Denmark And Austria - More Books

I haven’t posted anything on my Virtual Tour for a long time, but it’s not because I haven’t been reading… it’s just that I didn’t have enough time to write thorough reports. So I guess it will be best if I just give a quick update on several books at a time and provide some links where, if need be, more information can be found.

Denmark – Peter Hoeg “The Quiet Girl”

This book appeared in 2006 and in Denmark ‘was generally disregarded as being either too complex or too post-modern’. I must admit it was quite complicated – reading it I could feel that it’s been written by a very intelligent person whose knowledge in most subjects is far greater than of a standard European (no doubt mine as well…). At the same time it was a book which made me laugh out loud – the author’s sense of humour is simply brilliant – I wish I could have such a healing attitude towards life!

You might already be familiar with Peter Hoeg if you’ve read his “Miss Smilla’s Feeling for Snow”. For more information on this book please have a look here:

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/fiction/article2645069.ece

Austria – Susanna Kubelka “Ophelia Learns to Swim”

Susanna Kubelka was born in Austria, but now is presented as a German speaking writer who lives in France. Although “Ophelia Learns to Swim” was written in 1987 it can be easily confused for a very modern book, which encourages women to live their life with no regrets, taking every chance (hence all the 40 lovers that Ophelia has counted…). Such attitude isn’t for me, but I know that nowadays it’s quite popular. Well, the book wasn’t too bad and I guess in some ways it was even inspiring – advertising the thought that you shouldn’t stop and should always continue to follow your dreams.

For more information on this book please have a look here:

http://www.shvoong.com/books/novel/255074-ophelia-learns-swim/

Ireland (The Virtual Tour)

Finally a book that you can read just for pleasure... like eating a chocolate bar - it lasts till the last bite! But on the other hand it's easily forgettable - admit it, time passes and then you realise that once again you are craving for something sweet...

'Sushi for Beginners' is easy to read, entertaining and has an uplifting ending. I'd classify it as a book for women though. (Well, one can also wonder - do men read? Remembering my dad‘s joke "What if I buy you a book for your birthday? Oh, no, I already have one book!" - probably they don’t… at least not as much as women do.) I don’t think I know a man who’d be willing to analyze feelings or emotions and to soak up all the details of an everyday life of young women, who try to find their happiness (i.e. the other half), to be good mothers to their children or strive to become fashion divas.

Although some people (women?) who’ve read her books say that Marian Keyes creates novels that ‘…are an unusual blend of comedy and darkness‘ (cover subjects like depression, addiction and illness) I‘d still put them as an easy reading for your summer holidays. I guess it‘s just because you know that everything‘s going to be fine in the end.

- (For those who'd be interested to find out more about depression I'd recommend 'Prozac' by Elizabeth Wurtzel and 'The Bell Jar' by SylviaPlath)

Synopsis

Hard-nosed, bitch-goddess London fashion editor Lisa Edwards was certain her "fabulous" promotion would mean more A-list parties, society page photos, and jet-setting jaunts to the fall collections.

Instead, she's being deported, Prada wardrobe and all, to supremely un-chic Dublin to launch Colleen magazine. Her assistant editor, over-organized world-class worrier Ashling Kennedy, however, is thrilled with her new job . . .until she discovers it comes with a very high price tag: Lisa Edwards. And then there's Ashling's oldest, dearest chum, Clodagh "Princess" Kelly, who seems to have achieved true happily-ever-after suburban fairy tale bliss -- but lately has this irresistible urge to kiss a frog. The chances of three such diverse, equally unsatisfied women bonding would be remote anywhere except in staid Dublin town, "the magazine version of Siberia." And once they do, they're going to start shaking things up -- in print and out of it -- especially when Colleen's rumpled, moody, wickedly attractive head honcho Jack Devine is tossed into the mix.

Lithuania

I thought that it would be very hard to choose a Lithuanian book for my ‘Virtual Tour’ as so many authors deserve to be here! How can I write just about one book and then hope that it would represent my country and Lithuanian literature as the whole? But I knew everything would be fine when in a shop I picked up a book by Kristina Sabaliauskaite.

To tell the truth I didn’t know much about the author – we share the same name, she has a PhD in history of art, has lived in London and used to write for a Lithuanian newspaper – and I didn’t know how good the book would be. The back cover promised to reveal so many secrets that I decided not to wait and to find out if this girl is worth all the praises.

I was nicely surprised. I’d say she scores 10 out of 10. No doubt Kristina Sabaliauskaite can tell gripping stories and make you travel in time!

‘Silva Rerum’ – Latin phrase that stands for ‘forest of things’, but in the 16-18th century it used to be the title for a family chronicle, a book where Lithuanian and Polish noblemen would register important events: weddings, birth and death dates, also poems or quotes, and then pass it to the other generations. Kristina’s silva tells the story of Narwoysz family and lifts the veil that has been casted other the previous centuries. The narration is so vivid and complete that after reading the book you‘ll know what it was really like back then – you’ll know the taste, the smell, you’ll be able to imagine every single detail and to finally realise what unseen currents were governing peoples lives.

