Well what's to be done I'll go away askance into the 16th century through the quotes over here

[sovay]

Delightful surprise of the week: visiting the brick-and-mortar office of Červená Barva Press in the basement of the Somerville Armory and discovering that not only do they sell their own books, like the chapbook of Aleksei Kruchonykh's libretto for the Futurist opera Victory Over the Sun (1913, trans. Larissa Shmailo 1980/2014) I had originally contacted the publisher about, they are a really lovely tiny used book store. My mother left with Gene Stratton-Porter's The Harvester (1911), Inez Haynes Irwin's Maida's Little School (1926), and Frances Hodgson Burnett's Robin (1922), all first editions—jacketless, but in otherwise quite respectable condition; the first two are books from her childhood and the third neither of us had ever heard of, so fingers crossed it's not terrible. I walked out with Barbara Helfgott Hyett's In Evidence: Poems of the Liberation of Nazi Concentration Camps (1986) and the Signet paperback of Mickey Spillane's Kiss Me, Deadly (1952), which I did not buy solely for its cover, but you must admit it helps. I am enjoying Victory Over the Sun. skygiants showed me the first three episodes of Underground (2016–) last night and I want a soundtrack album. I have returned unhappily to a state of not so much sleeping, but being awake is always better with good art.

Comments

[gwynnega]

Yay for the used bookstore discovery!

[sovay]

Yay for the used bookstore discovery!

They are one room filled with shelves. The majority is poetry, but the wall of mid-century paperbacks and the bookcase of early twentieth-century hardcovers also attracted my attention. It's great.

[vr-trakowski.livejournal.com]

Ooooh, oh, Robin! It's one of Burnett's novels for grown-ups, and actually it's the second in a duology, though it can be read on its own since the first bit summarizes a lot of the previous book.

But if you want the other, it's The Head of the House of Coombe, and last time I checked it was available at the Gutenberg Project.

Those two are among my favorites of her work; she wrote quite a few books that no one has heard of any more. Among other things, they're a fascinating look at England just prior to, and during, the Great War. Be warned, they're very anti-German.

[sovay]

Ooooh, oh, Robin! It's one of Burnett's novels for grown-ups, and actually it's the second in a duology, though it can be read on its own since the first bit summarizes a lot of the previous book.

Oh, cool! I didn't even know she wrote novels for adults. (I didn't know Gene Stratton-Porter was female, either. I did know that Inez Haynes Irwin wrote a major feminist genre novel—Angel Island (1914)—but I knew that because of Ursula K. Le Guin.) I will see if I can borrow it from my mother when she's done.

Those two are among my favorites of her work; she wrote quite a few books that no one has heard of any more. Among other things, they're a fascinating look at England just prior to, and during, the Great War. Be warned, they're very anti-German.

So noted. I am still always interested by war literature of the time.

Thank you!

[ethelmay.livejournal.com]

I remember seeing Robin described as "syrup," but not who said it or why. Haven't read it myself.

Maida's Little School and some of the other Maida books definitely featured in our childhood library as well. We also had one of her adult novels, The Happy Years, I think.

[sovay]

Maida's Little School and some of the other Maida books definitely featured in our childhood library as well.

There were several in my grandparents' house when I was growing up, but the only one I really remember is Maida's Little Theater (1946), because they staged a production of The Tempest. I read it years before I ever saw the play; now I want to see what I think of their interpretation.

We also had one of her adult novels, The Happy Years, I think.

How was it? I've never read any of her adult novels, even Angel Island. (I'll change that whenever I find a copy in print.)

[ethelmay.livejournal.com]

The Happy Years is apparently the third in a series, though I didn't realize that. It's a slice-of-life book about a few families through the years. Can't remember if the war is mentioned (it was first published in 1916) -- probably not, more of a sunny prewar story, though there's a death or two. It's not terrifically subtle, though more so than the Maida books. Say a cross between the Maida books and L.M. Montgomery.

It's the sort of book I remember a lot of little snippets from (e.g., something about a black and silver outfit, with silver slippers -- "I'm so glad you didn't get black" -- having cut steel buckles -- "I'm crazy about cut steel"), but not that much about what actually happens.

[sovay]

It's not terrifically subtle, though more so than the Maida books. Say a cross between the Maida books and L.M. Montgomery.

That sounds peculiar enought I might have to check it out. Thank you!

It's the sort of book I remember a lot of little snippets from (e.g., something about a black and silver outfit, with silver slippers -- "I'm so glad you didn't get black" -- having cut steel buckles -- "I'm crazy about cut steel"), but not that much about what actually happens.

