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Dan

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Dan is Currently Reading

Dan is currently reading

Tell Them of Battles, Kings, and Elephants

by Mathias Énard

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Ulysses: The 1922 Text

by James Joyce

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— May 19, 2026 04:14PM

May 19, 2026 04:14PM

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Essays of Elia and Last Essays of Elia

by Charles Lamb

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Reading for the 2nd time

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Dan said: " Dream Children: A Reverie (6/4/2026)

At first I thought the children were real — and that's exactly how Lamb wants it. He builds the whole thing with such warmth and domestic detail that when it dissolves at the end, when you realise it was all just a Dream Children: A Reverie (6/4/2026)

At first I thought the children were real — and that's exactly how Lamb wants it. He builds the whole thing with such warmth and domestic detail that when it dissolves at the end, when you realise it was all just a reverie, a life he never got to live, it catches you completely off guard. Sadder than South Sea House, which keeps its melancholy at a comfortable distance — this one is personal in a way that lingers.

But what I love most is just the vibe. That same quality he has in South Sea House — like sitting with someone who is quietly, unhurriedly reminiscing about things past — is here in full force. Lamb just has this tone that I find completely irresistible. Short, gentle, and quietly devastating.

The South-Sea House (15/3/26)

I loved the nostalgic tone of this essay and the gentle mockery that runs through it. Lamb begins by describing the old South-Sea House itself, almost as if he is walking the reader through the building, and from there he gradually builds a gallery of the clerks and characters who once worked there. Each figure has their own peculiar habits and personality, and Lamb sketches them with humor but also with real affection.

What I especially enjoyed was the essay’s sense of looking back at a vanished world. The place already feels like a relic, and Lamb writes about it with a mixture of memory, amusement, and quiet melancholy. His humor never feels cruel; it’s more like fond teasing of people he once knew.

Reading Lamb also forces me to slow down. My reading pace for contemporary fiction is quite fast, but with this essay I had to pause, decode sentences, and sometimes look up the references he casually drops—figures like Mammon or places like Vauxhall, Seven Dials, or Herculaneum. At times I let the prose simply wash over me when I didn’t catch every detail, and that actually added to the charm.

What I love most is Lamb’s prose. It has that slightly archaic, conversational quality that feels warm and intimate, as if a thoughtful friend from another century were reminiscing across the table. The essay ends up being both humorous and comforting, and reading it felt like slowing down and wandering through a quiet corner of old London.

A charming and quietly reflective essay that makes me want to keep reading more of Lamb’s Elia pieces. ...more "

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(3%)
— Apr 06, 2026 01:05AM

Apr 15, 2026 07:00AM · see review

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