tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post5709533783217486894..comments2024-01-24T11:41:28.022+00:00Comments on A Cuban In London: Of Literature and Other Abstract ThoughtsA Cuban In Londonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16423293358605007539noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post-42660767327542451902010-06-25T19:15:53.659+01:002010-06-25T19:15:53.659+01:00God of Small Things is one of my favorite books ā ...God of Small Things is one of my favorite books ā you make me remember why. The author now writes well-received academic non-fiction. I would love to read another novel, but perhaps Roy had to stop after reaching perfection and move onto something else. Nin writes beautifully about the less than beautiful; Iām a fan of her work. It was interesting reading your thoughts on writers. I write because I need to write. I'm in love with words.Sarah Laurencehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00423008641739156182noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post-19136455544606585752010-06-25T04:07:19.534+01:002010-06-25T04:07:19.534+01:00I, like Judith, got completely blown away by that ...I, like Judith, got completely blown away by that image:<br /><br />The moonlit river fell from his swimming arms like sleeves of silver<br /><br />No me he leido a ninguno de los dos, pero Anais esta en mi lista. Tienes una sensibilidad para las letras que no es comun, tus analisis son siempre "so keen".<br /><br />Escribir es ciertamente un arte, bien dificil. esa misma imagen... como pueden las palabras hacerte visualizar una escena de esa forma???? increible!Lisetghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00365755940195358505noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post-27667753420765908122010-06-24T16:14:09.717+01:002010-06-24T16:14:09.717+01:00Thank you very much indeed for your kind comments....Thank you very much indeed for your kind comments.<br /><br />Greetings from London.A Cuban In Londonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16423293358605007539noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post-33540795515665900312010-06-24T04:44:39.218+01:002010-06-24T04:44:39.218+01:00~ this is an engrossing post.
one thing the two pa...~ this is an engrossing post.<br />one thing the two passages have<br />in common is a particular cleaness<br />that is loyal to the feelings<br />of each author.<br /><br />your questions are valid. <br />extraordinary way to view writing,<br />writers sacrificing words for<br />the sake of the material.Toihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14412032466394344556noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post-8942263493466184232010-06-23T23:13:50.724+01:002010-06-23T23:13:50.724+01:00I like that first image in your piece - and The Go...I like that first image in your piece - and The God of Small things is a beautifully written novel...nice post about the beauty of language..Greetings from Mexico..Catherinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06255193476024745869noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post-16991640733119353392010-06-23T16:31:19.418+01:002010-06-23T16:31:19.418+01:00What a marvelous analysis, Cuban! And I loved the ...What a marvelous analysis, Cuban! And I loved the excerpts you picked to put your point across (loved the imagery in Roy's, especially). <br /><br />I recently re-read Dickens's 'Great Expectations'. When I read it the first time around (in my late teens), all I got out of that book was darkness and sadness (I think Miss Havisham affected me greatly back then), but when I read it more recently, the humor hidden in the writing came barreling through for me. Funny what age and experience can do to your perception and outlook, isn't it?<br /><br />I very much look forward to the four drafts you mentioned to have saved up on this subject!Hema Penmetsahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08448481721288158816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post-75202224354876110162010-06-23T16:29:06.000+01:002010-06-23T16:29:06.000+01:00Fabulous post, Cuban.
Writing is all about words f...Fabulous post, Cuban.<br />Writing is all about words for me - it is the words that beget words, and eat others that do not suit them. Thus an experience written about changes its nature in the very writing, for the words can take it elsewhere.<br />Loved the choice of excerpts.Titushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16380213493011623153noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post-55008930619161817922010-06-23T14:25:14.549+01:002010-06-23T14:25:14.549+01:00Many thanks for your comments.
