Policing Italian Style

Can I Check These Out?

BOOKS: The Forster-Cavafy Letters

Alexandria

If ever there was an odd literary friendship it was between Constance Cavafy and E.M. Forster__ Forster the novelist and Cavafy the poet. Both met in Alexandria while working for the Red Cross during WWI. Forster worked tirelessly for the publication of an English translation of Cavafy’s poems. During this time they corresponded often by letter. In, The Forster-Cavafy Letters: Friends at a Slight Angle (2009) edited by Peter Jefferys, these letters have been collected for the first time into a single volume that sheds valuable light on one of the most interesting literary “mentorships” of the 20^th century. The letters span about fifteen years and show a rather asymmetrical relationship. Forester’s letters are effusive, Cavafy’s letters reserved and laconic at times. Part of this was because of personality, but there were also political and historical factors at play. All this is nicely discussed in Jeffrey’s informative introduction. Some of these letters are extremely interesting as when forester discuses depravity with Cavafy and whether a writer needs to be depraved in order to write well. Hmm. The conversations are odd at times because each stood “at a slight angle to the other.” In other words, each was not particularly sympathetic to the others view of things. Yet an intimate friendship was there. Forster was always pushing to launch Cavafy’s literary career. Cavafy, always resisting. An English translation was never published in Cavafy’s lifetime, but Forster was able to place a poem here and there literary magazines which led to the first collected English translation in 1951. What made this odd friendship tick? These letters will reveal it. Recommended.

BOOKS: The Lost Book Of The Odyssey

Odysseus and Elpenor

Odysseus, “a man of many twists and turns.” So says Robert Fagles' English translation of the tale of Greek intrepid traveler. Now there may be new information on this wily and tricky character. Well almost. In steps Zachary Mason with his new work, The Lost Books of the Odyssey. Mason claims that his novel is based on a new translation of a pre-Homeric papyrus that contains 44 different variations on Odysseus’ story. According to Mason this papyrus renders a precise story, omitting stock plot formulae. Mason’s writing is somewhat reminiscent of Jorge Luis Borges,’ in that he intricately imagines places. (check out: Borges,’ “Some Versions of Homer”). Mason tends to flesh out, to explore different perspectives based on the original. You will enjoy this book much more if you are familiar with the original. Then you can easily recognize where Mason has embellished and what he has changed. Mason takes many liberties with Homer’s tale, which is his point. He changes episodes, creates new ones, jumps around in time and place, and skews perspective. Unsettling to the purist, but this is a modern approach, a playful revisionist rendition often humorous and scatological. So lighten up. If you prefer the original read the original, but you may want to give this one a chance. Mason creates a ‘what if” scenario an alternate reality of the Homeric tradition. If your up for and interesting, well told and imaginative play on the original take the plunge. Borges aim in “Some Versions of Homer was to bring to light the paradoxes and mystical aspects. I don’t get that sense with Mason’s work. Mason’s book is more of a free romp of the imagination on a tale that has fascinated the world for centuries. Recommended.

Only In Italy

Italian Directions Sign

Books: Climate Confusion

Intrepid Librarian Goes To Work

How did discussing the weather get so political? Geez Louise! I’ve decided to take it out of my toolbox of small talk topics. But should I? A lot of people complain about the weather, but as Mark Twain said, “nobody ever does anything about it,” Wise words, but the discussion of weather or more precisely, “global warming” or even more precisely “climate change,” has gotten a bit dicey. Touchy people are everywhere. What used to be banal small talk has turned hostile__ take your side, are you right or left of climate change? Do you stand for climate change or don’t you? All the while the weather goes on doing whatever it pleases oblivious to all the red-faced people arguing about it. Point in question: as I shoveled the 3 tons of snow out of my driveway for the third time this winter, I casually mentioned to my neighbor, as we stood in a 3 foot drift, that this storm had put “global warming” to rest. Quite nastily, I was told I was shortsighted, that weather was different than climate and that George W. Bush was to blame for firing up all the smoke belching coal plants. I felt like hitting this man with my shovel, but I let it pass. After my blood stopped boiling, I realized I had almost taken a side about something I knew nothing about. I had almost engaged in fisticuffs over the weather! My comment had only been meant as a point of irony, but had bounced off my obtuse neighbor. As any librarian is wont to do I consulted a book, which is where, Roy W. Spencer’s book, Climate Confusion: How Global Warming Hysteria Leads to Bad Science, Pandering Politicians and Misguided Policies That Hurt The Poor, comes into the discussion. At first this book seemed to have an inflammatory title. But since I had become all worked up about the weather anyway I decided to read it. But I wanted to know just what were Mr. Spencer’s credentials? The back of the book told me that he was a distinguished climatologist and a person with connections to NASA. Well… so I would take his counsel, but remain open minded lest I take a side about something I can do nothing about, the weather. It seems to me Mr. Spencer has taken a middle course, which is still political, but less so than extreme right or left. He tries to navigate the facts and apply them even handily. Spencer explains how the climate system really works; how man has much less impact on the climate than his puffed up ego would have him believe, and that bad facts engender bad policy. Spencer has a sharp wit as well as intellect and he did a good job of almost making me take a side. But he is still biased. For me the verdict is still out. When it snows I just accept it. Still I recommend this book. It’s a great introduction about an issue you are likely to bump up against.

