Thursday, March 31, 2005
the blindness - more on existentilism
When CJ left the book at my desk, I didn't know. I didn't know how much I'd grow fond of this book, 'The Blindness' by Saramango.
Afterward, I started scanning web and local bookstores for more of Saramango's writing.
This brought back my memory of 'My lime Orange Tree' I read in Korean translation when I was a kid.
Are all south american writers favour this style? It's almost like a landscape, probing under human skin in most quiet and unnoticed way. Before I know it, I was completely hooked. Hooked on the concept, on writing style, ...
Thinking deep, deeper, and deeper. Probe into my own limit, and trying to find out how much of life is common and how much of it is so grand and spectacular.
like tropical weather, there's calm sea with beautiful sand, clear water, and most terrifying big-scale storm lurking behind hot blazing sun.
how will I fare?
The book actually surfaced what I've been asking in back of my mind, forever and ever.
Do I really understand what the author's trying to narrate?
I wonder.
A book that has more question than answer, shakes one's world more than giving reassurance.
Simply unforgettable, tho.
How do we all fare under certain circumstance? Like sudden and unexplainable blindness that would leave one completely unprepared and feeling inadequate?
How would I fare under this circumstance?
Afterward, I started scanning web and local bookstores for more of Saramango's writing.
This brought back my memory of 'My lime Orange Tree' I read in Korean translation when I was a kid.
Are all south american writers favour this style? It's almost like a landscape, probing under human skin in most quiet and unnoticed way. Before I know it, I was completely hooked. Hooked on the concept, on writing style, ...
Thinking deep, deeper, and deeper. Probe into my own limit, and trying to find out how much of life is common and how much of it is so grand and spectacular.
like tropical weather, there's calm sea with beautiful sand, clear water, and most terrifying big-scale storm lurking behind hot blazing sun.
how will I fare?
The book actually surfaced what I've been asking in back of my mind, forever and ever.
Do I really understand what the author's trying to narrate?
I wonder.
A book that has more question than answer, shakes one's world more than giving reassurance.
Simply unforgettable, tho.
How do we all fare under certain circumstance? Like sudden and unexplainable blindness that would leave one completely unprepared and feeling inadequate?
How would I fare under this circumstance?
unbearble lightness of being - is existentialism dead?
Solitude,
Loneliness,
Fight w/ self,
Fight against world,
...
the title 'Unbearble lightness of Bing' describes the concept behind existentialism well, I think.
the reason I readily accepted the book when recommanded.
after reading this book, the fever caught me to the point where I madly collected all Kundera's work, and all works about him.
and, by pure chance, I even saw this book made into a movie. well, I wasn't all that crazy about that movie.
Unbearable!
For some reason that word was very attractive.
unbearable,
unbearable lightness,
unbearable lightness of being!
Does this mean feeling invisible? Or does this mean responsible & dutiful all the time, and not knowning own self, own worth?
What does this mean?
And, how much of lightness?
Why so unbearable?
psych of four main characters, and their native self and how they're modified by each other, and how much their relationship to each other affects them.
There's certain mystery in it.
Of course, one can easily read it as just a love story.
But, that's just a basic plot to give context to the narrator's true intention, I think.
For some reason, I enjoyed these charactors' struggle for his/her own existence much more than classic anti-hero Holden, from 'The Catcher in the Rye' by J.D. Salinger.
Loneliness,
Fight w/ self,
Fight against world,
...
the title 'Unbearble lightness of Bing' describes the concept behind existentialism well, I think.
the reason I readily accepted the book when recommanded.
after reading this book, the fever caught me to the point where I madly collected all Kundera's work, and all works about him.
and, by pure chance, I even saw this book made into a movie. well, I wasn't all that crazy about that movie.
Unbearable!
For some reason that word was very attractive.
unbearable,
unbearable lightness,
unbearable lightness of being!
Does this mean feeling invisible? Or does this mean responsible & dutiful all the time, and not knowning own self, own worth?
What does this mean?
And, how much of lightness?
Why so unbearable?
psych of four main characters, and their native self and how they're modified by each other, and how much their relationship to each other affects them.
There's certain mystery in it.
Of course, one can easily read it as just a love story.
But, that's just a basic plot to give context to the narrator's true intention, I think.
For some reason, I enjoyed these charactors' struggle for his/her own existence much more than classic anti-hero Holden, from 'The Catcher in the Rye' by J.D. Salinger.
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
젊은 느티나무 -- 강 신재 작
1
그에게서는 언제나 비누 냄새가 난다.
