West of Yugoslavia
February 10, 2008
I am beginning to read Rebecca West’s Black Lamb and Grey Falcon, her “magnum opus” as Clifton Fadiman once termed it. At 1,150 pages, this examination of Yugoslavia, of its history, people and politics. is a no quick read. But even if it were shorter, it would still not be a quick read. West has a grasp of words that makes her writing worth savoring in individual parts—words, sentences, paragraphs—each demanding a reader’s full attention that is its alone. As we grow older and see the ends of stories as well as their beginnings, we realize that to the people who take part in them it is almost of greater importance that they should be stories, that they should form a recognizable pattern, than that they should be happy or tragic. The men and women who are withered by their fates, who go down to death reluctantly but without noticeable regrets for life, are not those who have lost their mates prematurely or by perfidy, or who have lost battles or fallen from early promise in circumstances of public shame, but those who have been jilted or were the victims of impotent lovers, who have never been summoned to command or been given any opportunity for success or failure. Art is not a plaything, but a necessity, and its essence, form, is not a decorative adjustment, but a cup into which life can be poured and lifted to the lips and be tasted. If one's own existence has no form, if its events do not come handily to mind and disclose their significance, we feel about ourselves as if we were reading a bad book. We can all of us judge the truth of this, for hardly any of us manage to avoid some periods when the main theme of our lives is obscured by details, when we involve ourselves with persons who are insufficiently characterized; and it is possibly true not only of individuals, but of nations.Black Lamb and Grey Falcon is proving to be, in the parlance of the 1960s, heavy. It arose out of her trip to the country in 1937 when the winds of war were already blowing. More than travel literature, it is a story of observations, witty comments, history, generalizations, and intimate musings on a complex country in a complex era. It is proving to be a fine read.
* * * This week, a new columnist joins the BiblioBuffet team—Andi Miller. Andi, an English instructor, writer, editor and blogger, begins The Finicky Reader with a definition that “strikes to the heart of my particular case of bibliophilism”: exacting, at least these days. “What my education gave me,” she writes, “was a lust for the particulars in a throng of genres.” BiblioBuffet readers will be able to enjoy, on a weekly basis, her lusty opinions on books and other literary issues. Donald Hall is one of this country’s most prolific writers, a man whose output encompasses novels, poetry, essays, children’s books, short stories and more including textbooks. In A Walk Through My Bookshelves, Paul Clark finds a unique link between two of his books, a link that runs through most of our lives. Growing out of a project in which he is a contributor, Henry Carrigan begins, this week, an occasional series on ten great books in different traditions. Starting off his series is a list of the books from the Christian tradition, a list that offered several challenges even before he began. How he defined his terms and the books he chose are thoughtfully laid out this week in Readings. The month of love? Well, yes, with Valentine’s Day coming up, Kat Warren takes a look at some books of love on her all-time favorites reading list. And not one formulaic romance novel is among them, this week in Bibliopinions. The 1928 Olympic Games featured several innovations—the first time the torch was used, the first time women participated in the athetics events, the football controversy that led to the founding of the World Cup championships. All this and more in this week’s On Marking Books. Since it is summer in Australia now, it might be understandable that a writer’s muse decides to take some time off. When that happens, the writer may well be left a bit desperate as Amanda Joseph recounts in Rants & Raves From Down Under. Literary essays are kind of the royal orphan of the publishing world—much admired, historically important yet no longer in the power seat. That seems wrong to some of us who admire their intensity, honesty and “soul.” In this week’s Reviews & Reflections, Lisa Guidarini interviews one of the important and outspoken literary essayists of today and in doing so highlights a man both well spoken and outspoken. Who else but Anne Michael could find a connection between a tooth—even if it’s not a real tooth—and a book. You can see how she does it, this week in Seasoned Lightly.
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Today in Literature is a unique and wonderful site for those interested in literature and authors. Its tagline—Great Books, Good Stories, Every Day—is perfect for this former English teacher who lives in Newfoundland, Canada, and has a passion for literature. Begun in 2001, it was a weekly radio series, then online at various homes. It is now an independent website with an optional subscription service. “It is pleasing to think,” writes xxx, “that TinL helps to keep the world of books alive for so many—especially those two subscribers on Bouvet Island in the Antarctic, whoever you may be.” This daily e-newsletter of fascinating literary facts, gathered painstakingly and lovingly, is well worth its minor cost for all literary lovers. |