<p>Volume III atm (and I explained that in my short response, just a tiny sentence expressing that one of the reasons I loved the book was the way I could look forward to more what with the sheer volume of the thing! :P) </p>
<p>I have read Swann’s Way in French, but I’m reading the rest in English (poor brain couldn’t take it any more haha). </p>
<p>Just as an aside though - I think this is an unpopular opinion but I really dislike the Penguin translation (Lydia Davis right?), its TOO literal, and just makes the prose so extremely awkward. Part of the reason I enjoyed the Moncrieff translation so much was its deft “feel” and flow of words so that those long spiraling sentences were enjoyable rather than tiring. I find Davis makes the description very bland, and kind of takes away from the magic. </p>
<p>Though I guess I’m pickier than most - I did a bit of comparative literature (Russian lit mainly) in my senior year and you have to be pretty sensitive to translations. My big paper on Dostoevsky I worked with 2 translations as well as the annotated Russian.</p>
<p>ETA: Just looked at your post - James Joyce!!! and The National!!! :D</p>
<p>I’ve read a bit of Proust to! I started of in French, but I am nowhere near fluent, so I resorted to Dutch translations, haha! Lovely. I’ve listed Buddenbrooks by Thomas Mann as my favourite book, because I have read that one in the original German and I loved it.
It was an agonizing choice though; I feel guilty for all the other books I’ve read!</p>
<p>You like Joyce and The National too? That’s so exciting!!!</p>
<p>That’s really cool that you read some of it in French. I couldn’t even consider picking up a whole book in another language. I’m really liking the Lydia Davis translation so far. Obviously I can’t really compare it to anything (I poked around online before buying the book and found the general consensus was that this was the best translation), but I’m finding the flow of the language to be really natural (which is usually the biggest problem I have with translations) and beautiful. But obviously I can only have a one-sided opinion.</p>
<p>The National is great! I saw them live once; I love their song Mistaken for Strangers?
Joyce is brilliant too, I’ve read Finnegans Wake; not yet attempted Ullyses though! Now we’re talking about modernists anyway, has anyone read anything by Musil?</p>
<p>The National is AMAZING live! That may be my favorite concert I’ve ever been to.</p>
<p>And hey, if you’ve read Finnegans Wake, you can certainly handle Ulysses (and you should, reading that book was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made).</p>
<p>I unfortunately haven’t read anything by Musil, though.</p>
<p>I ended up at their concert by accident, so I don’t know too much of their music, but I love the singer’s voice! </p>
<p>I’ve been meaning to read Ullyses, I even picked it for the required english reading I had to do for school (book of choice), but my teacher didn’t really feel like reading it all. So I’ve moved it down a bit on my to-read list! When I’m done with finals/applications and everything, I guess I’ll read it! I have so many books I still want to read! And yet so little time haha. </p>
<p>You should read Musil btw, although his magnus opus might take you a while though, it’s a mere 1700 pages ;)</p>
<p>LBloom - The Penguin translation for Proust has a different translator for each volume I think (another reason I didn’t really care for it), but Penguin generall does a pretty fantastic job. Reading it in the original french is the best - there is alot of internal rhyme and rhythm which just rolls off the tongue in a lovely, languid way. </p>
<p>I haven’t read Musil either - <em>add to list</em> :)</p>
<p>I was really torn between Proust and The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoevsky actually. But then again, there’s so many books, I’d be hard pressed to pick a favourite at all.</p>
<p>Same here! I’ve been overthinking that question much too long! Would have been time better spend on writing my essays haha! I’ve been thinking about putting Crime and Punishment, coincidentally! But I read it quite a while ago, so I went for another one. I also had some more recent, more obscure choices I really like, but I wanted a writer they would surely know, not some Dutch writer, because that wouldn’t really help them to get to ‘know’ you.</p>
<p>book: East of Eden
movie: Across the Universe
