books from my shelves

Eva tagged me for a 7 Random Things meme but I am going to turn things around a little and change this to 7 Random Books. Most book lovers are thrilled when they can browse a friend’s bookshelves for the first time. And although this won’t be the first time I give you a glimpse of my book stacks I’ll try to pick out some I haven’t mentioned before as well as books that represent me, my background and my reading interests.

 

Flaubert – L’Education Sentimentale and Kenzaburo Oe – A Personal Matter.

In terms of literature, my academic background includes two cultures – French and Japanese. I’ve been juggling these two worlds since I first began studying foreign language. Flaubert remains a great study for me, with his devout attention to detail and precise scenes. Oe was one of the first contemporary Japanese novelists I read and remains a favorite. I’ve also selected him for this list because of his own affection for French literature.

 

Alléluia Pour Une Femme Jardin – René Depestre. In grad school I got more interested in Francophone Caribbean literature. Depestre is a fascinating study, both for his political activities/opinions and his writing. Alléluia is a collection of breathtaking short stories which explore love, religion, myth and nature. Depestre began writing as a poet, so his work is thick with image and symbolism.

 

Tristessa – Jack Kerouac

I choose this book because it’s the novella that inspired me to start writing my own fiction. I’ve long since moved on from that initial Kerouac obsession but I go back to Tristessa from time to time just to experience that rush again of his raw and confused language. So much of Kerouac is unfiltered emotion, twisted and stretched out into a story. But I never believed that kind of messiness could sustain an entire narrative until I read this piece. Tristessa was my introduction to Kerouac and I think it is his most intense, which altered how I reacted to his other works.

 

To the Wedding – John Berger

Berger could easily be a candidate for a project like the one I’m currently working on with the works of Nadine Gordimer, I think he would be excellent to read from start to finish. He has dense theoretical essays and poetry, non-fiction as well as tons of fiction. To the Wedding is an incredibly powerful story about AIDS and the complexities of modern romance. In many ways it reads like a fairytale, but at the same time is firmly rooted in realism.

 

La Beauté Sur La Terre – C.F. Ramuz

Ramuz is a Swiss writer with a bibliography the size of the European continent. He wrote both short stories and novels, many of which were adapted to film. His work explores the grandeur of real nature as a force which induces complications on human nature. Reading Ramuz is a slow-going but rewarding experience. I’ve chosen this particular book from my shelves not only because it’s a dense and beautiful meditation on how “beauty” affects both the individual and the community but also because I’m hoping it will become a translation project. Strangely, although his work is well regarded both in Switzerland and in France (getting into the French publishing world is the only way for a Swiss author to become widely known) only a few of his novels have been translated into English.

 

Happenstance – Carol Shields.

I figure this wouldn’t be much of a list if I didn’t include something I have NOT read. One of the most exciting aspects of loving to read is knowing there is always something on the shelf waiting for me. I’ve picked Carol Shields as an example because I’ve already read two of her novels – The Stone Diaries and Unless – and I know what great writing I have waiting for me between the pages of her books.

 

Since this is a meme, I should continue to tag people. But as I’ve changed the idea altogether I won’t, however, feel free to do this one if you feel like it!