We Need New Names

#1038
Title: We Need New Names
Author: NoViolet Bulawayo
Publisher: Reagan Arthur Books
Year: 2013
298 pages

Linked short stories generally follow Darling, a Zimbabwean girl, from her hungry, conflict-saturated childhood in Africa to her dislocated/relocated young adulthood in the U.S. Most of the sections worked well, though the end point of some didn't resonate or satisfy. There are some intrusions of a poetic narrator, best understood as Darling's philosophical future self, perhaps. They add complexity and perspective, but are at times heavy-handed and detract from the intensity I imagine the story would have had if it stayed tightly connected to the developing and acculturating protagonist.

A creditable first novel. Nicely read by Robin Miles.

Particles, Jottings, Sparks: The Collected Brief Poems

#1033
Title: Particles, Jottings, Sparks: The Collected Brief Poems
Author:  Rabindranath Tagore & William Radice
Publisher: Angel Books
Year: 2004
214 pages

The prefatory material provides a useful introduction and places the work in the context of the author's life and other works, reporting as well on contemporary literary responses.

Particles (Kanika): Very short poems, often taking the form of a dialogue or near dialogue between paired opposites, generally ending with a reply that provides a twist of perspective and rebuke or statement of contentment with the second entity's experience. My favorite:

81. Beyond All Questioning
'What, O sea, is the language you speak?'
'A ceaseless question,' the sea replies.
'What does your silence, O Mountain, comprise?'
'A constant non-answer,' says the peak.

The problem with rhyming translation, even of a rhymed original, is that where the rhymed original's word choice at its best seems inevitable and the rhyme simply a serendipitous confirmation, the translation sounds, as many of these do, jangly and forced (despite Radice's use of some slant rhymes). These are structured song forms, but they are more clangy than lyrical in this translation.

Why "sea" is lower case and "Mountain" upper, I couldn't say.

Jottings (Lekhan): This collection is typically more haiku-like in feel, though more explicit in the poems' messages (sometimes to the point of banging one over the head with their moral, though this is mostly true only of the abstract poems). The nature imagery is more pronounced, or perhaps more obvious here. This may be due to the use of repetitive imagery across multiple poems. Stars, moon, sun, clouds, mountains, ponds, ocean, flowers, trees, and a musical instrument called the veena) recur, as does the theme of love (though these love couplets seem to me to be the weakest poems in this set). The emphasis on light and darkness compels one to read this as a group of albas and nocturnes.

4.
Dreams are nests that birds
In sleep's obscure recesses
Build from our talkative days'
Discarded bits and pieces.

110.
My pilgrimage does not aim at the end of the road.
My thoughts are set on the shrines on either side.

Sparks (Sphulinga): Less enjoyable, perhaps because many of the poems are abstract, religiously inclined, or appear to be invocations, salutations, or valedictions. As a group, they seem more occasional and specific than universal in their address. Those that remain focused on image and sensation are generally repetitive of the previous two collections, or unsubtle. There are many setting suns, faded cloud, ending roads, wilting flowers.

73.
The sea wants to understand
The message, written in spray,
That the waves repeatedly write
And immediately wipe away.

82.
That travelling cloud
About to disappear
Writes only its shade
As its name on the air.

The appendices include Tagore's explanation of the provenance of many of these short poems, interesting notes about the production of a handwritten collection using aluminum plates, thoughts on short poems, and the history of the creation of Lekhan; thoughts about Japan and the "extreme economy of self-expression"; a recollection by the woman who rules the lines on the aluminum plates; thoughts on modern English poets; and a different version of a poem.

All in all, well worth reading, but I'd still like to see an unrhymed version, especially of my favorite, Lekhan.