website: Wikipedia
source of inspiration: my best friends from summer camp
adjectives: well-rounded, driven
keepsake: a necklace I got when I won an award at summer camp
word: excellent
recording: Wake Up by Arcade Fire
quote: “I’m gonna make him an offer he won’t refuse.” -The Godfather (is this bad?.. haha I love that movie but don’t want to advocate violence…)</p>
<p>I think it’s fine to quote The Godfather, although it’s an offer he CAN’T refuse, for future reference. You should start to worry about violence if you mention movies like Cannibal Holocaust or IDK American History or something. Any Coppola movie is generally considered art, so it should be okay. :)</p>
<p>I put: The truth of history crowds out the truth of fiction as if one were obliged to choose between them. Susan Sontag (the case of Comrade Tulayev; essay)</p>
<p>That essay sounds remarkably similar to something Hayden White (post-modern historian) or Janet Malcolm (brilliant, Brilliant, essayist and literary critic) would write! I’m googling Sontag as we speak :D</p>
<p>Speaking of quotes, my supplement essay was Option 4 (choose your own quote)</p>
<p>Susan Sontag is one of my favourites! Sadly she died (quite) recently… I’ve read most of her diaries, essays and books. I think I even mentioned her in my Princeton supplement! I picked my own quote too, for the supplement, nothing too intellectual though: one by Dorothy Parker (I worship her sense of humour!). </p>
<p>I’m googling both of them too! Janet Malcolm vaguely rings a bell though. Does she write for the New York Review of Books (if you happen to know that, of course)?</p>
<p>Interesting quote you’ve picked by the way, what direction did you go with it?</p>
<p>My essay wasn’t overly philosophical nor religious (Pascal was a french philosopher who spent most of his time trying to find proofs for God), The essay was literal (began with my daily commute to school which is across a bridge connecting 2 sides of my city) and metaphorical, about the “two worlds” I inhabit (developed and developing) and I suppose how in seeing disparities and distances I’m more motivated to bring my two worlds together. Quite personal about my background and upbringing. </p>
<p>Malcolm - I think she may have, I recall she was in a lawsuit for an essay in The New Yorker - which she ultimately won. Alot of her work deconstructs the nature of writing itself.</p>
<p>book: A little Princess. <– this is childish but seriously one of my favorite books. in this case I went for honesty than impression because i’ve read the tolstoy, the austen, bronte marquez, cervantes etc. but I really do love “A little princess”
website: [url=<a href=“http://www.3quarksdaily.com%5D3quarksdaily%5B/url”>http://www.3quarksdaily.com]3quarksdaily[/url</a>] <— such a good filter blog
recording: Chester French’s Love the Future
inspiration: Plato’s Allegory of the Cave <– this is pretentious but true. I want to be out of the damn cave!
movie: Disney’s Hercules
friendly words: imaginative and witty
keepsake: charm necklace
word: bourgeoisie
quote: “sucks to your asmar!” - Lord of the Flies <– I try to use this in everyday conversation as much as possible. my friends tell me I’m moderately successful.</p>
<p>Book: On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen (Harold McGee)
Movie: Empire Records
Website: [TED:</a> Ideas worth spreading](<a href=“http://www.ted.com%5DTED:”>http://www.ted.com)
Adjectives: Quirky, honest
Recording: Every morning I wake up to a recording of William Shatner’s voice playing on my alarm clock: "Space…the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilizations; to boldly go where no man has gone before.”
Memento: Kitchenaid stand mixer
Inspiration: Dinner conversations with my dad
Word: loo
Line: “I dreamed I was swimming with dolphins whispering imaginary numbers and searching for the fourth dimension.” (Stand and Deliver)</p>
</p>
I have so many books I still want to read! And yet so little time haha. </p>
(Pascal was a french philosopher who spent most of his time trying to find proofs for God), The essay was literal (began with my daily commute to school which is across a bridge connecting 2 sides of my city) and metaphorical, about the “two worlds” I inhabit (developed and developing) and I suppose how in seeing disparities and distances I’m more motivated to bring my two worlds together. Quite personal about my background and upbringing. </p>