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leonidasm's review against another edition
Θα δανειστω την κριτική ενός αγγλόφωνου χρήστη του Goodreads γιατί ταυτίστηκα.
"Δεν είμαι αρκετά έξυπνος γι αυτό το βιβλίο. Δεν έχω εγκαταλείψει ακόμα, αλλά το σκέφτομαι σοβαρά" .
Ίσως δεν είναι η ώρα του. Ελπίζω να προσπαθήσω ξανά.
"Δεν είμαι αρκετά έξυπνος γι αυτό το βιβλίο. Δεν έχω εγκαταλείψει ακόμα, αλλά το σκέφτομαι σοβαρά" .
Ίσως δεν είναι η ώρα του. Ελπίζω να προσπαθήσω ξανά.
applypie's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
julianiem19's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
ube_cake's review against another edition
5.0
“…he was also aware that it was in vain, this friend saw nothing, the Western eye only saw the firefly-like sparkling of the evening city, but nothing of what he wanted to tell him, of what this hopeless, solitary, trembling land was signalling to one from down there below…"
(excerpt taken from “The Rebuilding of the Ise Shrine”)
“Seiobo There Below” (masterfully translated from the Hungarian, “Seiobo járt odalent”, by Ottilie Mulzet) is a work that eludes classification: 17 chapters of various length containing loosely-tied short stories, creative non-fiction pieces, and essays, all centred around the concept of art and the artist.
Is the context behind a work of art necessary for its appreciation, and what meanings WILL be lost in translation? Can a work of art exist for its own sake? What constitutes as art? What is the purpose of it other than to express our ideals, our notions of perfection? and When will people begin to appreciate the amount of work that goes behind an artwork? (God forbid I’d hear the phrase: “You must be so talented, I can’t do that”). These are some of the questions that Krasznahorkai painstakingly explores in that characteristic lava-flow-of-text style that he mastered: pages and pages of overwhelming detail that leaves you with the impression that, if you follow them to the T, you yourself can recreate these works.
And for the dilettantes and professionals in the art history world, eat your heart out. Each chapter is dedicated to at least one artwork, some to paintings, sculpture, performance art (Noh theatre), music and literature. Some creative non-fiction chapters put you directly into the shoes of the artists themselves which has the same effect as seeing colourised photos from the infancy of photography—that is to humanise figures which are often confined to biographies and self-portraits.
Prose-wise, it’s his most traditionally (?) beautiful work to date. Though Krasznahorkai’s more known for his grimy prose that shines the way obsidian does (re: “Sátántangó” and the rest of his Quartet), “Seiobo There Below”, in dealing with works of art, is radiant, refreshing, dazzling—think: Chopin’s Fourth Scherzo in E Major, or the third movement to Bach’s Third Brandenburg Concerto.
Gotta stop my rambling here, as hard as it is for me to do so. It’s bloody amazing, and I think it’s my favourite of his. Krasznahorkai, Mulzet (and his other translators) and New Directions deserve all the praise and awards they get.
(excerpt taken from “The Rebuilding of the Ise Shrine”)
“Seiobo There Below” (masterfully translated from the Hungarian, “Seiobo járt odalent”, by Ottilie Mulzet) is a work that eludes classification: 17 chapters of various length containing loosely-tied short stories, creative non-fiction pieces, and essays, all centred around the concept of art and the artist.
Is the context behind a work of art necessary for its appreciation, and what meanings WILL be lost in translation? Can a work of art exist for its own sake? What constitutes as art? What is the purpose of it other than to express our ideals, our notions of perfection? and When will people begin to appreciate the amount of work that goes behind an artwork? (God forbid I’d hear the phrase: “You must be so talented, I can’t do that”). These are some of the questions that Krasznahorkai painstakingly explores in that characteristic lava-flow-of-text style that he mastered: pages and pages of overwhelming detail that leaves you with the impression that, if you follow them to the T, you yourself can recreate these works.
And for the dilettantes and professionals in the art history world, eat your heart out. Each chapter is dedicated to at least one artwork, some to paintings, sculpture, performance art (Noh theatre), music and literature. Some creative non-fiction chapters put you directly into the shoes of the artists themselves which has the same effect as seeing colourised photos from the infancy of photography—that is to humanise figures which are often confined to biographies and self-portraits.
Prose-wise, it’s his most traditionally (?) beautiful work to date. Though Krasznahorkai’s more known for his grimy prose that shines the way obsidian does (re: “Sátántangó” and the rest of his Quartet), “Seiobo There Below”, in dealing with works of art, is radiant, refreshing, dazzling—think: Chopin’s Fourth Scherzo in E Major, or the third movement to Bach’s Third Brandenburg Concerto.
Gotta stop my rambling here, as hard as it is for me to do so. It’s bloody amazing, and I think it’s my favourite of his. Krasznahorkai, Mulzet (and his other translators) and New Directions deserve all the praise and awards they get.
ethanlenn's review against another edition
5.0
"then after a while coming to a halt again, it stops, turns around, and just as sprightly as it can, goes again backward into the crack, and all the while the early spring sun shines on it, at times a draft of the wind strikes it, you can see the ant struggling not to be carried off by the wind, little ant, says the abbot, shaking his head, little ant in the deep crack of the step, forever." Seibo There Below, 89-90
nabilahs's review against another edition
5.0
My most difficult read was in the year 2023, I almost throw up, and took almost 4 weeks to finish this sequence of stories. What it makes more interesting, the stories are connected through the timeline and the Fibonacci sequences are great.
opl's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
rachel_the_managing_editor's review against another edition
Surely this farewell-pearl of his aesthetic oeuvre, this exquisite ornamental gemstone, this ravishing cadenza, cannot be read otherwise, cannot be interpreted as anything else but the ceremonial swan song of a soul sunk into silence...
houlette's review against another edition
2.0
I gave it my best shot, but by page 62 I felt like I had seen what there was to see and anything beyond that would just be an exercise of will. The author's run-on style is certainly unique, and it does have a dreaminess to it that carries you along for stretches -- but then you realize several pages have passed without a single point of interest.
busco's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5