john irving

Is this, by any chance, the beginning of Crime and Punishment, Andrea? I have read it but all I can remember is the student-murderer was called (I think) Raskalnikov or something similar. Kokushkin Bridge sounds like it ought to be in Russia but Carpenter Lane doesn't. If it ain't C & P, let me know what it is, will ya? Many thanks.

Well done, John! Top of the class! Raskolnikov it is. Perhaps Carpenter Lane was a direct translation from the Russian (Kokushkin Bridge being impossible to translate, for obvious reasons) by that most wonderful and, deservedly famous-in-his-own-right, translator David Magarshak?

Cheers, Andrea. How come you even know the names of translators? You are as bad as Liana and her blooming lyric-encyclopaedia. Can you point me in the direction of a decent translation of 'In Search of Lost Time' formerly known as 'In Rememberance of Things Past.' See, they couldn't even agree on the title.

I used to ba a translator, plus I love the French and Russian classics, not to mention Livy, Suetonius, Tacitus et al and my Russian/French/Latin leaves much to be desired... 'In Search of lost Time'? 'Rememberance of Things Past'? Oh, gawd, by whom? *Shows complete and utter ignorance*

proust lovie ... proust ... have a copy here somewhere ... have read some pages ... can't find it at the min so don't know who did it ...

A copy of which one of the seven volumes, iFB. Surely your not the one who has read all seven. If so - respect. If not, join the very big club. Who counts as classic of the Russians, Andrea? I loved those Sholokov things about the Don. all those bloody cossacks everywhere. Is Sholokov too 'new' to be a classic? And what about Bulgakov and that 'Master and Margarhita' thing - if that's how you spell it. And then there's Solzenhitsyn or are we only taking Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky and Pasternak. 'Scuse the spelling - it's all these bloody Russinas you know. Here's one you may not have heard of - 'WE' by Yevgeny Zamatin. It's like a mix of Brave New World and 1984 - except it was written way before either of them. Zamatin managed to get himself exiled by both the Tsarists and the Communists so he must have been doing something right. Have we had this conversation before or was that somebody else? Livy, Seutonius and Tacitus - presumably Roman guys, everyone. Tacitus was the quiet one, wasn't he. Must brush up the old Latin. Knew that grade 3 'O' level would come in handy eventually.

If it wasn't so late, Fish, I'd gab away all night about JI - love 'im, though I have to confess I haven't read him for ages. Wasn't the bears and wrestling "Hotel New Hampshire?" Oh, bloody hell, have to invest in some of the Ginko Biloba stuff...

oooooooh andrea ... yes in HNH there were bears and wrestling but also in lots of others of his ... and there is an early one called "setting free the bears" ... he has a lot of motorbikes too ...

I am reliably informed that the way to miss fishbones heart is to take her to a bout of wrestling on the firm pillion of a 2000cc motorbike. Harley Davidsons guarantee an invite back for coffee and reading.

I have started to read Irving (a long time ago) and never quite managed to like him. What do you recommend to start me again IFB?

i recently saw the film version of The Cider House Rules ... *pointedly ignoring stormy's inflammatory comments ... whilst actually quite liking them*

....only read the work according to garp which I greatly enjoyed...never got around to reading anymore....'er indoors, she really likes him....maybe I'll nick one of hers.......

Love John Irving except A Prayer for Owen Meany. My own particular favourite is Setting Free the Bears although liking The World according to Garp is kind of compulsory.

just thinking of setting free the bears makes me ache ... i can remember exactly where i was when i read it and how it made me feel ... i am off on hols and will now take it with me for a re read ... mmmmmm .. thank you john ....

