Nobel Prizes and historical writing
I found out just now that Theodore Mommsen won the 1902 Nobel Prize in Literature for the three volumes of History of Rome, and remembered that Winston Churchill took it out sometime after WWII for his History of the English Speaking People. I find it quite amazing, and highly admirable, that historical writing is able to win this prize.
I also frequently get Mommsen and … now I’ve forgotten his name; someone else who wrote about Rome – oh yes, thanks Wikipedia, Edward Gibbon. Don’t ask me why; could well be because they are both giants in Roman history and I haven’t read either. Bad me.
Somewhat related to this, there’s an interesting article in The Age about Making a fiction of history… – Kate Grenville has written some book (called The Secret River) which includes some ‘real’ events but out of their correct context (geographically, chronologically, and personally). There’s a dispute raging about whether novelists are allowed to claim that their stories are ‘history’ in some sense. Inga Clendinnen is fuelling the fires with a will…. I’m not sure what I think of the whole furore. I think I agree with Clendinnen’s words at the end of the article:
“You’re allowed to play games if you’re clearly on your side of the ravine,” she says. “Thousands of people will read The Secret River and get some knowledge of their past. That’s great – as long as it’s kept in the fiction section.”
Yup. I learnt an enormous amount about Roman history from Colleen McCollough (sp?) and her Rome series – to the extent that I knew stuff at uni that impressed my tutor, always a good thing – but I had to keep in mind that the motivations and emotions she attributed to the characters were her invention, no matter how well researched they were. I like empathy in history, I try hard – althoguh perhaps not ahrd enough – to get my students to feel empathy – but somewhere, there is a line where empathy does not and cannot help, and may be misleading.
Yeh, really not sure where I’m going with all of this.
New book!!
My friend B is wonderful. We’ve had a bit of a tradition that she organises my birthday present months in advance, and in the past she has taunted me with this for said months. Not this time, though, so opening a package to discover Borges and the Eternal Orang-utans (by Luis Fernando Verissimo) was a delight. She did the IB, and had to read Borges, which she didn’t really like; I borrowed it from her and loved it – absolutely loved it, and I can’t think why I haven’t gone out and invested in more of his stuff since then. Anyway, it’s perfectly apt from her to me.
I can’t wait to read it… I haven’t heard of the ‘Eternal Orang-utan’ before, so whether this is an invention of Verissimo’s put into John Dee’s mouth, or not, I am not sure… but if it is Dee’s original, I wonder if this is where Pratchett got his idea of the librarian being turned into an orangutan from?
Books read in the last three days…
More as a remnder to myself that I really must post more substantial reviews, I read The First Crusade on the weekend – at last – and last niht finished My Sister’s Keeper, by Jodi Picoult. Not at all my normal read – am doing it for a programme at school – but it certainly surprised me….
Delano R Franklin
…is one of the cleverer names I’ve heard recently in a story. This is from “Paradox and Greenblatt,” written by Kevin J Anderson, from EscapePod (episode 74). This was a very, very clever story – well worth streaming or podcasting!
New reviews
I’ve read Deucalion and The View from Ararat recently, both by Brian Caswell. I’ve read the first before, but not the second. I do love Caswell, but I’m actually reading these with a purpose – to review them for ASif! Which I have done.
I’ve also read and reviewed the stories currently up at New Ceres. New Ceres is a fascinating idea: it’s a world created by a couple of people, and other people are able to write stories about the place. A lot of time and effort has gone in to this already – the planetary system is completely worked out, the basic history is there… it’s very impressive. And the most interesting thing, I think, is that the culture is resolutely eighteenth-century. This, of course, allows for interesting things like coffee houses, highwaymen, and High Culture. Anyway, people can write both fiction and pseudo non-fiction: this first issue includes a travel piece, originally written for The Martian Eye, and a column on decorum and politness. The point of all of this, though, is that I am very much looking forward to reading more articles about the world… who knows, maybe I will even write something sometime. The idea that I could write non-fiction about a fictional place actually stirs my creativity a bit, which nothing has in a while.
Deaths
Bit of a morbid title there, I realise… the reaction of people to Steve Irwin’s death has been a bit over the top, I think. Particularly twinned with Colin Thiele’s death on the same day, and the distinct lack of matching grief or accolades from the public or politicians. Beattie’s “oh, we could have a national park or award named after him…” thing is great, but seriously – millions of books sold, Storm Boy for heaven’s sake, and nothing for Thiele??
New Books
Mmmm, Readings’ Bargain Books. Bought three books today: Isabella, She-Wolf of France, by Alison Weir (not academic, but bound to be an interesting read); The Speckled Monster, about immunising against smallpox; and a book about Walter Raleigh, by a dude called Raleigh Trevalyan, apparently because he is a distant relative. Should be a great deal of fun.
Simon Green
YAY for Simon Green. Seriously – YAY. I’ve just re-read Blue Moon Rising, and Beyond the Blue Moon. There’s a scene in the latter where there are a number of heroes fighting against overwhelming odds (of course), and I realised that it was really quite a lot like the scenes with Owen Deathstalker et al fighting a bunch of baddies. He really is a big fan of the group fight thing, with all of them bringing individual skills and so on. And Hawk and Fisher have a lot in common with Owen and Hazel. Hmm… I might have to read Deathstalker again… but probably not soon. I don’t think I could stand having to go through that again quite so soon.
Yay for Simon Green.
Labyrinth
Not the movie – big fan though I am – but the book, by Kate Mosse. Another Grail story… this one a time-slip idea, with Alice the amateur archaeologist in 2006 and Alais, possibly a Cathar or at least a sympathiser in 13th century France. Overall, I think it was a good book. Not a reat one; just good, quite enjoyable, moderately engrossing. There were a few bits I found clunky – some of the dialogue, and some of the descriptions, particularly of Alice (I really don’t care that she’s tanned and wearing cut offs, sorry), but mostly the story goes along at a reasonable pace. I think that writing two different narratives is quite a skill, and Mosse generally manages it, although in a few bits I think she left a character too early or too late. But, I think I would recommend it to people who aren’t totally over the whole Grail thing – this one doesn’t make a huge thing of the Grail itself, which I think is an advantage.
Alastair Reynolds!!!
I’ve just found out that there are two new Reynolds coming out!! No idea when, but who cares – just knowing is enough to keep me on edge. Yay! One’s a novel, the other is a collection of sort stories – which, thanks to the wonderful Kate, I am now totally fine with.
Definitely something to be looking forward to.
Randomly Yours, Alex 