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The Avignon Quintet #5
Quinx or The Ripper's Tale
1985 Faber/ Faber hardcover. Lawrence Durrell (The Alexandria Quartet). Just after World War II, a motley assortment of treasure hunters, mystics, psychoanalysts, and former Nazis race to uncover a treasure buried centuries before by the Knights Templar. Durrell displays his diabolical playfulness and immense imagination as his characters meet and become entangled, long-buried plots reemerge, and the past and future are funneled into the present action. Here the music of the Alexandria Quintetresolves as a symphony and the series as a whole emerges as a worthy and enduring entry to Durrell’s distinguished career. - Amazon
201 pages, Hardcover
First published May 27, 1985
About the author
Lawrence Durrell
210 books841 followersLawrence George Durrell was a critically hailed and beloved novelist, poet, humorist, and travel writer best known for The Alexandria Quartet novels, which were ranked by the Modern Library as among the greatest works of English literature in the twentieth century. A passionate and dedicated writer from an early age, Durrell’s prolific career also included the groundbreaking Avignon Quintet, whose first novel, Monsieur (1974), won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, and whose third novel, Constance (1982), was nominated for the Booker Prize. He also penned the celebrated travel memoir Bitter Lemons of Cyprus (1957), which won the Duff Cooper Prize. Durrell corresponded with author Henry Miller for forty-five years, and Miller influenced much of his early work, including a provocative and controversial novel, The Black Book (1938). Durrell died in France in 1990.
The time Lawrence spent with his family, mother Louisa, siblings Leslie, Margaret Durrell, and Gerald Durrell, on the island of Corfu were the subject of Gerald's memoirs and have been filmed numerous times for TV.
The time Lawrence spent with his family, mother Louisa, siblings Leslie, Margaret Durrell, and Gerald Durrell, on the island of Corfu were the subject of Gerald's memoirs and have been filmed numerous times for TV.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
March 16, 2021
All the principal characters returned to Avignon and there their troubled existence continues…
The anxious writer is deeply absorbed in the inner dialogue with his alter ego – a half-drunken, half-crazy stream of deteriorating consciousness…
Some old liaisons dissolve… Some new love unions appear… Some dark secrets of the past are revealed… The legendary treasures of the Knights Templar start looming on the horizon… But how many things surrounding us are just illusions?
Everybody in the world is a treasure hunter but treasures are few and far between.
The anxious writer is deeply absorbed in the inner dialogue with his alter ego – a half-drunken, half-crazy stream of deteriorating consciousness…
The doomboat of our culture filling up, the ship of fools. But it only looks like that. Actually if you believe, as I do, that all people are slowly becoming the same person, and that all countries are merging into one country, one world, you will be bound to see all these so-called characters as illustrations of a trend. They may be studied through their weaknesses of which the greatest and most revealing is their disposition to love and produce copies in flesh of their psychic needs.
Some old liaisons dissolve… Some new love unions appear… Some dark secrets of the past are revealed… The legendary treasures of the Knights Templar start looming on the horizon… But how many things surrounding us are just illusions?
Why the devil had he chosen a profession which involved him in the manufacture of these paper artefacts – characters which drained him of so much life that he often felt quite one-dimensional, himself equally a fiction of his fictions?
Everybody in the world is a treasure hunter but treasures are few and far between.
December 25, 2016
O Quinteto de Avignon é composto por cinco livros e mais de mil e duzentas páginas. Os primeiros quatro deslumbraram-me, o ultimo desnorteou-me. Talvez porque eu ou Durrell já estivéssemos cansados...
Psicanálise, seitas religiosas, o tesouro dos Templários e a Segunda Guerra Mundial são alguns dos temas tratados, enquanto as personagens vagueiam pelo Egipto, Avignon, Veneza e outros locais da Europa. O tema constante é o sexo: incesto, homossexualidade, sadismo, e por aí fora; com umas teorias de sexo perfeito entre casais (no caso heterossexuais) que me pareceram muito fantasiosas.