Now look, Ivory, you saying thinking about Setting Free The Bears has made you ache has made me ache. What's worse is, I lent my copy out and never got it back so now I'm goona have to re-buy it. didn't you love the bloke who set the bears free. Shamefully, I've totally forgotten his name. Hope you have/had a good holiday.

oh bugger ... i went and forgot it ... was too busy cramming teenagers in van and saying "are you SURE you don't need a wee????" i will rush to one of the many second hand bookshops i can see here in brighton and see if i can buy it and then if i do i will send it to you as i already have a copy ... have read my son's copy of nick hornby's How To Be Good ... what a disappointment that was ... might want to discuss this at length later ... was the guy who set the bears free called Siggi?

For God's sake Ivory, don't re-open the whole Nick Hornby 'can-of'worms' thing again. For many and various references to 'how good is Nick', please refer to the 'Nick Hornby v. Tony Parsons' thread. It ended up with me (foolishly) promising Ralph that'd I'd read this 'How to be Good' book. Being a man of my word (sorry, can't find the 'smiley' symbol for 'sticking your tongue in your cheek') I guess I'm gonna have to do it. Still it might be useful if I can just use it as a kind of self-help manual. 'Being Good' is certainly something I could do with 'Being better' at. Yep, Ivory he was called Siggi. Cheers. But now can you tell me - what the hell were his salt-shaker and his motorbike called? I'm absolutley hopeless with names.

I am a big big fan of Irving. His great facility is to tell a story that is often mushy, that deals with big issues, that mixes the major issues of the day with the personal, that makes me laugh and cry, that is truly involving. There is one bad one amongst his works - 'Son of the Circus' just didn't work for me - but everything else is wonderful. A Prayer for Owen Meany, The Cider House Rules, A Widow for Just One Year and, of course, The World According to Garp are all modern day classics and should be treasured by all of us. By the way did anyone else notice that Irving played a walk-on part in the film of The Cider House Rules - as the porter at the local station? He writes so simply and yet gets into the heart of his characters, he makes the ridiculous believable (as it should be) and he has such humanity. He's one of the few authors I buy instantly as soon as I see a new book by him. May he be for ever blessed! Pip pip, Tony C.

i cannot find the nick hornby v. tony parsons thread ... where is it? i have Things to Say ...

Ivory, its under 'Discuss writing from ABCtales.com' actually called 'Tony Parsons vs. Nick Hornby' started on 8th August by Ralph Dartford. Sorry if I misled you by getting Tony and Nick the wrong way round. Say your 'things' Ivory. I've vowed to stay out of this particular can of worms but I await your copmments with interest.

yes ... i found the thread ... and when i got there i found i simply hadn't the heart to say anything ... still i have had a good night's sleep and my loins are girded and i will have a go in a minute ... but right now i am sitting here with my copy of Setting Free The Bears in my hand ... bought in 1979 for £1.25 ... it has my name written in the front in black fountain pen ... (my signature has changed little in the last 20 yrs) ... Siggy has a large collection of salt shakers ... at least it seems so from the start of the book ... he carries radishes in a paper bag and on the bag he writes things and then tears them off and puts them in his pocket ... (one is: "the fanatical maintenance of good habits is necessary" ...) the motorbike is a Royal Enfield 700cc ...

"I could find him every noon, sitting on the bench in the Rathaus Park with a small, fat bag of hothouse radishes in his lap and a bottle of beer in one hand. He always brought his own saltshaker; he must have had a great number of them, because i can't recall a particular one from the lot." (how's that john??)

That's brilliant Ivory. Many thanks. Am just dashing up to Whitby to reclaim my copy from the young 'lady' who never returned it. I only lent it her in the first place on account of the particularly low-cut dress she was wearing last time I saw her. Shallow? What me - never.

Escuse me, Ivory but did you do the start of 'Bears' from memory or did you have the book open?

memory of course!

Yeah, right, Fish! How's this then? 'On a very hot evening at the beginning of July, a young man left his little room at the top of a house in Carpenter Lane, went out into the street and, as though unable to make up his mind, walked slowly in the direction of Kokushkin Bridge.' All from memory, too. Ain't I clever? (no, offence, Fish!)