Scan barcode
tasmanian_bibliophile's review
4.0
Thanks to Ginnie Jones for mentioning this author. I am on my way to acquiring each of his titles.
I enjoyed this, perhaps not quite as much as some of the others, but it has made me think which is always a good thing.
I am reading this book for the second time: there was too much for me to consider and integrate on one reading. Alberto Manguel looks at the rise of violent intolerance in our societies. As part of this, he invites the reader to look at what is written (by visionaries, poets, novelists and essayists) and presented visually (by filmmakers) about the building of societies.
Under the following chapter headings, we are invited to think about the future by drawing on the past to interpret the present:
‘The Voice of Cassandra’
‘The Tablets of Gilgamesh’
‘The Bricks of Babel’
‘The Books of Don Quixote’
‘The Screen of Hal’
Alberto Manguel invites the reader to consider a number of different and important questions:
How does language itself determine, limit and enlarge our imagination of the world?
How do the stories we tell help us perceive ourselves and others?
Can such stories lend a whole society an identity, whether true or false?
Is it possible for stories to change us and the world we live in?
This is a book to keep and to refer back to. The prose is a joy to read for its own sake, the underlying messages are enduring and the questions are timeless.
I enjoyed this, perhaps not quite as much as some of the others, but it has made me think which is always a good thing.
I am reading this book for the second time: there was too much for me to consider and integrate on one reading. Alberto Manguel looks at the rise of violent intolerance in our societies. As part of this, he invites the reader to look at what is written (by visionaries, poets, novelists and essayists) and presented visually (by filmmakers) about the building of societies.
Under the following chapter headings, we are invited to think about the future by drawing on the past to interpret the present:
‘The Voice of Cassandra’
‘The Tablets of Gilgamesh’
‘The Bricks of Babel’
‘The Books of Don Quixote’
‘The Screen of Hal’
Alberto Manguel invites the reader to consider a number of different and important questions:
How does language itself determine, limit and enlarge our imagination of the world?
How do the stories we tell help us perceive ourselves and others?
Can such stories lend a whole society an identity, whether true or false?
Is it possible for stories to change us and the world we live in?
This is a book to keep and to refer back to. The prose is a joy to read for its own sake, the underlying messages are enduring and the questions are timeless.
cb_reads_reviews's review
4.0
Alberto Manguel’s 2007 Massey Lecture, “The City of Words” is a sobering look at the importance of language in establishing our identities, the ways in which we other and create dichotomies and enemies, and the instability and degradation of language and meaning.
I found most poignant his arguments on how intellectualism is ignored and defeated, the becoming of a Cassandra who is never heard. Supported by his final lecture, calling out the devolution of writing as a result of the commodification of words - where profit is to be made at the expense of ideas and knowledge, and at the expense even of humanity itself.
Written and given in 2007, this work predates what I call the Netflixisation of literature - the realisation of literature as pure entertainment. While there is nothing inherently wrong with the entertainment value of reading, when it comes at the expense of the art of literature - we might want to take more interest in who is publishing, what they’re publishing, and for what aims?
A fascinating look at language and its evolution through storytelling, both oral and written, across time and place, visiting the Epic of Gilgamesh, Don Quixote, and the Inuit stories transmitted in “The Fast Runner”, among others. A thoroughly engaging and accessible series of lectures that I would recommend to everyone.
I found most poignant his arguments on how intellectualism is ignored and defeated, the becoming of a Cassandra who is never heard. Supported by his final lecture, calling out the devolution of writing as a result of the commodification of words - where profit is to be made at the expense of ideas and knowledge, and at the expense even of humanity itself.
Written and given in 2007, this work predates what I call the Netflixisation of literature - the realisation of literature as pure entertainment. While there is nothing inherently wrong with the entertainment value of reading, when it comes at the expense of the art of literature - we might want to take more interest in who is publishing, what they’re publishing, and for what aims?