Aos primeiros quatro livros dei cinco estrelas mas, pelo meu gosto, para o conjunto dos cinco livros serão mais correctas as quatro.
Lawrence Durrell é um escritor de que gosto muito, e creio ser de leitura fundamental, mas prefiro e recomendo O Quarteto de Alexandria .
Psicanálise, seitas religiosas, o tesouro dos Templários e a Segunda Guerra Mundial são alguns dos temas tratados, enquanto as personagens vagueiam pelo Egipto, Avignon, Veneza e outros locais da Europa. O tema constante é o sexo: incesto, homossexualidade, sadismo, e por aí fora; com umas teorias de sexo perfeito entre casais (no caso heterossexuais) que me pareceram muito fantasiosas.
Aos primeiros quatro livros dei cinco estrelas mas, pelo meu gosto, para o conjunto dos cinco livros serão mais correctas as quatro.
Lawrence Durrell é um escritor de que gosto muito, e creio ser de leitura fundamental, mas prefiro e recomendo O Quarteto de Alexandria .
April 4, 2023
"Kendisiyle çağdaş olan tek şey gerçeklerdir: Yaşadığımız anda tamamen içinde olmayız ama olmak için yanıp tutuşuruz - şiir bunun içindir."
Avignon Beşlisi böylece bitti. "Quinx ya da Kusursuz Adamın Öyküsü", ilk kitap Monsieur kadar iyi olmamakla beraber fena bir kapanış olmadı - İstanbul'da başlayıp, Paris ve Atina'da okumaya devam ettiğim seriyi yine İstanbul'da tamamladım. Durrell'in atmosferik metinlerini farklı şehirlerde deneyimlemekten farklı bir haz aldığımı söylemem lazım.
Bana sorarsanız bu seriyi İskenderiye Dörtlüsü ile kıyaslamamak lazım - insan ister istemez yapıyor ama açıkçası İskenderiye'ye haksızlık bu. Durrell orada yapacağını yapmış, bu beşleme biraz ona öykünen ama maalesef ona varamayan bir başka deneyim. Her ne kadar son kitapta tüm karakterler bir araya gelse ve konular bir biçimde birbirine bağlansa da, bu beşliyi belirli bir bütünlük içinde değerlendirmek zor. Evet, ana hikayeyi takip edebiliyoruz ama yazar sık sık öyküden kopup türlü felsefik, psikanalitik ve hatta ezoterik pasajlar yazmış, bunlar sıklaştıkça garip fragmanlardan birleştirilmiş bir not defteri okuyor gibi oluyor insan. (Yine de kimileri çok güzel tabii, Quinx'ten bir tanesini ekleyeyim şuraya: "'Evet, sende annemi tamamen tükettim!' dedi - En katışıksızından bir aşk ilanıydı ve iyi bir Freud'cu olan Constance da bunu anladı." ❤️)
Her ne kadar İskenderiye ile kıyaslamayalım demiş olsam da, ondan bağımsız da düşünülemez beşli, çünkü zannediyorum ki İskenderiye'yi okumamış, Durrell'le hemhal olmamış olsam bu kitaplar bana hiçbir şey söylemezdi. Öyle olmadı. Durrell'in edebi dehasının izlerini yakaladıkça çok sevdiğim eski bir dostuma kavuşmuş gibi mutlu oldum, sırf bunun için bile okumaya değerdi. Durrell, daha önce yaptığı gibi beni yakamdan tutup duvardan duvara savurmadı ama muhakkak ki izi kalacak bir büyük eser okuduğumun da farkındayım. Yine de - herkesin seveceği bir seri değil bu, söylemem şart.
Sanırım 1500 sayfalık serüvenin son cümlesi aslında tüm bu tuhaf deneyin özeti gibi. Onunla bitireyim madem: "Tam da o anda asıl gerçeklik kurgunun imdadına yetişti ve asla kestirilemeyecek bir şey gerçekleşmeye başladı!"
