Clockkwise from top left:1. Samuel Beckett Reader. RM 61.83, Kinokuniya. Probably worth every penny. If you were to be given one Beckett to buy, this will be it. Waiting for Godot had been described as a mystery wrapped in an enigma. Bare, stripped down and gritty everybody had a different interpretation of that play. Also contains Dante and the lobster and other shorties. Wonderful cross-referencing.
2. Lovely literal translation of one of the monuments in Western Philosophy from Cornell Philosopher Alan Bloom. Accessible and readable and not as archaic as the signet edition. RM88.42. Kinokuniya.
3. How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas Foster. Really easy going in style but yet not entirely fluffy. Good pointers on reading between the line and often humorous. With a Chapter entitled "It's all about Sex", it serves as a good guide for novices and a good refresher for experienced readers. A gift from my BIL.
4. Ethics Toolkit by Baggini and Fosl. RM79.80. Borders. Short and concise refresher on Ethical Systems and thought.
5. Arabian Nights, translated by Hussain Haddawy. RM 65.90. Kinokuniya. The perfect toilet bowl book. It stops at the 271st night. Short chapters and the translation work was a breath of fresh air to famous tales. Buy it, and read it to your kids to prevent the Cancer of Nickelodeon's creeping into their impressionable brains.
Clockwise again, from top left.
1. and 2. The Man without Qualities by Rober Musil and translated by Sophie Wilkins. Painful read. But what a great storehouse of bizarre characters and satire. His dissection fo Pre WW1 Austria and analysis of the situation then plus of course his protagonist, who is devoid of moral ideals makes this book a big mental gym. Vol 1. RM 77.80, Vol 2. RM 96.52. Both from Kinokuniya.
3. A Dictionary of Philosophical Quotations by the Father of Logical Empiricism. An indispensable guide and survey of 330 philosophers. RM 119.80. Kinokuniya.
4. Shakespeare, The Invention of the Human, by Harold Bloom. RM 79.80. Kinokuniya. Loud, brash and opinionated, yet successful and popular in the US, many people do not take very kindly to Yale Critic Harold Bloom. His ideas are rich and in this book, controversial and passionate. It did leave me astounded and made me re-read some of the texts I read previously in a newer light.
Hope this did not bore you guys too much.
N.B. These books were not published in 2009. I read them in 2009.
3 comments:
Interesting selection. Me? I normally read magazines off the shelf. Am a plebeian actually. Hahah..
Aiyoh. To read Playboy magazine from the shelf is normal. Don't have to make up excuses while paying for it like it's my brother's one la....
Oooh...voracious appetite for both fine food & lit. You simply don't do SIMPLE do you? ;-)
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