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Recent reading
Oct. 31st, 2016 09:00 pmJag minns alla mina älskare och hur de brukade ta på mig by Kerstin Thorvall (I Remember All My Lovers and How They Used to Touch Me, not available in English)
Thorvall was controversial in Sweden during the '70's for her book about a middleaged woman with a large sexual appetite. This book is a later one and presents itself as autobiographical; if it actually is then it's extremely revealing and does not spare either the author or other people. It's not so much the actual sex scenes but more the circumstances around the relationships. There's not much recognition in it for me--well, maybe the unrequited love, but I handle it completely differently. It's well written, though, and I'd been curious about this author.
Chernobyl Prayer: A Chronicle of the Future by Svetlana Alexievich
Read in Swedish, original in Russian. I found this bleaker than her book about Soviet women in WWII--the suffering feels more pointless and alien. Also I keep wondering how this would've played out in Sweden today, without the culture of obedience and self-sacrifice she describes. Although that strikes both ways - some of what people were told to do or volunteered for was necessary and heroic and saved the lives of many millions of people, but also people were commanded to do completely unnecessary and stupid things that killed them for no good reason. And also, maybe I should keep iodine at home--I live about 40 km from a nuclear plant. Not that I am nervous about that now or anything.
I think I need to read something fluffy now.
Thorvall was controversial in Sweden during the '70's for her book about a middleaged woman with a large sexual appetite. This book is a later one and presents itself as autobiographical; if it actually is then it's extremely revealing and does not spare either the author or other people. It's not so much the actual sex scenes but more the circumstances around the relationships. There's not much recognition in it for me--well, maybe the unrequited love, but I handle it completely differently. It's well written, though, and I'd been curious about this author.
Chernobyl Prayer: A Chronicle of the Future by Svetlana Alexievich
Read in Swedish, original in Russian. I found this bleaker than her book about Soviet women in WWII--the suffering feels more pointless and alien. Also I keep wondering how this would've played out in Sweden today, without the culture of obedience and self-sacrifice she describes. Although that strikes both ways - some of what people were told to do or volunteered for was necessary and heroic and saved the lives of many millions of people, but also people were commanded to do completely unnecessary and stupid things that killed them for no good reason. And also, maybe I should keep iodine at home--I live about 40 km from a nuclear plant. Not that I am nervous about that now or anything.
I think I need to read something fluffy now.
