Hux Book Blog 2023 (Spoilers)

[Hux]

The Captive Mind (1953) Czeslaw Milosz

 

I read this thinking it was a piece of fiction (or maybe life writing similar to Goodbye Berlin) and there is a lot of that in here but predominantly the book a political treatise. The first few chapters were not fun and you're bombarded with dense politic language that focuses on the failures of communism and the Western interpretation of the events taking place in the east.

But then Milosz slows down (and loosens up), providing a more human and personal account. This comes in the form of the chapters about Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta, four people who, like the writer, are forged by the war and the following communist era of the Soviet Union. These chapters give a little more colour to the otherwise beige world of communist Poland. Milosz is obviously not a fan of Stalin and the lie of the Soviet Union but the scales are never entirely removed from his eyes in regards to the utopian dream of a progressive socialism in general. These characters allow him to explore his ideas and, through their communism, nationalism, antisemitism (as well as their work as poets and philosophers), an opportunity to provide context to the environment Milosz is taking about.

I would say the book is VERY much of its time and doesn't really offer much insight into the modern world. It's a book worth reading purely for the contemporary criticism of something, from a modern perspective, which seems painfully obvious to us now. Namely that communism is authoritarian garbage. That aside, the book belongs in the past. At least for now.

 

5/10

 

Edited December 9, 2023 by Hux

[Hux]

They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1935) Horace McCoy

 

The story of a man named Robert who befriends a young girl called Gloria in the 1930s. She is depressed and always talking about wishing she were dead and life being pointless. He dismisses this as her simply being morose and occasionally unpleasant. They enter a 'don't stop till you drop' dance marathon and that's the bulk of the story, chapter after chapter of this competition and its grueling toll on everyone, it's unique characters and strange events.

If you hadn't worked it out yet, the dance marathon is a metaphor for life. And while it works, it's never especially gripping. The story is quite dull and the characters quite forgettable. But this story has something going for it, an idea which makes it stand out from the crowd. Because Gloria is a nihilist and wants no part of life. She questions why others want to take part in it, why people have children, and she wants to die, but is too afraid of trying (again). As a premise goes, it's powerful and original stuff. Do people have the right to die? Do people have the right to assist? Do people have the right to force life onto others? The notion that there are human beings among us who see no purpose in existence, who are bemused by the very idea of brining more life into the world, and who can't understand why others don't also want to leave (having never wanted to be here in the first place) is a disturbing question. If someone is in pain, shouldn't they be allowed to end that suffering? After all, they shoot horses, don't they?

And yes, this is all very interesting and thought provoking, a concept which makes for a fascinating read. But the problem is the book is just a little... meh. The writing is prosaic, the story boring. And Robert agreeing to kill her at the end seemed idiotically unrealistic. It needed a greater connection between the two of them before that made any sense. Because, as far as I could tell, they were nothing more than mild acquaintances with very little depth to their relationship.

A book that explores a big theme and one for the nihilists and antinatalists but ultimately forgettable stuff.

 

7/10

[Hux]

Melancholy I - II (1995) Jon Fosse

 

The fictionalised account of a real person's life, Lars Hertervig (1830 - 1902), a Norwegian painter who experienced mental health issues in his life and was placed in an asylum for many years. The book begins in 1853 with Lars living in Dusseldorf as a painter and he is enamoured with his landlady's daughter, Helene. He is told he must pack his bags and leave. Then we jump to 1856 and his time at the asylum. Then we jump to 1991 and follow a character called Vidme. Then part II concludes in 1902 with his elderly sister reminiscing about Lars not long after his death.

The only interesting part of the book was the stuff focusing on Lars himself and listening to his first person narration as he descended deeper into mania and madness was curious to say the least. The other chapters didn't really offer me much especially the contemporary one though I did enjoy some aspects of the ending with his elderly sister as she repeatedly shat herself (always a good metaphor for life). The book is a good exploration of mental decline and paranoia. But the method used isn't entirely without its flaws. The style of writing Fosse uses to convey this mental breakdown is effective but it's also somewhat tedious to read. And while he can justify it as an example of the racing, untethered thoughts which consume Lars, it doesn't entirely explain why he uses it in other circumstances. After a while, I was immensely bored with it. Imagine a sentence like: 'I went to the shop to buy some bread.' Well, here's how Fosse would give it to you...

