I’m considering compiling a 2014 group read of foreign fiction, but I approach such a task with trepidation. Many have done it far better in the past than I am likely to do at any point in the future. That said, here are a few ideas I am kicking around:
1.)
Off the beaten path in European literature at the end of the
19th century. Reading
Eça de Queiros, Leopardi, Gautier, Alas, Raabe, and others.
2.)
Joseph Roth. All
of it in English, along with his letters.
3.)
The Spanish civil war.
Rivas, de Lope, and Marias’s YFT, among others.
Ideas?
How about adding poetry and art to the mix? Thematically, of course.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I was going to use Leopardi for poetry and perhaps Ruskin as a window into ideas on art, though Walter Pater's work on aesthetics in the Renaissance would be cool as well. Also, Leopardi's very own zibaldone is coming out in the summer, all 2500 pages of it. Could be interesting.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.amazon.com/Zibaldone-Giacomo-Leopardi/dp/0374296820/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=GAYJKQDSOA03&coliid=I3O5HT23BP1BUB
Here's the poetry:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.amazon.com/Canti-Poems-A-Bilingual-Edition/dp/0374533059/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_2
any suggestions for some under-represented works?
ReplyDeleteI'll have to give that some thought. In return, could you suggest your favorite translation of Ovid's Art of Love?
ReplyDeleteJames Michie has a pretty fun translation, and I think the Latin is offered as well for comparison.
ReplyDeleteIs that one of those what Marta Stewart likes? :P
ReplyDeleteI'm interested in the line up you'll come up with. And it's very convenient that you're planning very early. This will give potential readers enough time to look for the book/s.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to try or read more of many of those writers mentioned, so I'd be willing to read along with you for at least some. Look forward to seeing the final list!
ReplyDeleteOne more idea: reading Marcel Schwob and his disciples.
ReplyDelete