That's fair. I believe I have books like that.

[ethelmay.livejournal.com]

Oh, and speaking of Gene Stratton Porter, her The Keeper of the Bees is a very weird id-fic that I remember reading at my grandmother's house every summer. Wounded WWI vet finding physical and emotional healing -- elderly beekeeper mentor -- androgynous slangy child -- unwed mother -- precepts of the Healthy California Life, including some very faddy-sounding diet advice about not combining certain foods -- and no end of really excellent, positively life-saving tomatoes. (No, seriously. The hero goes after tomatoes the way a zombie goes after brains. I suppose it is the vitamin C.)

[sovay]

Oh, and speaking of Gene Stratton Porter, her The Keeper of the Bees is a very weird id-fic that I remember reading at my grandmother's house every summer.

My mother's been looking for that one for years. (It came up in conversation as soon as I spotted The Harvester, which was the only Stratton-Porter on view.) I don't think I've read it, but I don't feel I can totally rule it out, either.

(No, seriously. The hero goes after tomatoes the way a zombie goes after brains. I suppose it is the vitamin C.)

Homegrown tomatoes that actually taste like something are really good!

[ethelmay.livejournal.com]

There are quite a few copies on abebooks.com, including both early editions and an Indiana University Press reprint.

And yeah, I love tomatoes, but it really is special how he goes after them. GSP has a lot of almost comically sensuous passages.

[movingfinger.livejournal.com]

After seeing this, I went over to Gutenberg to find and read Head of the House of Coombe and Robin. I've been reading Testament of Youth and thought they'd be interesting complements.

Finished Head and I can't decide whether Robin is a manic pixie dream girl whose purity is going to save someone, or if worse is in store for her. The books are so very sentimental that the character is difficult to take at face value.

This kind of older-man-protects-younger-girl can go so very off the rails for modern readers (e.g. Daddy Long-Legs) but Burnett seems to be keeping it under control so far. (Indeed this trope seems to be one of her Things.) Nonetheless, this pair of books clearly wants to be adapted into a manga or anime series.

[ethelmay.livejournal.com]

Found the "syrup" reference. It was in a review in the Times Literary Supplement (but you notice they reviewed it at all -- plenty of other authors wouldn't have been). Ann Thwaite points out that the same issue of TLS had a review of Jacob's Room, which is an interesting juxtaposition. https://books.google.com/books?id=rRtis6DUY4wC&pg=PA240

[movingfinger.livejournal.com]

The first half of Robin is more syrup, but the second half is syrup boiled to hard crack stage. I am not sorry I read it, but it's hard to believe that this was published as an actual serious literary novel---at times it's more like h/c fanfic.

[sovay]

The first half of Robin is more syrup, but the second half is syrup boiled to hard crack stage.

I'll be borrowing that from my mother, then.

[movingfinger.livejournal.com]

I said, loudly, "WHAT NO WAY NO" several times while reading it. I am not particularly up on sentimental Victoriana, so possibly those bits are taken in stride by the veteran reader of savarinesque tales.

[ashlyme.livejournal.com]

It's lovely discovering places like that. Both the Spillane and Kruchonykh have great covers.

ETA: where's the subject line from? Veirs or "Victory Over The Sun"?

[sovay]

Both the Spillane and Kruchonykh have great covers.

Kazimir Malevich did the original set design for Victory Over the Sun.

where's the subject line from? Veirs or "Victory Over The Sun"?

Victory Over the Sun. It's an exit line from the character of Nero and Caligula in the Same Person.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

[personal profile] skygiants showed me the first three episodes of Underground (2016–) last night and I want a soundtrack album

As far as I know, there is not an official one, but I made one on 8tracks (http://8tracks.com/brigdh/underground-soundtrack) (assuming that's a site that works for you). I love the music the producers chose!

[sovay]

As far as I know, there is not an official one, but I made one on 8tracks (assuming that's a site that works for you). I love the music the producers chose!

Thank you so much! I don't know if 8tracks works for me, but I'll find out. Is the mix downloadable?

(Seriously, if WGN released an official soundtrack, I cannot imagine but that it would fly off the shelves.)

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

8tracks is for listening only, no downloads, but I can easily put up the music for you to download on another site! Just give me a few days; the files are all on my other hard drive at the moment.

[sovay]

Just give me a few days; the files are all on my other hard drive at the moment.

That would be wonderful. Thank you!