2009 is the year when we mark the millennium of Lithuania. It’s an important date that has evoked lots of discussions how we should celebrate it. ‘Silva Rerum’ is the book of the millennium as its author has put all of her talent and knowledge into producing an opus teaching us our own history – can there be a better way to celebrate such a date?

Other opinions about the book:

"...If they only knew about this book, Dan Brown and John Irwing would be terribly jealous. And Adam Mickiewicz would applaud. The book of the year - no, rather of the decade!" Emilija Visockaitė, Pravda.lt

"... The characters and the atmosphere are drawn tastefully and with the art historian's emphasis on aesthetic details, the storyline is solidly built, the intrigue is maintained, and one can hardly stop oneself reading..." Giedrė Kazlauskaitė, "Verslo žinios", 2009 02 20

"...I would like "Silva Rerum" to become a film...", theatre director Gintaras Varnas, Kultūra, Alfa.lt, 2009 02 14

For more information please have a look here: http://www.sabaliauskaite.com/index.php

Russia

(Virtual Tour 2009 - Around Europe without Leaving Your House)Russian literature is so vast, but this time my choice was made simply because of visual stimulation (by the way doing IQ tests I get the highest scores for visual abilities). Quite small green, red, blue, brown and yellow books stashed on my grandma’s shelves attracted my attention. These happened to be compediums of short stories written by Anton Chekhov.

I’ve heard that name before, I knew he was a writer, I knew one of his plays (“The Cherry Orchard”) nether the less there wasn’t anything else I could have told you about him. But now my knowledge has increased. So hopefully I won’t ever forget that Anton Chekhov is considered to be one of the greatest short-story writers in world literature.

He was a doctor (I could have guessed it after reading his story “Ward Number 6”), who used to say “medicine is my lawful wife and literature is my mistress”. It is thought that he started writing his stories for money, but later on Chekhov’s artistic ambition grew and he developed his original style - used something that is called “stream-of-consciousness” – portrayed inner monologues of his characters.

From the stories that I read the one that made the biggest impact on me is called “Rothschild’s Fiddle” (later on I found out that Russian composer Veniamin Fleishman even composed a one-act opera that was called “Rothschild’s Violin” – must be a very sad one).

The main character of the story Yakov Ivanov - a poor old coffin-maker is so engrossed in counting his losses that he never notices anything that’s around him: scolds his wife and tries to save on everything. He can’t work on a Sunday – it’s a loss, someone from his village is sent to a hospital in town and later on dies there – it’s a loss. When Yakov’s wife gets ill he makes a coffin for her and after she dies he writes out an invoice: Marfa Ivanova – 2r. 40kp. And of course it’s a loss… Yakov managed to realize what his mistakes were, but I guess it’s really sad that he did so just before his death. (I’m not going to mention the fiddle and who Rothschild is – I need to leave some secrets.)

Reading this story I thought of myself and how I like to count my time... Sometimes I believe that I haven’t got time even for a hug or a few friendly phrases – that would be a loss of precious minutes! But then am I not just like Yakov? Am I not robbing my loved ones of something that could make them happier?

The United Kingdom

(Virtual Tour 2009 - Around Europe without Leaving Your House)
From Sweden I’m hopping to… England! That beautiful island inhabited by people who have a very distinct sense of humor and tend to stick to their old traditions no matter what the rest of the world thinks.

At first I was going to choose a book written by a contemporary writer whose work would reflect the latest British style of living. In most likelihood this would have been something by Alexander McCall Smith – a very productive author, who is capable of telling his endless stories in a very attractive manner. But in the end I decided that it wouldn’t be fair – Alexander McCall Smith was born in Zimbabwe and at the moment lives in Scotland - from what I’ve heard Scottish people would like to be independent, so probably they haven’t got anything to do with the rest of the UK?

Anyway, in one of the local bookshops I found a book that was written in 1900 and to my mind it was ideal. It is called ‘Three Men on the Bummel’ (aka Three Men on Wheels) and actually is the sequel to the famous Jerome K. Jerome's book called ‘Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog)’. I’ve never read the latter, but after enjoying the humor I’ll certainly give it a go.

It’s really amazing how following three Englishmen on bikes in the German Black Forest you can find out so many interesting facts or opinions about both nations. For example I never knew why English people don’t speak any other languages (well, if you ask them if they do, they’ll say they speak a bit of French, but from my own experience it’s just some ‘catchy’ phrase that they can remember from school times – one can say ‘can you check my tires please’, another ‘what’s the time’). Jerome K. Jerome seems to agree with me – in his opinion a young Englishmen, who has just left school, could talk to a Frenchmen slowly and hardly, about gardeners or aunts. A brighter child might even be able to say something about the time or the weather; of course they could repeat several numbers or irregular verbs that they’ve learnt by heart, but we must admit that not many people would like to listen to their own irregular verbs repeated by a young Englishmen. I never thought I’d find so much support for my own theory in a 1900s book! I won’t tell you why the situation with languages is like that – if you’re really interested, read the book.

