As one wag recently put it, it's "an accepted fact" that July is Spanish Literature Month. Of course, it's an equally accepted fact that July is just around the corner now. With that in mind, anybody who sees this is invited to join Stu of Winstonsdad's Blog and me for the fourth annual iteration of Spanish Lit Month in July and August this summer. For those of you to new to Spanish Lit Month, participation is mandatory--but easy. All you have to do to play along is to read and write about one or more pieces of Spanish language literature or Catalan language literature or Galician language literature (read in the original or in translation) in the month of July and/or August and then let Stu or me know about it so we can collect the links for others to check out. Although July is the main month for the event as usual, we ran an overtime session in August last year and will do the same this year if anybody's interested in reading along during the bonus month. FAQ. What should I read for Spanish Lit Month? What people read for last year's shindig can be found below. Plenty of great ideas there. Another great idea, at least for gluttons for punishment, is to join the La Regenta readalong hosted by our pal Amateur Reader (Tom) of Wuthering Expectations. Tom pitches Leopoldo "Clarín" Alas' chunkster as "one of the gigantic classics of 19th century Spanish literature" and notes that he intends to read the novel through June and finish it "right in the middle of July, which is as an accepted fact Spanish Literature Month." Which brings us back to where we started. Questions? Don't hesitate to get in touch!
Spanish Lit Month 2016 Readers
Amateur Reader (Tom), Wuthering Expectations
Annabel Gaskell, Annabookbel
Bellezza, Dolce Bellezza
David Hebblethwaite, David's Book World
Emma, Book Around the Corner
Frances, Nonsuch Book
Annabel Gaskell, Annabookbel
Bellezza, Dolce Bellezza
David Hebblethwaite, David's Book World
Emma, Book Around the Corner
Frances, Nonsuch Book
JacquiWine, JacquiWine's Journal
Joe, roughghosts
John, The Modern Novel
Julianne Pachico, Never Stop Reading
Lisa Hill, ANZ LitLovers LitBlog
lizzysiddal, Lizzy's Literary Life
Mandy, peakreads
Melissa Beck, The Book Binder's Daughter
Nicole, bibliographing
Obooki, Obooki's Obloquy
Pat, South of Paris Books
Rise, in lieu of a field guide
Scott G.F. Bailey, six words for a hat
Séamus, Vapour Trails
Tony, Tony's Reading List
Tony Messenger, Messengers Booker (and more)
Joe, roughghosts
John, The Modern Novel
Julianne Pachico, Never Stop Reading
Lisa Hill, ANZ LitLovers LitBlog
lizzysiddal, Lizzy's Literary Life
Mandy, peakreads
Melissa Beck, The Book Binder's Daughter
Nicole, bibliographing
Obooki, Obooki's Obloquy
Pat, South of Paris Books
Rise, in lieu of a field guide
Scott G.F. Bailey, six words for a hat
Séamus, Vapour Trails
Tony, Tony's Reading List
Tony Messenger, Messengers Booker (and more)
I'm sure I'll find a few to get through in July - expect one a week or so ;)
ResponderBorrarGreat, Tony--looking forward to your choices as usual!
BorrarI will try to read some Antonio Machado, too.
ResponderBorrarMachado, nice. Will you be reading Campos de Castilla or the recent collection Solitudes?
BorrarThe Alan Trueblood Selected Poems. Less than 100 pages of poems, really. But it has the Spanish.
BorrarAh, there go the Nostradamus-inspired prognostications. I wasn't even aware of that title.
BorrarHmm, might finally get round to doing a post on Rulfo's short stories and maybe dig out my notes on Onetti's Body Snatcher and shape that into something. Or even post on the couple of Aira novels I've read. Or even read something new. A quick glance reveals Eduardo Mendoza's City of Marvels and Bolaño's Tres beckoning eagerly. Well, I certainly won't manage all of these but one, or more, or something else altogether will appear in July. Honest guv'nor.
ResponderBorrarSeamus: City of Marvels is a good sampler for Mendoza, but if you have access to The Truth About the Savolta Case I highly recommend it instead. Finding a copy may be a little difficult, though. (I can so identify with the "something else altogether" note.)
BorrarSéamus, that "guv'nor" made my day, guv'nor! Looking forward to your picks as always, and you've got me thinking now that maybe I should write something about Onetti's Let the Wind Speak that I read a while back. It was pretty great and plenty dire at times (atmosphere-wise)...as befits Onetti, of course. Cheers!
BorrarThanks for weighing in on Mendoza, Dwight. I hope to take up Savolta again one of these days, but I'm reading three big books at the moment and don't think that will happen by July. Anyway, I hope you will consider joining Spanish Lit Month with a book or film choice yourself. Cheers!
BorrarDwight, I just happen to have City of Marvels on my shelves but I'll watch out for The Truth About the Savolta Case. I enjoyed your reviews of both.
BorrarRichard, I look forward to a post on anything Onetti. I usually have to read the book afterwards.
Thanks so much for adding me to the list. I'm very excited to participate again!
ResponderBorrarMy pleasure, Melissa! I appreciate your enthusiasm and look forward to your reviews again. Cheers!
BorrarOnce again, I will try. Always have the best intentions, but it doesn't always happen. Probablility further challenged by fact that I am reading an Austrian doorstop with some crazy men this summer.
