Honey, I Killed The Cats by Dorota Masłowska

Posted August 1, 2020 by Michael @ Knowledge Lost in Contemporary / 2 Comments

Title: Honey, I Killed The Cats (Goodreads)
Author: Dorota Masłowska
Translator: Benjamin Paloff
Published: Deep Vellum Publishing, 2019
Pages: 176
Genres: Contemporary
My Copy: ARC from Publisher

Buy: Amazon, Book Depository, Wordery (or visit your local Indie bookstore)

Polish writer Dorota Masłowska has had a stellar literary career so far, publishing her first novel (Snow White and Russian Red) at just 19. She has won the NIKE Literary Award (a prestigious Polish award) in 2006 for her second novel, which has yet to be translated into English. Out of her six books, half have been translated into English, the latest being Honey, I Killed the Cats which was translated by Benjamin Paloff. In this novel Dorota Masłowska tells the tale of two independent woman as they try to navigate their lives and friendship in our modern world.

Before talking about the novel, I want to quickly talk about satire, mainly because I am sick of seeing confusion around this literary device. There are two main types of satirical writing, Horatian is playful, while Juvenal is scolding. Satire is used to criticise social issues; it doesn’t necessarily go hand in hand with humour. The reason I wanted to talk about these differences is because I think Honey, I Killed the Cats does a wonderful job in incorporating the Horatian and Juvenal satire into the novel. On one hand we have a playful, humorous look at mass-media and consumerism, then there is a harsh exploration into the dangers of corporate greed, diet culture and fitness fads.

Another reason why I wanted to talk about the different satirical styles was because I have an example of each that I think seem to share some similarities to Honey, I Killed the Cats. For Horatian satire, I had a similar vibe to Jonathan Swift’s A Modest Proposal, in the sense that it shared a very similar style of dark humour. Then the style of Juvenal satire similar to this novel, I think would be American Psycho, in the way it attempted to explore the destructive nature of modern trends, but it used advertising jingles in a similar way Bret Easton Ellis did with fashion descriptions.

On the back of the book is a quote that says this books a cross between Virginie Despentes and Blade Runner. While this is an apt description, especially since Blade Runner is set in 2019, the book that I am reminded of is Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart. There is a similarity here that is both playful and bitter towards modern consumerism that I find fitting. Needless to say, I appreciate a novel that knows how to both have fun and deal with some real issues.

I read this novel soon after finishing Ducks, Newburyport so I think I might have gone for some deeper interpretation. The plot became less important and even irrelevant to my reading experience. I had a great time with Honey, I Killed the Cats and am curious to explore more from Dorota Masłowska. I found it strange going from a book like Ducks, Newburyport to something like this novel but thankfully there was plenty to explore. Despite the fact that this review says nothing about the plot of this book, I hope I have said enough to interest others.

The 2020 International Booker Longlist

Posted February 27, 2020 by Michael @ Knowledge Lost in Literary Prizes / 0 Comments

The Discomfort of Evening by Marieke Lucas Rijneveld (translated by Michele Hutchison)
The Eighth Life by Nino Haratischvili (translated by Charlotte Collins & Ruth Martin)
The Enlightenment of The Greengage Tree by Shokoofeh Azar (translated by Anonymous)
The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa (translated by Stephen Snyder)
The Other Name: Septology I – II by Jon Fosse (translated by Damion Searls)
Tyll byDaniel Kehlmann (translated by Ross Benjamin)
Faces on the Tip of My Tongue by Emmanuelle Pagano (translated by Sophie Lewis & Jennifer Higgins)
Hurricane Season by Fernanda Melchor (translated by Sophie Hughes)
Little Eyes by Samanta Schweblin (translated by Megan McDowell)
Mac and His Problem by Enrique Vila-Matas (translated by Margaret Jull Costa & Sophie Hughes)
Red Dog by Willem Anker (translated by Michiel Heyns)
Serotonin by Michel Houellebecq (translated by Shaun Whiteside)
The Adventures of China Iron by Gabriela Cabezón Cámara (translated by Fiona Mackintosh & Iona Macintyre)

International Booker 2020 Predictions

Posted February 24, 2020 by Michael @ Knowledge Lost in Literature / 10 Comments

The International Booker longlist is about to be revealed in the next few days. As most people know, this is probably the main prize I follow. I want to pay attention to the Best Translated Book Award (BTBA), Warwick Prize for Women in Translation or National Book Award for Translated Literature, but it is the Booker that is the most accessible here in Australia. Plus, there is the added bonus of having people from all around the world talking about these books.

