So I recently finished Qualityland by Marc-Uwe Kling and I quite enjoyed it. The story was entertaining, funny, and, alarmingly, not too far-fetched… If you like satirical novels, I would definitely recommend reading that one. Also, check ebay for a used translated version - I got mine for like $5-$6 there.
I have since completely pivoted. I have been interested in Fyodor Dostoevsky for some time, as I heard many mentions of The Brothers Karamazov and Crime and Punishment. However, given that, as interested as I am, I tend to struggle reading older literature. The style of writing always seems to be a bit lost on me - primarily the pages that are dedicated to describing things that I don’t find that important. I also sometimes struggle with the language and dialect that was popular when the “classics” were written. Add to it that Dostoevsky’s works that I would read would be translations, and the two aforementioned novels are lengthy, it’s easy to see my reluctance.
That being said, I was far too curious in reading some of his work that I did some more digging and decided to get a used copy of Notes From Underground. This novella seems to be quite popular and is often recommended as a first Dostoevsky reading, as it is a good sampling of his work without being too in depth.
The book is broken up into two sections. I’ll be honest, the first section was exactly what I was afraid of.. The narrator is the main character of the book and he pretty much goes on a philosophical rant for 20-30 pages. I struggled to follow along, in part because I didn’t understand a lot of the references and the dialect was not something I was used to. I also tend to struggle with understanding highly philosophical thoughts when they are presented in lengthy metaphors or abstractly.
That being said, the longer, second part, has successfully captivated me. The second part is a story, and while it really isn’t necessarily a captivating premise, it is written in such a way that it has certainly captivated me. Credit to Dostoevsky because even though I didn’t understand, and hardly remember much of, the first section’s ramblings, I still could sense the tone of the story and got to know enough about the narrator to feel connected to them. I am already looking at getting some copies of his other works..
As for today’s smoke, I went with a Rojas Cigars Street Taco Barbacoas Robusto this morning while I continue my work on getting this guitar body colored and finished. What a ridiculous undertaking this has been. I can’t do much but laugh. I have been working at this far too long, but that’s what happens when you experiment with finishes… one step forward, two steps back.
Take care,
-Trevor