The Cuckoo's Calling (Cormoran Strike #1)

#1028
Title: The Cuckoo's Calling (Cormoran Strike #1)
Author: Robert Galbraith [J. K. Rowling]
Publisher: Mulholland
Year: 2013
455 pages

Harry Potter's appeal made more sense to me when I realized that the core of the novels was the detective/mystery genre, so I assumed Rowling would give us something in this arena at some point. Here, a noirish/hard-boiled detective and a pretty good mostly-closed room mystery. As was the case in the later Potter books, Rowling's conclusion is more complex than necessary and relies on more luck and circumstance than I prefer, but it's better than many in its genre and adds societal elements such as class, assumptions based on presumed identity and status, and critiques of paparazzi techniques that recollect those around the time of Princess Diana's death as well as the more recent hacking scandals.

Among Others

#1022
Title: Among Others
Author: Jo Walton
Publisher: Tor
Year: 2011
Country: Wales
302 pages

Quite a fine, funny, poignant novel that begins after the end and ends at the beginning, though the chronology is not at all disrupted. It's about development and individuation and emotions, kinds of love, and the worlds one inhabits simultaneously, including the world of books. I was pleased that the protagonist and I share some Delany in the Ace double tête-bêche editions.

The audiobook is delightfully narrated. Do yourself a favor and don't read anything about this book--the plot summaries and jacket copy misrepresent where the dramatic tension lies and spoil any number of story points that are otherwise enjoyable surprises

The Good Husband of Zebra Drive (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency #8)

#1018
Title: The Good Husband of Zebra Drive (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency #8)
Author: Alexander McCall Smith 
Publisher: Pantheon
Year: 2007
213 pages

Better, with some actual character depth and psychology, but still reasonably superficial and with mysteries that seem almost beside the point. 

Blue Shoes and Happiness (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency #7)

#1015
Title: Blue Shoes and Happiness (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency #7)
Author: Alexander McCall Smith
Publisher: Anchor
Year: 2006/2007
256 pages
 
Though this preceded Fifty Shades of Grey, the talking shoes were too much like the horrible inner goddess of the latter, which is not Smith's fault, but does suggest that he failed to make this little fancy work. I found this somewhat better than the last installment but still rather lackluster. Okay as a read-and-forget novel, but nothing compelling.

In the Company of Cheerful Ladies (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency #6)

#1014
Title: In the Company of Cheerful Ladies (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency #6)
Author: Alexander McCall Smith
Publisher: Pantheon
Year: 2004/2005
233 pages

Not quite twee, but cloying, with tedious dialogue. The first incident is never resolved, and is never really investigated, even observationally. [What size and brand were the pants? Worn or new? Clean or dirty? That's a lot of information to ignore, and "Oh, they weren't Charlie's" is a limp resolution.  The author does address my earlier criticism that character-related issues disappear, but still only references a character's depression, for example, without this mattering at all to the story.

I'm still enjoying the descriptions of Botswana and Lisette Lecat's narration, but the series is growing stale.

And the Mountains Echoed

#1012
Title: And the Mountains Echoed
Author: Khaled Hosseini
Publisher: Riverhead
Year: 2013
Country: Afghanistan
404 page

I enjoyed this, though less than Hosseini's previous novels. I appreciated the particular stories set into a sprawling historical and interpersonal context, and in particular the pathos of relationships that can never be repaired or resolved.

The audiobook was challenging, with three readers (why?) with heavy accents. I could understand them with a certain amount of backtracking, but it was more work than normal. I read the book only because a relative wanted to listen to it with me, but she was unable to manage the accents and quickly gave up. I can't speak for the other readers, but Hosseini seems to have heightened his accent to read this, which was unnecessary and decreased the audiobook's accessibility.

UFO in Her Eyes

#1009
Title: UFO in Her Eyes
Author: Xiaolu Guo
Translator:
Publisher: Vintage
Year: 2009/2010
Country: People's Republic of China
208 pages

I do have some trouble with Chinese writers on tyranny, since their conclusions seem obvious to me. I have to keep reminding myself that the context in which they're published is much more dangerous than that in which the translation appears.