I often find it challenging to predict the books that will end up on the longlist, but this year feels particularly more difficult. I am not sure what to expect, and the books have not been major standouts. I do think Baron Wenckheim’s Homecoming by László Krasznahorkai (translated by Ottilie Mulzet) will be longlisted but purely on the fact that Krasznahorkai always turns up on the list. I don’t have a great relationship with László Krasznahorkai but I have started Baron Wenckheim’s Homecoming trying to get it out of the way as soon as possible.

If the judges are going for popularity, then The Memory Police by Yōko Ogawa (translated by Stephen Synder) will be on the longlist. I am a fan of Ogawa and pleased that this book got so much attention, but this is not a favourite of mine. After those two books, it really is a struggle to pick what will be longlisted. Possibly Love by Hanne Ørstavik (translated by Martin Aitken), it was released in the US last year, but the UK release would be eligible for the prize.

The judging panel for this year’s International Booker Prize is pretty amazing. The judges are Lucie Campos, Jennifer Croft, Valeria Luiselli and Jeet Thayil, with Ted Hodgkinson chairing the panel. If I made an assumption of the longlist based on the judges, I will expect that this will be a European/South American heavy list, more so than normal.

Here are the books I am predicting (watch me be very wrong)

Ducks, Newburyport by Lucy Ellmann

Posted November 1, 2019 by Michael @ Knowledge Lost in Literary Fiction / 8 Comments

Title: Ducks, Newburyport (Goodreads)
Author: Lucy Ellmann
Published: Text, July 4, 2019
Pages: 1040
Genres: Literary Fiction
My Copy: Paperback

Buy: Amazon, Book Depository, Kindle, Wordery (or visit your local Indie bookstore)

Having spent the good part of a month reading Ducks, Newburyport might shock many of the readers here, the fact that I spend most of my time reading books in translation, the fact that I often have reservations about reading a 1000+ page book, not willingly but mainly because I can’t stop myself from fixating on numbers, and the fact that it is rare for me to pick up a hyped book like this one, but in my defence I wanted to read this before the Booker Prize, I had actually heard about it from the Three Percent Podcast and knew that I had to get my hands on this novel. I think many people are put off by the style, Ducks, Newburyport has been promoted as a single sentence stream of consciousness novel which might make people feel hesitant. However, I think this is a surprisingly easy novel to read, and once you are in the groove of things, you will really enjoy the journey. The book focuses on the inner thoughts of an Ohioan wife as she is backing pies.

I have always been fascinated with the stream of consciousness but sometimes it feels like a gimmick, with Ducks, Newburyport it feels natural. This woman has a lot on her mind, from her own health worries, her family and the state of America. The books length is designed to be intimidating, to simulate that crushing feeling of thoughts and emotions. What impressed me most was the way Ducks, Newburyport blended pop-culture, personal experiences, memories and even synonyms to progress her inner thoughts, then sometimes they are just random tangents.

I can’t stop thinking about the way this woman censors her own thoughts, there are many times where she censors phrases like Trump’s ‘grab ‘em by the p____’ or using words like derriere. I think it speaks volumes about her character, this need to act a certain way, even in her own thoughts. She really freaks out when the thought of anal sex pops into her head. I feel like Lucy Ellmann wants to explore these feelings surrounded acting the way the patriarchy wants her to act, those feeling of shame or surprise, and the need to censor her own mind. The glossary of anagrams at the back of the book have also been sanitised, so FFS means For Pete’s Sake.

Having the book set in Ohio was an interesting choice, admittedly I did have to look up the state’s politics. Ohio seems like a real melting pot of political viewpoints, there is a very close divide between Republicans and Democrats. This really allows Lucy Ellmann to explore the volatile political landscape of America at the moment. Looking at major issues like climate change, gun control, mass shootings, and so much more.

The structure of Ducks, Newburyport is something that needs to be addressed. I have seen many people freak out about the idea of a single sentence, stream of conscious narrative but I found it really easy to read. The repetitive phrase ‘the fact that’ quickly gets drowned out and I tend to use the phrase as the start of the next sentence. Having said that, I like that Ellman gave a middle finger to writing rules like ‘avoiding repetition’ or punctuation and really did her own thing, and it worked.

