Monday, December 03, 2007
Shirley Hazzard
I wrote on 27th November that a short novel - The Bay of Noon - I had read by Shirley Hazzard 'bears comparison with the sublime Marilynne'. I have just finished The Great Fire. I say 'finished' rather too calmly - so overpowering was the book that it actually seemed possible I might not be able to read the last three pages. But I did and sobbed copiously. It left me with the absolute certainty that I am not good enough in almost every imaginable way. This is a good thing. I have advised Nige to take a couple of days off after completing it. Shirley Hazzard - the real thing.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
A blog about, among other things, imaginary ideas - What ifs? and Imagine thats. What if photographs looked nothing like what we see with our eyes? Imagine that the Berlin Wall had never come down. What if we were the punchline of an interminable joke? All contributions welcome.
soft lad.
ReplyDeletestill, sounds like something else to put in the missus' stocking this xmas. along with the Terry's Orange and the Eau de Kylie Minogue.
Rather sounds like that book finished you. After your last gushing post, I nipped into Amazon and ordered The Transit of Venus. I'll let you know what I think about it or how I feel about myself when I've read it.
ReplyDeleteDo you often blub over books, Bryan? Or is this a rare moment?
ReplyDeleteThe only book ever to reduce me tears in adult life, as far as I can remember, is Clarissa. And that wasn't just the relief at having made it through!