One more thing that slightly shocked me – this book was used for a long time as a school book in Germany. Why would they want to? Jerome K. Jerome’s story is full of commentary on German culture from the point of view of a British tourist – as you might imagine it’s not flattering! Here’s a short abstract that should give you an idea:

'In Germany one breathes in love of order with the air, in Germany the babies beat time with their rattles, and the German bird has come to prefer the box, and to regard with contempt the few uncivilised outcasts who continue to build their nests in trees and hedges. In course of time every German bird, one is confident, will have his proper place in a full chorus. This promiscuous and desultory warbling of his must, one feels, be irritating to the precise German mind; there is no method in it. The music-loving German will organise him.'

I laughed out loud. Trust me this book can help you overcome your winter depression!

SWEDEN

(Virtual Tour 2009 - Around Europe without Leaving Your House)
To choose a book written by a Swedish writer was really easy, I have my favourite contemporary Swedish author – Karin Alvtegen.

Several years ago I accidentally got a book called ‘Missing’. I thought it would be just another detective story that you read and later on forget, but it wasn’t. ‘Missing’ was a book that grabs you in the very beginning of the story and at the end of it you are really disappointed it’s over. I liked it so much I searched for the other books written by this author.

Karin Alvtegen’s books contain lots of feelings and emotions, usually not the one’s you’d gladly talk about. You would probably agree with me if you heard such book titles as ‘Guilt’, ‘Betrayal’ and ‘Shame’. By the way, the later is the one that kept me on the edge – some of the things described there are truly horrible, none the less I’m sure they exist: parents making their children suffer, lonely people in the busy 21st century World and accidents that can change our lives forever. It’s a book that might be read in one go, but I’m sure that in your mind you will keep coming back to it for a long time… Trained as a psychologist I keep making a list of books that should be read by my school fellows and ‘Shame’ is at the top of it!

Review (for the impatient)
Monica, is a successful, well regarded surgeon and physician who is ashamed of something in her past. She can't develop any meaningful relationships with anyone and pushes anyone who gets close, quickly away.
Maj-Britt, hiding from the world behind an endless supply of food requires help just to live, she is so obese. Locked in her apartment away from the world, Maj-Britt is deeply ashamed of something in her past.
Monica and Maj-Britt don't know each other, yet somehow, because of a conference, a car-accident and a care-worker, they briefly collide. The results of that collision, catastrophic for one in the short term, force both of them to confront the past and deal with their personal shame.
SHAME is not a novel for readers who like a murder right up there are the front of the book, with an investigation to resolve the crime. There really is no murder in SHAME, but there is death, sadness, despair, personal angst and profound tragedy and sorrow.
SHAME takes you carefully through the lives of Monica and Maj-Britt, revealing the events that lead to the shame that they each feel, and what has happened to each of them since. As those events are revealed, a connection between the two women slowly eventuates. The connection could save them, or it could destroy them both.
With elements of fear, oppressive religion, obsession, betrayal, sexuality, guilt, family dysfunction and emotional blackmail, SHAME is challenging and sometimes harrowing. It is also compelling, taut, intriguing and, ultimately, uplifting.

Karen Chisholm, Australia

For more information about Karin Alvtegen please visit her official website - http://www.karinalvtegen.com/
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So I can cross out one country in my long list… Not too bad, but this one was easy, I wonder how I’m going to get on with the others…

(I guess one more reason why I started with Sweden is that I got acquainted with their literature in my childhood. Then as my favourite author I would have named Astrid Lindgren. Later in my life I got really interested in Selma Lagerliof’s creations. So if you decide to take the virtual tour and can’t get hold of any Karin Alvtegen’s books I would recommend you to find something by Selma Lagerliof – ‘The emperor of Portugallia’, ‘The story of Gösta Berling’ or ‘The ring of the Löwenskölds’.)

Around Europe Without Leaving Your House

Inspired by one famous blogger's ideas* I decided to add one more thing to my 2009 resolutions. Well, it will actually combine two resolutions - reading more and travelling more.

This year I'm going to take a virtual trip around Europe and it will be done reading at least one book written by a writer of each European country. I think that it will be exciting to find out more about these countries in such an unusual way.


You are welcome to participate either by advising me on what to read or joining in and travelling along. Just copy the list of countries given below and start researching. I hope you will enjoy it and share your expierence with me.

I'm not sure that I will even manage to find books from all of these countries that would be translated into Lithuanian or English (these are the languages that I read in), but I guess it's worth a try. I'm ashamed, but I have to admit that I don't remember reading anything that would be written by our closest neighbours -Latvians or Estonians, I haven't got a clue what they would write about... So I think that it's high time to enlarge my knowledge in literature and geography.

Anyway, I'm off to read...

Albania
Andora
Austria
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Belgium
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Georgia
Germany
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
Kazakhstan
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Malta
Moldova
Monaco
Montenegro
Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia
San Marino
Serbia
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
Ukrain
United Kingdom
Vatican City

* The blog that inspired me can be found here: http://www.ihanna.nu/blog/?p=946 (In 2008 Hanna participated in her Daily Art Card project, for 2009 she has arranged a Daily Poetry challenge.)