A fascinating look at language and its evolution through storytelling, both oral and written, across time and place, visiting the Epic of Gilgamesh, Don Quixote, and the Inuit stories transmitted in “The Fast Runner”, among others. A thoroughly engaging and accessible series of lectures that I would recommend to everyone.
asma_reads's review against another edition
'' .لسنا ضائعين. اننا هنا -''
【 .الوطن مكان متخيل دوما 】
【 .الوطن مكان متخيل دوما 】
jayshay's review
5.0
If only because it got me to read Döblin's masterpiece Berlin Alexanderplatz, this book of lectures deserves five stars.
canadianbookworm's review
5.0
This is the 2007 collection of CBC Massey Lectures, and I had listened to one of the lectures (the second one) on Ideas one evening and was interested to read the entire series.
Manguel brings life to famous literary works, both classic and modern, by showing how they relate to the current world and our issues. He shows the relationship between identity and the "other" as it relates to both the literature and our increasingly multicultural society. He discusses the difficulties: race riots, politically-motivated murders, suicide bombings, and hate crimes. The series had me thinking about the issues in new ways and towards new solutions. I found it fascinating.
Manguel brings life to famous literary works, both classic and modern, by showing how they relate to the current world and our issues. He shows the relationship between identity and the "other" as it relates to both the literature and our increasingly multicultural society. He discusses the difficulties: race riots, politically-motivated murders, suicide bombings, and hate crimes. The series had me thinking about the issues in new ways and towards new solutions. I found it fascinating.
davidareyzaga's review against another edition
5.0
Alberto Manguel tiene una manera muy interesante de escribir ensayos que, a pesar de tener rigor académico en sus referencias, se siente como una conversación con un amigo que te habla de la importancia de la ficción en nuestras vidas y de la historia del lenguaje y de la literatura. Pero hasta la sección de referencias es innovadora y debería ser un modelo a seguir en la academia.
Cada ensayo inspira a que uno lea otros libros por el entusiasmo que contagia. Además es un ejercicio terapéutico que te recuerden que la lectura, la traducción y la escritura valen la pena y tienen una función social importante.
Lo único que me sorprendió es la opinión tan negativa que Manguel tiene de los editores y la industria editorial hoy en día. Si bien la comparto en algunos aspectos y creo que es importante no dejarse llevar (pero también aprender a usar las tendencias a tu favor), es difícil tomarla muy en serio cuando gran parte de la trayectoria profesional de Manguel es en esa industria. Tal vez era inevitable que adoptara una postura crítica; es lo que sucede cuando uno conoce algo de cerca. No obstante, él se ha beneficiado de esa misma industria e incluso este libro se publicó a través de una editorial que tiene tanto libros que él aplaudiría , como libros que él condenaría, además de otros con prácticas editoriales bastante desagradables (prólogos de autores famosos que silencian a traductores con una gran trayectoria, por ejemplo).
Fuera de eso, los pocos ensayos que recoge este volumen son lecturas esenciales para todos los que sienten pasión por la literatura y tal vez para los que todavía no la tienen.
Cada ensayo inspira a que uno lea otros libros por el entusiasmo que contagia. Además es un ejercicio terapéutico que te recuerden que la lectura, la traducción y la escritura valen la pena y tienen una función social importante.
Lo único que me sorprendió es la opinión tan negativa que Manguel tiene de los editores y la industria editorial hoy en día. Si bien la comparto en algunos aspectos y creo que es importante no dejarse llevar (pero también aprender a usar las tendencias a tu favor), es difícil tomarla muy en serio cuando gran parte de la trayectoria profesional de Manguel es en esa industria. Tal vez era inevitable que adoptara una postura crítica; es lo que sucede cuando uno conoce algo de cerca. No obstante, él se ha beneficiado de esa misma industria e incluso este libro se publicó a través de una editorial que tiene tanto libros que él aplaudiría , como libros que él condenaría, además de otros con prácticas editoriales bastante desagradables (prólogos de autores famosos que silencian a traductores con una gran trayectoria, por ejemplo).
Fuera de eso, los pocos ensayos que recoge este volumen son lecturas esenciales para todos los que sienten pasión por la literatura y tal vez para los que todavía no la tienen.
More...