I really love buying new books! I've had a borthday recently and from my sister in law received a $100 gift card to borders....this is what I got yesterday:
-"The Collected Tales of Nikolai Gogol"
-A really nice hardcover copy of "Don Quixote"
-"The Waste Land and Other Poems" - T.S.Eliot
-"The Secret Agent" - Conrad
-"Under Western Eyes" - Conrad,
that leaves me another $55 for the next time
anyways, I've read some of the books before, but never owned a copy. I'm especially fond of "Under Western Eyes" - even though Conrad did not particularly like Dostoevsky as a person, Dostoevsky was one of the writers which he read most assiduously. Below is a description of the novel from one of the readers on amazon:
Joseph Conrad is one of the most wonderful writers for me (although there are a couple of his novels that I am yet to come to grips with). Often novels give me cause to reflect on my life and my place in the universe, but this one is so personal to me that I wonder if my recommendation can be meaningful to others. You see, the narrator of Under Western Eyes is an English speaking man, an older man, an observer, who becomes a possessor of secret knowledge which reflects on the things he sees taking place around him - of the one holding the secret, of the ones ignorant of it. But the second most important character is a young woman, Natalie Haldin, living away from Russia with her mother (in Geneva). And by chance I have a work-based friendship with a colleague who happens to be a Russian woman (by no means uncomplicated) living away from Russia (in Australia). The last chapter telling of the final meeting between Natalie and the narrator - for quite personal reasons (but it is so well written) was an emotional torment for me, my final meeting has yet to occur - I hope!
The most important character in the novel (I discount the narrator, as I would myself, although he is of great importance - you may think the greatest) is a young student, Razumov, who betrays Natalie's brother and then is imposed on by the powers to spy on Russian dissidents in Geneva. There he meets Natalie and others who are totally unaware of his role in Natalie's brother's betrayal and subsequent execution. But it is known that he was a fellow student of Natalie's brother so they are drawn to him. Would Natalie and Razumov become romantically allied? Only if the secret is kept?
I will not answer these questions. But I will say that Razumov, weak throughout the novel with the same sort of uncertainties that challenge me, turns out to be the most courageous of characters and, in fact, is afforded one tiny morsel of reward.
Conrad is a great user of words although he does say very early on that words are the great foes of reality (page 1). The title of this review is a quote. Here are two more (at the risk of being edited!):
The man who says he has no illusions has at least that one (page 188)
She is also a woman of flesh and blood. There is always something to weigh down the spiritual side in all of us. (page 122)(This is not about Natalie)
While the novel may not have the same personal impact for you as it did for me, it is very engaging and rewarding. Typically for Conrad though, the writing is very dense, and for me at least, needed lots of time and reflection
this book should be especialy close to Dostoevsky readers. Conrad challenges D's ideas from "C&P"...notice that the main character's name is Razumov...basically Conrad takes a point of view of Razumihin from "C&P"....and puts a twist on the whole thing. But the main character goes through the same stages as Raskolnikov - it is really worth the read.
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Whoever thinks that TBK or C&P is the world's greatest novel has to read "Don Quixote" by Miguel De Cervantes. It is treally magnificent. I still the two titles mentioned before are better, but "DQ" is one of my top favorites...BORDERS offers a nice hardcover edition for $10.
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Now I'm off to start reading....
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