Tagged: historical

Gilbert and Sullivan

Gilbert and Sullivan: Lost Chords and Discords by Caryl Brahms, 3/5

Even if the introduction did not acknowledge that the lives and careers of famous musical duo Gilbert and Sullivan was already a well-covered subject, the fact would be pretty obvious from the author’s incessant quotations and references to previously existing research. This college-research-paper approach is never the most appealing, and I was additionally put-off by the author’s many personal opinions throughout, grating self-references to “the present writer,” and comments that were difficult to understand (whether due to the passage of almost 50 years since the time of writing, or incorrect assumptions about the readers’ preexisting knowledge, is unclear).

Shortcomings aside, the book is generously illustrated and it was fascinating to read about the tumultuous, on-again-off-again relationship between an irascible lyricist and sickly composer, whose serious, classical works, though critically-acclaimed at the time, were soon eclipsed by the comic operas he considered beneath him.

Why I read it: a library reject that I bought from a book sale many years ago.

Anthology of Japanese Literature

Anthology of Japanese Literature from the Earliest Era to the Mid-Nineteenth Century, compiled and edited by Donald Keene, 5/5

This collection is pleasingly varied and conveniently oriented towards a lay audience; the annotations are minimal and linguistic subtleties are simply acknowledged without being dissected. Most of the short poems are presented in side-by-side rōmaji (romanized Japanese) and English, allowing the reader to absorb a little more of the syllabic patterns, alliteration, and overall flavor of the original writings. Though the imagery, values, and cultural references felt refreshingly unfamiliar, there was an undeniable undercurrent of universal human appeal in the timeless themes of love, loss, death, and spiritual life.

Why I read it: an interesting-looking thrift store find.

The Man Who Never Was

man who never was2The Man Who Never Was by Ewen Montagu, 4/5

This is the definitive and first-hand account of a real-life wartime deception that bears more similarity to a fictional spy/thriller story than to reality.  During WWII, the author was in charge of a scheme to float a corpse bearing falsified military papers off the coast of Spain, in an attempt to trick the Germans into diverting resources from the impending Allied invasion of Sicily.  The narrative is simply-told and well-illustrated with numerous photos.

[Why I read it: the retro design on the spine caught my eye at the thrift store and I was somewhat familiar with the historical event the book describes so I bought it for my brother’s library.]