Category Archives: Bücher

A fashion statement

I like clothes and what they say about me and others. I like reading Vogue magazine. And I was intrigued by ‚The Thoughtful Dresser‘, because the title implied that it goes beyond skin-deep observations on fashions. In fact, the book does all but that and Linda Grant (who has a blog with the same title) finds unusual ways into the minds of fashionistas. She writes about Auschwitz. And 9/11. About the truths of nakedness and the comfort (and discomforts) of a pair of shoes. And the family stories told by handbags. One German translation of ‚thoughtful‘ is ‚wohlüberlegt‘ – I try to apply that to the clothes and accessories I wear. And another is ’nachdenklich‘ – and that’s what the book made me.

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Family men

I had met the author before I read the book. It was a beautiful summer evening in Berlin. Das Blaue Sofa  – brilliantly hosted by Barbara Wahlster – was taken apart and the discussion began. About the importance of editors. And translators. Social networks were also mentioned. And when we all gathered on the roof of the house to admire the sights and building sites of  ‚Unter den Linden‘, the conversation continued, the story unfolded and I knew what I wanted to read next. A Lie About My Father by John Burnside is one of those books that I won’t forget. It’s honest. It’s fiction and autobiography and it let me choose between the two. It is uncomfortable and heart-warming. It rummages in a family’s entrails and leaves me wondering why it’s so easy to take the wrong turn. And yes – it’s about addiction. Alcohol, other drugs – it’s all there. The mess, the hurt and the betrayals of self and others. And about men who want to hide.

At the beginning, there’s a quote by Patti Smith. I went to her concert the day after ‚Das Blaue Sofa‘.

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Eine gelungene Übersetzung

Ich tue es selten. Englischsprachige Bücher in der Übersetzung lesen. Weil ich sie so gerne im Original lese. Bei John Banvilles Unendlichkeiten (Titel des Originals: The Infinities) habe ich eine wunderbare Entdeckung gemacht: Es kann Spaß machen, es zu tun. Großartig, wie Christa Schuenke die verschiedenen Sprachebenen vom Göttlichen zum Menschlichen und wieder zurück transportiert. Ein großes Lese- und Denkvergnügen!

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