Lucy Ellmann has published seven books in the past, but her regular publishing house, Bloomsbury rejected Ducks, Newburyport. Leaving the book to be published by small indie presses, Galley Beggar Press in the UK, Canadian publisher Biblioasis for North America and Text Publishing here in Australia. Ellmann is the daughter of two literary critics, her father Richard has written a biography on James Joyce author of Ulysses which Ducks, Newburyport continuously gets compared to. However, her mother, Mary Ellmann often wrote about the representation of femininity in British and American literature, and I think that maybe she had just as much of an influence on Lucy’s writing and worth mentioning. The book focuses heavily on feminism, motherhood and female representation in pop culture.

As most people know, I love pop culture and really appreciated the content references throughout the novel. Not only recent references but also exploring classics like The Odd Couple and a favourite of mine, The Apartment. All through the novel the narrator burst into random songs, and thinks about film and television, as well as literature. Without these references, I probably wouldn’t have enjoyed Ducks, Newburyport as much as I did.

Having said all that, while there are so many serious issues being explored within the novel, Ducks, Newburyport is extremely funny. I enjoyed every moment I spent with the novel. I loved the way the book advanced the narrative through memories. I found it to be a great way to develop the characters within the novel. Could a non-translated book be my favourite read for 2019? At this point, it is too close to tell. I highly recommend Ducks, Newburyport and think this book will require multiple reads in the future. It is the type of novel with mainly layers to unpack, and I look forward to reading it again. Also, I think this would make an amazing audiobook.

Ten Lessons I’ve Learned from Ten Years of Book Blogging

Posted October 24, 2019 by Michael @ Knowledge Lost in Writing / 10 Comments

Ten years ago, I started this blog, as a was a way to work through my thoughts; the ten lessons I’ve learned from ten years of book blogging. So much has changed with the way I approach blogging and I wanted to share with you what I have learnt and my current mindset. Originally this blog was documenting my journey into philosophy, literature and culture. I had another blog called Literary Exploration that was my book blog, I was a new reader and used the blog to review every book I read. As a literary explorer I approached literature with the intention to find great books in all genres. However, the main motivation for having a book blog was trying to get ARCs (advance reader copies) and interact with the thriving book blogging community. That blog is now gone, and I have merged the two blogs here. While I mainly use this for my book blogging my approach to literature is different now, so I wanted to share my current attitude to blogging.

Blog for yourself and no one else

While researching what others say, I think my advice here is opposite to everyone else’s. I find that it is important to make sure you are writing content that you would want to read. While I do not like much of my older content, there was a time I would create content that I thought would get views, even if it did not interest me. Things like tags and blog hops often bored me but it was useful for getting people to view my blog, however often I got a hit spike on that one post and nothing else.

Do not feel obligated to anyone

As a book blogger, I often have people asking for reviews and publishers sending unsolicited books. For a time, I tried to read anything I was sent, as a literary explorer, I wanted to give everything a chance. However, these people were asking for product endorsements, and while I was getting free books, I had to learn not to put pressure on myself to please others.

Find your niche

After years of being a literary explorer, reading books in all genres, I eventually figured out what I liked and did not like. I think it is an important step to find what you are passionate about and focus on that. While trying something new is a great way to keep things fresh, it can be very difficult if you are changing who you are to suit the readership or the books you have been sent.

Change happens

In the ten years of blogging, my tastes have changed, and this comes from finding your niche, but also being aware that it might not always be your niche. As you grow and develop you start to understand what you like or don’t, but you also develop new interests, that can send you on a completely new path. Be willing to adapt and follow your own interests.

Don’t fixate on the numbers

I think book blogging is very different now than it was when it was in its prime. You might not get the traffic you would like but I think the most important thing is to continue writing content that you like writing. I noticed a big dive in views and comments when Google Reader ended, and over the years people have changed the way they approach content. Comments may be a thing of the past, they can be rare, and if you are writing for the interactions with people, you need to actively go out and interact on their blogs, because that is where you are likely to find those conversations.

You will hate your old content

Part of growing and developing comes with a negative; you will hate all your old content. I constantly fight the urge to delete everything and start again and while I think this might be healthy, I still worry I would regret deleting. If anything, archiving your content is the best option. One of the main reasons I don’t remove the old content is mainly because it shows how much I have changed.

