Reading Journal: Tuesday 4th May 2010

Today I may have wallowed in the place I love to be – totally immersed in a world of words – but it ended being a very busy day of reading. That’s not a complaint of course because I’m never happier than when I’m drowning in books. And if anything it’s all going to make for a packed and rather interesting reading journal entry. I’ll let you be the judge of whether my journal entry is fun and interesting though, as you join me in a rundown on what turned out to be a very bookish start to the week.

With it being Tuesday I kicked off the day with my precious Chekhov, and two stories which could definitely be labeled as ‘chalk and cheese’. The first story, At a Summer Villa is a comedic tale of extramarital lust, while the second, Panic Fears is more a Poe-esque exploration into man’s primitive fears. Neither story was particular but the former definitely wins out over the latter. As I’ve posted my official afterthoughts for both of these stories (At A Summer Villa HERE. Panic Fears HERE), I won’t dwell any longer.

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Moving swiftly on, and following yesterday’s slight disappointment that the opening entry in Arab writing anthology, Beirut39 (Bloomsbury) wasn’t quite as engaging as I would have liked it to have been, I was keen to discover whether the next entry – an extract from Abdelkader Benali’s novel The Trip to the Slaughterhouse – would meet my expectations. Well, I’m happy to say that it most certainly did!

The extract, which reads almost as a story on its own, follows a son’s attempts to discover where his father – a man who spends most of his time fiddling with broken radios – is disappearing to once a month before returning home, happy and contented. The story (what there is of it) is certainly engaging and readable, and it offers the reader a glimpse into Moroccan family values, while showing some of the prejudices that can arise for a family living in the Arab diaspora (in this case Holland).

It’s obvious that Benali, a Dutch-born Moroccan writer, is to some extent injecting his own life experience into this story, and he does so to great effect. From exposing the antiquated belief that females should assume the traditional role in the Arab household (while the males are pushed academically), to touching on the ugly subject of racism, this is an excellent entry from Benali, and one which makes me keen to seek out the full novel (if it’s ever been published in English). Story Rating:

*On an aside I noticed that the translator for the this story is none other than Susan Massotty, the same translator who brings Kader Abdolah’s wonderful literature to the English language i.e. The House of the Mosque (Canongate). Needless to say Massotty’s work on Benali’s extract is flawless.

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It was Day 2 of my wander though Neil Gaiman and Al Sarrantonio’s upcoming short story anthology, Stories (Headline Publishing), and thankfully I was treated as I was yesterday, to another fine tale, this time courtesy of one the greatest short story writers of our time, Joyce Carol Oates. The story called Fossil-Figures is an exceptional one, following the lives of two twins Edgar and Edward, as they make their way in the world.

It all begins in the womb, where it becomes clear from the outset that the twins are very much not created equal. Edgar, dubbed the ‘demon brother’ is the predominant one, leeching life from his smaller sibling Edward, to the point where he bursts forth into the world showing exceptional strength and a passion for life. Edward’s arrival on the other hand is unannounced (it was thought that the mother was only carrying one child), lethargic and sickly. And so the destiny of the twins is set. Edgar begins a life of vibrant health and achievement while Edward’s existence becomes the very antonym of this. It’s not my thing to tell you how this one works out, but be prepared for a bit of a roller-coaster ride fellow reader.

I’ll close by saying that when a story comes from the best, one expects the best, and Oates’ definitely delivers on that score. Not only has she managed to create a story where the reader is unusually torn between empathy and abhorrence, she brings a huge element of the demonic to the proceedings, which wholly fits in with the ‘imaginative’ element that the anthology strives to promote. Job done! Story Rating:

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Alas, as much as I enjoy being totally immersed in my reading, I often find that when I am I run out of time. Such was the case today when I found myself desperately grasping for a few more hours at the end of the day. Consequently I only managed to get through 54 pages of Julia Franck’s The Blind Side of the Heart (Harvill Secker), the latest of the novels I’m tackling on my journey through this year’s Independent Foreign Fiction Prize shortlist. It’s early days but so far so good, as I’m finding that the novel is shaping up to be another exceptional candidate for this year’s Prize. I’m loving Franck’s elegant prose, but perhaps I’m loving more, the flawless translation of this one is down to one of my favourite translators, Anthea Bell. It’s always a pleasure reading the fruits of her labour.

::Wednesday’s reading plans::

• It’s entry #3 of Beirut39 today, and the first full short story from this anthology of Arab writing. The story is by Moroccan Abdellah Taia – a writer who comes with a very interesting background (born into a poor family, now living in Paris, Taia is the first Moroccan Arab writer to publicly declare his homosexuality) – and it’s called The Wounded Man.
• My journey through Neil Gaiman and Al Sarrantonio’s Stories has been an excellent one so far. Will Joanne Harris be able to keep the good times rolling with a short story contribution called Wildfire in Manhattan? I’ll be finding that out today.
• As promised I’m getting right back on board my iPoe reading challenge and designating Wednesdays for Edgar Allen Poe reading. I’ve only got one story planned today, Poe’s 1839-published satirical tale, The Devil in the Belfry
• Disappointed that I haven’t make as much progress as I would have liked to, and a little concerned that I’m not going to meet the deadline in time, the real reading onus today is on Julia Franck’s The Blind Side of the Heart.

‘Reading Journal’ provides an unedited, on-the-fly record of the bookish highlights in Rob’s reading day.