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A classic example of post-war existential (or something) navel-gazing. Blanchot plays with heavy mid-20th-century literary developments by, for example, referring to a character as N. but then also calling her Nathalie. It does carry an emotional punch, which I liked a lot, but I caught a strong whiff of "look what I can do."
Apparently John Updike wrote that 'Blanchot's prose gives an impression, like Henry James, of carrying meanings so fragile they might crumble in transit.' I don't agree that ...more
Apparently John Updike wrote that 'Blanchot's prose gives an impression, like Henry James, of carrying meanings so fragile they might crumble in transit.' I don't agree that ...more
This book barely made sense. I think that was intentional, actually, and it certainly came across as a very artsy novella, with lots of 'deep' introspection, and occasionally an idea that was pretty good. Most of this novella though is so vague that it drags like a dead weight. Considering the death theme in this story, that may be appropriate too, but it doesn't make for a very enjoyable read.
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Jan 25, 2016
Kyle Mahoney
marked it as to-read
Jul 19, 2016
Anna Fennell
marked it as to-read
Apr 20, 2017
Karen
marked it as to-read
Apr 21, 2017
Bryan--The Bee’s Knees
marked it as boxall-list-only
Jan 13, 2018
Sorobai
marked it as to-read
Jun 02, 2019
Yvonne
marked it as to-read
Jan 07, 2021
Kayla Tocco
marked it as to-read
Feb 07, 2021
Christoffer Jacobsen
marked it as to-read
Dec 05, 2023
Emrys
marked it as to-read
