har

[aesc]

Turkey sandwiches an excellent source of turkey sandwiches.

John Sheppard approves of this!


What John Sheppard might not approve of: Me being stuck in the asd;lkdjflkjdf!1 ! library working until 5pm. This past week has been the week of madness and insanity; although it ended pretty well (good discussion group on Friday HURRAH, free food), for a while the outcome was in doubt.

Also, I just finished re-reading Hella Haasse's In a Dark Wood Wandering. Oh my god, how I love that book.

Comments

[aesc.livejournal.com]

The Dutch title is Het woud der verwachting :D

It is one of those books that I can't imagine not ever having read; the first time I read it, I was pretty young, but I remember being madly in love with it, and it still makes me happy when I go to a bookstore and I see a copy of it on the shelf.

(Also, the book's translation from Dutch to English is sort of amazing: it might never have been done except a postal worker liked to spend his free time translating books he thought needed to be translated. He died before the polished translation was completed and for some years his notes and rough manuscript were forgotten; eventually, though, they were found and Haase and an American editor both worked from his notes to finish it. How cool is that?)

[twincy.livejournal.com]

Oooh, no, haven't read that one. I have read Oeroeg by her, though.

(! That is pretty awesome. It's such a strange idea to me that people are out there enjoying authors like Haasse and Wolkers and van Dis in languages other than Dutch. Speaking of, though, I can't vouch for the translation, but if you haven't read Jan Wolkers' Turkish Delight, you should give it a go. It's one of my favourites.)

[aurora]

*comment-crashes* Oeroeg kind of sucked, no? Or at least that how I remember it.

[twincy.livejournal.com]

I think I quite liked it. It's been a while, though.

[aurora]

I had to read it for school about ten years ago, so my memories are hazy. There was a lake??

[twincy.livejournal.com]

Yes, there was! Someone's dad drowned! And there were two boys! From different social classes! Who are friends! Cue drama!

[aurora]

Yes, Oeroeg was the Indian? African? (probably the latter) boy. And there was a storm. I think.


note to aesc: sorry for the journal hijack. :(

[twincy.livejournal.com]

Oost-Indisch, I think, maybe? Which would be... present-day Indonesia. Though I might be mixing it up with an Adriaan van Dis (♥♥♥) novella. I don't remember the storm? God, now I want to reread. I wonder if I still have it somewhere - I know I nicked my copy off my brother, who read it for class.

*blows kisses to aesc*

[aurora]

Oost-Indisch, I think, maybe? Which would be... present-day Indonesia.
Wiki confirms it!

For some reason I have the image of a storm and broken floorboards/planks associated with that book. (Also I found a recap and now I totally remember the ending.)

[twincy.livejournal.com]

I found a recap and now I totally remember the ending.
!!! Yes me too! And suddenly I see many parallels with The Great Gatsby.

[aurora]

I, um, have never read The Great Gatsby. *shame*

[twincy.livejournal.com]

Don't worry, I've read it enough times for both of us :D