Literary The MobileRead Literary Book Club September 2011 Nominations

[issybird]

Montaillou is a fabulous book. I don't think this club has an ebook restriction.

[beppe]

Originally Posted by issybird

Montaillou is a fabulous book. I don't think this club has an ebook restriction.

I am also interested and in favor of considering pbooks eligible. it would widen the scope of the club considerably.

^sun surfer. What is your opinion?

[paola]

Whatever happens, it is going to be a very interesting read this month!

Still, I am going to add another one with my last nomination, Edward Said "Covering Islam: How the Media and the Experts Determine How We See the Rest of the World".
I have only read essays, but Edward Said surely knew how to write. This books is available as ebook (unlike Orientalism), and given the current events in the Mediterranean I thought it may be interesting. Nevertheless, if we believe this to be too recent and/or controversial to qualify, I'd be happy to think of something else, or second one other of the beautiful list of books that have been named already.

Here is the blurb from Amazon

Edward Said takes an unusually sharp and penetrating look at the way in which the experts, the policy-makers and the media have dealt with the crisis in Iran and the Middle East. He shows how our traditional misunderstandings of the outside world have led us to continue to misunderstand events of enormous and immediate importance. Using many examples, COVERING ISLAM demonstrates that the media and the government-business establishment have produced a dangerously misleading and oversimplified portrait of Islam and Muslims, based on ignorance, inaccuracy and prejudice.

while here is a Wikipedia article on the book.

Inkmesh

[beppe]

Originally Posted by paola

Whatever happens, it is going to be a very interesting read this month!

Still, I am going to add another one with my last nomination, Edward Said "Covering Islam: How the Media and the Experts Determine How We See the Rest of the World".
I have only read essays, but Edward Said surely knew how to write. This books is available as ebook (unlike Orientalism), and given the current events in the Mediterranean I thought it may be interesting. Nevertheless, if we believe this to be too recent and/or controversial to qualify, I'd be happy to think of something else, or second one other of the beautiful list of books that have been named already.

Here is the blurb from Amazon


while here is a Wikipedia article on the book.

Inkmesh

I am seconding your choice Paola. Controversy is the shortest way to advance understanding.

Originally Posted by beppe

I am also interested and in favor of considering pbooks eligible. it would widen the scope of the club considerably.

^sun surfer. What is your opinion?

This came up during the initial formation of this enterprise. There is no restriction to ebooks only.

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...ok#post1547122

Originally Posted by sun surfer

It does not have to be an e-book. Since there is so much literature in the public domain, I would expect many of our selections to be available as an e-book and free anyway, but there are no availability or price requirements here. We can grin and bear a pbook and/or borrowing from the library some months if we must.

[JSWolf]

Those who read post #20, Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival by Laura Hilenbrand is in the running and would like to get some more nominations as it is a really good book deserving to be read.

[John F]

I'll second Unbroken.

Rereading the rules:

... What is literature for the purposes of this book club? A well-regarded work. Often (but not always) it is important, challenging, critically acclaimed, has a deeper meaning, makes one think. ...

It sounds to me like it meets some of the criteria.

[sun surfer]

As with other months of this club's nominations, I'm interested in so many of the works that I'm having a hard time deciding which to support.

beppe, I read your post on Christ Stopped At Eboli and it seems as if you wouldn't quite view it as non-fiction (you mention that you see it as a narrative, a novel and as minor neorealism), so I searched a little on the internet on the subject.

The few answers I found are mixed.

In some places it is called a "documentary novel".

One blog reviewer said that "it's not quite a non-fiction novel because it lacks a singular plot strand and focuses more on anecdotes and observations".

One editorial review pointed out that "Levi also wrote non-fiction", which would of course lead one to believe that this reviewer didn't consider this as non-fiction.

Some sites though categorise this book as non-fiction.

Then there is this review: "Though called a novel, Christ Stopped at Eboli is really nonfiction. Levi changed the name of his town, Aliano, to Gagliano, but other than such minimal changes, most of the accounts in the 'novel' are true."

And I have a question: As far as this being neorealism, couldn't neorealism literature also be considered non-fiction?


All in all, my impression is that this work is somewhat of a blend. In my opinion at the moment, from reading the reviews, it seems to be largely non-fiction though, and thus seems to be appropriate for this month.

However, I leave it up to others to give their opinion on the matter too, should anyone else so desire.


ETA - I forgot to mention, it is interesting to note that when googling "christ stopped at eboli fiction non-fiction", this thread is on the first page of results!

[fantasyfan]

I'll third Unbroken. I've read some reviews of it and it has been critically acclaimed. Judging by what has been said, it certainly seems like a book that would make one think and would explore some of the deeper meanings in life. It sounds like an excellent work.

[beppe]

Originally Posted by sun surfer

As with other months of this club's nominations, I'm interested in so many of the works that I'm having a hard time deciding which to support.

beppe, I read your post on Christ Stopped At Eboli and it seems as if you wouldn't quite view it as non-fiction (you mention that you see it as a narrative, a novel and as minor neorealism), so I searched a little on the internet on the subject.