아니, 그렇지는 않다. 언제나라고는 할 수 없다.
그가 학교에서 돌아와 욕실로 뛰어가서 물을 뒤집어쓰고 나오는 때면 비누 냄새가 난다. 나는 책상 앞에 돌아앉아서 꼼짝도 하지 않고 있더라도 그가 가까이 오는 것을 -- 그의 표정이나 기분까지라도 넉넉히 미리 알아차릴 수 있다.
티셔츠로 갈아입은 그는 성큼성큼 내 방으로 걸어 들어와 아무렇게나 안락의자에 주저앉든가, 창가에 팔꿈치를 짚고 서면서 나에게 빙긋 웃어 보인다.
"무얼 해?"
대개 이런 소리를 던진다.
그런 때에 그에게서 비누 냄새가 난다. 그리고 나는 나에게 가장 슬프고 괴로운 시간이 다가온 것을 깨닫는다. 엷은 비누의 향료와 함께 가슴속으로 저릿한 것이 퍼져 나간다 --
그에게서는 언제나 비누 냄새가 난다.
아니, 그렇지는 않다. 언제나라고는 할 수 없다.
그가 학교에서 돌아와 욕실로 뛰어가서 물을 뒤집어쓰고 나오는 때면 비누 냄새가 난다. 나는 책상 앞에 돌아앉아서 꼼짝도 하지 않고 있더라도 그가 가까이 오는 것을 -- 그의 표정이나 기분까지라도 넉넉히 미리 알아차릴 수 있다.
티셔츠로 갈아입은 그는 성큼성큼 내 방으로 걸어 들어와 아무렇게나 안락의자에 주저앉든가, 창가에 팔꿈치를 짚고 서면서 나에게 빙긋 웃어 보인다.
"무얼 해?"
대개 이런 소리를 던진다.
그런 때에 그에게서 비누 냄새가 난다. 그리고 나는 나에게 가장 슬프고 괴로운 시간이 다가온 것을 깨닫는다. 엷은 비누의 향료와 함께 가슴속으로 저릿한 것이 퍼져 나간다 --
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
고전 책들
내가 가장 좋아하는 현대 작가중 잠결에라도 언뜻 대답할 수 있는 이름이 바로 김 동인 이다.
'젊은 그들', '배따라기', '감자', '발가락이 닯았다', ..., 등.
'젊은 그들', '배따라기', '감자', '발가락이 닯았다', ..., 등.
Jane Austin -- now that hype's dead
a few years back, there was a serious hype about Jane Austin's works.
Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Emma, ...,
so many movies and so many tv-movies were made that year.
What was that, I wonder.
And, where does her work stand now, that the hype's dead, I wonder.
I enjoy almost all her books.
There are a few scenes and lines from Pride and Prejudice I used to memorize.
Sense and Sensibility, I found the book boring, but the movie was pretty comical. This one was made before the year of Jane Austin, I think. Hollywood flick.
Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Emma, ...,
so many movies and so many tv-movies were made that year.
What was that, I wonder.
And, where does her work stand now, that the hype's dead, I wonder.
I enjoy almost all her books.
There are a few scenes and lines from Pride and Prejudice I used to memorize.
Sense and Sensibility, I found the book boring, but the movie was pretty comical. This one was made before the year of Jane Austin, I think. Hollywood flick.
Monday, March 28, 2005
life of pi
March 14th was the 'Pi' Day.
The book 'Life of Pi' still is in top selling charts at local bookstores.
Read it last winter, when my german ski resort roommate had it for practicing his English.
Somewhat quirky on side, it's mildly amusing.
Not sure it's all that great and captivating to be nominated for best selling book.
It's everywhere, though.
The beginning part, of exotic foreign lifestyle was cute and made me burst into laughter, here and there.
The transport in cargo ship scenario made me think of rather a trite Hollywood flick movie scenes.
It's definitely interesting writing style, to employ 1st person writing approach, mainly because the author's 1st person narration tone's not as common.
:)
The book 'Life of Pi' still is in top selling charts at local bookstores.
Read it last winter, when my german ski resort roommate had it for practicing his English.
Somewhat quirky on side, it's mildly amusing.
Not sure it's all that great and captivating to be nominated for best selling book.
It's everywhere, though.
The beginning part, of exotic foreign lifestyle was cute and made me burst into laughter, here and there.
The transport in cargo ship scenario made me think of rather a trite Hollywood flick movie scenes.
It's definitely interesting writing style, to employ 1st person writing approach, mainly because the author's 1st person narration tone's not as common.
:)
