Ersatz TLS discussion

AB76 wrote: "Having studied History at university, where the 1848 revolution(s) was the central focus of my studies, its great to see new histories about that era , great work on WW1 and of course the avalanche..."

Have you seen that Christopher Clark has written - Revolutionary Spring?

MK wrote: "giveusaclue wrote: "It is a good job we aren't having these discussion on TLS as was, we would all have been banned for repeatedly going off topic.🤣"

You are an inspiration! I've just gone to WWR ..."

Well, it's still there. It's a push to include maps in books.

MK wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Any suggestions for novels written by foreigners living or working in the USSR?

As i'm currently reading Frayns The Russian Interpreter, i was wondering if anyone can think of others ..."

its on my radar, looks like the kind of depth i love

MK wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Having studied History at university, where the 1848 revolution(s) was the central focus of my studies, its great to see new histories about that era , great work on WW1 and of course ..."

yes, saw a review in the weekend FT. I rarely if ever buy in hardback, so usually its 18 months b4 i read the paperback of new history works, sometimes by then i have a better picture of the worth of the book.

Hardback is so expensive, its a shame really....

Very quiet round here!
I'm still channelling AB by having 3 books on the go at once, all of which I think I've already mentioned.

My 2 non-fiction books are greatly helped by having maps as I've said in MK's thread over on WWR. Whether Colin Thubron's trek round Cyprus or the Crusades, I'd have a hard time following without a map.

I'm enjoying this Journey into Cyprus, not long before the island was divided. I certainly wouldn't emulate all that he does, for example crawling through the sewers of a Byzantine castle.

I was able to rest with my face turned upward to a thread of sky ... I was staring through a deep crack in the pavement ... The next moment a crêpe sole landed high above my face and I saw the billowing skirt of an elderly British tourist. She was staring down.
'Look there, Leslie ... The standard of hygiene — isn't that astonishing?'
An obedient voice murmured its astonishment.
She peered down harder then suddenly, with a stifled exclamation, stiffened and frowned. From the gloom of the Byzantine sewer an eye was staring back at her.

Another expedition I wouldn't have joined him on was into a copper mine. The Romans developed the mining industry (although they were not the first to exploit the copper), and their workings can be seen by the modern miners,

One of the mine supervisors turned out to be a red-haired Cockney. 'The Romans took a mass of the highest grade ore,' he grumbled. 'Their galleries run everywhere, as deep as we go. Four, five, six hundred feet down, and there they are: shafts, ladderways, drainage conduits, everything. And how did they work without ventilation?'

Only one mine still sent men underground, run by Greek Cypriots rather than an American corporation, and this was the one Thubron visited, even though the Safety Officer told him 'We have almost the worst safety record in the country.'

. Amin Maalouf's Les Croisades vues par les Arabes is also good — and I would be completely lost without a map to follow the different movements of the crusaders and of those trying to repel them. It's interesting to see the crusades from the other side.

In fiction, I'm continuing with Janet Neel's Wilson and McLeish crime series.

Gpfr wrote: "Very quiet round here!
I'm still channelling AB by having 3 books on the go at once, all of which I think I've already mentioned.

My 2 non-fiction books are greatly helped by having maps as I've s..."

am i the only one here who does that? have 3-4 books on the go, i guess cos i dont read all 4 every day, it works, i keep them seperate and of course, right now the 4 are (two non fiction, one short stories, and one classic fiction, so they dont overlap too much)

i think if i read 4 on the same day everyday, it would get more confusing

AB76 wrote: "Gpfr wrote: "I'm still channelling AB by having 3 books on the go at once

"am i the only one here who does that? have 3-4 books on the go..."

I often have 2 at once: 1 fiction + 1 non-fiction, or 1 challenging + 1 lighter, or 1 in French + 1 in English (different genres, though, I wouldn't read eg a crime novel in French and one in English at the same time).

It's rare for me to have 3 going, but the Cromwell book and the Crusades one are quite dense and I've just been reading a little each day.

Gpfr wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Gpfr wrote: "I'm still channelling AB by having 3 books on the go at once

"am i the only one here who does that? have 3-4 books on the go..."

I often have 2 at once: 1 fiction + 1 no..."

good to hear its working well GP, not many of us can do the one book in english and one book in french at same time!