The few answers I found are mixed.

In some places it is called a "documentary novel".

One blog reviewer said that "it's not quite a non-fiction novel because it lacks a singular plot strand and focuses more on anecdotes and observations".

One editorial review pointed out that "Levi also wrote non-fiction", which would of course lead one to believe that this reviewer didn't consider this as non-fiction.

Some sites though categorise this book as non-fiction.

Then there is this review: "Though called a novel, Christ Stopped at Eboli is really nonfiction. Levi changed the name of his town, Aliano, to Gagliano, but other than such minimal changes, most of the accounts in the 'novel' are true."

And I have a question: As far as this being neorealism, couldn't neorealism literature also be considered non-fiction?


All in all, my impression is that this work is somewhat of a blend. In my opinion at the moment, from reading the reviews, it seems to be largely non-fiction though, and thus seems to be appropriate for this month.

However, I leave it up to others to give their opinion on the matter too, should anyone else so desire.


ETA - I forgot to mention, it is interesting to note that when googling "christ stopped at eboli fiction non-fiction", this thread is on the first page of results!

In my post, rather provincially, I had in mind the Italian neorealism. It is mostly known in the cinematographic aspects. In the cinema domain the Italian neorealism has influenced significantly a number of tendencies, schools and movements, la nouvelle vague for instance, the polish popular cinema and last but not least, the Danish Dogma 65.
The literary neorealism developed together with the cinema, in the years immediately following the second world war. It is characterized by a common interest for the humbles, bordering on populism, and a general political and ideological color. A clear reaction to the rethoric of the previous regime. It also became its own rethoric (celebration of itself) in due time. It is mostly based on episodes and sketches of everyday life. Like in cinema, often non professional actors were used, so in the literary works, are not the characters at the center of the attention, but the events in their every day life. So, there is not a plot as such, but the unfolding of events. Narrative or not narrative, that is a question that escapes my judgement. It seems to be that you and the reviewer imply that if the stories are true then they are non-fiction. A very argueable point of view, which I do not share. The book is not an essay, that is for sure. May be is that that I take for non fiction, an essay, a pamphlet.

In practice, take note that I gave my last vote to it

[sun surfer]

Originally Posted by beppe

In my post, rather provincially, I had in mind the Italian neorealism. It is mostly known in the cinematographic aspects. In the cinema domain the Italian neorealism has influenced significantly a number of tendencies, schools and movements, la nouvelle vague for instance, the polish popular cinema and last but not least, the Danish Dogma 65.
The literary neorealism developed together with the cinema, in the years immediately following the second world war. It is characterized by a common interest for the humbles, bordering on populism, and a general political and ideological color. A clear reaction to the rethoric of the previous regime. It also became its own rethoric (celebration of itself) in due time. It is mostly based on episodes and sketches of everyday life. Like in cinema, often non professional actors were used, so in the literary works, are not the characters at the center of the attention, but the events in their every day life. So, there is not a plot as such, but the unfolding of events. Narrative or not narrative, that is a question that escapes my judgement. The book is not an essay, that is for sure.

I only understand Italian neorealism on a very general level, but it still seems it is possible that some of it can be non-fiction. I don't see how sketches of everyday life couldn't count as non-fiction if presented truthfully.

Also I wouldn't count something having an ideological or political tone as outside the realm of non-fiction if it is fact or opinion based, and a narrative can be non-fiction.

Now rhetoric, this is I think where fiction and non-fiction may blend together (especially since this seems to be a trait of Italian neorealism). To me it is a grey area.

[taosaur]

If pbooks are kosher, I will rescind my nomination of Bardo Thodol in favor of Montaillou.

[beppe]

Originally Posted by sun surfer

I only understand Italian neorealism on a very general level, but it still seems it is possible that some of it can be non-fiction. I don't see how sketches of everyday life couldn't count as non-fiction if presented truthfully.

Also I wouldn't count something having an ideological or political tone as outside the realm of non-fiction if it is fact or opinion based, and a narrative can be non-fiction.

Now rhetoric, this is I think where fiction and non-fiction may blend together (especially since this seems to be a trait of Italian neorealism). To me it is a grey area.

It is a grey area. Some of the problems arise by the use of the terms fiction/non-fiction.

When I studied literature, in Italy, we used the terms narrative/non-narrative, with what I presume was the same purpose of distinguishing between genres.

Fiction brings the meaning of being somehow disjointed by real events, which is indeed a bit silly. In this perspective a narrative about real facts becomes non-fiction, same as an essay.

In my mind I consider non-fiction overlapping with non-narrative. That is a pamphlet, an essay, a parabola. The facts being real real, abstract real, or similar convolved contraptions does not matter. Just an amateurish opinion.

Let the Carlo Levi work be a non-fiction. He was actually detained there.

[toomanybooks]

I'll use my last nomination for Christ Stopped at Eboli.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Vandy

*** NOMINATION RESULTS FOR THE SEPTEMBER BOOK CHOICE ***

(1) . . . . . . . . . . . Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survial by Laura Hilenbrand

(3) . . . . . . . . . . . Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survial by Laura Hilenbrand