ResponderBorrarI'll allow you to play the Musil/crazy men card this year, Book Temptress, if only because as you point out...I'm not playing with a full deck! Anyway, I'd be delighted to check out whichever Spanish language read you choose to write about should you get the chance. Until then, you've just reminded me that I'm nearly five full days behind on (re)starting The Man Without Qualities. A little early in the summer to have already fallen so far off the pace, no? Cheers!
BorrarHi Richard, looking forward to it, count me in. I'll be aiming to cover Rodrigo Blanco Calderon 'The Night', Manuel Vazquez Montalban 'El Premio' (read in French), and José Carlos Somoza 'Zigzag' (read in French).
ResponderBorrarThanks, Pat, excellent news. I don't know the first author that you mention so I'll have to look him up; however, I've been wanting to read Vázquez Montalbán for ages, so I'm really to eager to hear what you think of that book (I have an unread Somoza myself, but I doubt I'll have time to get around to it this year). Cheers!
BorrarYay! Delighted to see the return of this. You can expect a couple of reviews from me - a Marias and Emilia Pardo Bazan's The House of Ulloa. Looking forward to it already. :)
ResponderBorrarBelated thanks for your much appreciated enthusiasm, Jacqui. I'm very looking forward to those two reviews, by the way--Tom from Wuthering Expectations has spoken highly of the Pardo Bazan.
BorrarGreat - I think I can remember one of Tom's pieces on Ulloa
BorrarMy first post has just gone live The Man of Feeling by Marias - here's a link if you need it for your round-up posts. :)
https://jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2016/07/05/the-man-of-feeling-by-javier-marias-tr-margaret-jull-costa/
Thanks (belatedly), Jacqui!
BorrarI always seem to have plenty of Spanish language fiction to catch up on so this is a great opportunity. Hopefully I'll dig out a few interesting ones!
ResponderBorrarLooking forward to your selections again, Grant--thanks for your participation!
BorrarWell, I've had an abysmal record of late of successfully finishing any reading event / challenge on time, but I'm going to try yet again! If nothing else, I can save my Pedro Páramo post that was supposed to be for Mexicanos perdidos en México for July... But really, I'm hoping to get something new read. Just not sure what yet.
ResponderBorrarI just realied that Google didn't have me signed in correctly--it's Amanda from Simpler Pastimes in the above comment.
BorrarI can relate to the "abysmal record of late" thing, Amanda; however, I very much appreciate your good intentions. Glad to have you read along with us again!
BorrarHi richard Stu here I am raring to go HAve newly sorted shelves and loads of spanish lit to try both new and old,
ResponderBorrarHi Stu! Glad to hear that you're "raring to go" and I look forward to seeing what surprises you have in store for us this year. Cheers!
BorrarYes, please, Richard, do count me in again. I have already begun La Regenta and find it entrancing; probably not the word you or Tom would use, but there is a fair amount of wit inside (at least in my opinion). I always look forward to this event.
ResponderBorrarExcuse me, here is the post of my intentions:
Borrarhttps://dolcebellezza.net/2016/06/22/spanish-lit-month-paris-in-july-something-old-and-something-new-to-read/
Belated thanks for your comments and good intentions, Bellezza. Very happy to have your company again!
BorrarHi, hopefully I'm not too late; but I have a few Spanish-language books lined up, and would like to join in.
ResponderBorrarDelighted to have you join us, David! Curious to see just what you have lined up. Cheers!
BorrarI have a few lined up that I'll review at Messenger's Booker
ResponderBorrarTony, great to have you back! Looking forward to your reviews. Cheers!
BorrarI am hoping to toss in a few reviews for Spanish lit month. This will be the first time I have taken part. Joe
ResponderBorrarJoe, delighted to have you join us! Hope you enjoy the event. Cheers!
BorrarPlanning on working my way through Max Aub's Magic Labyrinth. Link to the first : http://www.themodernnovel.org/europe/w-europe/spain/max-aub/field-of-honour/ - and only one translated into English,
ResponderBorrarJohn, great, wonderful to have you join us!
BorrarHi Richard, I've forgotten how to notify you, that's my first post this year Puig's spider woman
ResponderBorrarPat
Hi Pat, thanks, this will work (you can also leave a message at the latest links round-up if that's easier). Am a fan of Puig's so I look forward to your review. Cheers!
BorrarHi Richard, just posted the Blanco Calderón
ResponderBorrarPat
Thanks, Pat!
BorrarHi Richard,
ResponderBorrarThe unexpected hospitalization and death of my parents has effected my reading plans. I did finally post a review of Bolaño's Last Evenings on Earth (http://wp.me/p4GDHM-ql) and have a few more planned (with luck). As it happens my next review for Numero Cinq is a Catalan novel (Black Bread) which I will read and write next month but won't go live until September. Don't know if you will want a link back to this project at this time because I am reading it this month.
So sorry to hear about your loss, Joe--my condolences.
BorrarGiven the circumstances, I'll be happy to link to any late SLM reads that you'd care to notify me about (I've heard good things about that Catalan novel, and Bolaño is a longtime fave of mine as well). Spanish Lit Month is continuing on into August anyway, but no worries about the timetable.
Hi Richard, just published Gonzalez Sainz, None So Blind
ResponderBorrarPat
Finally, my second contribution to Spanish Lit Month! Castellanos Moya's Revulsion: Thomas Bernhard in San Salvador.
ResponderBorrarhttps://roughghosts.com/2016/08/01/homecoming-revulsion-thomas-bernhard-in-san-salvador-by-horation-castellanos-moya/
Hi Richard, I've just posted Lorenzo Silva 'Une Femme Suspendue'
ResponderBorrarPat