Normally I’m very approving of the Very Short Introductions from OUP, but the one on Calvinism by Jon Balserak is awful. He delights in controversies. It might be of value to a theology student who wants to be up on the latest disputes. A description of the spiritual force that might attract someone to such an austere faith is beyond him. This curious unbeliever turned instead to the magnificent chapter on The New Religion in Cromwell by Hilaire Belloc, a Catholic.

I usually have several books on the go – a variety of non-fiction which I pick up according to whim and can take months to get through, and a couple of novels, one in English, one in French – can’t cope with two in the same language! The only difference is when I’m getting towards the end of a story. Then I’m eager to find out what happens and leave everything else on one side.

AB76 wrote: "Gpfr wrote: "Very quiet round here!
I'm still channelling AB by having 3 books on the go at once, all of which I think I've already mentioned.

My 2 non-fiction books are greatly helped by having m..."

I am strictly monogamous in my reading. I have such a hard time theses days maintaining concentration that I don't think I could manage more than one book at a time

Although I usually only read one book at a time, I quite often have two on the go...

The worst situation is if I am finding a book rather dull, and dip into another as an alternative - then, I can quite easily ditch the dull book altogether and never finish it.

The best is if I am reading a difficult but entertaining book and just need a bit of a break - then I can keep both going. Sometimes, the 'hard' book might be in French, with the difficulty arising from my comparative lack of fluency.

Paul wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Gpfr wrote: "Very quiet round here!
I'm still channelling AB by having 3 books on the go at once, all of which I think I've already mentioned.

My 2 non-fiction books are greatly helpe..."

thats sad to hear as we are roughly the same age but i would imagine concentrating is hard with little ones!

Russell wrote: "I usually have several books on the go – a variety of non-fiction which I pick up according to whim and can take months to get through, and a couple of novels, one in English, one in French – can’t..."

so thats three bilingual ersatzers! my french is not bad, likewise my german in a conversational, can get by ok kind of way but in no way good enough anymore for reading novels!

Russell wrote: "I usually have several books on the go – a variety of non-fiction which I pick up according to whim and can take months to get through, and a couple of novels, one in English, one in French – can’t..."

i have the end of the story rush too russell and scarlet, i also have a problem with duller books where they tend to be touched less over a 7 day period and then may end up ditched. though in 2023, not many duds at all

i have been trying to pace the way i finish novels too, sometimes you can be nicely stewing in a novels juices and then the last 60 pages are read quickly, which can distort their impact

I really enjoyed North of South by Shiva Naipaul(1978), it was a witty, wry and sometimes hilarious journey through the African states of Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia.

Throughout the trip, Naipaul falls foul of terrible hotel accommodation, the failure of basic laws of common sense and lectures from african writers and educators on how their nations are all moving foward under benevolent leaders.

All three nations were relatively peaceful by african standards in the decade since independence when Naipaul visits but he notes tensions beneath the surface for the colonial legacy of the Asian population in these countries. Occasional hostility is shown to Naipaul and constant hints are made about "the problem with asians", that are disappointing to read.

The white people he meets are a mixture but the apathy towards the fate of black South Africans suprised me, this was probably the last few years where South Africa and Rhodesia had a pull on whites seeking a last ray of colonial sun

In conclusion, Naipaul is cynical about the empty philosophy of Kenyatta, Nyere and Kuanda, fustrated by the appalling transport links and hotels but also wryly admiring of the people making ends meet and keeping their heads above water in poverty stricken Africa.

I usually have a few anthologies or longer books on the go that I don't pressure myself to read all at once. Right now it's Thomas Moore's Life, Letters, and Journals of Byron which I started I think back in November 2022 and will probably finish this month or the next. It's taking me longer than expected because I've found myself wanting to read or re-read more of Byron's own work than I'd planned to do when I began - not just the shorter poems but longer works such as Childe Harold, Don Juan, some of the dramas, etc - as they come up in Moore's book (which really should have a new Penguin or Oxford paperback edition).

And I try to read at least one or two French books per month - again, I usually take these slowly, reading only a chapter or a few pages each day. I've just started another Maigret this month, Une Confidence de Maigret. I've also been reading Rousseau's Rêveries du Promeneur Solitaire, one chapter (or "Promenade") per month (there are nine in total).