Can I Help You?

BOOK: History Of Haiku

From time to time
The clouds give rest
To the moon beholders.

Moonlight slants through
The vast bamboo grove:
A cuckoo cries

The old pond
A frog jumps in
The sound of water.

Each is a Haiku written by Japan’s Matsuo Basho and translated by R. H. Blyth. The beauty and simplicity of a Haiku is easy to enjoy, but difficult to write. Basho was a master writer and Blyth was a master translator and interpreter. His interpenetration went beyond enjoyment though and showed a deep understanding of Japanese aesthetic sensibilities and culture. If you’re serious about understanding Haiku and want to increase your appreciation and enjoyment Blyth is must reading. His 1964 two-volume work, The History of Haiku, is a perfect introduction. Unfortunately I believe it is out of print, but can be found used or borrowed from a library. Blyth interpretations are sound and based on his many years of living in Korea Japan. He was devotee of Japanese culture. Today his interpretations are sometimes criticised as one-dimensional, but there is a certain old school soundness to his ideas. Blyth will tell you what makes Haiku significant. And he does a fantastic job of showing how to use Haiku to appreciate life more fully and how through Haiku you can see life from a different perspective. Blyth also wrote, Haiku, 1949-1952, in four volumes, his masterwork, but I have not read it. There are other Haiku books, but Blyths still remains the classic.

Nature Takes Its Course!

BOOKS: Your Handwriting Can Change Your Life

OK, if I write a taller t with a bold cross stroke closer to the top my life will change for the better and I will be much more successful and all in short order to boot. Well__ according to Vimala Rodgers, author of, Your Handwriting Can Change Your Life. I was given this book by someone who knew, “I liked books,” and thought it would be the perfect gift. When I received it I immediately thought: “regift it.” But since, “I like books,” I decided to read it as it is not very long a mere 176 pages, which is child’s play for a librarian who is used to War and Peace and Les Miserables. Hey, Crime and Punishment is light beach reading for me. According to Vimala changing my handwriting will change my cognitive process as it rewires my brain for success. This seemed plausible to me since I have always secretly suspected that people with sloppy handwriting were poor housekeepers or that they were the type who left fast food trash in their cars. So I decided to give it a try. Now Vimala doesn’t demand any Spencarian harsh discipline. She takes a nicer tact, holding the carrot of self- improvement out in front of the student as motivation. No raps on the knuckles with a ruler. And the thing is that Vimala presents her handwriting improvement course in a convincing way__hundreds of people swear that it works. So I admit I have started to make a bolder t. I am awaiting results as my brain is rewired. If successful I will move on to the next letter most likely a p with a fancy squiggle inside. The p is the letter of self-love. If I make one correctly I will love myself better. Hmm. Now there are other factors at play, such as the slant of the letter, its boldness, and its size. Vimala says if a I write small I will never feel comfortable in a mansion, but quite frankly I want to feel comfortable in a mansion, so I have been writing everything since in 72 pt. type. What type of font is used? The Vimala Alphabet. The question immediately arouse if I write like Vamala won’t I be just like Vimala. She says no, “no two prima ballerina dance quite the same.” Reassuring. All kidding aside, I have to say I recommend this book just for the reason that it has improved my handwriting, if it can improve my success too that’s icing on the cake. So I am now waiting for results, but an uneasy thought has crept in, what if I had happened to write in Chinese characters.

News Flash: Monstrous Ice-Age Paralyzing Storm Buries New Jersey. Fend For Yourselves!

Hey! Where Are You Going With That?

Italian Ministry of Culture's attempt to scare Italians into appreciating their cultural heritage. Subtext: if you don't use it you will lose it. Scary huh?

Films: La Dolce Vita

Was there ever anybody cooler than Marcello Mastroianni? Ok why revisit La Dolce Vita? It’s been so many years and seen so many times. But still Mastroianni never loses his coolness. Every time I watch it his demeanor remains undiminished, untarnished by the passing of the years. Even after 50 years there still remains a timeless element in Mastroianni’s performance, an Italian cool hard to duplicate and never equaled since. Mastroianni plays a tabloid journalist sent to Rome to cover movie stars and the self-indulgent rich. And that’s about as structured as it gets, if you can even figure that out. If you’re looking for a standard plot structure you will be disappointed. There is no narrative logic here. This is a Fellini film. Look beyond the plot, the whole film must be absorbed as one sensory performance. La Dolce Vita leaves you with an impression and a wry smile, a “yea that’s how it’s done.” There are 7 somewhat unrelated scenes and Mastroianni moves through them all, his cigarette dangling out of his mouth, with an ambivalent nonchalance that is both repulsive and attractive. Marcello is just moving through life unfazed, amused by the spectacle around him. What’s Fellini trying to say? Movie critic Bosley Crowther says La Docle Vita is a, “brilliantly graphic estimation of a whole swath of society in sad decay and, eventually, a withering commentary on the tragedy of the over-civilized…” Hmm, well perhaps, but you can just enjoy watching Mastroianni move through the film with a confident coolness that most men would love to possess. Even when his girlfriend takes too many sleeping pills he remains unfazed__ just a wry look, another puff on his cigarette, ho hum. There is a sadness here, Marcello wants really to write something important but remains seduced by the money and the prestige of his meaningless job. He lacks the courage to change and so he must just enjoy “the sweet life” Recommended, Fellini’s best film.