Öyle oldu gerçekten.
Avignon Beşlisi böylece bitti. "Quinx ya da Kusursuz Adamın Öyküsü", ilk kitap Monsieur kadar iyi olmamakla beraber fena bir kapanış olmadı - İstanbul'da başlayıp, Paris ve Atina'da okumaya devam ettiğim seriyi yine İstanbul'da tamamladım. Durrell'in atmosferik metinlerini farklı şehirlerde deneyimlemekten farklı bir haz aldığımı söylemem lazım.
Bana sorarsanız bu seriyi İskenderiye Dörtlüsü ile kıyaslamamak lazım - insan ister istemez yapıyor ama açıkçası İskenderiye'ye haksızlık bu. Durrell orada yapacağını yapmış, bu beşleme biraz ona öykünen ama maalesef ona varamayan bir başka deneyim. Her ne kadar son kitapta tüm karakterler bir araya gelse ve konular bir biçimde birbirine bağlansa da, bu beşliyi belirli bir bütünlük içinde değerlendirmek zor. Evet, ana hikayeyi takip edebiliyoruz ama yazar sık sık öyküden kopup türlü felsefik, psikanalitik ve hatta ezoterik pasajlar yazmış, bunlar sıklaştıkça garip fragmanlardan birleştirilmiş bir not defteri okuyor gibi oluyor insan. (Yine de kimileri çok güzel tabii, Quinx'ten bir tanesini ekleyeyim şuraya: "'Evet, sende annemi tamamen tükettim!' dedi - En katışıksızından bir aşk ilanıydı ve iyi bir Freud'cu olan Constance da bunu anladı." ❤️)
Her ne kadar İskenderiye ile kıyaslamayalım demiş olsam da, ondan bağımsız da düşünülemez beşli, çünkü zannediyorum ki İskenderiye'yi okumamış, Durrell'le hemhal olmamış olsam bu kitaplar bana hiçbir şey söylemezdi. Öyle olmadı. Durrell'in edebi dehasının izlerini yakaladıkça çok sevdiğim eski bir dostuma kavuşmuş gibi mutlu oldum, sırf bunun için bile okumaya değerdi. Durrell, daha önce yaptığı gibi beni yakamdan tutup duvardan duvara savurmadı ama muhakkak ki izi kalacak bir büyük eser okuduğumun da farkındayım. Yine de - herkesin seveceği bir seri değil bu, söylemem şart.
Sanırım 1500 sayfalık serüvenin son cümlesi aslında tüm bu tuhaf deneyin özeti gibi. Onunla bitireyim madem: "Tam da o anda asıl gerçeklik kurgunun imdadına yetişti ve asla kestirilemeyecek bir şey gerçekleşmeye başladı!"
Öyle oldu gerçekten.
April 27, 2024
sublime finish to a magical quintet
goodbye Avignon 🥺
goodbye Avignon 🥺
October 26, 2024
Bitti. Beşlinin son kitabının son sayfasını kapatırken kendi deyimiyle kurmacanın yeni özgün görünümünün sınırlarını daha da genişleten bir Durrell’e de veda ediyorum. Freud, ego ve cinsellik, Budizm’e duyulan hayranlık bu seride çok daha yoğun yer alıyor. Yazarın genç versiyonu olarak yarattığı Blanford ve onun yarattığı roman kahramanı Sutcliff iki sarhoş, sinik, mistik seks bağımlısı gibi giderek daha uzun konuşuyorlar bu son bölümde. Durrell buraları kısa tutup beşliyi bir 900 sayfada bıraksa valla muhteşem olacakmış, bir yerden sonra süslü cümleler iyice saçmalaşıyor. Neyse efendim, zaten Durrell bu kez bir Hristiyan gibi iyi olmayı, kitlelerce kabul görecek iyi bir kitap yazmayı değil bir Budist gibi özgür olmayı seçmiş.
