What we, or at any rate I, refer to confidently as memory - meaning a moment, a scene, a fact that has been subjected to a fixative and thereby rescued from oblivion - is really a form of storytelling that goes on continually in the mind and often changes with the telling. Too many conflicting emotional interests are involved for life ever to be wholly acceptable, and possibly it is the work of the storyteller to rearrange things so that they conform to this end.
william maxwell
so long, see you tomorrow
one of the advantages of reading a collection of books that others have liked or been influenced by is that at least you either get to revisit works you've previously read in order to compare or confirm your impressions or you get entirely new things to add to a reading list.
in this case i got to revisit william maxwell. it seems not many people read maxwell any more, least ways i've only met one other and she only because i introduced her to him. whether she still does i'm unaware, i hope so, but i don't know her any more. perhaps because of that association so long, see you tomorrow has lain on the shelf for a long time. reading it now i'm reminded why i liked maxwell in the first place. something the same as when i read harper lee and in maxwell's fiction i can imagine her scribbling away in her house, letting no-one see
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
so many authors, so many books, so little time.
this one's short...?
Just bought a copy for 1p on amazon. Tks for the recommendation - gave me a good excuse to buy a book for me, when i've been just buying em for others of late...
1p!!!!! what a bargain! let me know how you get on
Hi Swiss,
Read that over the hols - you were right, it is short. Think the first half went a bit over my head as I was trying to read it while in the bosom of my family, eating and drinking too much all the while. The calmer atmosphere of being back home, meant I could appreciate the subtleties a bit better and got alot more out of the second half. Overall verdict -> Worth every penny - especially with the exchange rate the way it is!
Thanks again for the excuse.
Post a Comment