Set in South Africa. Reviewed on 2018/05: https://www.instagram.com/p/BjVc7KwFjOo/
“But I’m adapting to this vastness! Can, at least, for a while, I believe. It’s not what I was used to and there’s no nourishment of my habitude but I find that my segments, the entire length of me still obeys; I can progress by my normal undulation. Undulating, I’m setting out in an element that also does, I’m setting out for what this powerful liquid vastness is bound for – nature’s built into my knowledge that everything has to move somewhere. The whole process shall begin over again. Come to life.” It’s difficult to give you an aperçu of the sheer genius of this collection of #shortstories . I’m completely biased to #gordimer ‘s powerful and microscopic obsession with #dailylivesand its contradictory nature. I know what you’re going to say. Well haven’t I heard/read the same somewhere else before? Well, maybe! But #nadinegordimeris usually narrating about characters living in a specific country #southafrica and the devastating ramifications of #apartheideven after years and years of its official demise. However in #beethovenwasonesixteenthblackGordimer is aiming at transposing that experience into other settings: geographical, sexual or historical. Could we compare or draw any learning conclusions from an oppressing system created to separate and dehumanize people? And if so, could this learning be applied to other cultures, human experiences or even periods of time? Gordimer is going for the history of the world, for the global edition. It sounds very ambitious indeed. However in a very Gordimer style, her stories are impregnated with multiple layers yet somehow simple, like a good parable. #highlyrecommended#southafricanliterature #penguinbooks#nobelprizeinliterature #parables#racialidentity #alternateending#germanjewish #againsthistory #hungarian#london #susansontag #edwardsaid
hebdo_readings 