Reviews and Comments

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2.5

3 stars

Most of this fell flat. ‘Beach’ and ‘Muscles’ were alright… Overall: 2.5 stars + honorary ghost point for the Alfred Jarry mention…

This was a posthumous publication of his short pieces put together by other people, so it’s unknown how Bolaño would have ordered these sketches and narratives—from having recently read ‘Antwerp,’ I’d like to give the dead man the benefit of the doubt and assume this would have been much better if processed by him.

Salome (Paperback, German language, 1990, Reclam-Verlag) 4 stars

Wildes Salome, 1891 in französischer Sprache verfaßt, gehört zu den großen Zeugnissen der europäischen …

Of a truth she is her mother's child!

4 stars

Who other than Wilde to be trusted with (biblical) feminine rage and vengeance?

The narrative of John Smith (2011) 5 stars

5/5

5 stars

Reread no.4 Whilst this may not be regarded as one of Doyle’s masterpieces, and is very clearly a transition piece to his lengthier writings and therefore excused of most shortcomings, it still manages to perfectly portray a yearning to write addressed through Doyle’s fabricated counterpart, ‘John Smith.’

Despite a lacking structure as well as a defined plot, it’s still hard to put down—even after the umpteenth reread. The only analogy I can make is being locked in a room with a sagacious, but overly prone to rambling old man.

This really is a gold mine for all the references and details recycled in his later, lengthier works.

The Heart of a Dog (Paperback, 1997, Harvill Press) 5 stars

A superb comic masterpiece and fierce parable of the Russian Revolution by the author of …

The metamorphosis reimagined by a neuroendrocrinologist not too fond of the Bolsheviks?

5 stars

There seems to be a pattern in my favourite works being written by (practising/former) medics who’d rather not put their opinions out there under their own name… (Looking at you Doyle)

5/5 Simple, witty and sublime in one.

Al-Ghazali on Intention, Sincerity and Truthfulness (2003, Islamic Texts Society) 5 stars

‘The Afterlife cannot be just another room in the same house’

5 stars

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A palate refreshing walk away from the literalism that dominates Islamic theology in the modern day. The sufis have been deserving of the title for the most reflective insights on Quranic verse. Ghazali does compare niyya/will/power but remains appreciative of the overlap and limitation in drawing any definite distinctive lines between these (kudos to the translators notes where this is well-reflected. I never expected I’d read a non-native understand how ‘حُكْم’ can be power/judgement or a third mysterious thing out of the bounds of the English language.)

Literalism does not have all the answers but neither does Sufism. The difference, however, is that the latter does not claim to do so. There are challenges to this idea of (lack of) intention being able to nullify virtuous deeds entirely (e.g., Bukhari 3321) but it wouldn’t be harmful to be more conscientious about what intent is behind our actions… Ghazali illustrates …

You'd Be Paranoid Too (If Everyone Was Out to Get You): A Collection of Personal Stories and Insights (Hardcover, 2019, MDDN Publishing) 5 stars

Awsten Knight is in a band called Waterparks. Whether or not you know that is …

5/5

5 stars

This gets better the second read (5 years later) after you’ve acquired Knight-level-sober-friend-with-batshit-weird-life-experiences that needs Knight-level-sober-friend-with-batshit-weird-life-experiences wisdom.

Good blend of comedy to advice. I don’t normally do autobiographies (paranoid of ghost writers)…

…but it would be impossible to ghost write for this man. If not impossible, then a nightmare.