Slumps happen

I feel like I am in a creative slump at the moment and while I feel bad for not writing, I am very aware that this happens. I am confident that this slump will end, and I try to think of my blog as a collection of my writing rather than something that I need to update every few days. This helps me, but it might not work for you, sometimes forcing yourself to create content is the most effective way to get out of slump. I know the more content I make the more I want to keep making.

You don’t have to post everything

When I first started reviewing books, I wrote a review for every book I read, and sometimes I wish I still did that. However, not every book needs a review. Not all books are meant to be criticised or analysed, sometimes a book is just for pleasure and doesn’t have to go any further. Also, there will be times where you write something that you are not sure works, you don’t need to make them public. I have written a lot of content where I am trying to figure out my own thoughts or understand what I feel, most of those get posted because I want a record of my thoughts and my writing, but many of these cases should have been kept off the internet.

People read differently

One of the biggest lessons I have learnt is that no book is read the same way by two different people. Some people find something unique to them and their writing follows that thread. Some people want to write a synopsis and call it a review, while others have some great insights. Finding your confidence in what you have written can be hard, but your thoughts will always be different to everyone else.

There is always someone better

I hate to say it, but there is always a better writer out there than you. This doesn’t mean you should quit; it means you have something to strive for. I know I have a long way to go in my own writing, but I find comfort here. I have to remind myself daily that I will not improve unless I practice. I wish I was as talented as the people I admire; I wish this came easily to me, but I know that without practice I am never getting any better.

Blogging has been a great experience for me, it has been a big part of my literary and personal growth. Without my blog, I feel like my passion would have run out of fuel a long time ago. The blog is a way to express my thoughts and feelings but most importantly it is a place for me to practice my craft and improve. This is the main reason I blog; this is the main reason I keep my old content there. I have learnt so much from the mechanics of blogging that I would probably do things differently if I was to start again, but I think this blog has become a big part of me.

Why I Think Liar is Tone Deaf to Today’s Environment

Posted September 14, 2019 by Michael @ Knowledge Lost in Literature / 0 Comments

Nofar was an ordinary teenager but one statement has flung her life into the spotlight. Taking her from a girl that felt invisible in the world to the focus of the media. The only problem was, she lied; what she said was just a slip of the tongue. Liar is a novel by psychologist Ayelet Gundar-Goshen that explores the fallout of lies in a contemporary world.

I wanted to write this review to vent about this book and turned to writing to try and understand my own feelings. Just as a warning, I need to spoil the lie in order to talk about the novel as a whole, so if you do not want spoilers, this is your warning. Nofar said she was raped by famous singer, Avishai Milner. Liar wants to explore the ripple effects of a false accusation. Which sounds like an interesting topic to explore, until you stop to think about it.

I feel like tackling this topic is a little tone deaf, particularly in a time where the #MeToo movement is still a big issue. Not only that, the fact that women struggle to be believed when it comes to sexual assault. When I think about the statistics, this novel makes me angry. Look at the amount of rape cases that end in a conviction verse the amount reported, and then there is the fact that three out of four victims don’t report their attack. Finally, but not really as important, if this novel was written by the man, can you imagine the outrage?

I think the topic is interesting and I can imagine a false accusation would destroy someone’s reputation completely but so much needs to change in the justice system first. Putting aside these thoughts, and judging the book as a novel, I cannot say that I enjoyed the style, there were too many unnecessary similes to be found. One cringe worthy example is; “Nofar took the key that was hanging on a hook like a suicide”. I am not a fan of this style of writing, I much prefer a minimalistic approach, keeping the sentences sharp and to the point.

Please remember this is my opinion, written in the heat of the moment, right after finishing the novel. I wanted to get my thoughts down, because I worried that I might have been overreacting and reviews are the best way for me to explore my feelings towards literature. I did finish Liar because I was curious about the direction the novel took. If the novel sounded interesting to begin with, please try it, I am curious to see what others think.