Here, a peasant may or may not have seen a UFO, which she dutifully reports. From there we observe the attitudes of villagers and outside officials toward each other, and the exploitation of the event. Abuse of power is a strong theme.

Annabel

#1007
Title: Annabel
Author:  Kathleen Winter
Publisher: Jonathan Cape
Year: 2010/2011
Country: Canada
480 pages

Pretty writing, an interesting story, and good parallels and symbolism (including some subtleties, like the mention of a seam ripper). However, Wayne/Annabel was so understated as to be something of a cypher. I found myself more and more frustrated by this drifting passivity, which isn't really resolved despite action at the level of the plot.

The Ramayana

#1004
Title: The Ramayana
Author: Anonymous
Translator?: Bulbul Sharma
Publisher: ? Audible edition
Year: 2012
Country: India
~180 pages

The rating is for this version, not for the Ramayana per se. Though entitled "The Ramayana," this is a gloss of the text into a narrative told at about a middle reader level. While it tells me the story, I have no idea whether the details are accurate. Certainly the structure has been altered and I have no sense of the meter.

The Upanishads

#1003
Title: The Upanishads
Author: Anonymous
Translator: Juan Mascaró
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Year: 500 BCE/1965
Country: India
144 pages

This is unlike most Penguin volumes in that there are no explanatory notes. Instead, there is a rambling religious essay by the translator, the gist of which is that if you're a right-thinking person, you'll understand that the religious views espoused in the text are correct. This perspective is supported by quotes from other religious texts, Shakespeare, and poets. Not impressive and not what I expect from Penguin.

Climbing the Mango Trees: A Memoir of a Childhood in India

#1001
Title: Climbing the Mango Trees: A Memoir of a Childhood in India
Author: Madhur Jaffrey
Publisher: Knopf
Year: 2005/2006
320 pages

An enjoyable childhood autobiography, followed by an extensive set of recipes. This is a memoir of a life with its ups and downs and personal experiences--World War II and the Partition play a role but are background to Jaffreys's reflections.

Nazi Literature in the Americas

#998
Title: Nazi Literature in the Americas
Author:  Roberto Bolaño
Translator: Chris Andrews
Publisher: Picador
Year: 1993/2010
Country: Chile
260 pages

While I found the concept and execution of this novel (fake lit crit) interesting and engaging, I also found it emotionally inaccessible. I kept waiting for more connections to the Americas' own repressive regimes. While this was present, and more so in the longest end piece, it seemed uninspired and thus plodding.

The Good Muslim: A Novel

#997
Title: The Good Muslim: A Novel
Author: Tahmima Anam
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Year: 2011/2012
Country: Bangladesh
320 pages

A sad novel about identity and how different family members make meaning of horrific events in the wake of the country's independence movement. I stands alone, though it's the second of a series. Some sections that seem thin may assume the reader has knowledge from the first book; not having read that book, I can't say.

Une suite à Moroni Blues

#996
Title: Une suite à Moroni Blues
Author:  Rémi Carayol, Soeuf Elbadawi, & Kamal'Eddine Saindou
Publisher: Broché
Year: 2007
Country: Comoros
56 pages

Ordered from Amazon.fr for cost + shipping of around $28, beating out Amazon.co.uk and Abebooks handily. A better book for Comoros, though "better" is relative as I haven't had to read long passages in French since 1974. Fortunately, I'm easily entertained.

***
2013: Now reading. I expect it to take 1-2 months.

***
The award-winning short, poetic essay, "Moroni de mes enfances perdues" (6 pages) was originally published as "Moroni Blues/Chap II." It caused a furor occasioned, as well as I can manage the French, less by its non-traditional style than by its content, which apparently threatened the status quo in Comoros by raising questions about insularity, the relationship between parts of Comoros and the archipelago as a whole, and xenophobia/racism.

