nycterisberna's review against another edition
4.0
como excusa de reseñar distintos libros de diversas materias (libros científicos, novelas, ensayos) Szymborska divaga sobre algún recuerdo que le despierte la materia de la cual acaba de leer. Y esas divagaciones son magníficas, a menudo nada tienen que ver con el libro reseñado, pero resultan más interesantes. Algunos pequeños poemas en prosa, frases sarcásticas y la certeza que leer a veces no tiene nada que ver con lo que estamos leyendo. Excelente.
ilovewongkarwai's review against another edition
4.0
Wisława escribió reseñas de un montón de cosas diferentes: guías de yoga, reparación del hogar, cuidado de anfibios, tapicería, recetas para cocinar papas, memorias de gente desconocida, divulgación científica sobre geología, biología, estadística, ¡hasta de calendarios!, y todas son brillantes y divertidas. Casi todos los textos en este libro son sobre libros como esos, de los que usualmente no hablan (o hablaban) quienes escriben y/o critican y reseñan literatura, pero que en librerías se venden como pan caliente.
Aunque también hay algunas reseñas que sí hablan de personajes famosos, como la biografía de Ella Fitzgerald, la correspondencia de Verne, los ensayos de Montaigne y la poesía de Miłosz. Lo que más me gustó de esos textos es que Szymborska habla más de ella y el resto del mundo que de esos personajes. Nos cuenta cómo la hace sentir la voz de Ella; compadece a la madre de Verne que debía leer cartas en las que le describía la consistencia de su popó después de ir baño, o de su esposa, a la que solo encontraba atractiva por ser rica; habla de todas las razones por las que Montaigne pudo haber muerto antes de escribir sus ensayos y que Miłosz come chuletas cuando va a un restaurante y cómo, a pesar de encontrarse con él muchas veces, no se atrevía a hablarle.
Me gustó mucho ver que alguien a quien admiro no le importaba escribir así: reseñas que muchos creían que no eran reseñas, en las que ella, su vida, lo que ha visto, lo que piensa y las personas y animales a su alrededor son más importantes que hablar de una novela en términos académicos, de si la poesía es la reina de la literatura o si un ensayo está bien estructurado. Le interesaban más, como dice en una reseña sobre un libro de grandes misterios, los árboles que crecen, el sonido de las hojas y las ranas sobre la hierba.
Después de leer este libro tengo ganas de silbar como pájaro o ponerme a croar.
Aunque también hay algunas reseñas que sí hablan de personajes famosos, como la biografía de Ella Fitzgerald, la correspondencia de Verne, los ensayos de Montaigne y la poesía de Miłosz. Lo que más me gustó de esos textos es que Szymborska habla más de ella y el resto del mundo que de esos personajes. Nos cuenta cómo la hace sentir la voz de Ella; compadece a la madre de Verne que debía leer cartas en las que le describía la consistencia de su popó después de ir baño, o de su esposa, a la que solo encontraba atractiva por ser rica; habla de todas las razones por las que Montaigne pudo haber muerto antes de escribir sus ensayos y que Miłosz come chuletas cuando va a un restaurante y cómo, a pesar de encontrarse con él muchas veces, no se atrevía a hablarle.
Me gustó mucho ver que alguien a quien admiro no le importaba escribir así: reseñas que muchos creían que no eran reseñas, en las que ella, su vida, lo que ha visto, lo que piensa y las personas y animales a su alrededor son más importantes que hablar de una novela en términos académicos, de si la poesía es la reina de la literatura o si un ensayo está bien estructurado. Le interesaban más, como dice en una reseña sobre un libro de grandes misterios, los árboles que crecen, el sonido de las hojas y las ranas sobre la hierba.
Después de leer este libro tengo ganas de silbar como pájaro o ponerme a croar.
mikalanir's review against another edition
Beautiful, compassionate, wise. She looks at humanity with a smile. The old woman I want to be one day.
anyu's review against another edition
5.0
I spent a delightful afternoon reading this collection of book reviews. Many of them read like a short story, and the author's wit and gentle derision were enchanting, as well as her curiosity and the obvious pleasure she took in exploring any subject matter. But I was crushed to discover that this was only a very small selection from the literary column she wrote for several decades, the bulk of which doesn't exist in translation. This is enough to make me want to learn Polish.
catacronopio's review against another edition
5.0
I have little time to write a review as complete as I would like to, but if I must, I guess I can summarize my impressions of this book in the following words: Beautiful, heartwarming, genuine, and spontaneous. I loved how it was simply so noticeable how much Szymborska enjoys both reading and writing.
greenspe's review against another edition
5.0
I've been known to spend whole afternoons browsing wikipedia--reading articles on historical figures, famous wars, contemporary celebrities, scientific phenomena, the cast of the Golden Girls--you name it. Reading this book was a lot like that, only imagine that the articles have all been written by one of the most probing, curious intellects this century has produced.