#100BestWIT: My Nominations

Posted August 23, 2019 by Michael @ Knowledge Lost in Literature / 0 Comments

This Women in Translation Month, Meytal (Biblibio) has decided to include another project to find the 100 best women in translations. She asked everyone to nominate their top ten WIT books and will compile a list to be released at the end of the month. I was excited for this project but quickly found it difficult to narrow down my choices. At first, I thought about making strategic choices to ensure some great books make the list but since there are over 650 books nominated from over 1200 votes, I just went for my favourites. This however did mean I had to painstakingly narrow a list of twenty books down to get to these ten. Unfortunately books like The Lover by Marguerite Duras (translated by Barbara Bray), Belladonna by Daša Drndic (translated by Celia Hawkesworth), La Bastarda by Trifonia Melibea Obono (translated by Lawrence Schimel) and Crimson by Niviaq Korneliussen (translated by Anna Halager) are not listed even though they probably deserve a spot.

So, here are my official nominations for the #100BestWIT

Things We Lost in the Fire by Mariana Enríquez (translated by Megan McDowell)

Let’s start with the obvious one, while contemplating my nominations, I found myself re-reading Things We Lost in the Fire, and it still holds up as a great short story collection. I love the way that each story is unique but work together to explore the theme of violence towards women. If you like the film Get Out and the way Jordan Peele used horror tropes to explore social issues, then this collection is for you.

Disoriental by Négar Djavadi (translated by Tina Kover)

For the people that know me, most of these nominations are no surprise, particularly my first three. Disoriental is one of those books that should have got more attention that it did; it should have won more literary awards. This novel explores the life of Kimiâ Sadr, who fled Iran at ten years old and is now sitting in fertility clinic looking into her options.

Sphinx by Anne Garréta (translated by Emma Ramadan)

I may have read Sphinx by Anne Garréta back in November last year but there has not been a day go by where I have not thought about this amazing book. Anne Garréta was the first female to join the Oulipo, an experimental literary group that likes to put constraints on their writing to force themselves to be more creative. In Sphinx, the constraint is the fact that the narrator and their love interests’ gender are never revealed. This makes it read like a non-binary love story.

The Years by Annie Ernaux (translated by Alison L. Strayer)

This memoir explores Annie Ernaux’s life from 1941 to 2006. Paris is changing drastically and Ernaux is growing up. I loved the way this book explores the changing lifestyle of both the writer and the city. From post-World War II, existentialism, and the huge advances in technology. This memoir is very French, but it was an amazing read, so much so that I had to include it on this 100BestWIT list.

The Faculty of Dreams by Sara Stridsberg (translated by Deborah Bragan-Turner)

This is a fictionalised account of the last years of extreme feminist Valerie Solanas. She wrote the SCUM Manifesto, in which the SCUM is believed to mean the Society of Cutting Up Men. She attempted to assassinate Andy Warhol and this book follows her life from the trial until her death. What I love about this novel is the character of Solanas, she is a witty, intelligent and angry feminist. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about her, but never want to meet her in real life.

Notes of a Crocodile by Qiu Miaojin (translated by Bonnie Huie)

This is the most recent book I have added to my favourites list. This cult classic is a satirical post-modern piece of autofiction, in which queer people are depicted as crocodiles disguised as humans. Qiu Miaojin uses this metaphor to explore her feelings of being an outsider in society. This is an exploration into queer people struggling to find their place in the world, or to make connections with each other. The raw emotions playing out in this novel are only amplified by the fact that Qiu Miaojin suicided at 26.

Mars: Stories by Asja Bakić (translated by Jennifer Zoble)

Do I have to say more than Mars is a feminist collection of science fiction short stories from Bosnian? There is something about the way Mars blends the speculative with humour, gender politics and the post-Soviet style that really stayed with me. I read this after reading the entire Man Booker International longlist this year, I thought I was reading a palette cleaner, but I got so much more than I expected from Mars.

Secondhand Time by Svetlana Alexievich (translated by Bela Shayevich)

One of the few women to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, Svetlana Alexievich has a unique approach for interviewing people and creating a narrative. I could recommend any of her books here, but I chose Secondhand Time because of my interest in the Soviet era and its collapse. I learnt so much from reading the differing opinions around Russian history and I think Alexievich has an amazing ability in collecting differing opinions.

Die, My Love by Ariana Harwicz (translated by Sarah Moses and Carolina Orloff)

I love Argentine literature and I am a little surprised that there isn’t more on this list. What I love about Die, My Love is the intense raw emotion found within the 128 pages. I can’t think of many other novels that can pack so much emotion so tightly. The narrative that Ariana Harwicz is able to weave is so affecting; we are able to follow this vivid portrayal of a mother and experience every single emotion and thought, no matter how dark or disturbing it may be.