So in that sense, I do read more than one book at a time but it doesn't really feel that way to me as I focus most of my attention on whatever book I happen to be reading from start to finish over a relatively short period of time, usually anywhere from three to ten days, depending on its length, how busy I am, etc.

AB76 wrote: "
so thats three bilingual ersatzers! my french is not bad, likewise my german in a conversational, can get by ok kind of way but in no way good enough anymore for reading novels.."

I bet you'd be surprised if you gave it a try. My French isn't that great - I struggle in conversation and still need sub-titles when I watch French films or tv - but my reading has improved just by doing a little every day over the last several years. I have a French journal that I read an article from in the evening, followed by a chapter or a few pages from a book.

Of course there are levels: the Maigret books are pretty easy for me but I tried Nathalie Sarraute's Martereau a few months back and found that, while I could follow the gist of what the narrator was talking about, I was missing the nuances, the subtleties of tone and irony, the undercurrents of what was unpspoken but still present in the narrative. I think it's a little too sophisticated for my current level of French reading-comprehension, not necessarily in terms of vocabulary or grammar, but in terms of literary technique. So I've decided to start it again in the English translation, though I'll keep the French nearby and dip into it from time to time.

For those in the US of a certain age, my understanding of how the shorter Coronation ceremony works:

Berkley wrote:" "AB76 wrote: ..." ...My French isn't that great ... but my reading has improved just by doing a little every day over the last several years..."

I started the same way, many years ago, a few pages every day, dictionary in hand. It took about a year to get reasonably competent, so I also would encourage others to give it a go.

I still need some help when it comes to slang. The other day it was scrogneugneu. A search said that the correct translation was derfwad, which didn’t leave me a lot wiser.

Russell wrote: "Berkley wrote:" "AB76 wrote: ..." ...My French isn't that great ... but my reading has improved just by doing a little every day over the last several years..."

I started the same way, many years..."

interesting comments from all of you re reading more than one book at a time and i can now add Berkley to the bi-linguals

at the start of my reading journey as a 24yo(before that i dabbled but didnt read in a disciplined way), i was simply one book at a time but i'm the kind of person who finds interest in so many topics...so within 6 mths i was doubling up then tripling up

one area of reading i was strong on from 2010-2016 but have neglected is philosophy....i must turn back to that soon and i also must do the Greek classics as an adult....

i'm still impressed at the standard of books i have read in 2023, its all pretty random in that nobody knows what awaits them behind the cover of a book when you pick it from the pile or the shelf, even if its a favourite author but so far....no duds. Could be as i mature as a reader, i reject less and persevere more but i havent had that feeling of "keep grinding" or "dump it" yet in 2023

Russell wrote: "I still need some help when it comes to slang. The other day it was scrogneugneu. A search said that the correct translation was derfwad, which didn’t leave me a lot wiser..."

Well, now I've learnt 2 new words, but I doubt if I'll be using either 😃. But looking at the definition of the former in French and the latter in English, they don't seem to be the same thing ...

AB76 wrote: "Russell wrote: "Berkley wrote:" "AB76 wrote: ..." ...My French isn't that great ... but my reading has improved just by doing a little every day over the last several years..."

I started the same..."

I definitely do not accord myself bi-lingual status. To me, that would mean being fluent in speech and verbal comprehension, not just reading. From your background, I'd predict you wouldn't take long to move beyond whatever stage I'm at.

Russell wrote: "
I started the same way, many years ago, a few pages every day, dictionary in hand. It took about a year to get reasonably competent, so I also would encourage others to give it a go.

I still need some help when it comes to slang. The other day it was scrogneugneu. A search said that the correct translation was derfwad, which didn’t leave me a lot wiser."

That's a new one to me as well. I looked it up on cnrtl.fr (recommended on the Guardian What Are We Reading years ago by the Captain (forget the full name)) and it gives "vieux militaire bougon".

Berkley wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Russell wrote: "Berkley wrote:" "AB76 wrote: ..." ...My French isn't that great ... but my reading has improved just by doing a little every day over the last several years..."

I sta..."

maybe i should try it, i'm in old dog and no new tricks territory though, my 5 yo niece was trying to teach me some mandarin(she lives in singapore) in the summer. it ended in her telling me i am "really really bad at pronouncing mandarin", her older sister (9) has tried teaching me via pinyin(romanised mandarin), but this old dog, long in the tooth, was no good...maybe try again when they visit in July....

