Fiction

[Gintaras]

By the way, the Rivera-Kahlo house was designed by Juan O'Gorman, a fascinating figure in his own right.  

I've been looking around the net for photos of buildings he designed, but I find more murals and art.

Here is a photo I found from Life Magazine of O'Gorman looking out of the bedroom window of the home he designed and built for himself in Mexico City.  Interesting that it seems to convey the idea of architecture as mural.

O'Gorman started out as a Le Corbusier devotee, hence the early Modernist houses, but then seemed to fall under the inflence of Diego Rivera, embracing Pre-Columbian motifs.

[Lhoffman]

I'd read about the Le Corbusier connection.   

I recently bought two beautiful books on architecture. 

This one is absolutely gorgeous!
http://www.amazon.com/American-Art-Deco-Modernistic-Architecture/dp/0393019705/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1268252285&sr=1-3

And this...sort of as a starting point, as I'm not that familiar with architecture as related to who built what, the whole art/science aspect.   

http://www.amazon.com/1001-Buildings-Must-Before-Architectural/dp/0789315645/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1268252363&sr=1-1

Perhaps you could suggest some basic books on the subject?

[Gintaras]

Hoffman, a very nice book is Modernism by Richard Weston.  He approaches his subject thematically and takes in both art and architecture.  As fascinating to read as it is to look at.  Peter Blake's No Place Like Utopia is a fun read as he recounts his memories working for MoMA, under Johnson, and later with Architectural Forum and the short-lived Architecture Plus, which may very well have been the best architectural journal ever.

[Gintaras]

Has anyone read anything by Herta Müller or J.M.G. Le Clézio?

[madupont]

Neither, although I was aware of Herta Müller winning the Nobel and thought at the time -- I guess this will be upsetting again,with a previous winner a woman(an East German) whose writing has been adapted to film which sets people on edge. But that was back in the years when this still earned the virulent euphemism,"Feminist",and I noticed that the German-speakers of Western European forum nytimes.com that were male didn't approve of her "personality".

Muller's subject is quite another matter, unknown to me at the time of the award. I should say, that there were many "Herta Mullers" with mixed parentage who came into being during the Third Reich.  What interests me most is the resemblence and connection to one, being a friend of mine by those coincidences of life, who was born out of the Yugoslavian past in a refugee camp in Austria; and, with a similar common German name, became interested in, "Mexico and Central America in the period 1970 to 1974 were of decisive significance for his(i.e., Le Clezio's)work, and he left the big cites in search of a new spiritual reality in the contact with the Indians."

Just as a footnote to that latter quota, because "she" did it, at least three males in the same social circles quickly set off to immerse themselves similarly.  It is kind of hard for these guys to be a former Hippie and find that one of the Earth Mothers in your crowd is not at all intimidated by the urge to take off in the blink of an eye for some formidable territory. However, I should think that being born in a refugee camp and then finding yourself relocated to a strange American city fosters that inclination.

I should be able to get Muller's work that was published by Northwestern more readily than some of the other publishers.  While,
J.M.G. Le Clézio is obviously, by just perusing the publishers, more available.

[Gintaras]

I've been disappointed with Northwestern translations, but apparently they take an earlier translation by Michael Hoffman, who appears to have a pretty good handle on German.  What interests me most about Muller is her time in Romania, and her major book, The Land of Green Plums is about that time.

[madupont]

Thanks, for specifying....

On the other hand, you may be interested in this as film club,or in film forum in general, after it eventually makes the rounds in various locales although not exactly mentioned at the Academy Awards, it is very appreciated internationally for cinematography as much as content/ideology.

http://www.fusedfilm.com/2010/01/unhinged-movie-review-das-weise-band-the-white-ribbon/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Haneke

[madupont]

Then we have this other contender  in literature whom often has his name confused with Michael Haneke.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Handke

Whom Elfried Jelinek thought should have been given the Nobel that went to her. So, there are times when she would not be mistaken for a "Feminist" but thought of as, "feminine". I think that is usually the crux of popular adjectives in any period.

