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Saturday, December 20th, 2008
"Let's work hard and cheerfully and we'll continue to be happy," the Old Lady tells the elephants, and, though we know that the hunter is still in the woods, it is hard to know what more to add. Adam Gopnik has a good article in the current New Yorker about de Brunhoff's Babar books -- "Freeing the Elephants" addresses complaints about the colonialist worldview in Babar by calling the books "a self-conscious comedy about the French colonial imagination and its close relation to the French domestic imagination." I'm not totally convinced that this describes the spirit in which the books were written -- Gopnik doesn't really make an argument, just an assertion -- but it does seem like an excellent spirit in which to read the books.Next week we're going to see the exhibit at the Morgan Library. The library's website features a digital reproduction of de Brunhoff's first, hand-printed copy of Histoire de Babar.
posted morning of December 20th, 2008: Respond
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 I found out about this Mexican band by a circuitous route -- reading Alejandro Rossi's essay about Octavio Paz' Labyrinth of Solitude made me interested in finding out more about the book; and I came to learn that Botellita de Jerez had written a song with the same title.
The lyric (as far as I can understand it) refers to Paz' essay "Los Hijos de la Malinche", which I think is about Hernando Cortes' mistress, her role in turning Mexico into a Spanish colony, her place in the Mexican imagination. Here is another fantastic song from Botellita de Jerez, "Niña de mis ojos":
posted morning of December 20th, 2008: Respond
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Thursday, December 18th, 2008
 Ellen tells me she has gotten me two books for Hanukkah, both featured on this year's reading list: What Can I Do When Everything's on Fire? by António Lobo Antunes, and The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman. Thanks El!
posted morning of December 18th, 2008: Respond
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I wrote a brief review of Stroszek for The Great Whatsit's Thursday Favorites column. Check it out! If you're coming from there and want to read more about Stroszek, click the link below.
posted morning of December 18th, 2008: Respond
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Wednesday, December 17th, 2008
 Lots more photos up at the READIN Family Album, of Ellen's and Sylvia's vacation in Florida.
posted evening of December 17th, 2008: Respond
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We're thinking of seeing a couple movies this weekend -- Milk and Cadillac Records. Have you seen those? Worthwhile, or do you have a different recommendation? Let me know. (A friend recommended Slumdog Millionaire in pretty glowing terms, but I don't know if a trip in to the city is going to be feasible.)
 Oh, look at that! Slumdog Millionaire is playing in Montclair -- maybe I will lobby for that. Cadillac Records looks like it might not be that interesting.
posted morning of December 17th, 2008: Respond
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The Wooster Collective features some art from Peter Fuss of Poland, including this billboard, which reminds me a bit (as so much else is doing these days) of The Stone Raft:
 (Seen in context at Fuss's site the message is a bit different.)
posted morning of December 17th, 2008: Respond
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Tuesday, December 16th, 2008
 Just a note: my new yo-yo is about the easiest and most fun to spin of any yo-yo I've tried. It will come back in situations where most yo-yos would not. If you're looking for one to learn on or if you know how to do it and want to have some fun, I recommend this model.
 (Note: It is not as heavy as a classic Duncan Imperial or Duncan Butterfly, so it will not sleep for as long as them; I mostly like doing looping tricks where sleeping is not as important.)
posted evening of December 16th, 2008: 1 response
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The only real thing that exists at this moment on earth is our being here together...
I'm lingering around the middle of The Stone Raft a bit. I was a bit surprised at Joana's revelation, and it prompted me to think of the book as pretty strongly feminist in tone; but now, following close on that, she has paired off with José; Maria has been introduced and has paired off with Joaquim, and with that any feminism in the book seems (for now) much more muted, I mean to say it seems like a romance in a more familiar model. Joachim is self-centered and needy; if the book's aim is to show him growing into a full human being by accepting love from a woman, well, it will still be a very good book but I will be disappointed. (I speculate about how I will feel about the book when I'm done reading it -- obviously I can't know.) A romance can be a very satisfactory read of course. But the first half of this book made it seem like it was going to be much more than that; hopefully Saramago is not headed where I am assuming he is.
posted evening of December 16th, 2008: Respond
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Monday, December 15th, 2008
Three percent has nominated 25 books for the title of "Best translated [into English] book of 2008" -- they are running posts about each of them over the next month, until January 27 when they'll pick ten finalists. Lots of good stuff in the list! (A couple of titles from there are going on my reading list.) Thanks to Scott for the link.
posted afternoon of December 15th, 2008: Respond
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