This volume collects the piece itself and several commentaries. It's a little confusing because the essay was published on its own, and there is also a theatrical piece, "Moroni Blues/une rêverie à quatre," which appears to be built on this initial essay and was published as a volume of script and photos. The reviews show that the theatrical piece is multi-media; it appears to focus on longing for the Moroni that existed mytho-historically but isn't enacted now. It is told as "une réflexion de quatre personnages sur le repli communautaire, le rejet et la peur de l'autre" (Fathate Karine Hassan in her review in Nouvelles Études Francophones, 25(2)). Some reviewers see it as comedic. I would assume that the aspect that rankles is its criticism of France's occupation of Mayotte, content that has caused the author to be censored at times. This appears to be a program for "Moroni Blues/une rêverie à quatre": http://www.wip-villette.com/IMG/pdf/M... . A video conversation with the author, which I don't have the spoken French to understand): http://www.theatre-contemporain.net/s... .

***
Here's a sample to illustrate the rhythm and the translation amusements. This is part of a mytho-historical section, describing Moroni's past. Karthala is an active volcano on Comoros:

Le Karthala en rut, pour dire les choses autrement. Un volcan si proche, mille fois maudit par nos saints en prière sur l'étendue du Bandari. Moroni sentait bon le conformisme à l'époque. Mais c'était aussi un temps exquis où l'insouciance se conjuguait paradoxalement avec la loi du plus fort. Le colon veillait dans son bel uniforme étoilé, même si ce chef-lieu du pays pouvait bruire de toutes ses lumières sans que la chicotte ne vienne semer une once de trouble dans les consciences. Moroni pouvait rire et danser, tout en se sachant sous cage pour longtemps (p. 13).

***
The ending rally: "L'heure est sans doute venue de déconstruire les héritages pesants et de redessiner l'imaginaire d'une cité au regard toujours porté sur le large" (p. 16). I construe he's talking about the community's philosophy, and not about urban renewal.

***
The piece itself is followed by several essays, which, as best my French permits me to say, address the piece primarily in terms of poetical essay harangues about the elite's stupidity, from a Marxist perspective.

Golden Boy: Memories of a Hong Kong Childhood

#985
Title: Golden Boy: Memories of a Hong Kong Childhood
Author: Martin Booth
Publisher: Picador
Year: 2004/2006
Country: Hong Kong [Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China]
352 pages

Booth's memoir recounts a significant time in his life, spent in Hong Kong. It is a fond and in some ways wistful narrative of pre-adolescence, and I enjoyed it very much.

Living in the Turks & Caicos Islands: From Conchs...to the Florida Lottery

#984
Title: Living in the Turks & Caicos Islands: From Conchs...to the Florida Lottery
Author: Charles Palmer
Publisher: Protea Publishing Company
Year: 2000
Country: Turks and Caicos [British Overseas Territory]
146 pages

Interesting, but it cries out for an editor as the structure is hard to follow, time jumps around, and the thought or action being conveyed sometimes trails into inexplicability. The lottery reference in the title is a small part of the story and not especially well explained. Read for the earlier sections, where the author describes growing up poor and neglected.

The Spiral Staircase: My Climb out of Darkness

#981
Title: The Spiral Staircase: My Climb out of Darkness
Author: Karen Armstrong
Publisher: Anchor
Year: 2003/2005
336 pages

A memoir of Armstrong's post-convent years, evidently a retelling of that time, which she originally wrote about in a less-honest and less-dark way, perhaps while still absorbed in the events she narrates. In addition to the challenges of finding her place and losing her religion, Armstrong suffered from undiagnosed epilepsy that was interpreted psychologically rather than physiologically. Her clear description of these events makes this not only an excellent coming of age story, but a fine description of misdiagnosis of psychological masquerade as well.

Bakunin's Son

#980
Title: Bakunin's Son
Author: Sergio Atzeni
Translator: John H. Rugman
Publisher: Italica Press
Year: 1996
Country: Sardinia (autonomous region of Italy)
82 pages

Sardinia. A story told through fictional interviews in a style similar to Rant but more effective. A nice example of our plural identities, and others' plural experiences of us.