[madupont]

And furthermore the problem that a favorite poet has his name comfused with Haneke because they are both name Michael.

http://lidiavianu.scriptmania.com/Michael%20Hamburger.htm

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/michael-hamburger-452643.htm

[redweather]

Handke is probably a little too hot to handle for the Nobel Prize committee:

http://www.signandsight.com/features/809.html/

But I give Jelinek credit for suggesting that someone was more deserving than she.  Would that some of the other recent winners were as candid.

[madupont]

" Perhaps a way out would be for the jury – which includes Gabriele von Arnim, Sigrid Löffler, Julius H. Schoeps and Christoph Stölzl among others – to expressly state that the Heine Prize has been awarded to Handke the author, and not Handke the holder of absurd political positions."

The reason that I fondly quote the above re: this old argument is that unless you have had the privilege of enjoying the censorial powers of the common-council/city council of Germanic tradition, you have not had to write against their censorial proclivities and rights for many decades of your life before getting up and leaving the place for good.

These are  people who are used to a mayor having a thirty year term and desiring it be voted that in his case it be adjusted to a life time tenure of decisions good for the hoi polloi.

Then when police-chief Shultz hears about it, he too wants a life time appointment to his income following his approval rating for approving Nazi demonstrations in the park, stirring up the jobless youth to shave their heads.

When the longest sitting judge of the Civic Court begins double dipping as a result, taking his salary and his retirement pension like a two scoop ice-cream cone, you will understand  privilege in a working class city.

Those who have become middle class will vote Republican because burgherlichkeit almost always states,"Ignore them," as the Nazis apply for permits to march on the main Prospect, which the chief of Police of course has granted them, and they do so in jack boots, and full uniform exactly like the police themselve prefer, additional arm-bands, parade flags with swastika are permissible as entertainment for those who use them. The good burghers then finish their sentence by saying, "and they will go away."

"Where?", I ask. They like it here, so heimlich.

Peter is just one of many unaware of his father's generation and that there was a past.   It is best not to forget that there was a whole generation that hadn't a clue and could never figure out what was going on and why things were said.

They live in foreign countries.

[nytempsperdu]

Donotremove: I think you'll like Kingsolver's treatment of the Bonus Marchers in The Lacuna.  Lest anyone think it's all Mexico/Rivera/Kahlo/Trotsky, 'tain't so. 

[madupont]

I seem to recall a guy at nytimes.com, more likely in Western European forum  than elsewhere, who every so often posted us about  Smedley Butler.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smedley_Butler

Although it was my father who told me about the Bonus  Marchers because  he had a brother who died during WW1 in Europe and he had himself run away to join the Navy submarine corp following that war. It is normal that he would mention it because Douglas MacArthur was sent in to control the marching veterans who were still unpaid for their service during a time that was economically like now. In retrospect, it makes it a lot clearer why Kenneth Rexroth, who was the same age, joined the Conservation Corp, with the results that within the Depression he was labeled kind of the same way we find in Obama admin. forum where one poster regularly calls everybody else a "Socialist".

Other remarks in that link are rather interesting, I noted the veterans who died in the Florida Hurricane, and those who had been encouraged to work for the WPA.  Then there was the opposition(may have been mentioned under Smedley Butler link)of corporate guys who were to get together for the overthrow of FDR.  Sound like now?  Yep, Reactionaries are reactionaries.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonus_Army

[Lhoffman]

July 28....Bonus Army.   Even more interesting, Douglas MacArthur commanded the whole shebang, but there was also Eisenhower as his aide and police liaison.   And you had Patton in charge of the Cavalry.

Quite the day for heroes, eh.

[thanatopsy]

Greetings, All!

Haven't passed by these parts in a while. Hope all is well ...

I've been "reading" via audio book Rex Stout's Fer-de-Lance of the Nero Wolfe series. Big Fat Wolfe is my kinda guy: rotund, extremely cranky, a bit self absorbed, likes to have things done his way,  very calculating, and a bit bossy = all just like me at times.  I just wish  I could have his kind of wealth.  

Too bad they don't have a current TV series on these books, esp on PBS.  That would be fun.


{Later ...}  I just came across a link which indicated a series was presented on the A & E network ten years ago.  I shall have to give it a looksee ...