"I went to the shop to buy some bread. I went to the shop. To buy some bread. Yes, I Lars Hertervig went to the shop. For some bread. To buy some bread. I went to the shop. I did not have any bread so went to the shop. Yes, I, Lars Hertervig, went to the shop. I walked to the shop, I walked down the street. To buy some bread. I walked to the shop. I needed to buy some bread. I needed to go to the shop. To the shop. What would I do without bread? I needed bread. So I went to the shop. To buy some bread. Yes, I went to the shop to buy some bread. Yes I, Lars. Lars Hertervig needed bread and so I went to the shop. I went to the shop. I went to the shop for bread. To buy some bread."

If that's your idea of exquisite prose then good luck to you. To me, it's merely an effective method for demonstrating a man's mental state and rapid descent into mania and racing (often intrusive) thoughts. But again, even when we're no longer in the head of Lars, we still get this style all the way through the book. I can't speak for the original Norwegian but the English translation is prosaic and obvious, lacking in anything that might be described as inventive or creative language. It's all very basic stuff. But apparently if you keep repeating a sentence, you're producing ground-breaking literature. Who knew? Anyway, the book (especially the first two parts) was pretty compelling but the novelty (and let's not kid ourselves, that's what it was... a novelty) soon wears off.

I was intrigued enough to read more of his work but this was a very performative and uninspired start.

 

7/10

 

Edited December 16, 2023 by Hux

[Hux]

Of Human Bondage (1915) W. Somerset Maugham 

 

I've always had a soft spot for a good bildungsroman and this one is magnificent. The story of Philip Carey, a boy born with a club foot which in many ways defines him. After his parents both die, he is taken in by his uncle and wife and given a good education. As he gets older, he lives in Germany for a year then returns and works briefly as an accountant before following his dreams of being an artist and moving to Paris. After realising he doesn't truly have the talent for this, he finally settles on training as a doctor. He meets and falls in love with a girl called Mildred (what a character), and acquires and loses friends along the way, all while searching for a meaning to his existence.

I adored every page of this book. Somerset Maugham has a wonderful style that is evocative of the era but also demonstrates a touch of the modern. So many books and writers came to mind as I read this, such as Hamsun and Celine but most of all Patrick Hamilton. The section of the book where Philip meets the awful Mildred was so reminiscent of Hamilton's writing. I find it impossible to believe that Hamilton wasn't massively influenced by the book and that relationship in particular. She treats Philip appallingly and you want to scream at him to dump her but I suppose the point Maugham is making is that love makes us delirious and destroys reason. She admits she's seeing other men, then, after he accepts this, she leaves him for a married man who impregnates her. He takes her back (again) and helps her with the baby only to have her leave him again, this time for his best friend Griffiths (Philip even pays for them to go away together because he thinks she'll eventually come back to him once it's over). Maugham really lays it on thick and reiterates (more than once) that love is an aberration that cannot be made sense of. He actually convinced me in the end. One of you will ALWAYS be more in love than the other.

Throughout all his journeys and experiences, Philip wrestles with the question of religion and life's purpose. He loses faith in God and comes to the conclusion that life is ultimately meaningless ("a river arising from no spring and flowing endlessly to no sea"). He is shunted from moment of joy to moment of disappointment, and so often that he feels compelled to see life for what it really is. At it's worst, when he had to give up medicine and endure poverty, he concludes that each generation merely repeats itself 'impressing upon him the futility of human existence.' One of the characters that really stood out to me (despite her very brief presence in the book and seemingly inconsequential impact on Philip) was Fanny Price, a woman of singular fortitude who had a somewhat misguided opinion of her artistic abilities. I was surprised Philip didn't contemplate her more often as he went through life. But in the end, she seemed to represent nothing more than another human tragedy among many.

Even the ending is bittersweet because while Philip finds solace in the arms of Sally he admits that he does not love her (his heart still, annoyingly, pining for Mildred), but he simply recognises that she is the best option for a life that might, relatively speaking, be worth living. Because all lives are worthless in the end and there are no answers to be found. She is a safe bet. And who can argue with that? When all is said and done, a large breasted 18-year-old girl who adores you and craves the role of wife and mother is not to be sniffed at. Perhaps this is why men today are more unhappy than ever. Because even that small mercy has been take away from us. Now both men and women are equally miserable and condemned to their own lifetime of bondage.

The book is a classic of the bildungsroman genre and for excellent reasons. You'll entirely forget that it was set at the turn of the century and was published in 1915. Everything feels modern and relatable, everything rings true. A wonderful early example of the nihilistic sentiment that would come to define the last century.

 

10/10

 

 

Edited December 30, 2023 by Hux