The Mookse and the Gripes discussion

Trevor is hosting a year-long daily/weekly readalong of this novel at The Mookse and the Gripes blog. You can find the entries here on the tag page: http://mookseandgripes.com/reviews/ca...

Anniversaries (1970-1983) is a major German novel about Gesine Cresspahl, a German emigre and single mother living and working in New York, and comprises her daily diary entries for one year, beginning on 21st August 1967. Abridged versions had previously been published in English, but in 2018, NYRB published the first full English translation, by Damion Searls.

The blog posts are planned to focus on that week's chapters, but if you would like to discuss further ahead in the book, that is fine in this thread.

I'm really enjoying this so far (3 whole days in.) It's hard to stop actually, but there is a certain thrill to reading the same day as the day in the book, and I am really looking forward to things like my birthday or christmas, etc. Should be interesting. Beautiful writing and from the German I can find online - great translation that really captures the spirit of the words.

I've read ahead the entry for my birth day - and yes the space there is deliberate as it actually is the day and year of my birth. And that of Gumble's Yard of course.

Wonderfully the entry includes the line:

You won't see uniqueness as anything to praise

which is pretty much the motto of the Identical Twin League

That's funny, Paul! It's perfect timing.
I forgot to start this on the 20th, too many Booker books, a new Niall Griffiths arrived two days ago, and Ben Myers' new book is on it's way from Hebden, but Im starting Anniversaries tonight.

WndyJW wrote: "That's funny, Paul! It's perfect timing.
I forgot to start this on the 20th, too many Booker books, a new Niall Griffiths arrived two days ago, and Ben Myers' new book is on it's way from Hebden, b..."

I'm very pleased that so far the daily reading is only a couple of pages at most. I grab a cup of coffee, read my pages and it's actually a lovely way to start the day, even if it does mean I am getting up a little bit earlier.

I'm SO tempted to jump ahead to the important dates for me, but I shan't because those might be the only things that keep me involved - not sure. If it gets TOO insane, I'll just read it like a regular book. I've heard that the second volume is not as interesting as the first, so I thought a full year of reading might be the best way to do it. Who knows? So far (not a week yet) the writing is gorgeous, the translation is terrific and I love it.

Just FYI, I am Colette Jones on wordpress, and therefore on Trevor's blog. That moniker was set up several years ago as a reply to John Self who is a character in Martin Amis's Money, and not the Asylum blogger's real name. I chose Colette from "I'll Go to Bed at Noon".

Oh hey, Ang! Heh - really helpful comment, no matter what name it's under! I like that name.