The Only Pic From The Ta Mere Pique Nique!

Obviously, we're in the middle of a huge and stimulating debate on Death On Credit...
(Justin)

Dotty's back!

So... we now know which book we're supposed to be reading...
We're also wondering about the date for our next meeting, is anytime after the 3rd of October OK for everyone?
Shall we go for Tuesday the 4th?

Something you may find interesting, in 1994, Alan Rudolph (famous for movies like The Secret Life of Dentists (2002) and Made in Heaven (1987) with Kelly McGillis -- quality obviously) directed a film based on Dorothy Parker's life called: Mrs Parker and the Vicious Circle. It features pretty much all the indie kids of the early 1990s, from Jennifer Jason Leigh to James LeGros via Nick Cassavetes and Lili Taylor. Sounded interesting at the time... but is it still worth an evening in front of the telly?
(Gaelle)

Credit to (Death on) Credit

Bit of news from Chez Jacques: Death on Credit is going down well. Hannah is reading it pretty avidly whilst feeding the boy.

Stop press!
She now says that she liked it immediately but isn't so sure now. Could the "l'effect de la Celine" be making itself known once again? More soon...
(Alex)

Dorothy Parker

This week's (month's?) selection is a collection of short stories by Dorothy Parker, the 1920s American Socialite, someone that people on Wikipedia describe as "an American writer and poet best known for her caustic wit, wisecracks, and sharp eye for 20th century urban foibles".
Isobel, who submitted this book still hasn't told us exactly which title we are supposed to be reading. I'm guessing this one but she still needs to confirm it.
Anyway, it promises to be an interesting read, no less than Patricia Highsmith's This Sweet Sickness or Beryl Bainbridge's Young Adolf, two other titles than made it to the final.
Our theme this time was Female Writers.
(Gaelle)

Celine, oh Celine!

Our latest baby was Death on Credit by Louis-Ferdinand Céline. Loathed by some, it still managed to titillate others. The oddest thing about it should be his size though, why is the English translation three times the size of the original (French) one?









Cover illustration by Tardi -- what else can you ask for?

Well... you can ask for this, a review of the time by a guy I know nothing about:
"Ce livre furieux, qui gronde, cataracte, frappe comme un bélier, on n'a jamais fini d'en faire le tour, de le mesurer. C'est une œuvre satanique, s'il est vrai que l'enfer n'est que la privation de l'espoir. C'est un grand 'Non!' vociféré à toutes les questions que pose la vie.
Céline, vous pourrez bien désormais dire et faire tout ce que vous voudrez. Vous avez donné une voix au désespoir humain."
Which roughly translates: "This furious book that growls, cracks and hits like a ram, one never manages to figure it all out. It's a satanical piece, if it is true that hell only means the deprivation of hope. It's a loud 'No!' shouted in the face of all questions raised by life. Céline, you can from now on say and do whatever you want. You gave a voice to human despair."
Pierre Scize, Ceux qui n'aiment pas Céline, Le merle blanc, 19 septembre 1936.
(Gaelle)

Slaughterhouse 5

Another book submitted by Justin... Slaughterhouse 5 was a delight to discuss, not to everyone's liking...

One has to agree that Kurt Vonnegut comes across as a likeable man though, impression confirmed by his website. Who's gonna buy a t-shirt?

The Master and Margarita

Mikhail Bulgakov's book is considered one of the best and most highly regarded novels to come out of Russia during the Soviet era. Some liked it very much, others didn't.
The book was submitted by Rocio.

The Atrocity Exhibition

Our second book, submitted by Antonio was much more challenging...

Something I felt needed to be added here (for no particular reason) was a link to JG Ballard's review of CSI.
See what you think...

The Rotters' Club

This was our first selection. Then we took the time to write a proper review...
"In general, Books Ta Mère thought the book promised much… but delivered little. It lacked depth and ideas, and was full of half-finished narratives and underdeveloped characters – a number of Benjamin’s friends, such as “best friend” Phillip, drifted in and out of the narrative to such an extent that it was hard to remember anything about them when they cropped up again.
Some enjoyed Coe’s use of letters, billboard notices etc to advance the narrative. Others found these devices distracting and amateurish. The devices were, however, used to unravel some of the more interesting elements of the story – such as the episode featuring two Scandinavian boys shaped by a family holocaust tragedy -– but others argued they simply exposed the emotional voids in the rest of the book.
And did Coe bite off too much by trying to deal with what seemed like all of the major issues of ’70s Britain?
Some members of the group did enjoy the nostalgic look at an era they lived through. And it should not be forgotten that the book was eminently readable. It just would have been nice if Coe had tied all the narrative’s loose ends together. Could he have had a sequel in mind… oh look there it is now on the bookshelves!" -- Adam