The Roaring 20s

English 101 Reads: The Sheltering Sky

Monday night I was feeling particularly run-down, and decided to treat myself to a little R&R: the last few chapters of The Sheltering Sky and a makeshift hot toddy.  I've been mulling over the book since then, so without further delay, here's my impromptu review. 

Generally, when I hear something--anything--takes place in the desert, I'm immediately turned off (not sorry to report that this applies to the second Sex and the City movie).  That being said, there was something so surreally and harshly beautiful about the setting of The Sheltering Sky.  The narrative moves fluidly across Northern Africa, charting a married American couple, Kit and Port, as they attempt to find one another again--maybe even for the first time.  The Sheltering Sky is a sweeping, modern epic in which Paul Bowles tackles post-colonialism, emotional intimacy, infidelity, and philosophical inquiry.  It is both languid and urgent, and contains some of the most vivid landscapes I've ever encountered in a novel. 

The book is vastly superior to the film trailer below, which is obscenely, hilariously cheesy. Might I also add, the line about "a woman's dangerous and erotic journey" had me thinking about Seinfeld (Rochelle, Rochelle: "a young girl's erotic journey from Milan to Minsk").  Enjoy the trailer, check out our reading schedule, and be sure to try The Sheltering Sky--it definitely deserves a read.  Tune in next month for our reviews of another American classic, the timeless To Kill a Mockingbird.

Daughter of Fortune

It's been a while since I read a book and didn't want it to end...but that's exactly what happened with Isabel Allende's Daughter of Fortune, our fourth pick for this year.  In case you're new to the blog, Erica and I have been reading our best modern classics for a book club we have termed English 101.  If you're reluctant to read historical fiction like Erica was, I can assure you--this book is so accessible, and the characters so compelling, you won't give a fig about the corsets.  The historical details ground the novel, only serving to enhance the story, which sweeps through 19th century China, Chile, and California. Eliza is a heroine of the first order: vivacious, flawed, and entirely courageous.  Her search for identity, and love, takes her from the drawing rooms of Valparaiso to the lawless hills of California during the gold rush, transcending the limitations of her gender in the process.  When I closed the book, sitting on the promenade under the Brooklyn Bridge, I almost expected to look up and see the Golden Gate instead.  Reading Allende for the first time was also pretty incredible: before I was 20 pages into the book, I was lulled by the charm of her narrative, trusting myself entirely to her storytelling.  I wasn't disappointed.  Have you read Daughter of Fortune? What did you think? If you're one of the first five to comment, I'll send you a book.  Happy reading!

Music and Words, Contra and Cupcakes

There are perks to being a New Yorker. Despite roaches, subway harassment, expensive everythings, and rough commutes, New York is still a hub for the arty, the literate, and the curious.   Sure, appearing world-weary and jaded is as essential to local hipsterdom as skinny jeans and macrobiotic smoothies.  But last night's event at the NYPL was proof that sometimes, every now and again, living here is plain heavenly—no irony allowed.  I attended Music & Words, a Young Lions event at the NYPL, where wine and cupcakes accompanied Ezra Koenig, lead singer of Vampire Weekend, in conversation with author John Wray (check out his latest novel, Lowboy, here). The two appeared together to discuss the intersection of music and literature, or rather, the uncanny impact of books on lyrics. 

Despite the fact that his band’s last album debuted at #1, Koenig was markedly modest.  He talked about using short story material for VW’s self-titled debut, his now-public love for Sugar Hill Gang’s Rapper’s Delight, and the necessity of specifics, which ground writing in a sense of time and place.  He also noted that while you aren’t apt to find many teenagers performing close readings of poetry, they seem to be reading lyrics that way, which is a wonderful thing. 

I’ve been thinking a bit about literary references in music, from Joni Mitchell quoting Shakespeare's Julius Caesar (“I am as constant as the Northern Star”) to The Police and Lolita (see “Don’t Stand So Close to Me.”) Do you have a favorite literary/musical allusion? Leave a comment with your pick, and I’ll send you a copy of Please: Fiction Inspired by The Smiths (limited to the first 20).  And for more information on joining The Young Lions, click here. 

English 101 Reads: Brave New World

From George Orwell's 1984 to Sarah Hall's Daughters of the North, I've been known to love a good dystopian novel.  Brave New World was one of my first forays into the genre, and I was thrilled to re-read it for English 101, our Modern Classics Book Club.  10 years later, the writing is just as eloquent--just as eccentric and unique--as I remember. I mutilated my copy a bit, and took to underlining gorgeous passages like this one:

"The sultry darkness into which the students now followed him was visible and crimson, like the darkness of closed eyes on a summer's afternoon." 

Meanwhile, the repeated allusions to Shakespeare had me in heaven. Huxley was also known to admire T.S. Eliot, and nowhere is this more visible than in the third chapter of the book, which segues into multiple and separate lines of narrative: an incredible effect.  As far as the story itself, like Lauren, I feel that the key to enjoying the book in 2010 is to avoid harping on the fallacies of Huxley's predictions.  If you can treat his universe as an alternate reality (how very Lost of me), you will be rewarded.  The allegory of the book borders on the didactic, but from a philosophical perspective, Brave New World is entirely worth the read.  Huxley poses questions about happiness, conformity, sex, love, and human connection that will linger on in your mind long after the novel's close.  At the very least, you might find yourself wondering where to find soma, green velveteen viscose shorts, contraceptive belts, or scent machines.  Have you read Brave New World? Loved it, hated it, couldn't care less about it? Leave a comment, tweet with the hashtag #english101, check out Erica and Lauren's reviews, and click here for this year's schedule of modern classics.    

The Great Lover

You can tell that Jill Dawson is a poet.  By that, I mean her prose is sumptuous.  It's been a long time since I read a book and underlined passages, but I found myself doing just that for The Great Lover.  Dawson's imagery is so wonderfully inventive, her metaphors so surprising, I was a bit in awe.  If you're a fan of A.S. Byatt or Ian McEwan, I think it's safe to say you'll enjoy this book. The Great Lover tells the story of Rupert Brooke, the charismatic, troubled and talented English poet of the early 20th century.  Along with excerpts of Brooke's poetry and letters, there are two narratives: Rupert's distinct voice, and that of Nell Golightly, the complex, spirited housemaid who falls in love with him.  The Great Lover is a sharp look at love--who we adore and why-- and all the myriad, unanswered questions of the human heart.  It's a few months before the book comes out here, but I just had to share.  With any luck, you'll want to score yourself a copy on June 1st.