Özgür bir zihnin eseri, bu yüzden her okuyucuya göre değil Avignon Beşlisi. Bilimin mutlu sonlarla ilgilenmediğini bunun sanata tanınan bir ayrıcalık olduğunu söylüyor bir yerlerde. Bu okuduğumuz neyse ki sanat.
“Ölüm bizi mutlak sessizliğe itekleyene kadar insanın dünyadaki işlevi, dünyanın kendisini insanın içinde gerçekleştirmesine izin vermesidir.”
Tekrar edeyim bir İskenderiye Dörtlüsü değil, okuyacaklar Durrell sevgilerinin derinliğine göre başlasın.
Özgür bir zihnin eseri, bu yüzden her okuyucuya göre değil Avignon Beşlisi. Bilimin mutlu sonlarla ilgilenmediğini bunun sanata tanınan bir ayrıcalık olduğunu söylüyor bir yerlerde. Bu okuduğumuz neyse ki sanat.
“Ölüm bizi mutlak sessizliğe itekleyene kadar insanın dünyadaki işlevi, dünyanın kendisini insanın içinde gerçekleştirmesine izin vermesidir.”
Tekrar edeyim bir İskenderiye Dörtlüsü değil, okuyacaklar Durrell sevgilerinin derinliğine göre başlasın.
March 24, 2019
"Of course, by all means let us have the truth, since we have all suffered so much from it."
A disgrace, frankly. I mean, perhaps I shouldn't be surprised as literally the first person to write a Goodreads review (in English) of this novel published 35 years ago, but nevertheless I'm disappointed.
Durrell of course is a major 20th century writer, and Justine and the remainder of the Alexandria Quartet remain among personal highlights of mine in literature. But it's clear that Durrell-as-author is a very delicate proposition: a little more to the left and his literature becomes just a series of comic interludes; a little more to the right and it's indistinguishable from the screeds of your average lunatic hobo.
Quinx, or The Ripper's Tale caps off the five-book Avignon Quintet - my reviews of which can be found at Monsieur, Livia or Buried Alive, Constance, or Solitary Practices, and Sebastian, or, Ruling Passions - in a shambolic 200-page ramble, set in the months following the end of WWII. All of the surviving major characters gradually make their way back to Avignon, where relationships must be resolved and - amazingly, more importantly - the treasure of the Templars found at last.
Durrell was in his 70s by the time the book was published and one gets the sense that this master of the form was given free rein by his editor, whether to finish out a contract or just because he no longer had to seek their guidance or their wisdom.
"Reading your verse is like dragging a pond without ever finding the body." - Blanford to Sutcliffe
Despite his famed literary set-pieces, everything feels barely lived-in here, until quite literally the last six pages when we're rewarded (if that's even the word) which something mildly approaching atmosphere, as all of the characters gather to enter a cave of wonders located just outside of Avignon. The rest of the book is spent in the type of puns, vignettes, and literary masturbation that so delight the doubly-fictional (that is, fictional within the novel) Sutcliffe and, clearly, Durrell himself. Most notable is a sequence in which Sutcliffe is reunited with Sabine who, in a meta-fictional twist that's weird even for this author, has essentially been written into a different story where she's become a haggard but lustful gypsy. It treads the line between bathetic and absurdist, and I'm really not sure what side it falls down upon. At his best, Durrell furthered the modernist work of his idols, such as Joyce, while imbuing his characters with a riveting and dangerously lifelike depth. Here, neither his characterisation skills nor his textual ingenuity are on show in any meaningful way.
