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4.22 AVERAGE
4.22 AVERAGE
A meditation on sacred art, from the Venus de Milo, Acropolis, Alhambra, the making of a Noh mask, restoration of an ancient wooden Buddha etc etc. But the sublime remains out of reach for the reader because of the style. Paragraphs that run for pages, sentences that run on for lines, there is simply no space for a reader to break off and contemplate the sublime. So the book fails. The other surprising thing, or maybe not so surprising since most of the art here is pre-21st century reflecting its gender-biased production, is that there is not one single central female character. And that only adds to the monolithic nature of this read.
The book is not without merit, there are some patches of involving writing, some wonderfully detailed research and interesting ideas (a particularly interesting notion about great art not requiring names or titles despite our obsession to name things and to give them a story and history, rather than just letting them communicate to us however they will through their sublimity.But ultimately, for me these snippets were not worth the overall slog.
The book is not without merit, there are some patches of involving writing, some wonderfully detailed research and interesting ideas (a particularly interesting notion about great art not requiring names or titles despite our obsession to name things and to give them a story and history, rather than just letting them communicate to us however they will through their sublimity.But ultimately, for me these snippets were not worth the overall slog.
10/10 Obra maestra, de altísima literatura climática, atiborrada de un estilo original, irrepetible y exhaustivo, irradiada de trascendencia, sarcasmo, humor y nihilismo esperanzador.
Se nota la inspiración de autores prolíficos, obsesivos y cultísimos como Thomas Bernhard -al que más se asemeja Krasznahorkai en estilo, y lo supera-, lo que demanda un lector dispuesto a arriesgarse a una experiencia frenética y vertiginosa (de frases de varias páginas sin punto y aparte), repleta de anotaciones culturales -artísticas, especialmente- bien cimentadas por un conocimiento histórico-artístico envidiable y fino. Hay profundidad y tesis.
Todo eso y más es lo que supone la lectura de los distintos relatos de esta opus magna, todos ellos sobresaturados de una iridescencia que sólo puede asemejarse a la hilatura del arabesco, si a ésta le añadimos una perfidia ingeniosa propia de un sabio kínico (que no cínico), amante de la belleza inefable e indescriptible del vacío brusco, quebrado y barroco.
Se nota la inspiración de autores prolíficos, obsesivos y cultísimos como Thomas Bernhard -al que más se asemeja Krasznahorkai en estilo, y lo supera-, lo que demanda un lector dispuesto a arriesgarse a una experiencia frenética y vertiginosa (de frases de varias páginas sin punto y aparte), repleta de anotaciones culturales -artísticas, especialmente- bien cimentadas por un conocimiento histórico-artístico envidiable y fino. Hay profundidad y tesis.
Todo eso y más es lo que supone la lectura de los distintos relatos de esta opus magna, todos ellos sobresaturados de una iridescencia que sólo puede asemejarse a la hilatura del arabesco, si a ésta le añadimos una perfidia ingeniosa propia de un sabio kínico (que no cínico), amante de la belleza inefable e indescriptible del vacío brusco, quebrado y barroco.
Can't rate it, but it reminded me of that Friends episode when Phoebe dates an overly enthusiastic middle aged guy played by Alec Baldwin who waxes lyrically about everything. At first it is cute. Very quickly it becomes just tiresome.
. . . so hide away now in the grass, sink down, fall onto your side, let your eyes slowly close, and die, for there is no point in the sublimity that you bear, die at midnight in the grass, sink down and fall, and let it be like that — breathe your last.
There were two sections I loved: the tourist in Athens and the Louvre security guard. I also liked the lecturer on Baroque Music but otherwise I thought each piece was an interesting point of departure with the process being a Buddhist snapshot of creation. That grew tired. My opinion is largely contrary to the prevailing.
There were two sections I loved: the tourist in Athens and the Louvre security guard. I also liked the lecturer on Baroque Music but otherwise I thought each piece was an interesting point of departure with the process being a Buddhist snapshot of creation. That grew tired. My opinion is largely contrary to the prevailing.
If there are other people living in your household, you may need to wear earplugs in order to read this book. But if you choose to devote some early morning hours to this, and allow it the breathing space of full and undivided attention . . . Wow. The reward is commensurate with the investment.
Oh my. The nuanced verse (how'd this get translated anyhow?) that flows through complex chapters brings us glimpses of artistic brilliance and is like nothing I've ever experienced; I have comprehended a sense, not a whole, of the creative inspiration of which I have been unaware. Dark and melancholy, fatalistic and beautiful, Seibo There Below seems to be a book that shouldn't be possible to author. I don't pretend to have understood much of the book's references to oriental, Greek and other cultural, geographical and religious themes, events, and motifs (Laszlo, how do you know all these things?), and there is an awful lot to try and understand and fathom; but truthfully, even without full understanding one gets swept up in the current and delivered to a new place of understanding and appreciation.
dark
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The book reinforces a theme rather than builds toward an end.
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No