Book What are you reading?

[F.L.]

 

[Ivan le Fou]

Walden.

I had studied it during my Master years, but in French.
So I got it in English to see how nuanced the original text really compared to the French translation.

 

[HorniePonie]

Been reading / revisiting classics.

 

[HorniePonie]

Walden.

I had studied it during my Master years, but in French.
So I got it in English to see how nuanced the original text really compared to the French translation.

Reading books in different languages is often an interesting experience as translating is sort of an art form in itself.

 

[Ivan le Fou]

Reading books in different languages is often an interesting experience as translating is sort of an art form in itself.

It is.

One of my Masters was in translation-edition (French to English and English to French). I keep fond memories of sifting through various dictionaries (synonyms, etymology, etc...) and encyclopedias to, first, understand the meaning of the idea, and then to find the proper, or most accurate, word to translate it.
Very fun thing to do. But it comes with the risk of becoming pedantic.


edit: I have to say that, apart from some old-fashioned idioms and historical references, the original text is much more "fluid" and "comprehensive" than the translated version.
Which is, obviously, to be expected with original texts translated to another language. But I doubt a French writer could have managed to write it the same way Thoreau did. The poetry in Thoreau's words feels natural, not forced, spontaneous; yet complex in its ideas and meanings.

Very enjoyable.

 

[Gaz]

I'm trying to build up the courage to re-read "Blood Meridian" by Cormac McCarthy. It's been ten or twelve years and I enjoyed it but I remember it being really hard work - anyone who's read it recently have words of encouragement for me?

Cormac McCarthy passed away yesterday so guess this is my kick in the backside to finally re-read Blood Meridian. My introduction to him was the following quote from Blood Meridian which I first read in the late 90s when it was used as a foreword to the book "Black Hawk Down".

It makes no difference what men think of war, said the judge. War endures. As well ask men what they think of stone. War was always here. Before man was, war waited for him. The ultimate trade awaiting its ultimate practitioner,

 

[Ivan le Fou]

Managed to "outsource" a 1874 edition of Lays of Ancient Rome.

Once I am done with Walden, that will be the next one on the block.

 

[digrar]

Just bowled over the three Thursday Murder Club books by Richard Osman. He's not a bad author for a bloke who's main skill is the ability to smell the blood of an Englishman.

 

[DACT]

 

[digrar]

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, he also wrote the Martian and Artemis. This was as good as The Martian, and much better than Artemis.

 

[IDF_TANKER]

Finishing the Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin.
I remember reading the first book in the series a while ago, and not really digging/getting it - there were some cool innovative elements in it, but overall seemed a little off. Recently decided to reread because of the Netflix trailer, and got completely hooked. It's still flawed at times - in some aspects simplistic, a little naive and awkward... but overall incredibly original and innovative. And unlike many other book series, the subsequent books are only getting better and better.

 

[Hadamar]

Cormac McCarthy passed away yesterday so guess this is my kick in the backside to finally re-read Blood Meridian. My introduction to him was the following quote from Blood Meridian which I first read in the late 90s when it was used as a foreword to the book "Black Hawk Down".

It makes no difference what men think of war, said the judge. War endures. As well ask men what they think of stone. War was always here. Before man was, war waited for him. The ultimate trade awaiting its ultimate practitioner.

They aint worth no fifty dollars.
Speyer looked grave. What is your life worth? he said.
In Texas five hundred but you'd have to discount the note with your ass.

 

[Nansouty]

Sorry, it's in French, but this is a really thought provoking book :

"Conduire la guerre" (managing war) by Jean Lopez and Benoist Bihan. It's a tentative to make what "Operational Art "is all about, and goes to the roots of it with a long description of Svietchin's theses in Strategiia.
The end part is of great interest, as it links the general crisis of strategy in the world, and especially in the West, to the failure to assess how the nuclear forces changed the strategical paradigm. If it's ever translated into English, I highly recommend it!

https://www.babelio.com/livres/Lopez-Conduire-la-guerre/1455852