The Little Girl on the Ice Floe by Adelaïde Bon (translated by Tina Kover)

This memoir explores the effects of sexual assault on a women’s life. The experience Adelaïde Bon had as a child was so traumatic that her brain blocked it out. However, while trying to understand, through therapy, why certain words or smells triggered her, she was able to uncover the root of her trauma. A third person perspective allows her to experience her own life while feeling like she has no control over it. This narrative style is what stood out in the book. As disturbing as the topic may be, this is an important piece of literature and the writing style is so beautiful, it really is a must read.

A Devil Comes to Town by Paolo Maurensig

Posted May 28, 2019 by Michael @ Knowledge Lost in Contemporary / 0 Comments

Title: A Devil Comes to Town (Goodreads)
Author: Paolo Maurensig
Translator: Anne Milano Appel
Published: World Editions, May 19, 2019
Pages: 120
Genres: Contemporary
My Copy: ARC

Buy: Amazon, Book Depository, Kindle, Wordery (or visit your local Indie bookstore)

In the small village of Dichtersruhe, situated by the Swiss mountains, there is a strong sense of literary kinship. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe once visited the village. It feels like everyone wants to be a writer; everyone has a manuscript sitting in a drawer somewhere. One night a mysterious person comes to town, a hotshot working in publishing. In a town full of narcissistic writers, the devil has come to exploit their unsatisfied authorial desires.

Paolo Maurensig has delivered a dark comical Faustian tale in A Devil Comes to Town. What drew me to this novel was the premise and I went in with such a high expectation, I worried that it could not live up to what I expected. This novel screams ‘my type of book’, with its dark humour, literary references and a little theology. Thanks to the work of Anne Milano Appel translating this Italian novel, I was able to experience A Devil Comes to Town.

“Literature is the greatest of the arts,” the priest continued, “but it is also a dangerous endeavor.”
“In what sense, dangerous?”
“Each time we pick up a pen we are preparing to perform a ritual for which two candles should always be lit: one white and one black. Unlike painting and sculpture, which remain anchored to a material subject, and to music, which in contrast transcends matter altogether, literature can dominate both spheres: the concrete and the abstract, the terrestrial and the otherworldly. Moreover, it propagates and multiplies with infinite variations in readers’ minds. Without knowing it, the writer can become a formidable egregore.”

While the premise of the novel is what drew me in, what really stuck to me was the imagery. Outside the village of Dichtersruhe, foxes infected with rabies run rampant on the farmlands. The fog set in and created a dark creepy atmosphere. While this worked really well, it was a little on the nose when reading about foxes in the henhouses and then finding out the devil’s name was Bernard Fox. I never like when a novel explains its metaphors and thankfully it only did this in passing. However, once was all that was needed, it was such an obvious metaphor, that did not need any explanation.

While there is a lot of references to Goethe in the novel, it is obviously inspired by Faust as well. I felt like there was a nod to The Master and Margarita within the pages as well. Most notably was the use of a manuscript inside the novel. This is a great framing device for the plot but in my mind, it was more of a way to include Bulgakov as a literary influence.

A Devil Comes to Town was a joy to read, and it seemed to come at the right time. I had been reading the Man Booker International longlist and was looking forward to picking my own reading. While there was some imagery and literary references to enjoy, it felt like a palette cleanser in comparisons to some of the heavier books I had just read. Not that there is anything wrong with that, the dark humour was exactly what I needed at this point of time, and that made A Devil Comes to Town worth reading.

Sphinx by Anne Garréta

Posted May 4, 2019 by Michael @ Knowledge Lost in Literary Fiction / 0 Comments

Title: Sphinx (Goodreads)
Author: Anne Garréta
Translator: Emma Ramadan
Published: Deep Vellum Publishing, April 21, 2015
Pages: 152
Genres: Literary Fiction
My Copy: Paperback

Buy: Amazon, Book Depository, Kindle, Wordery (or visit your local Indie bookstore)

I may have read Sphinx by Anne Garréta back in November last year but there has not been a day go by where I have not thought about this amazing book. I had always planned on writing a review for this novel but kept putting it off in favour of reading other books; this feels like the story of my writing habits. Since the details are still burned into my brain, I have no problem talking about this masterpiece.

