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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
i loved the first 200 pages... absolutely hated the last 70. i accidentally took a 2-day gap from reading and honestly once i came back to it i was totally disillusioned by it...even tho for the first 200 pgs i was totally loving it. some really beautiful musings on seasons, masculinity vs femininity... a beautiful little short about a puppy that I loved... and I really related to all of the ramblings about the narrator's deteriorating father as it resembled exactly what I went through w my grandma as she slowly faded away with dementia. Definitely agree with another review that I read, however, that he focuses far too much on showing off his techniques and too little on moving us toward anything... so in the end it's a book that I'll remember for some of its ideas, but nothing of its plot.
challenging
funny
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Some of the most beautiful prose I have ever read oh my god
wyzszosc formy nad trescia podsumowujac: pieknie o niczym
“On Saturday afternoons I used to go for a walk with my mother. From the dusk of the hallway, we stepped at once into the brightness of the day. The passerby, bathed in melting gold, had their eyes half-closed against the glare, as if they were drenched with honey, upper lips were drawn back, exposing the teeth. Everyone in this golden day wore that grimace of heat–as if the sun had forced his worshippers to wear identical masks of gold. The old and the young, women and children, greeted each other with these masks, painted on their faces with thick gold paint; they smiled at each other's pagan faces–the barbaric smiles of Bacchus.”
A collection of Polish writer and artist Bruno Schulz' complete surviving fiction (two volumes, for which he provided his own illustrations). Sadly, a large portion of his work and correspondence (among which what was to be his masterpiece "The Messiah") has been declared lost since his execution by the Gestapo in 1942. What we do have however, is something rather wonderful.
Schulz' rich, lyrical, florid prose gives shape to a half-real, half-imagined childhood, imbued with a strong flavour of the fantastic and absurd. Schulz draws from various creation myths, legends and figures from religion, mythology and literature to craft a dreamworld that is wholly unique. Transformation, chaos, a sudden change from reality to unreality are frequently recurring themes. Strong associations with Kafka and Borges crop up.
His debut, the novella "The Street of Crocodiles" (1933) is my favourite, and it's certainly narrative-wise the more consistent one of the two. Just fantastic. Do read it in summer though. It will add tremendously to the experience, trust me.
"Sanatorium under the Sign of the Hourglass" retains the former's exemplary prose style but doesn't quite reach the same heights as a whole. Some of the stories in it date from even before 1930, so it has a very loose, slighty uneven feel. Still very much worth it though, when you're in the right frame of mind.
With Schulz, I've learned it is best to just let the words flow over you, let him entrance you. Disregard any desire or need for plot. If you're fine with this, do seek it out.
A collection of Polish writer and artist Bruno Schulz' complete surviving fiction (two volumes, for which he provided his own illustrations). Sadly, a large portion of his work and correspondence (among which what was to be his masterpiece "The Messiah") has been declared lost since his execution by the Gestapo in 1942. What we do have however, is something rather wonderful.
Schulz' rich, lyrical, florid prose gives shape to a half-real, half-imagined childhood, imbued with a strong flavour of the fantastic and absurd. Schulz draws from various creation myths, legends and figures from religion, mythology and literature to craft a dreamworld that is wholly unique. Transformation, chaos, a sudden change from reality to unreality are frequently recurring themes. Strong associations with Kafka and Borges crop up.
His debut, the novella "The Street of Crocodiles" (1933) is my favourite, and it's certainly narrative-wise the more consistent one of the two. Just fantastic. Do read it in summer though. It will add tremendously to the experience, trust me.
"Sanatorium under the Sign of the Hourglass" retains the former's exemplary prose style but doesn't quite reach the same heights as a whole. Some of the stories in it date from even before 1930, so it has a very loose, slighty uneven feel. Still very much worth it though, when you're in the right frame of mind.
With Schulz, I've learned it is best to just let the words flow over you, let him entrance you. Disregard any desire or need for plot. If you're fine with this, do seek it out.
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
One of the most important books I have ever read. Read like a surrealist painting in words. The creativity with which Schulz writes is unbounded and uncharted. I cannot believe the Nazis stole years and years more of this genius from the world.
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
Fans of weird fiction take note. What we have here is an ur-text on synaesthetic observations of the decrepit and ruined. Schulz' lens of focus tends to be, for the most part, his own hometown in Poland of Drohobyycz, between the two world wars. What is described in the book are a combination of fictional reminisces and surrealistic flashbacks of his life in this Polish town. The title story "Street of Crocodiles" is an exemplary story, one that was adapted by the Brothers Quay as a stop-motion masterpiece, of decadence and degradation. Of a neighbourhood that tried to emulate the American aesthetic, but not really able to afford its extravaganzas. The result is a cardboard facade of exaggerated indulgence. It's like reading an Old World version of Thomas Light, with a side of Franz Kafka. Especially when comparing this work to Ligotti's Teatro Grottesco's period of work. There is a lot of attention to the inner workings of the city, and how futile and corrupt they can be. Despite all this, there is a sense of sardonic humour throughout as well. Adela stands as a shimmering example of dominant femininity throughout the whole anthology. (This particular edition includes all of his written fiction, which seem to refer to each other constantly.) Adela, seems like a more affable and lenient version of Severin. Anyway, there is lots to like if you don't mind tangential flights of fancy, but appreciate extraordinary descriptions of the seemingly mundane. Especially when it comes to the Old World.