AB76 wrote: "my 5 yo niece was trying to teach me some mandarin(she lives in singapore) in the summer. it ended in her telling me i am "really really bad at pronouncing mandarin"..."

The pronunciation here is incredibly important, and difficult to learn, pitch having great significance.
Some years ago, a colleague of mine married a Chinese woman and, in his sixties, started learning the language. (He was one of those annoying people who, as well as the more ordinary French, Italian, Spanish, etc., could speak Russian, Turkish ...). He said he was very bad at this latest effort, but he and his wife seemed to be able to converse pretty well, as far as we could judge.
He told us about watching a quiz show on Chinese TV where one of the contestants was a foreigner. He said he could understand the man's answers, but the judges were unable to, because the pronunciation wasn't quite right.

Bill wrote: "For those in the US of a certain age, my understanding of how the shorter Coronation ceremony works:
"

This week's Private Eye has the banner headline:

MAN IN HAT SITS ON CHAIR

which just about sums it up.

This is not only a 'good day to bury bad news' (for the Tories, who lost more than 1000 councillors in the local elections) - it is an excellent day for reading and commenting online. What it isn't a good day for is watching TV!

It's also a good day for walking the dog.

Toodle-pip!

scarletnoir wrote: "Bill wrote: "For those in the US of a certain age, my understanding of how the shorter Coronation ceremony works:
"

This week's Private Eye has the banner headline:

MAN IN HAT SITS ON CHAIR."

For those of you in the UK, I wonder what the sentiment has been around the country?

After walking the dog, we drove through the town centre and saw not a single union jack (except one on a hotel along with the Welsh flag, which are probably always on display). No street parties are planned; the local councils spent no money on the event AFAIK; the local Senedd member - though invited as a result of her position as 'speaker' (Llywydd) of the assembly, declined an invitation to the ceremony. Even the National Library of Wales looks as if it is only flying the Welsh flag and its own. Such is the excitement here!

I daresay there has been a bit more elsewhere...

scarletnoir wrote: "scarletnoir wrote: "Bill wrote: "For those in the US of a certain age, my understanding of how the shorter Coronation ceremony works:
"

This week's Private Eye has the banner headline:

MAN IN HAT..."

Mr Drakeford was there

I've read with interest the recent comments about reading in a foreign language... as it happens, most books I've read recently have either been translations into English (from Spanish, Portuguese and Italian) or I've been reading them in the original French.

Some thoughts:

It's much easier to read in a foreign language than it is to enter into conversations with native speakers. When I moved to France to be with madame, I must have seemed more or less dumb to her friends and family for a long time, as it took me so long to grasp the gist of conversations and to formulate a comment of my own that by the time I'd done so, the talk had moved on elsewhere... The speed (and in France the habit of talking across each other) takes a lot of getting used to!

If someone wants to learn to read in a foreign language, it's easier with certain authors than with others. Simenon is good for French, as usually the language is not too complex (even though the psychology can be). Some of my recent books have been e-books, and here you get an inbuilt translation option - though it can be fiddly to use. It works reasonably well for individual words, but can often be downright poor for idioms where you'd do better to download and use an online dictionary such as Reverso Context or Linguee (which looks very similar - I wonder if they are linked).

For example, in my recent book I came across:

faire chou blanc - "make white cabbage"? Clearly not from the context - it can mean "draw a blank" or "miss the mark".

Also - and one I sort of knew already -

On s'en branle! given as "let's go!" by the e-reader. Well, the context made it clear that it didn't work, so to the more sophisticated (though far from perfect) translation sites, which confirmed my suspicion that it meant: "We don't give a shit!"

All good fun, though.

Mort aux Hypocrites by Petros Markaris

This is a good example of a book which should not be too difficult to read for someone wishing to improve their French. By and large, the vocabulary in Markaris' books is not too obscure or literary, though at times the idioms need interpretation.

I'm working my way through the Inspector Charitos stories ATM (called 'Haritos' in English, BTW). The way in which the lives of the main recurring characters move forward give a reason for reading the books in relatively short order, as it would be easy to forget who is who or the nature of the relationships otherwise. In addition, we get a sort of real-time view of how Greek society and politics developed in the period in question.