The art of writing...Many thanks for your comments.<br /><br />The art of writing (yes, I do call it an art) has always confounded me. In a nice way, though. We all write, but would we read and - dare I say - like what the other person wrote? If it's a case of imagination, we all have it. If it's case of basing a work of fiction on real-life experiences, we have all lived. What is it that makes literature so democratic (there are several popular authors, who, no matter what they write, will always be read) and anarchic (there are many writers who not only are considered 'niche', but they like their nooks so much, that they do almost nothing to move out of them).<br /><br />These columns have helped me understand - and realise! - how much I think of literature and the art of reading. I intended to write just a couple, but at the moment I have about four more in the pipeline, saved as drafts on blogger. The more I think about the art of writing, the more I fall in love with it. At present, I'm re-reading 'Emma' and I'm finding it delightfully ironic. The humour eluded me the first time around (but then, we really studied 'Sense and Sensibility' and 'Pride and Prejudice' and that was superficially) so I am re-reading it slowly, gulping down all those 'papa'.<br /><br />Many thanks to you all for your comments.<br /><br />Greetings from London.A Cuban In Londonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16423293358605007539noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post-89475971055776779512010-06-23T14:04:05.838+01:002010-06-23T14:04:05.838+01:00"The moonlit river fell from his swimming arm..."The moonlit river fell from his swimming arms like sleeves of silver."<br /><br />I'm still savoring that image. And thanks for being an inspiration for me on a day when I was frustrated with my current work in progress. There is worth in writing fiction and doing it well. Thank you for reminding me of that.Judith Mercadohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13739476600999112092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post-35763889340991889592010-06-23T13:31:56.266+01:002010-06-23T13:31:56.266+01:00I am a fan of both Roy and Nin, so your excerpts w...I am a fan of both Roy and Nin, so your excerpts were heaven to read. It was nice to see those pieces as stand-alone excerpts. We are so often guilty of passing over beautiful passages as we read a full work. But speaking of writing, I think it's important for a writer to first know how they want to write, before choosing words. There are too many published writers who have put together great words that still seem meaningless and voiceless. There are also the writers that we immediately recognize. They are the ones who know not only how to choose the right words, but to transform their expression of these words into a psychological experience for the reader. <br /><br />A very well-written post, Cuban, with a most intriguing subject!<br /><br />NevineNevine Sultanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08794887684860140819noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post-25048290376148944432010-06-23T12:06:25.702+01:002010-06-23T12:06:25.702+01:00You raise many interesting thoughts about writing ...You raise many interesting thoughts about writing and how a writer chooses the words he uses. It's a fascinating question really, do the words we choose confine or free? I think it depends on the intention but even then many writers don't consciously know what they're intention is at the time of writing.<br /><br />I love The God of Small Things. Roy paints with her words and it's magical.<br /><br />JaiJai Joshihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04858987106548357551noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post-64435122416160544752010-06-23T09:17:49.544+01:002010-06-23T09:17:49.544+01:00Wonderful post, insightful. I just recently bough...Wonderful post, insightful. I just recently bought The God of Small Things - looking forward to reading it.<br /><br />Greetings from Johannesburg.<br /><br />Mama ShujaaHana Njau-Okolohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15978662559579409259noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post-84063190320000762622010-06-23T05:01:59.901+01:002010-06-23T05:01:59.901+01:00Best analysis and description of the writer's ...Best analysis and description of the writer's craft I've read in a long, long time.Rosaria Williamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03133147851332084180noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post-50963760870831900622010-06-23T01:59:27.371+01:002010-06-23T01:59:27.371+01:00Great examples, punctuated by your perfect aim.
Y...Great examples, punctuated by your perfect aim.<br /><br />You spill the words and produce magic every time Cuban. Pure delight!Bonnie Zieman, M.Ed.https://www.blogger.com/profile/00282469017360136275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post-47544614673681263782010-06-23T00:28:59.041+01:002010-06-23T00:28:59.041+01:00Gorgeous excerpts!
Thanks for your paradox-post.
...Gorgeous excerpts!<br /><br />Thanks for your paradox-post.<br /><br />Yeats said, 'Writing is like breaking stones.' (Quote not exact.) <br /><br />Sometimes a fragment is lost.<br /><br />Yours for panning for gold, refining, distilling, cracking the stone, etc. etc.<br />MimMimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13039776441665375475noreply@blogger.com