There are many great writers, but few of them are also great thinkers. Rather than ruminating on the usual fare--love, death, politics, malaise, and the like--Nobel Laureate Wislawa Szymborska writes about home repair, fairy tales, the psychology of dogs, centuries old European witch hunts, and Ella Fitzgerald, cracking apart the familiar and the concrete to find blueprints of our deepest held fears and triumphs nestled inside. Every other page contains an insight that you'll want to write down and share with everyone you know.
My favorite essay in this collection, if I had to pick one, is "Zuzia"--a piece about birds and their needs as pets. The piece detachedly discusses the finer points of bird care before she closes with an anecdote about her childhood bird, Zuzia, who inexplicably shrieked whenever the clocks would chime on the hour. In a matter of sentences the tone shifts completely, with Szymborska reflecting on the horror of an existence spent under constant reminder of your waning time on earth and ironically wondering whether her beloved Zuzia was astute enough to come to such a despairing realization herself.
It is exactly this kind of humor in the face of the bleak, marvel in the face of the mundane, and humility and wonder in the face of great and powerful beauty that absolutely seethes through all of Szymborksa's work. Even better: her 1996 poetry collection, [b:View With A Grain of Sand|10203|View with a Grain of Sand Selected Poems|Wisława Szymborska|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166131875s/10203.jpg|12929], which contains some of the best poetry written in the 20th century.
There are many great writers, but few of them are also great thinkers. Rather than ruminating on the usual fare--love, death, politics, malaise, and the like--Nobel Laureate Wislawa Szymborska writes about home repair, fairy tales, the psychology of dogs, centuries old European witch hunts, and Ella Fitzgerald, cracking apart the familiar and the concrete to find blueprints of our deepest held fears and triumphs nestled inside. Every other page contains an insight that you'll want to write down and share with everyone you know.
My favorite essay in this collection, if I had to pick one, is "Zuzia"--a piece about birds and their needs as pets. The piece detachedly discusses the finer points of bird care before she closes with an anecdote about her childhood bird, Zuzia, who inexplicably shrieked whenever the clocks would chime on the hour. In a matter of sentences the tone shifts completely, with Szymborska reflecting on the horror of an existence spent under constant reminder of your waning time on earth and ironically wondering whether her beloved Zuzia was astute enough to come to such a despairing realization herself.
It is exactly this kind of humor in the face of the bleak, marvel in the face of the mundane, and humility and wonder in the face of great and powerful beauty that absolutely seethes through all of Szymborksa's work. Even better: her 1996 poetry collection, [b:View With A Grain of Sand|10203|View with a Grain of Sand Selected Poems|Wisława Szymborska|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166131875s/10203.jpg|12929], which contains some of the best poetry written in the 20th century.
flaweddimension's review against another edition
A meandering, thoroughly charming collection of thoughts sparked by assorted books. Not burdened with a table of contents or index. It reads like the shower thoughts of a Nobel laureate.
ecjackson1918's review against another edition
3.0
If you're a fan of Szymborska's poetry, this book may surprise you. Here is a collection of Szymborska's book review column from the the 1960s through the 1990s. But Szymborska, naturally, keeps the reader on their toes with quirky and fascinating looks at the books she has read.
donifaber's review
4.0
I liked this book more conceptually than in execution. As Szymborska says, "Since childhood I've derived pleasure from accumulating useless knowledge. And after all, who's to say what's useless and what isn't? Take the instructions on how to mail frogs so that they arrive bright-eyed and frisky at their final destination: who knows when this may come in handy for personal or civic purposes?"
I love the random spread of books she chooses to respond to: everything from Steps and Missteps in the Evolution of Molluscs to a biography of Ella Fitzgerald to The War With Newts, a book warning about Hitler's fascism.
However, none of the responses made me interested in reading the actual books. They were more like private reflections and although it was fun to catch a glimpse of intimacy, it was not as communicative as it could have been.
I love the random spread of books she chooses to respond to: everything from Steps and Missteps in the Evolution of Molluscs to a biography of Ella Fitzgerald to The War With Newts, a book warning about Hitler's fascism.
However, none of the responses made me interested in reading the actual books. They were more like private reflections and although it was fun to catch a glimpse of intimacy, it was not as communicative as it could have been.
satyridae's review
4.0
A collection of book reviews from the Polish poet & Nobel Laureate. Wonderful, quirky, delightfully erudite and completely eccentric. Recommended.
More...