Here, the inspector's daughter has given birth, and I was interested to see how traditional Greek society remains when faced with such a happy event. Everyone seems to fall over themselves to celebrate and give their congratulations; the grandparents - Charitos and his wife - call around every evening; the other grandfather is incensed that the child has not been given his name - and so on. I know that in northern Europe you would not expect such a fuss, and indeed a German character says as much. It seems a warmer, more supportive but also more suffocating way of life - and indeed the happy mother tells her father that her own mother is driving her nuts.

At the same time, we get an interesting story about the anger felt by many about the extreme inequalities which have become the norm in capitalist society. The first victim - an apparently well-liked owner of a hotel chain - turns out to be a rapacious tax-evader... and so it goes on. (I don't want to include more spoilers.) Reading this series, I can see that the author is politically sensitive and more on the left than the right - though no extremist. Political considerations often lie behind the murders in his stories. The tales themselves are sometimes simply unlikely and at others quite far-fetched, but the way in which the inspector investigates always seems perfectly rational and from a police procedural POV the books are fairly realistic.

To sum up: I like these books very much for the depictions of Greek society and the relationships between the characters. The weakest aspects are the plots and also a tendency to provide meaningless road directions - meaningless to anyone who doesn't inhabit Athens, in any case! Recommended unless plot is king for you.

scarletnoir wrote: "Mort aux Hypocrites by Petros Markaris

This is a good example of a book which should not be too difficult to read for someone wishing to improve their French. By and large, the vocabulary in Marka..."

I am not a murder mystery reader at all. I tried a couple of C J Sansom's 'Shardlake mysteries, and although I liked the authors conjuring up of a medieval setting I really didn't like the way that he portrayed women, on the whole, in his historical murder mysteries. I much preferred his 'Winter in Madrid'. That said I listened to a radio 4 programme on Donna Leon, 'A cultural life', last week, and I really liked the sound of her, as a person, and a writer, so I am happy to give her newest book, 'Earthly Remains', which she has designated as an 'eco' murder-mystery, a go.

To quote Leonard Cohen she seems to agree that the world is 'getting darker' and I think that, for me, having an interest in sustainability issues, that it might hold my attention better than just a straightforward murder mystery. Has anyone here read it, if so I would be interested in their thoughts on the matter.

scarletnoir wrote: "scarletnoir wrote: "Bill wrote: "For those in the US of a certain age, my understanding of how the shorter Coronation ceremony works:
"

This week's Private Eye has the banner headline:

MAN IN HAT..."

its very Royalist here in the shires, bunting and jacks on every street, flagpole and hedge, street parties planned everywhere, with communal events live music. It was the same for the jubileee, i would put the Royalist percentage at 90% easily, all generations

i loved the coronation events today, watched at my folks, with my brother and his dog, but i wont be street partying, i'm more interested in the pomp and the ceremony, than a mad neighbour wasted on cider telling me about his harley (i get that when he is sober...lol..lucky he is six doors down)

giveusaclue wrote: "Mr Drakeford was there..."

Indeed - he's Labour. They need seats in Wales (and Scotland) to ensure a majority at the next election... which would be preferable to another England-elected Tory government, for me anyway!

Elin Jones (Llywydd) is Plaid Cymru.

AB76 wrote: "its very Royalist here in the shires, bunting and jacks on every street, flagpole and hedge, street parties planned everywhere, with communal events live music..."

England is indeed another country! My mother watched it on TV, though - she's a Royalist ("They stayed put during the war...") though more admiring of ER than Charles III.

scarletnoir wrote: "AB76 wrote: "its very Royalist here in the shires, bunting and jacks on every street, flagpole and hedge, street parties planned everywhere, with communal events live music..."

England is indeed a..."

i think the home counties are possibly the heartland of Royalist England, its definitely all generations too, though i have a good share of republican friends who wont nothing to do with this weekend dotted over these isles

When my mum messaged her oldest granddaughter and said to her that she probably wont see any more coronations in her lifetime, she replied "yes you will grandmother, as the king is like, really, really old". (i think little ellie forgot the King is three years younger her grandmother)

Speaking of changing attitudes towards royalty, does anyone recall rushing out of the cinema to avoid the national anthem?

Tam wrote: "scarletnoir wrote: "Mort aux Hypocrites by Petros Markaris

This is a good example of a book which should not be too difficult to read for someone wishing to improve their French. By and large, the..."

