Re: The Alte Donau and Sprechstunde (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

---------- 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
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"And American Clock has my Social  Security Account numbers and it is 
engraved on one of American Clock's Grandfather Clock Movements."
			--Yukio Murakami