The Vulgar Eclectic

Tag: reading

  • Bane of the Black Sword by Michael Moorcock (fifth in the Elric of Melniboné saga)

    I finished reading Bane of the Black Sword by Michael Moorcock. This is the fifth book in the Elric saga and was first published in this form in 1977, though some of the work had previously been published in other formats. It consists of four stories (The Stealer of Souls, Kings in Darkness, The Flamebringers,…

  • The Covetous Knight by Alexander Pushkin

    I finished reading The Covetous Knight (1830), a short play by Alexander Pushkin, translated by A. F. B. Clark. I subsequently learned that Sergei Rachmaninoff wrote a one act opera known as The Miserly Knight based closely on Pushkin’s text. The plot is simple and focuses on the avarice of an elderly baron and his…

  • Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

    Here is a book jot from December 2021: I just finished reading Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe (1958). The story narrates the life of Okonkwo, a prominent member of an Ibo clan in Nigeria. The story is deftly told in a fluid and unadorned style with a finely-crafted, objective voice. There is a strong…

  • Jean-Leon Huens

    I was curious about the cover art for the Prydain books I mentioned in the previous post. I have loved these pictures ever since I first saw them as a child. The art is evocative and beautiful. I wondered who the artist was, so I looked around online. The artist’s name is Jean-Leon Huens. I…

  • The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander

    When I was in elementary school, I read the novel The High King by Lloyd Alexander. I loved it! I remember making a board game based on the story on a big sheet of posterboard. I really hadn’t read anything like it before. It was epic and exciting, with memorable characters and important insights into…

  • The Father by August Strindberg

    Book jot from November 2021: I just finished reading The Father by August Strindberg (1887), a three act play. It is a psychological page-turner (if that can be said of a play), centered on the relationship between a husband and wife and the growing conflict over the future of their daughter. In the ensuing strife,…

  • The Boxcar Children

    I happened to walk past a little thrift store earlier today. I was in an area I’ve never visited before and noticed this store tucked away in a little strip mall. I decided to stop in and take a look around. I wasn’t finding much in the way of books I was interested in, but…

  • The Diary of a Superfluous Man and Other Stories by Ivan Turgenev

    Another old book jot…from November 2021. I just finished reading The Diary of a Superfluous Man and Other Stories by Ivan Turgenev, translated by Constance Garnett (translation 1899). I’ve read works by Turgenev translated by various people and think Garnett does a great job with his style and voice. It’s a collection of one novella…

  • Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton by Edward Rice

    Still getting caught up on old book jots; here’s one from October, 2021: I just finished reading Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton by Edward Rice (1990), a biography of the Victorian-era explorer, writer, linguist, and translator. This book is a long and detailed account of his life. One of the most enjoyable aspects of the…

  • Chatsky (or The Misery of Having a Mind) by Alexander Griboyedov

    I finished reading Chatsky (or The Misery of Having a Mind), a play in verse written in 1823 by Alexander Griboyedov (translated by Joshua Cooper). It’s also known as Woe from Wit in some English translations. It is a satirical look at Russian society, especially the prejudices and preoccupations of the aristocracy. Although humorous, there…