Anne Garréta joined the Oulipo in 2000, which is an experimental literary group of French speaking writers who like to put constraints to their writing. The idea is to force the writer to create new structures and patterns in their own writing. The Oulipo was founded in 1960 by Raymond Queneau and François Le Lionnais. Notable members include Italo Calvino and Georges Perec who wrote the most notable Oulipian novel La Disparition (English title: A Void), which was written without using the letter e. When translating these books, many translators chose to keep the same constraints, in the case of A Void, translator Gilbert Adair kept the same constraint of not using the letter e. The Spanish translation did not use the letter a (since e is used too frequently), Russian contains no о and Japanese does not use い (i).

In the introduction of Sphinx, Daniel Levin Becker talks about the Oulipian constraint found in this book and he is of the opinion that is best not to spoil it for others, allowing them to discover it organically. If you feel it is better not to know, then stop reading here.

Love in the New Millennium by Can Xue

Posted April 26, 2019 by Michael @ Knowledge Lost in Contemporary / 0 Comments

Title: Love in the New Millennium (Goodreads)
Author: Can Xue
Translator: Annelise Finegan Wasmoen
Published: Yale University Press, November 20, 2018
Pages: 288
Genres: Contemporary
My Copy: eBook

Buy: Amazon, Book Depository, Kindle, Wordery (or visit your local Indie bookstore)

Longlisted for the Man Booker International Prize 2019
Longlisted for the BTBA 2019

There is something about Love in the New Millennium that I was not able to connect with. Out of the entire Man Booker International longlisted books for 2019, this is the one that I struggled the most with. It was not because of the unlikeable characters or toxic relationships, there was just something that did not work. I spent a lot of time wondering if I felt disconnected from the cultural aspects of this novel, but I have come to the conclusion that me and Can Xue do not agree, or at least with this book.

The premise of this book is basically love stories of the new millennium. It is a collection of interconnected stories that center around a few different characters. Love in the New Millennium is meant to be an exploration into modern day romance, dating and relationships, however there is nothing inherently modern about this novel. Has the author adopted same for a magical realism where modern people are living in a world void of technology? I do not remember a single mention of the internet or cell phones in the entire book. I know this a Chinese novel, so culturally things are different, but I find it hard to believe that technology does not play a part in their lives. Can Xue is 66 years old, so it felt like she did not truly understand how young people live.

“People like us, more dead than alive, always indecisive.”

Having said that, this book was packaged as a dark comical look at a group of women living in a world of constant surveillance. I went into this thinking maybe this will be an exploration into women living in a world of social media. An Orwellian look at dating in the computer age. However, this book feels more like Middlemarch in a sense that it is not the surveillance cameras that people have to worry about, it is the gossip from other people.

The main problem with Love in the New Millennium for me what probably the fact that I built this book up differently in my head. Generally I prefer not to know too much about the books I plan to read, but since this was longlisted for the Man Booker International Prize, as well as the BTBA, I felt like I needed to know more about this book in order to join in on the conversations before actually reading it. I was hoping for a satirical look into dating in the new millennium, as well as some insights into modern day China, but this novel delivered none of that.

“Before entering a dream, she thought, a little enviously, they must be so happy. In her dream, she heard the couple outside referring to her as “the orphan.” When she heard these two syllables, or—phan, her tears rolled down in waves, soaking the pillow. Her dreamscape was passionate, with two silvery forms always floating around her. She saw milkvetch all around, honeybees everywhere, to her right the houses of the disappearing village, and the maple leaves burning like fire.”

Having said all that, there is this weird dream-like, almost surreal quality to the novel that played a small factor in not abandoning this book completely. My main reason for sticking to the book was because it was nominated for the Man Booker International Prize. The writing was never really bad, Annelise Finegan Wasmoen did a great job of translating this into English. For me, my main verdict came down to the subject matter and my disappointment in not exploring these very important issues. There are so many different socio-political, philosophical and psychological avenues that were left unexplored.

When Can Xue is blurbed as the “most important novelist working in China today” and is also known as an avant-garde writer, I expected something more from Love in the New Millennium. She is also a literary critic who has written about Dante, Jorge Luis Borges, and Franz Kafka, so you cannot judge me for expecting so much more. Love in the New Millennium left me wanting a very different book, and I think that might have been what disappointed me the most about this novel. I have no idea why it made the longlist for both the Man Booker International Prize and the Best Translated Book Award, but clearly others see something in this book that I could not see.