Meanwhile, although some lip service is paid to closing out the relationship and narratives of Blanford and Constance, Durrell is driven on to engage more and more with the Templar legend, and Galen's search for the treasure. As he weaves together some of the thematic threads that have run through the series, we're given a much clearer purpose for the Judaism thread, and a greater understanding of the role that Avignon plays in underlying the Quintet, but it's far from enough to justify some of the narrative dead-ends that we've been down. Part of this seems to be - I hate to say this - down to the lack of length. The book feels seriously truncated. Take what should be a pair of centrepiece scenes, in which Constance learns from two imprisoned Germans not only the location of the Templars' treasure but the revelation - which we were already somewhat privy to - that her sister Livia became a Nazi primarily because of a sexual relationship with their brother Hilary which became something of a power dynamic against her, and that her eye injury in previous books was from gouging out her own eye after witnessing Hilary's beheading at the hands of the Germans whom she had joined! I mean, that's some serious emotional carnage right there... only, it's sort of treated as nothing by Durrell. All that the General and Smirgel can even do is provide justifications for their actions; while all Constance can do is be momentarily shocked and then analyse. Whither atmosphere? Whither insight? (A small part of that may be deliberate; the books have been so obsessed with rational psychology that an intellectual like Constance can't be allowed into hysterics in the final reels... but nevertheless.)
One gets the sense that Durrell - who, after all, started the series promisingly if abstractly - may have not been up to the challenge of fulfilling his evidently ambitious plan. He had made himself a palette of limited colours with which to create something completely unique in fiction, and instead found himself cheating by reaching across to other students to steal additional shades from time to time, but still unable to complete his task. Consciously (I hope), Durrell chooses to end with a final chapter rich(-ish) in atmosphere but limited in resolution. We conclude with all of our characters together at the mouth of a booby-trapped tunnel hoping that their map works and that there's something worthwhile at the end, many with their personal relationships resolved, on the precipice of a new world after a major war, but it's entirely possible that three seconds after the book ends they all die in a perilous explosion. (It's not dissimilar to that famous final scene of The Sopranos in some ways!)
Late in the book, Sutcliffe says that "Civilisation is a placebo with side-effects". Quinx is a placebo too, but, sadly, it doesn't even linger in the mind long enough for a reaction.
A mistake in toto.
A disgrace, frankly. I mean, perhaps I shouldn't be surprised as literally the first person to write a Goodreads review (in English) of this novel published 35 years ago, but nevertheless I'm disappointed.
Durrell of course is a major 20th century writer, and Justine and the remainder of the Alexandria Quartet remain among personal highlights of mine in literature. But it's clear that Durrell-as-author is a very delicate proposition: a little more to the left and his literature becomes just a series of comic interludes; a little more to the right and it's indistinguishable from the screeds of your average lunatic hobo.
Quinx, or The Ripper's Tale caps off the five-book Avignon Quintet - my reviews of which can be found at Monsieur, Livia or Buried Alive, Constance, or Solitary Practices, and Sebastian, or, Ruling Passions - in a shambolic 200-page ramble, set in the months following the end of WWII. All of the surviving major characters gradually make their way back to Avignon, where relationships must be resolved and - amazingly, more importantly - the treasure of the Templars found at last.
Durrell was in his 70s by the time the book was published and one gets the sense that this master of the form was given free rein by his editor, whether to finish out a contract or just because he no longer had to seek their guidance or their wisdom.
"Reading your verse is like dragging a pond without ever finding the body." - Blanford to Sutcliffe
Despite his famed literary set-pieces, everything feels barely lived-in here, until quite literally the last six pages when we're rewarded (if that's even the word) which something mildly approaching atmosphere, as all of the characters gather to enter a cave of wonders located just outside of Avignon. The rest of the book is spent in the type of puns, vignettes, and literary masturbation that so delight the doubly-fictional (that is, fictional within the novel) Sutcliffe and, clearly, Durrell himself. Most notable is a sequence in which Sutcliffe is reunited with Sabine who, in a meta-fictional twist that's weird even for this author, has essentially been written into a different story where she's become a haggard but lustful gypsy. It treads the line between bathetic and absurdist, and I'm really not sure what side it falls down upon. At his best, Durrell furthered the modernist work of his idols, such as Joyce, while imbuing his characters with a riveting and dangerously lifelike depth. Here, neither his characterisation skills nor his textual ingenuity are on show in any meaningful way.
