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Re: The Alte Donau and Sprechstunde (fwd)
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 30 May 2001 14:16:17 -0400
From: lj lindhurst <ljl@w-rabbit.com>
To: Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>
Subject: Re: The Alte Donau and Sprechstunde
> But THIS time I never even SAW the woman.
>This older man (but 10-15 years my junior) was 100% deep tanned
>(he'd been out somewhere in the winter), and was utterly porn-movie
>huge. Since he was quite, how does one put this, completely
>unaroused, he just sort of flopped along like an elephant trunk
>hunting a peanut.
This had me CRACKING UP so much!!! "Like an elephant trunk hunting a
peanut"!!!! I was reading this aloud to Allen yesterday morning, and
he was loving it!
>On my way back I decided I'd ride the lower trail along the water
>edge through the KPP and see if people did use it. I was utterly
>flabbergasted, there must have been 5000 to 7000 of them ranging
>in age from 6 months to 90 years. Sunbathing, swimming, standing
>along the trail, SITTING A LITTLE OUTDOOR CAFES, (where the hell
>do you keep your money?), all as naked as Adam and Eve.
Speaking of David Sedaris (as I did a few days ago), one of his books
of short stories is called "Naked", and the title piece is all about
his experience at a nudist camp in America. He comes to some funny
conclusions, and he makes some very peculiar friends there. I think
you would get a big kick out of the story. He's very shy and wierded
out at first, but by the end, he can hardly stand to wear clothes at
all. The whole notion of nudity in Europe is a lot less bizarre than
American nudists-! They're like a strange Kiwanis Club or something.
"Naked" is a truly enjoyable read, especially if you want something
thoughtful, intelligent, funny, and touching--and not too terribly
taxing on the brain. It's a good vacation read.
So I am more than halfway through Saramago's _The History of the
Siege of Lisbon_, which is turning out to be a very enjoyable read,
and not quite as difficult as most of his other works. This is my
last Saramago novel! At least it's the last one available to me in
English. The only other thing I have by him is _Journey to
Portugal_, which is a rather dry and uneventful travelogue of small
towns and specific places in Portugal. I'll use it as a reference on
my trip, but I can't imagine anyone reading it cover to cover.
_The History of the Siege of Lisbon_ is an unusually funny Saramago
book; it's about a proofreader who has to proofread a fairly
inaccurate history book by that title, and he decides to
mischievously insert the word "NOT" into a critical sentence. Of
course, this "NOT" changes the whole history, and it causes all kinds
of ripple effects in his life. He ends up with a new boss, an
unexpected love interest, and he begins writing his own book called
_The History of the Siege of Lisbon_ , which is a what-if type book
where his "NOT" is the jumping-off point for the rest of the plot.
So far, I've been enjoying it immensely; the passages where he
re-writes history are hilarious, and unusually sarcastic for Saramago.
Well, I am off. I have a doctor's appointment this afternoon, and
this evening a friend of mine is taking me out for oysters in Soho.
Hey, now that I think about it, I will be near some used/rare
bookstores. What is the title (or titles) of the Bernhard memoirs
you are having difficulty finding? And of course, if there is
anything else you are having trouble finding, let me know, I love a
good detective assignment, especially one that has me perusing used
bookstores downtown...
lj
--
********************************
LJ Lindhurst
White Rabbit Graphic Design
http://www.w-rabbit.com
NYC ljl@w-rabbit.com
********************************
"And American Clock has my Social Security Account numbers and it is
engraved on one of American Clock's Grandfather Clock Movements."
--Yukio Murakami