The Vulgar Eclectic

Tag: book jots

  • Under the Greenwood Tree by Thomas Hardy

    I just finished reading Under the Greenwood Tree (1872) by Thomas Hardy. It was his second published novel, and the first one set in his fictional Wessex County. In it, Hardy unfolds a love story set amid the rural, rustic farmland and villages of 1850s England. There is a simplicity and warmth about the story…

  • A Bitter Fate by Alexey (Aleksey) Pisemsky

    I finished reading A Bitter Fate by Alexey (Aleksey) Pisemsky.

  • Turgenev by Henri Troyat

    I just finished reading Turgenev by Henri Troyat, a biography of Ivan Turgenev published in 1985 and translated by Nancy Amphoux. This was a beautiful biography of one of my favorite writers, so it’s no surprise that I greatly enjoyed it. The book, perhaps like Turgenev’s life, is tinged with sadness, dignity, and a gentle…

  • Bane of the Black Sword by Michael Moorcock (fifth in the Elric of Melniboné saga)

    I finished reading Bane of the Black Sword by Michael Moorcock. This is the fifth book in the Elric saga and was first published in this form in 1977, though some of the work had previously been published in other formats. It consists of four stories (The Stealer of Souls, Kings in Darkness, The Flamebringers,…

  • The Covetous Knight by Alexander Pushkin

    I finished reading The Covetous Knight (1830), a short play by Alexander Pushkin, translated by A. F. B. Clark. I subsequently learned that Sergei Rachmaninoff wrote a one act opera known as The Miserly Knight based closely on Pushkin’s text. The plot is simple and focuses on the avarice of an elderly baron and his…

  • Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

    Here is a book jot from December 2021: I just finished reading Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe (1958). The story narrates the life of Okonkwo, a prominent member of an Ibo clan in Nigeria. The story is deftly told in a fluid and unadorned style with a finely-crafted, objective voice. There is a strong…

  • The Father by August Strindberg

    Book jot from November 2021: I just finished reading The Father by August Strindberg (1887), a three act play. It is a psychological page-turner (if that can be said of a play), centered on the relationship between a husband and wife and the growing conflict over the future of their daughter. In the ensuing strife,…

  • The Diary of a Superfluous Man and Other Stories by Ivan Turgenev

    Another old book jot…from November 2021. I just finished reading The Diary of a Superfluous Man and Other Stories by Ivan Turgenev, translated by Constance Garnett (translation 1899). I’ve read works by Turgenev translated by various people and think Garnett does a great job with his style and voice. It’s a collection of one novella…

  • Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton by Edward Rice

    Still getting caught up on old book jots; here’s one from October, 2021: I just finished reading Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton by Edward Rice (1990), a biography of the Victorian-era explorer, writer, linguist, and translator. This book is a long and detailed account of his life. One of the most enjoyable aspects of the…

  • Chatsky (or The Misery of Having a Mind) by Alexander Griboyedov

    I finished reading Chatsky (or The Misery of Having a Mind), a play in verse written in 1823 by Alexander Griboyedov (translated by Joshua Cooper). It’s also known as Woe from Wit in some English translations. It is a satirical look at Russian society, especially the prejudices and preoccupations of the aristocracy. Although humorous, there…