Watch Your Mouth, which has a review on the back that calls it an "incest-parody gothic Jewish porn opera" or something similarly over-the-top, and I can't help thinking it can't ever live up to that.
If it helps, that sounds like a pretty accurate description, although "black comedy" probably belongs in there somewhere. It's a very strange book. A blurb that referred to the plot in more detail would sound even more ridiculous, which is probably why they left it vague. I enjoyed it, but I like gratuitous weirdness. I think The Basic Eight is better, but Watch Your Mouth was more interesting to reread since it's much more complicated.
(Oh, and Handler's Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography is also hilarious. Particularly if you're good at anagrams.)
Random plays-in-translation thoughts:
Waiting For Godot
is in fact an English translation; Beckett wrote a shitload of stuff in French, the English translations of which naturally benefitted hugely from having the actual author also be the translator.
- David Mamet did translations of some Chekhov plays that utterly kick ass (I think someone else did the literal translation from Russian, and then he took that and "theatrified" it, but damn they're good). Sadly, as juliana notes, despite the kick-assness of them, even these have to fight like mad for any audiences.
- I've seen a couple of Vaclav Havel's plays, and he seems to translate very well (though, again, seen; I have no idea what I'd think if I'd read them first).
I enjoyed it, but I like gratuitous weirdness.
Oh, I do too, and I'm glad to hear that it's actually an accurate description. I'm looking forward to it.
Reading on decline in America.
A 2002 Census Bureau study shows that only 56.6 of all American adults surveyed read a book of any kind in the previous year, and only 46.7 read literature, defined for the purpose of this study as a novel, short story, or play read without the impetus of a school or work assignment. Decline was most precipitous among the younger demographic groups.
Now that's depressing.
only 46.7 read literature, defined for the purpose of this study as a novel, short story, or play read without the impetus of a school or work assignment.
And to think that includes the Harry Potter folks. Gosh.
David Mamet did translations of some Chekhov plays that utterly kick ass
Vanya on 42nd Street for instance.
David Mamet did translations of some Chekhov plays that utterly kick ass (I think someone else did the literal translation from Russian, and then he took that and "theatrified" it, but damn they're good). Sadly, as juliana notes, despite the kick-assness of them, even these have to fight like mad for any audiences.
Both Mamet's and Landford Wilson's adaptation/translation of Three Sisters are absolutely, utterly gorgeous and are like night and day in terms of the language. And I would kill to direct any Chekov, but only the Guthrie can do it here and make any money off it.
A 2002 Census Bureau study shows that only 56.6 of all American adults surveyed read a book of any kind in the previous year, and only 46.7 read literature, defined for the purpose of this study as a novel, short story, or play read without the impetus of a school or work assignment.
Yikes! How can you do that? I can't even get to sleep without reading.
I read that this morning, and it surprises me not at all. My in-laws are people who went to college, and they read very little 'literature' - my FIL and MIL maybe a book or two a year (FIL more, now that he's retired). SIL reads mostly how-to books and stuff like that.
Yikes! How can you do that? I can't even get to sleep without reading.
I know! I mean, I know that I read way more than most people, but I just can't wrap my brain around the idea of going a whole year without reading for pleasure AT ALL.
