Damian Kelleher - Reviews and Fiction

New Review - Romain Rolland - Jean-Christophe Volume II: Morning

damian — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 08:51:42 +0000

The latest review to be added is French Nobel Laureate Romain Rolland's novel, Jean-Christophe Volume II: Morning.

The second volume of Jean-Christophe continues the same wondrous exploration of musical genius as the first. I urge anyone who is able to either download the provided pdf file, read the text through Project Gutenberg, or somehow find a physical copy.

Titles also under review include:
---Clerambault
---Jean-Christophe Volume I: Dawn

New Review - Romain Rolland - Jean-Christophe Volume I: Dawn

damian — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 09:49:35 +0000

The latest review to be added is French Nobel Laureate Romain Rolland's novel, Jean-Christophe Volume I: Dawn .

Dawn is the first novel in a series of ten that begins with Jean-Christophe's birth and ends with his death. Taken singly, each novel is quite small, but as a whole the entirety adds up to a masterpiece that has few equals amongst early twentieth century literature. Highly recommended.

Titles also under review include:
---Clerambault

The South Wing - Essay - Alexander Kielland

damian — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 23:40:48 +0000

An essay I wrote on Alexander Kielland has been posted to the The South Wing website.

You can read it here.

New Review - Philip Roth - Indignation

damian — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 06:22:17 +0000

The latest review to be added is American author Philip Roth's novel, Indignation

Titles also under review:

---Exit Ghost
---Goodbye, Columbus
---My Life as a Man
---Novels, 1973-1977 (Library of America)
---Zuckerman Bound

The South Wing

damian — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 09:46:26 +0000

I have been fortunate enough to become the literary and fiction editor for the brand new magazine, The South Wing.

My story, Victoria's Performance, has been published as part of the launch edition.

My primary duties will be nurturing the fiction of others and writing pieces myself, and I will be engaging in a series of small essays concerning writers I consider to have been overlooked.

Please take the time to read the magazine. It's a small operation at the moment, but the ambition behind it is large. I hope you enjoy it.

Nobel Prize in Literature 2008

damian — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 15:18:17 +0000

As has been reported all over the internet, Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio has won the Nobel Prize in Literature for 2008.

I have not yet read any of le Clézio's work, and sadly The Book Depository does not have a large selection of his work available to purchase. I hope to add him to my bookshelf soon, and then to review once my personal life has settled.

Other articles of interest concerning the Nobel Prize:

The Complete Review
New York Times
Guardian (UK)

(It seems that the American press has been rather flummoxed by le Clézio's win. The New York Times, for example, broke the story with a headline and a list of Nobel winners from 1960. Not exactly the most informative of stories. I suspect that large, lavish articles had been written in case Roth, Atwood, Updike, McCarthy et al had won, but an 'obscure' foreigner has put the press in a bit of a sore spot. It might just call for research. Horrors!)

(Also Note: The Hiatus remains in place until further notice. Thank you for understanding.)

Hiatus

damian — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 08:49:20 +0000

Reviews are suspended until further notice. A personal matter has intruded, leaving me with very little time or inclination to update the website.

I hope to get back to regular updates sometime in mid/late October.

Thank you for your understanding.

Damian

New Review - Jorge Luis Borges - The Total Library - Non-Fiction 1922 - 1986

damian — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 03:09:56 +0000

The latest review to be added is Argentine author Jorge Luis Borges' collection, The Total Library - Non-Fiction 1922 - 1986.

The Total Library is a collection of non-fiction Borges wrote throughout his life. While there are many important omissions, this collection currently stands as the most complete published in English. Absolutely recommended for fans of Borges, and literature.

Currently there is one other work of Borges' under review:

---The Book of Sand

New Review - Richard Bausch - Peace

damian — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 06:16:20 +0000

The latest review to be added is American author Richard Bausch's novel, Peace.

Peace is a very short novel concerning World War II. Bausch's skill in short story writing has aided him in humanising characters who could have, but didn't, fall into the trap of caricature.

New Review - Imre Kertész - Detective Story

damian — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 00:44:37 +0000

The latest review to be added is Hungarian Nobel Laureate Imre Kertész's novel, Detective Story.

Detective Story is somewhat different to 'traditional' Holocaust Literature - It is written from the perspective of the torturer, not the victim, and is set in an unnamed country, rather than explicitly attacking a current or past regime.