Meanwhile, although some lip service is paid to closing out the relationship and narratives of Blanford and Constance, Durrell is driven on to engage more and more with the Templar legend, and Galen's search for the treasure. As he weaves together some of the thematic threads that have run through the series, we're given a much clearer purpose for the Judaism thread, and a greater understanding of the role that Avignon plays in underlying the Quintet, but it's far from enough to justify some of the narrative dead-ends that we've been down. Part of this seems to be - I hate to say this - down to the lack of length. The book feels seriously truncated. Take what should be a pair of centrepiece scenes, in which Constance learns from two imprisoned Germans not only the location of the Templars' treasure but the revelation - which we were already somewhat privy to - that her sister Livia became a Nazi primarily because of a sexual relationship with their brother Hilary which became something of a power dynamic against her, and that her eye injury in previous books was from gouging out her own eye after witnessing Hilary's beheading at the hands of the Germans whom she had joined! I mean, that's some serious emotional carnage right there... only, it's sort of treated as nothing by Durrell. All that the General and Smirgel can even do is provide justifications for their actions; while all Constance can do is be momentarily shocked and then analyse. Whither atmosphere? Whither insight? (A small part of that may be deliberate; the books have been so obsessed with rational psychology that an intellectual like Constance can't be allowed into hysterics in the final reels... but nevertheless.)
One gets the sense that Durrell - who, after all, started the series promisingly if abstractly - may have not been up to the challenge of fulfilling his evidently ambitious plan. He had made himself a palette of limited colours with which to create something completely unique in fiction, and instead found himself cheating by reaching across to other students to steal additional shades from time to time, but still unable to complete his task. Consciously (I hope), Durrell chooses to end with a final chapter rich(-ish) in atmosphere but limited in resolution. We conclude with all of our characters together at the mouth of a booby-trapped tunnel hoping that their map works and that there's something worthwhile at the end, many with their personal relationships resolved, on the precipice of a new world after a major war, but it's entirely possible that three seconds after the book ends they all die in a perilous explosion. (It's not dissimilar to that famous final scene of The Sopranos in some ways!)
Late in the book, Sutcliffe says that "Civilisation is a placebo with side-effects". Quinx is a placebo too, but, sadly, it doesn't even linger in the mind long enough for a reaction.
A mistake in toto.
August 28, 2024
В общем, замысел неплохой, но очень невыразительно получилось. Слишком интеллектуально, заумно, далеко от жизни (не моя обычная претензия, но всё же). Герои довольно невнятные в последней книге они вообще все сливаются в одно. Хотя, может, таков был замысел изначаль��ый, не знаю. От всего цикла веет усталостью и творческой агонией. Так и вижу, как он мучился под конец и уже не знал, как это всё закончить, к чему это всё... Ну и закончил где-то посреди, как будто бросил.
Из хороших впечатлений - плавание по Нилу. И первая книга мне понравилась, там всё по красоте.
Из хороших впечатлений - плавание по Нилу. И первая книга мне понравилась, там всё по красоте.
July 1, 2022
To say that the Avignon Quintet was a disappointment is an understatement. This fifth volume may be the most lethargic Durrell volume ever. Not for the faint of heart -- that is, if you enjoyed the Alexandria Quartet.
January 17, 2022
Finally finished The Avignon Quintet! Overall, I liked it more than The Alexandria Quartet.
August 29, 2023
For mine the weakest of the five novels in the quintet. The modernist banter between Sutcliffe and Blandford wore thin, felt like toffee nosed prats attempting to outdo each other with juvenile witticisms. Still a fine collection of works.
February 26, 2013
Part of the "Avignon Quintet". The last one and a distinct departure from the style of writing that I have come to love and admire about Lawrence Durrell. Needs a review!
January 21, 2021
E que melhor maneira de começar o ano, com o último volume do Quinteto de Avignon! Neste volume tudo se conclui: quem é o verdadeiro escritor, qual o destino de Constance, qual a solução para o mistério dos templários.
