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stierwood's review against another edition
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
5.0
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.
holbeancoffeeld's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
theesotericcamel's review against another edition
4.0
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.
samwreads's review against another edition
4.0
I read the Street of the Crocodiles section a couple years back - reread it this year along with all the rest of the stories from Sanitorium and assorted other stories.
Overall reading Schulz was exhausting for me - beautiful writing no doubt, and a ridiculous imagination that stretches the surface of reality into multiplicities, duplicitous pleonasms. But the density makes it difficult to really get sucked into the longer pieces (and sometimes even the shorter ones).
Also, coming from the early 20th century the depiction of women and black people is simplistic and objective. Most of all women occupy strangely dualist roles - either as objects of desire or as Maenadic forces, but ones driven not to ravage and tear apart men but to sweep cleansing order into early Edenic bubbles of untamed reality. I definitely see a bit of the Sacher-Masoch influence mentioned in the introduction - I think it's a very apt connection. It's almost like those tropes were passed through the imagination of a dreamy young child.
Really all stories seemed strangely innocent and oneiric. The dream-like world is described beautifully and certainly has a lot of appeal for anyone who enjoys the power of words and more modern magical-realist flights of fancy. The longer standout pieces for me were easily the one about spring/the stamp album, and the sanitorium story itself. Both wove longer narratives that made them easier to follow and engage with. For shorter stories, I think those in the Street of the Crocodiles section proper were strongest - Cinnamon shops being an obvious standout for me.
Overall reading Schulz was exhausting for me - beautiful writing no doubt, and a ridiculous imagination that stretches the surface of reality into multiplicities, duplicitous pleonasms. But the density makes it difficult to really get sucked into the longer pieces (and sometimes even the shorter ones).
Also, coming from the early 20th century the depiction of women and black people is simplistic and objective. Most of all women occupy strangely dualist roles - either as objects of desire or as Maenadic forces, but ones driven not to ravage and tear apart men but to sweep cleansing order into early Edenic bubbles of untamed reality. I definitely see a bit of the Sacher-Masoch influence mentioned in the introduction - I think it's a very apt connection. It's almost like those tropes were passed through the imagination of a dreamy young child.
Really all stories seemed strangely innocent and oneiric. The dream-like world is described beautifully and certainly has a lot of appeal for anyone who enjoys the power of words and more modern magical-realist flights of fancy. The longer standout pieces for me were easily the one about spring/the stamp album, and the sanitorium story itself. Both wove longer narratives that made them easier to follow and engage with. For shorter stories, I think those in the Street of the Crocodiles section proper were strongest - Cinnamon shops being an obvious standout for me.
ericfheiman's review against another edition
3.0
Crocodiles is a feverish dream of a book. Schulz surely wrote some of the most evocative sentences in all of literature, and it's easy to draw lines of influence to other more contemporary writers, such as the Italo Calvino of the surreal Invisible Cities. The eponymous story in this collection is probably its most memorable one and requires multiple readings to fully appreciate. (The whole book probably requires this kind of close reading, to be honest.) Those looking for strong narratives in their fiction might be a bit bored here, though. My 3-star rating is a tentative one, simply because I need to spend more time with this work to fully appreciate it.
onesonicbite's review against another edition
I read about 50% of the different stories in the book, and found them haunting, and well written. Schulz maybe a little difficult to read at times, but it is well worth the read.
anarcho_zymurgist's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Uniquely vivid and curious stories.
zimnotutaj's review against another edition
4.0
"Sklepy cynamonowe" polubiłam bardziej, "Sanatorium pod klepsydrą" mniej, znużyło mnie.