¡Bienvenidos a Spanish Lit Month! Now that July's finally here, Stu of Winstonsdad's Blog and I are very excited to welcome all of you to the kickoff of Spanish Lit Month as previously announced at Stu's blog here and at Caravana de recuerdos here. Thanks again to Stu for inviting me to co-host the event with him and an extra special gracias to those of you--including many of my favorite bloggers--who have said that you'll join us or at least follow along closely during the month (please note that new participants are welcome throughout July). Just as a reminder, we have three planned group events scheduled: a discussion of Carlos Saura's 1976 film Cría cuervos this coming weekend, a group read of Juan Carlos Onetti's 1950 La vida breve [A Brief Life] the following weekend, and a group read of Enrique Vila-Matas' 2001 Bartleby y compañía [Bartleby & Co.] the weekend after that. Everything else is free choice--read one or more works originally composed in Spanish (and read in Spanish or in translation), and then tell us about it and/or them. Stu and I will do round-ups of people's links near the end of the month, but feel free to contact us before then if you have any questions or would like to let us know about your posts. For those so inclined, you can also find us on Twitter: Stu (stu @stujallen), me (Richard @caravanablog), and Spanish Lit Month (#spanishlitmonth). Although I'm new to Twitter, I'm led to understand that this might be the ideal format for readers who can only take me in small doses. ¡Saludos!
My non-readalong choices for the month are top secret at the moment with one exception: Spanish Lit Month seems like--no, will be--the ideal time to begin rereading DQ at long last. Thanks to Jenny at Shelf Love for the unexpected push!
I'm lining up my choice(s) for the month.
ResponderBorrarI look forward to seeing what you come up with, Guy.
BorrarI'm tempted by Don Quijote--it's on my list for the year--but I know myself well enough to doubt my ability to read it in just one month. So Borges it is! Looking forward to following along with all the posts!
ResponderBorrarI don't intend to reread all of DQ this month, Amanda--want to savor it and maybe compare some of the trickier parts of it w/the Grossman translation. I've been putting it off for far too long now, though. In any event, glad to hear that you're so excited over your Borges reading and the Spanish Lit Month posts of all the participants in general--so am I!
BorrarI d be tempt by the don but only read it a year ago ,hope to interact over twitter this month Richard already read some gems to blog about ,all the best stu
ResponderBorrarI look forward to those conversations, too, Stu--just have to figure out some sort of a schedule that makes sense rather than bopping back and forth from the blog willy nilly as I am at present. Anyway, very excited to see what you have in store for us with your choices and all the "mystery" selections from the other participants as well. P.S. You've already added another Cabrera Infante title to my wish list, and we're only one day in!
BorrarI'm about to finish my first book today or tomorrow.
ResponderBorrarIt has been on my piles for over ten years although my father told me to read it after he borrowed it.
I always like finally getting around to books that have been hanging around like that for a while. The last time it happened, though, my copy of Matthew Lewis' The Monk was so old that the glue in the binding was deteriorating to the point that the book was falling apart in chunks. I had to resort to a library copy!
BorrarHm, well currently my Spanish lit is a little dry -- I lost interest in the Antigua vida mía and another Spanish book I was reading... currently involved with the Mabinogeon, more Welsh than Spanish. But Bartleby is in the mail; and I'm looking forward to discussion of Cría cuervos.
ResponderBorrarIt's sometimes hard to predict in advance what will motivate us, isn't it, Jeremy? In any event, I look forward to hearing whether you enjoyed the rest of Cría cuervos. I love that film. And Bartleby being on the way can only be a good thing. Cheers!
BorrarFunny enough, the Mabinogeon is making me think a bit of Don Quixote -- it is a predecessor to the chivalric romances Cervantes was lampooning. Some hilarious stuff; and the story of The Lady of the Fountain has a surprisingly modern feel to it.
BorrarAlso in the mail as of yesterday: Bolano's "Universidad desconocida", which I have been meaning to get for a long time.
BorrarThat one's not high on my Bolaño to read list for some reason, Jeremy, although maybe you could sway me with a few good words in its favor. Glad to hear the predecessor to the chivalric romances above is such satisfing reading for you as well. Cheers!
BorrarDoes it help or reassure or embolden anyone to treat Don Quixote as two books? No need to read it all in one go. Part 2 was published a full decade after Part 1.
ResponderBorrarI'll join in somehow when I get back from France. All poetry, maybe.
Excellent point about splitting the Quixote in two, Tom--or in three, should anyone choose to count the spurious continuation! Hope you have a grand time in Occitania, and I'll look forward to your input on Spanish poets and such when you get back. ¡Buen viaje!
BorrarWell, no, that doesn't really help me--I'm too stubborn to read it that way! Although, I suppose that could be a good way to read it. Eh, I'll get to DQ when I get to it, and it will take however long it takes.
BorrarI've long wanted to read Don Quixote myself; Frances even gave me a copy years ago. Surely I should begin with you...we'll see.
ResponderBorrarBellezza, I envy you reading DQ for the first time. However, I also realize that book isn't everybody's cup of tea. It's a strange and wondrous brew in my book, though. Cheers!
Borrar