a president, a King
13 years ago
15 May 2007
Gulag Archipelago
I've just started Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's The Gulag Archipelago. And, at least so far, it is endlessly fascinating. And sad. And horrifying. And mesmerizing. How is it that I've never read this before? It's one of those things that for years and years I've been telling myself I "should" read, and of course telling one's self that one "should" do something is maybe the best way to dissuade one from actually doing it. I've read about 50 pages so far, and the writing itself is amazing. I suppose that the translator is maybe partly to credit here, but the writing, the individual sentences, are so well crafted. And all I really want to do is keep reading, in spite of the fact that both Elizabeth George and J.K. Rowling are beckoning. I don't know how to put into words how I'm feeling about Solzhenitsyn just now.
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4 comments:
Funny. Weight gets three comments, but Solzhenitsyn gets none. Considering how much he loved Russia, it got him deported. Interesting that it's thhe story that had to be told; damn the consequences.
I used One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich with my World Lit students for years. Not only is his writing delicious, his characters alive, and his voice clear... but he prods and pokes until we have to discuss the issues.
Wouldn't it be wonderful to find such works reflecting life in the USofA which would provoke students to deep, meaningful discussion that rocks their bong-driven worlds?
Hmmmm.
Sgt. Pepper is 40.
Wow. I remember the first moment I saw that album; the next moment I heard it; the repetition of it all through that summer of summers.
I'm in mourning this week.
Joyfully proud of my age; at least I'm not 64. Amazingly, Paul is.
In response to zee, there's quite a rich history of minority discourse writing in the US that fits the bill. Think slavery, reservations, internment, the closet, etc.
As well, seriously, "bong-driven?" Dude, our students are way too uptight and conservative in their thinking. My only current intellectually rigorous-minded student is the one professed stoner amongst them. So you think Sgt. Pepper wasn't bing driven? Was that some strange attempt at irony? As well, consider that Sir Paul just exclusively published his new album at Starbucks.
Oh. Most of my "bong-driven" students are not the least intellectual. Too bad.
Yes. Is irony dead?
Darn.
And did notice Paul in Starbucks, but I was doing a drive-by. Is that poster the Young Paul? From afar it looks like his old Beatle self. I giggled. I want my old self on my driver's license. Think that'll happen? Nah. Just my pre-facelift self. As if.
Hey! I loved my bong years.
But then, I was the intellectual know-it-all. Sad.
Now I know nothing.
And love life even more.
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