I will stick up for CJ Sansom and Shardlake. To me, women are shown in the series as the lives they no doubt lived at that time - especially if you are considering upper class women. To men they were a commodity to be made use of.

Some may not like it, but consider Princess Diana and her life.

I will also say that some authors easily get my back up when it comes to female characters. And when that happens, they just get crossed off any reading list of mine. One author, Joseph Kanon, did that with Los Alamos. I expect his depiction was fairly accurate but portrayed more harshly than need be.

Tam, good luck with Donna Leon. I really recommend starting at the beginning with Death at La Fenice.

Feel free to call on one of us mystery types - any time.

PS -Crossed fingers that I didn't come across as 'to holier than thou.'

scarletnoir wrote: "...

For example, in my recent book I came across:

faire chou blanc - "make white cabbage"? Clearly not from the context - it can mean "draw a blank" or "miss the mark".

Also - and one I sort of knew already -

On s'en branle! given as "let's go!" by the e-reader. Well, the context made it clear that it didn't work, so to the more sophisticated (though far from perfect) translation sites, which confirmed my suspicion that it meant: "We don't give a shit!"."

I use Le Robert's Dictionnaire d'Expressions et Locutions for this kind of thing (if anyone has an alternative suggestion I'm interested) and for "faire chou blanc" they give "subir un échec" and then go into a explanation of where it came from, which is one of the things I like about this handy reference (something about failing to score any points in a game or a round of lawn bowling, or something).

They don't have "on s'en branle" but they do give an idea of where the two conflicting translations might have come from: for both "donner le branle" and "mettre en branle" they have the meaning "mettre en mouvement".

But "n'en avoir rien à branler (au sens du masturber)" they say is a variant of "rien à foutre" " and give the meaning "s'en moquer".

I should see if Le Robert or someone else has a good French slang dictionary, come to think of it. More for older books, for the ever-changing contemporary slang I would rely more on internet resources.

A steady topic over the last few years for me has been the history of the two Germanies from 1945 to 1990.

With some superb documentation available for free on the net, via the German state, there is a lot to study and interpret statistically about the two Germanies, alongside reading about the policy, social change and other more complex areas that dont lend themselves to statistics.

I have just started The Making of German Democracy by Armin Grunbacher(2010) which looks at the 1945-1963 period using original source documents of first the Allied authorities and then the emerging West German authorities. East Germany(DDR) has far more written about it in this context than West Germany(BDR), in fact this is my first non-fiction study of West Germany, i have relied on the novels of Koeeppn, Boll, Grass and others before this to try and get a picture of post-war West Germany up to the 1960s.

It has started well with the Allied documents relating to policy in the Western Zone, in that uneasy period between 1945-47, when the Cold War had yet to slowly burst into life and Germany as whole was a devastated region

Lass wrote: "Speaking of changing attitudes towards royalty, does anyone recall rushing out of the cinema to avoid the national anthem?"

Haha, better than what happened at Anfield yesterday.

And when the BBC closed for the night they played the National Anthem every time.

We’ve managed to avoid the majority of it all here.
I do remember the coronation of ER which seemed to me then rather nice. I expect that was mainly because few had televisions and we all crowded into a richer neighbour’s house to watch.
The next day she toured the London Boroughs and I stood outside Islington Town Hall to see a fleeting glimpse, the only sighting of her that I had.
A couple of houses in the lane have put out flags. Tomorrow is the day at the inn for the fete and my little archaeological exhibition is part of it. Our parish has a truly remarkable history dating back thousands of years. I have worked hard and hope that some do find it interesting although I suspect the mammoth bones with be more fascinating than me waffling about neolithic stone axes, bronze age swords and barrows, roman coin hoards, saxon wells and the like.

Berkley wrote: "scarletnoir wrote: "...

For example, in my recent book I came across:

faire chou blanc...

I should see if Le Robert or someone else has a good French slang dictionary, come to think of it. More for older books, for the ever-changing contemporary slang I would rely more on internet resources..."

That's rather my approach. I have an old copy of A Glossary of Colloquial and Popular French, produced by a Professor and a Lecturer in French at the University of Manchester in 1928, which is useful when I'm reading a classic.

For example, it is quite good on faire chou blanc;

To fail completely, to be a hopeless failure, not to win anything, to come back empty-handed, to draw a blank, to make a duck.