BOOKS: Rome 1960

The 1960 Olympic Games in Rome were a societal and political watershed. They were the games whose meaning went beyond sports. At least according to David Maraniss who in his recent book, Rome 1960: The Olympics That Changed the World, tries to put the 1960 Games into the wider context of domestic and world politics of that decade. That’s not to say he neglects the sports aspect. After all, 1960 games were the first to see the use of steroids and also the first to introduce to the world sport greats such as Cassius Clay, Wilma Rudolph, and Rafer Johnson. And the Games had their fair share of inspirational back-stories and great rivalries, but according to Maraniss the games had a deeper meaning, they were a turning point for the world. They foreshadowed world events to come and became a milestone in world culture. These Games became a showcase of Cold War propaganda as the tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States reached a fevered and dangerous pitch and as the Soviets and the US fought for a dominance in medals. East West espionage worked its way into the Games. And they were the Games that showcased civil rights as African American athletes called attention to the problem of racial discrimination at home. Maraniss is able to tell this Olympian story in a compelling narrative that keeps the readers attention all through its 500 pages. There is a lot to tell here and it’s all interesting especially to those interested in both sport and history. What Maraniss has done is to find an interesting way to tell history cloaked in a veneer of sports. And he carries it off well. As the 2010 Winter Olympics approach this book might just give you a deeper understanding of just what goes on sometimes behind the scenes.

BOOKS: History Of The Classical World

Ancient Olympic Games, Wrestling

Judgment is absolutely essential in a classical historian. Many historians know the facts, but few have the knowledge and the judgment of P.J. Rhodes. Rhodes is the Emeritus Professor of Ancient History at the University of Durham in Durham England. Many of his works are considered by other scholars as definitive, especially his work on the Athenian Council as published in his 1972 book, The Athenian Boule. He is a man respected for his analysis of the classical world. After all the Greek Empire was a long time ago and it is easy to misinterpret facts to rewrite or revise, or to just go down the wrong path. Making a proper analysis about the classical world takes deep learning and a thorough and accurate knowledge of ancient languages. I was excited then to see a second edition (to be released February 1st, 2010) of Rhodes’s classic textbook, A History of the Classical Greek World, 478-323 B.C. It is a full, clear and detailed account, of the Greek Classical World of the 4^th and 5^th centuries B.C., written with Rhodes customary meticulous scholarship and clarity of narrative. Every opinion Rhodes renders springs from his erudite knowledge and his sound judgement. There is no attempt to rewrite history here or to cast it into an acceptable modern mold. Obviously, classical Greek society was vastly different from our own and in an attempt to understand that society better, it is often tempting for the journalist type writer to look upon it through modern glasses. Such a view puts the writer as well as the reader immediately into a ditch. Once a historian/writer goes off the path it’s not long before many of his interpretations follow. This bad behavior is kept to a minimum in Rhodes works. In other words, he just knows what he’s talking about. A History of the Classical Greek World is the best introduction to the Greek classical world. Highly recommended.

BOOKS: The Distant Mirror

The 14^th century seems somewhat distant. Barbara Tuchman’s classic book, A Distant Mirror, as such, is aptly named as it covers that dark and tumultuous century. Why then study the 14^th century, so far removed from our own? Who cares other than historians? But what historians know is that the 14^th century parallels our own times, both the 20^th and 21^st centuries, in many uncanny ways. It was a tortuous century, both in its wars and its treatment of people. The Hundred Years War, the massacre of Jewish people, the crusades, the corruption, the natural disasters, including the black plague, make it very similar to the problems faced in our recent past. But Tuchman doesn’t merely list a chronology of dry facts and events for benefit of comparison.. She is a clever storyteller and instead we are taken on the elbow of French nobleman Enguerrand de Coucy (1340-1397), whose life is intertwined in many of the events of his times and who we follow through the battles, plagues, bankruptcies, and turmoil that decimated the populations of Europe. Coucy exposes us to all of the 14^th centuries nasty brutalities. Tuchman does a perfect job of weaving through the story the political rivalries and struggles that drove and motivated the primary players: the nobles, kingdoms and church. The effect: misery and degradation of people. Characters and events from the period come alive and are combined with a clear sighted psychological analyses of the times. But so what, this was all so long ago? But there is a moral to this story. Tuchman seems to be saying we can learn from this distant century it is a reflection in a “distant mirror” of our own and a constant reminder of the darker side that humans are capable. She contends that society must be on a constant vigil to keep those darker forces of greed and cruelty in check. The reader never realizes that he is being preached to because the book is so interesting. At the end the reader discovers all the while he has been looking through a “distant mirror.” This is a classic historical work and shouldn’t be missed.

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