08 July 2008

Back to School & The Principles of Uncertainty

Yesterday I had my first class of my summer term. I should have definitely have expected to have story collections to read along with the workshop stories, but I didn't, and there will definitely be some story collections to read. Unfortunately, this means an even bigger hindrance to my slow trudge through The Brothers Karamazov. I'm a slow reader, and The Bros K proved to be an even slower read than usual because it forced me to read differently. I've already gone on about Mr. Dostoyevsky's wonderful work longer than I planned.

The real focus of this post was supposed to be this: Maira Kalman's The Principles of Uncertainty. I needed a short break from The Bros K when I found out about this book in the I.D. Magazine annual review issue. The book is beautiful and personal, and at times it feels honest and vulnerable, like someone decided to reveal their secret diary to the world. For information and pictures of the book, visit Book By Its Cover. To see the contents of the book, visit Kalman's New York Times blog by the same name. Even though you can see and read the whole thing there, book lovers will appreciate the feel of holding the book in your hands while soaking in the words, paintings, and vast range of emotions in such short spans.

2 comments:

Miss Marjie said...

Which translation of Bros K are you reading? Is it Richard Pevear & Larissa Volokhonsky's? Because that one is very good compared to other translations I've looked at. It gets the humor that can so easily be lost in translation.

Patrick said...

The David McDuff translation. I figured the Penguin classics version was a pretty solid way to go. I'm always anxious about books in translation.