What are you reading

[robinlandseadel at comcast.net]

As to why my selection turned out to be “In Search Of Lost Time”.

To begin, my father just died this year, and that happened to have a predictable paradoxical effect. I knew—because of my Father’s dying—that, somehow, I would be more open and absorptive of text. When my Grandfather [my Father’s Father] died, I raced through Magic Mountain, The Glass Bead Game, Dr. Faustus, Goethe’s Faust parts one and two, Buddenbrooks. Some how, recall of where I came from kicked in while reading these massive German tomes. Some sort of spiritual exchange was going on. I knew it was going to be heavier this time. So, both aware that my thought processes were going to be altered and determined to make the best of the situation, I considered those “Everest’s” of books—Thick, heavy duty fictions of great historical regard like Tolstoy, Dostoevsky or Joyce, or pomo fiction of great density like Vollmann or David Foster Wallace or Richard Powers. And, after shelving obsessively around the latter half of the “P’s” for decades [nothing like having consumed over 20 copi
es of “The Crying of Lot 49” over the years, eh?], my eyes were constantly drawn to Proust. After a little reflection I realized that the era covered in “Against The Day” would overlap nicely with “In Search Of Lost Time”. Serendipity appeared in my store in the form of remaindered copies of “Swann’s Way”.

I would like everybody on pynchon-l to rush out while they still can and grab the remaindered hardbound copies of the Lydia Davis translation of “Swann’s Way”. It’s as good a translation as Steven Mitchell’s translation of the Tao te Ching—mindless of the original text there’s really nothing to go against save the question: without knowing the provenance of the book [translated/untranslated], does the book ring true for me? If it’s hard to follow, I’m suspect. I’d love to read  better translations of “Das Glasperlenspiel” or “Steppenwolf”.  If I’m drawn into the book, I’m happy. The quality of emotional affect in Lydia Davis translation is extraordinary. This version of “Swann’s Way” rings true. Proust’s writing on the emotional affects and effects of music is like nothing else, a precisely monitored description of a series intense emotional/spiritual states passing through time, states of consciousness really only accessed via music’s effect upon memory. It will be impossible for 
“Against The Day” to exceed “In Search Of Lost Time”.
 -------------- Original message ----------------------
From: robinlandseadel at comcast.net
> "In Search Of Lost Time"—Proust in the new Penguin Translation. Up to a 1/4 the 
> way through the Mark Treharn translation of "The Guermantes Way." Got the 
> imports of the last two books in "Lost Time" in the Amazon Shopping cart. "Only 
> Revolutions" and "2012" await further instructions.
>  -------------- Original message ----------------------
> From: "Ya Sam" <takoitov at hotmail.com>
> > to while away the time before November 21?
> > 
> > Me: Lawrence Norfolk, Lempriere's Dictionary
> > 
> > Stephen Hawking, A Brief History of Time
> > 
> > Gustave Flaubert, Bouvard et Pecuchet
> > 
> > _________________________________________________________________
> > Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! Download today it's FREE! 
> > http://messenger.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200471ave/direct/01/
> > 
> 
>