Scan barcode
A review by chirson
The Trans Space Octopus Congregation: Stories by Bogi Takács
4.0
Full disclosure: I received an ebook of this collection from the author, and I know Bogi on here/on Twitter; I think my review is largely unaffected by our acquaintance.
This was my last Pride Read, and perhaps the queerest of them all - and that is definitely a compliment. Bogi's writing forces the reader to rethink their perspective, surprises, pushes boundaries, defamiliarises and estranges and at the same time, seems focused on the intimate, the bodily, the sacred. It's very much in step with significant 21st century literary and theoretical concerns: the stories engaged with body as affected by our environments and power relations, history and religion, and on cognition as negotiated and strange. The human and non-human are not obvious or simple.
They were also very, very distinctive, and engaging with so many other texts. I am sure if I had more than a very, very cursory (think: one or two reads) knowledge of Hungarian or Jewish literary traditions (and history, and so on), I would get much more out of them. But I still found plenty to think about.
I didn't enjoy all the short stories equally; I found the ones about kink largely "this is fine but not my thing" and some of the early stories cerebrally enjoyable on the level of language and images but not terribly affecting emotionally. However, the later stories, and particularly Standing on the Floodbanks, as well as stories focusing on the tensions and productive intersections of various identities with Jewish identity and history, to speak to me and my own experiences. The hauntedness of Eastern Europe, for example, was very well rendered.
I read the collection quickly even though I was actually quite busy with a family visit and work. I hope that attests to my enjoyment as well.
This was my last Pride Read, and perhaps the queerest of them all - and that is definitely a compliment. Bogi's writing forces the reader to rethink their perspective, surprises, pushes boundaries, defamiliarises and estranges and at the same time, seems focused on the intimate, the bodily, the sacred. It's very much in step with significant 21st century literary and theoretical concerns: the stories engaged with body as affected by our environments and power relations, history and religion, and on cognition as negotiated and strange. The human and non-human are not obvious or simple.
They were also very, very distinctive, and engaging with so many other texts. I am sure if I had more than a very, very cursory (think: one or two reads) knowledge of Hungarian or Jewish literary traditions (and history, and so on), I would get much more out of them. But I still found plenty to think about.
I didn't enjoy all the short stories equally; I found the ones about kink largely "this is fine but not my thing" and some of the early stories cerebrally enjoyable on the level of language and images but not terribly affecting emotionally. However, the later stories, and particularly Standing on the Floodbanks, as well as stories focusing on the tensions and productive intersections of various identities with Jewish identity and history, to speak to me and my own experiences. The hauntedness of Eastern Europe, for example, was very well rendered.
I read the collection quickly even though I was actually quite busy with a family visit and work. I hope that attests to my enjoyment as well.