NYRB Classics discussion

Hi all,

Okay, let's get back on the road with this! I suspect perhaps we should do another 2 month choice. Unless we think the extended time just deadens the debate? Let me know your thoughts. Here are some summer books that I think could be fun: The Expendable Man, classic noir book with a twist; Ride a Cockhorse, very funny and about banking crises and a pseudo-Sarah Palin type, has been getting a lot of buzz from some corners; Dead Souls, releases next week in a translation that our editor thinks is excellent, not so much of a summer book but could be fun.

And that's what I suggest. Any other books you guys were thinking about?

Nick

No other books you guys what to read? I'm happy to make a poll for 3 titles, but I really just chose the recent releases and perhaps there are some older titles people are interested in.

Nick

Nick,I'd like to propose A Month in the Country about which Miki spoke very highly: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/... and it is set during high summer.

I'm still keen on Expendable Man, so I'm not adding anything else this time, though I'm certainly open to other suggestions...

I've read all three (different translation of Dead Souls) and they were all superior books. Ride a Cockhorse is hilarious.

Then again, a Month in the Country is spectacular too.

How about some nonfiction? NYRB has plenty of travel literature. There's this fella called Patrick Leigh Fermor, I've heard good things about him :)

Totally down with some PLF. I've actually never read any of them. Jacob, was there one you wanted to read? Or a good one to start with?

Nick

Ok, I confess--I only brought up PLF because he has so many books out. I'm really hoping to read The Way of the World by Nicolas Bouvier...

A Time of Gifts by Patrick Leigh Fermor is one that I have been wanting to read. I have not read any of his work but I understand that it is quite good.

Dead Souls was great - that gets my top vote. I'd be down with PLF, or Month in the Country, but not as enthusiastic. Absolutely no interest in Cockhorse, though.

I just ordered Month in the Country - thought I had it already, but I think I have the DVD. Ha!

If you haven't read Dead Souls before, this translation is a pretty good place to start - it's really snappy (sometimes a little too snappy), and VERY funny, it really points up the satire and absurdism. The style isn't very smooth and the diction gets clunky, but some people are less put off by this than some characteristics of the 19th-century-style translations. HOWEVER, the big drawback is there are no explanatory notes and the translator completely bails in the introduction and says "I'm not going to say anything about this book or the author, read these monographs instead," which is pretty disappointing. So if you read this edition you'll miss out on a lot of references, but again, that bothers some people more than others (it bugged me because I don't like to just skim over stuff I don't get in a book).

The poll is now up, I see.

I'm so sorry, somehow I missed this thread. I'll go to the poll and see what's listed.

The poll is up till Monday, which I think seems fine though we may not get many other votes.

A Month in the Country is winning, which I'm excited about—unless it makes me have uncontrollable urges to read it in the country while stuck in a steaming city!

Nick

It's now a pretty tight race.

Dead Souls seems like a book for autumn.

The polled seem to feel that way too...

Well summer or fall A Month in the Country won.

It'll take me a week or so to get into it but I'm going to create a folder now and anyone can start posting whenever they feel the need.

Nick