of the original, called My Days of Strength, but in the meantime, this, printed in 1940, is sure to be interesting. A female doctor? The cover design suggests the far east, too. Also needs research.
  • Hvor gammelt er Norge? by Arnulf Øverland, Oslo 1964 – a collection of essays by one of our finest poets, apparently a first edition. Though it’s stained on the front by coffee or similar, it’s still quite likely worth more than I paid for the whole pile if it’s a first and in any case I’d like to read it.
  • Den vesle filledokka by Michael Ende, illustrations by Roswitha Quadflieg – for the lass, obviously, but I’m going to read it for myself first, Michael Ende is usually interesting. Original title: Das kleine Lumpenkasperle.

And two other newish Disney books for the lass. All for the princely sum of 40 NOK.

Smakebit på en søndag: The Thirteen-Gun Salute

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Since it’s time for another Smakebit – a «taster» – (though I skipped a week) here’s another Jack quote:

‘Why, Stephen, some people are in a hurry: men-of-war, for instance. It is no good carrying your pig to market and finding…’ He paused, frowning.

‘It will not drink?’

‘No, it ain’t that neither.’

‘That there are no pokes to be had?’

‘Oh well, be damned to literary airs and graces’

Page 114 in The Thirteen-Gun Salute by Patrick O’Brian.

thirteen-gun_salute

Jack Aubrey quotes

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I never manage to say anything very sensible about the Aubrey/Maturin books except that I love them to bits. One of the very many reasons I love them is Jack Aubrey’s way with words. Or lack of way with words, more accurately. He can turn any perfectly well known idiom or proverb into something quite delightfully ridiculous.

For example:

It will not do to meddle with him. He is the kind of lamb that lies down with the lion, in wolf’s clothing.

From The Letter of Marque, page 134. And from HMS Surprise, page 157:

‘It is not what you would call handsome,’ said Jack laughing, ‘but a bird in the hand is worth any amount of beating about the bush, don’t you agree?’

And this exchange between Jack and Stephen in The Far Side of the World (Jack being the first speaker), page 106:

‘It was the strangest experience: there he was, telling me things to my face as though he were invisible, while I could see him as plain as…’
‘The ace of spades?’
‘No. Not quite that. As plain as… God damn it. As plain as the palm of my hand? A turnpike?’
‘As Salisbury Sphere? As a red herring?’
‘Perhaps so.’

And later in the same novel, at page 293:

‘That would be locking the horse after the stable door is gone, a very foolish thing to do.’

Indeed. Again at page 306:

‘Only this morning I was thinking how right they were to say it was better to be a dead horse than a live lion.’ He gazed out of the scuttle, obviously going over the words in his mind. ‘No. I mean better to flog a dead horse than a live lion.’
‘I quite agree.’ [Stephen]
‘Yet even that’s not quite right, neither. I know there is a dead horse in it somewhere; but I am afraid I’m brought by the lee this time, though I rather pride myself on proverbs, bringing them in aptly, you know, and to the point.’
‘Never distress yourself, brother; there is no mistake I am sure. It is a valuable saying, and one that admonishes us never to underestimate our enemy, for whereas flogging a dead horse is child’s play, doing the same to a lion is potentially dangerous, even though one may take a long spoon.’

Stephen is quite as bad as Jack when he tries to use nautical expressions, otherwise he spends a bit of time confusing his friend further unless he is in a particularly amiable mood (as he is in that last exchange). Though how you’d bring a long spoon to flogging a live lion, I’m not so sure…

Dagens dikt

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Eller utdrag av en sangtekst, da:

Satt ei lita jente nedpå trappa og gråt
trappa og gråt, trappa og gråt.
Satt ei lita jente nedpå trappa og gråt
trappa og gråt så sårt.

Kom ei gammal kjerring bort og spurte hva det var
spurte hva det var, spurte hva det var.
Kom ei gammal kjerring bort og spurte hva det var
spurte hva det var, var, var.