Mas cada um destes problemas é reduzido a uma forma de ironia tão simplisticamente bela que as consequências da sua existência acabam por desaparecer: afinal, o Quinteto de Avignon foi apenas mais uma história, uma história inventada (ou será que real?), pela qual passámos muitos momentos mas que, em conclusão, é apenas uma grande festa do ócio.
Esta fantasia coloca em causa tudo o que aprendemos nos outros livros, e coloca em causa tudo o que conhecemos das personagens. Mas a vida é mesmo assim: nem tudo o que parece é. E nem tudo o que se espera acontece.
Uma série maravilhosa, que me ficará para sempre na memória.
Mas cada um destes problemas é reduzido a uma forma de ironia tão simplisticamente bela que as consequências da sua existência acabam por desaparecer: afinal, o Quinteto de Avignon foi apenas mais uma história, uma história inventada (ou será que real?), pela qual passámos muitos momentos mas que, em conclusão, é apenas uma grande festa do ócio.
Esta fantasia coloca em causa tudo o que aprendemos nos outros livros, e coloca em causa tudo o que conhecemos das personagens. Mas a vida é mesmo assim: nem tudo o que parece é. E nem tudo o que se espera acontece.
Uma série maravilhosa, que me ficará para sempre na memória.
November 9, 2024
09 Ekim’de başladığım, hayatımın en zor, çetrefilli, zaman zaman beni umutsuzluğa düşüren, azımsanmayacak bölümlerini anlamakta zorlandığım ya da hiç anlamadığım, ama ilk defa kendisinden bir eser okuduğum Lawrence Durrel’in edebi dehası, zengin ve karmaşık iç dünyası ve bunları kağıt üstüne aktarmadaki eşsiz ustalığı karşısında hayran kaldığım büyük eseri “Avignon Beşlisi”ni tam bir ay sonra 09 Kadım’da bitirdim. Ortadoğunun, Mısır’ın gizemi, tapınak şövalyeleri, öncesi ve sonrasıyla ikinci dünya savaşı, savaşın çarpıcı, ruhu ezen psikolojik panoraması, nazizm, yahudilik, hristiyanlık, gizemcilik ve tüm bunların inanılmaz bir felsefi ve edebi dehayla bir araya getirilmesi, ne ararsanız var. Ve bir de kurgu ile gerçeğin bir birinin içine geçtiği, şaşırtıcı deneysel yaklaşım da cabası. Her edebiyat severin mutlaka okuması gerektiğini düşünüyorum.
January 16, 2021
Proust’un adı geçerek yazıldığı paragraflar olan bu beşlide Kayıp Zamanın İzinde’ye dair bir okuma zevki bulamadım. İlk 50 sayfayı acaba okumasam daha mı iyi diye düşünerek geçirdim. 228 sf sürecek bir final mi? Değil. Yazarın hayatını biraz okuyunca belki anlamlandırabilirim.
İskenderiye Dörtlüsü’de jübile yapmalıydım belki de :)
İskenderiye Dörtlüsü’de jübile yapmalıydım belki de :)
February 23, 2018
"Foi neste preciso momento que a realidade primordial se precipitou em ajuda da ficção e o totalmente imprevisível começou a acontecer!"
September 29, 2015
Maximal 80 Seiten lesbarer Text, der Rest Geblubber und Gebrabbel, immerhin gibt es eine Auflösung von daher zwei Sterne für den schwächsten Band der Reihe. Ich gönne ja jedem außer Kurs geratenen Schriftsteller seinen Zeitvertreib, aber im Fall des Avignon-Quartetts wäre es mir lieber gewesen, Durrell hätte wie der auf Seite 67ff beschriebene Bodhidharma für den Rest seines Lebens einfach auf eine Wand geglotzt oder sich, wie seine weniger schreibfreudigen Altersgenossen vor die Kiste gesetzt und bis zur Gehirnerweichung, die während der Niederschrift des Avignon-Zyklus schon sehr weit fortgeschritten sein musste, Ferngesehen.
March 16, 2022
Not. Worth. Five. Books.
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