>> Nabokov’s “Natasha,” a short story belatedly discovered. “Everything I told you about my ecstasies and the Virgin Mary and the little bell was fantasy. I thought it all up one day, and after that, naturally, I had the impression that it had really happened. . . .” My fave Nabakov books: Pale Fire and Ada, or Ardor.
>> If you didn’t have the attention span to read “Natasha,” you’re not alone. Nicholas Carr can’t read long stuff anymore, blames it on Google: “My mind now expects to take in information the way the Net distributes it: in a swiftly moving stream of particles.” (via fimoculous) I was skimming this article until I sort of felt chastened and slowed down — but for the record, I read long books all the time. My advice to Nicholas: spend less time on Google and more time reading books. Google isn’t holding you hostage, and the way you spend your time plays a big role on how your brain decides it likes to process words.
>> Aimé Césaire est mort! Okay — this actually happened a few months ago. But the aftershocks of the negritude movement reverberates on. (via xoom)
I’ll reserve judgement till I’ve read Pale Fire, but so far “The Luzhkin Defense” is my fave Nabokov. And oddly enough, it was also the book that showed me that the whole ‘partial attention’ thing going on with Internet reading doesn’t always work.
The Defense requires careful reading. Even glossing over one sentence makes you miss important information. As a result, I decided to have a “one non-pop book a week” resolution.
Comment by Robert 'Groby' Blum — June 12, 2008 @ 10:28 am
what’s a pop book?
Comment by Siel — June 15, 2008 @ 10:23 am
As in ‘pop culture’ – ‘pop literature’. John Grisham and worse, basically ;)
Comment by Robert 'Groby' Blum — June 16, 2008 @ 9:51 am