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olaolaheia's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Robert Musil's siste publiserte verk, en samling av essayer og noveller som er delt inn i 3 ulike seksjoner. Det er en stund siden jeg leste denne boken, men fant mange av høydepunktene kjempeinteressante. De mindre gode seksjonene var helt greie, men også de hadde noen kjempegode setninger i seg. Kult å se så mange fine observasjoner av det dagligdagse og veldig innsiktsvekkende at så mange av disse tingene er like relevant i dag som da det ble skrevet. Har ikke boken med meg her så jeg kan ikke navngi historiene jeg likte best, men den som satt aller størts inntrykk er den hvor han snakker om et slags Tysk hostell han pleide besøke i Roma. Karakterbeskrivelsene av de andre menneskene der er fantastiske og jeg synes det er imponerende hvor dypt han har klart å fange de ulike individene som beveger seg inne på hostellet. Inspirerte meg skikkelig til å studere nærmere i samtaler med venner og ukjente.
jimmylorunning's review against another edition
5.0
The unnatural, which has become a second nature in nature, recovers its natural aspect in woods like this. (from Who Made You, Oh Forest Fair?)Great little book, great translation, Musil's strengths come through even in these tiny prose pieces. The incredible clarity of his sentences. The complexity of his thought, that is at the same time made tangible through language. The wry wit that cuts through the world of appearances.
The kitchens and bedrooms look outwards and downwards on all this; they lie close together like love and digestion in the human anatomy. (from The Blackbird)I especially loved Flypaper, Can a Horse Laugh?, Awakening, Clearhearing, Slovenian Village Funeral, Maidens and Heroes, Black Magic, The Paintspreader, A Culture Question, Art Anniversary, Who Made You Oh Forest Fair?, and The Blackbird.
If twenty clocks are hanging on one wall and you suddenly look at them, every pendulum is in a different place; they all tell the same time and yet don't, and the real time flows somewhere in between. (from Boardinghouse Nevermore)Yes, I know I just referenced about half the book. Oh well. Curiously, I enjoyed his prose observations and critical pieces more than his stories... which were more like essays in story form (Musil calls them Unstorylike Stories). But the last story in the book (Blackbird) is one of the strangest most beautiful stories I've ever read. I don't know what to think of it at all, and I bet that was the desired effect. I love it so much.
I know you're rushing for my sake; so all this must be absolutely necessary, part of your most intimate I, and like the mute motion of animals from morning till evening, you reach out with countless gestures, of which you're unaware, into a region where you've never heard my step! (from Clearhearing)PS- This probably doesn't belong on this review, but I just noticed something that kinda freaked me out and thought I had to share. After writing this review, I decided to check to see what Amazon reviews it's gotten. There were only two reviews, exactly 10 years apart (January 19, 1998 and January 19, 2008). The second was an unfavorable review (2 stars) by James Elkins from Chicago IL. To understand why this is freaky, you must understand that the last book I read before this one, i.e. 2 days ago, was [b:Pictures & Tears|165715|Pictures & Tears A History of People Who Have Cried in Front of Paintings|James Elkins|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172342179s/165715.jpg|160005] by James Elkins from Chicago IL!
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