It suggests a different derivation, from a provincial pronunciation of faire coup blanc – as in, to fire a blank. That sounds like a bit of a guess to me.

For variations on branle it has only mettre en branle, to set in motion, and an old dance where a movement by one couple is copied by others.

The book belongs to its age. I looked at foutre, for which it says:

The original meaning (‘to have sexual intercourse’) has been lost sight of in most cases, and the lower classes attach no unseemly signification to the word…

Les couleurs de l’incendie – Pierre Lemaitre (2018) - translated as All Human Wisdom

The second book in his trilogy Les Enfants du désastre. Same haut bourgeois setting a few years later, same period feel, same humour, same impressively clever plotting, an operatic mix of fraud, politics and sex. Not quite the same visceral punch as the first one. Still, an engrossing and very enjoyable read.
…

I too must disclaim fluency in French. I do fine in reading but when it comes to spoken French I am very rusty. I work out a sentence in my head in advance, and then am stumped when there’s a follow-up! I’ve wondered whether it would help to listen to audiobooks in French, to get my ear in.

AB76 wrote: "A steady topic over the last few years for me has been the history of the two Germanies from 1945 to 1990.

With some superb documentation available for free on the net, via the German state, there..."


An odd memory trigger here. I was surprised when Igor Plonisch (who lived in upstate NY) asked me if I could find out how his father made it to the US. (At the time I was living in DC and had a Top Secret clearance - like so many others there.) His Dad was a refugee from somewhere (Poland?) who ended up in a US camp in western Germany in 1945. Igor thought (but couldn't confirm) that his father must have had or got some information that he traded for a passage to the USA.

Of course I was no help at all. So if in your delvings, you find that some kind of 'information trading' greased the skids for a new home in the US, I would like to know so I might do some reading in that area.

Berkley wrote: "Russell wrote: "..scrogneugneu..."

That's a new one to me as well. I looked it up on cnrtl.fr (recommended on the Guardian What Are We Reading years ago by the Captain (forget the full name)) and it gives "vieux militaire bougon".

Thanks. That word btw was in a headline of Le Figaro (I occasionally look at the webpages of French newspapers). I didn't look at the article itself, but grousing old vets sounds plausible.

CCCubbon wrote: "We’ve managed to avoid the majority of it all here.
I do remember the coronation of ER which seemed to me then rather nice. I expect that was mainly because few had televisions and we all crowded ..."

How about some exhibit pictures?

Here's a temptation to scroll thru - https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/...

The blurb you'll see is this - Now through June 15th, 2023 you can get thought-provoking, independently published books for up to 90% off with code AD1996.

Our annual sale is one of the biggest university press book sales in the country. Every year we go through our overstock inventory and offer deep discounts on hundreds of books in subjects like history, fiction, art, science, travel, cooking, and more. Shop below or download a copy of our PDF catalog to get these amazing deals on scholarly and trade titles from the University of Chicago Press and our distributed publishers. Hurry! Supplies are limited on some books.

I've already stuck a book in my basket - Trieste (WW2) - which, of course, does not mean that it will be bought.

And second thoughts - the shipping costs are huge, so I've said No thanks.

The best of my reading week has been
The Three Impostors and Other Stories by Arthur Machen

All the horror that I’ve read, and other than the odd short story, I’ve not read a lot from Arthur Machen.

The structure of the book is like no other. There are thirteen tales here, woven intricately together making a sort of jumbo crossword puzzle.

The two protagonists of the book are two decadent, literary chaps, the Orientalist Dyson and the pragmatist Phillips, whose enjoyment comes from wandering the streets of London, much as, I believe, Machen did himself.
Interestingly, at the same time as Dyson and Phillips were perambulating those thoroughfares, so were Holmes and Watson.

I wrote earlier that the book is like no other, and that is backed up by the many fractured narratives and potentially vexing dislocations. The key to getting the most of of this, is to become immersed, and go along with as much as can possibly be taken in. Many passages benefit from a second reading.

Be tantalised by tales of naked corpses branded by hot irons, collections of torture instruments including a steel-toothed Iron Maiden, which fatally closes about its guest, and pillaging wicked fairy folk and their demonic Sabbaths in the Gwent hills. I’ll never roam there so innocently ever again.