«Jeg få’kke lov av mamma å gå på kinomotograf.» – «Hvorfor ikke det?»
«Jeg få’kke sitte i fred,
for guttene de kiler meg og da må jeg le.
Huff de dumme guttene!»

«Nå får jeg lov av mamma å gå på kinomotograf.» – «Hvorfor får du det?»
«Nå får jeg sitte i fred,
for jeg har lært karate og nå slår jeg dem ned
hvis de ikke lar meg være i fred.»

Oppbyggelig barnesang fra Lillebjørn Nilsen (plata Haba Haba som går på repeat i heimen).

Jorden rundt

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I fell off the journey spectacularly last year, partly due to accidentally packing the relevant books away in preparation of moving, but I think I might just jump on again now. Lyran’s challenge 2011 edition has reached South America and all of the chosen books look interesting. Just now, incidentally, Jack and Stephen are on their way to Sweden, but once they’ve been there and resolved a few things, they’re heading for South America. Which doesn’t count towards the challenge, but seems apt anyway. I have to finish with Jack and Stephen before tackling any of these three, but I should be able to make it in September.

I should in fact have a copy of Manguel somewhere, if I can’t find it I guess I might go for Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter, as it seems to be the only one of the three available for the Kindle. Though come to think of it, my father has read some Llosa, I might be able to borrow it off him. We’ll see.

Da Kindle is in da house

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Though I expect it will spend much of its time out of da house, that’s part of the point, surely?

I mentioned to the husband that I was considering ordering a Kindle from amazon.co.uk to be delivered when we visit friends in Scotland towards the end of the month – to avoid paying the extra fees that I’m sure would accrue when the package reached Norway (though books are excempt, I’m assuming the actual Kindle would count as electronics, which aren’t). Anyhoo, he did a bit of a price check (he does, which is good, I’m far too lazy to shop around much) and found he could buy one at Dixons for less than Amazon wanted when he went to England this weekend for a work thing. And he did, so now I have a Kindle.

Yay.

So far all I’ve got in the way of literature is The Inheritance by Robin Hobb, which I’d already purchased through the Kindle app on my phone, thinking short stories would be a good emergency read (that’s what I’d use the Kindle app for, emergency reading when finding myself with a bit of a wait without a book in my bag – I don’t find reading on the small screen comfortable enough to do any regular reading that way). As I’m still with Jack and Stephen – at The Reverse of the Medal now – I don’t really need anything new to read for the next couple of weeks, so I’ve started following amazonkindle on Twitter to get notified of the daily deals, that seems to be the best strategy for the moment, since I’m unlikely to stop wanting to buy hard copies of the books I really like, it’s as well if I can get the ebooks cheap.

A couple of classics

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Books bought at a flea market last week:

  • Seierherrene by Roy Jacobsen
  • Out of Africa by Karen Blixen (Isak Dinesen)
  • Three Disney picture books for the lass

The former I have read, once on a time. Just after it was first published, in fact. I loved it. Partly because it’s my familiy history, to some extent, the narrator’s mother moves from the north of Norway to Oslo just like my maternal grandmother did. I’ve been wanting to reread it for a while, so when I found a clean hardback copy I couldn’t pass it up. Out of Africa is on my list of «books I probably should feel ashamed I haven’t read». Well, the world is full of books and I have no time to waste on feeling ashamed if I’m to have time to read them all, but at least now I can put it on mount tbr. It’s a penguin edition (with Shadows in the Grass) with a film shot of Mery Streep and Robert Redford on the front. And, no, I haven’t seen the film, either.

Ah, Jasper.

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Another blog worth following is the Guardian Books Blog. Right now they’re doing major coverage of the Edinburgh book festival, and they’ve had webchats with a couple of authors (transcript available after the fact), one of which: The very, very lovely Jasper Fforde. It’s actually the first time I’ve seen a picture of Fforde, and my first reaction was «But he looks quite normal!» Incidentally, that was my first reaction when seeing Frode Øverlie for the first time at a signing at Serieteket in Oslo, too.