In Praise of Shadows, by Junichiro Tanizaki

The disappearing of the beauty of traditional Japanese (Oriental) culture, beauty of shadows, as being invaded by the civilization from the West.

To me, both the Oriental and the West have their beauties, but I understand Tanizaki's feeling of trying to preserve the life and time he went through. I am reading and reading, many times trying to bring back what was lost in life but only stays in memory.

A friend said that what matters is NOW, "the power of now". However, to me, what makes what you are is the memory. Memory is the most valuable thing we really own.

When I read the book, I asked: isn't the Western's stream of consciousness similar to the sensation narration of those Japanese works? Of course, the former has a dimension of time, while the latter is a beauty of being static and tranquil.

Reading this book helps to understand the beauty of Japanese works. Will read it once more before returning it to the library.

Translated by Thomas J. Harper and Edward G. Seidensticker. Published by Vintage Books, London, 2001. ISBN 9780099283577.

Dante's Inferno

The book I read is illustrated by Sandow Birk, with text adapted by Sandow Birk and Marcus Sandes. It is special because modern words are used, and the author even replaced characters, places and events with modern ones at their well. The illustrations are supposed to be the big selling point: all drawings use San Francisco (and sometimes LA?) as background.

When I read the first several chapters, I thought it was very funny. I had read about 14 chapters of Inferno from a normal translation, and had thought it very boring. So I appreciated this funny "adaptation". However, when I kept reading, this book became more and more boring. The repeating of the same funny tricks did not work.

My conclusion is that Dante's work is really really boring. Homer's work is years and years earlier, but is far far better than Dante. Jia said that I have to recognize that fact that Dante wrote in the dark age. Well, this is true, but it can't change the fact that his work is extremely boring.

published by Chronicle Books, San Francisco. 2004. ISBN 0811842134.
The book uses very good quality paper.

Tess of the d'Urbervilles, by Thomas Hardy

This is my second time reading this book.

The first time, more than 20 years, in the tiny, quiet, and old library room of my high school. 张谷若 made a wonderful translation, and some scenes have been in my mind ever since: the night, under the stars, Tess and her little brother chatting about the stars -- that is the night misfortune starts; the morning in the dairy house, foggy.

When I started reading the book in its original language, the Chinese translation kept bothering me. 张谷若 had strongly imposed his own style in the translation -- his translation is of strong flavor and emotion, but Hardy's original style is cool, even cold and "indifferent". So the images remained from 20 years ago did not fit well into what I was reading from Hardy's words. Until I finished 1/4 part (the end of the third phase), Hardy's voice was the only one I heard , and images arose clearly out of the book.

I asked Jia whether the Chinese translation was a success or failure. He asked: If you just read the Chinese translation, do you think it good? I said Yes. He said: Then it is a good one.

Modern Library edition, 1998. ISBN 0679603182.
I can't find the cover picture of the book online. So I put here the painting that the book cover uses. At first I did not like the cover picture because Nastassja Kinski's Tess is what Tess is, to me. But when I finished the book, I think it fit Hardy's Tess well. The library does not have everyman's edition, which is what I prefer. I have 3 editions in my personal collection: everyman's library, Frankline library, Heron book, but they are all packed in my moving boxes.

这里是北京 （4）

北京电视台的“这里是北京”的脚本，多是些传闻轶事。图文并茂，读着有趣。因为是我喜欢、怀念的北京。

李欣主编。华夏出版社，2008年。ISBN 9787802520707。

The Time of Love, by Marcel Pagnol

This is the unfinished work of Marcel Pagnol, but still worth reading. Marcel's school life in this book is much better delivered than the hasty writing in the previous book. Also, the story of plague is particularly good.

I feel that this book should exchange its title with the previous book "The Time of Secrete".

Published by Hamish Hamilton, London 1979. Translated by Eileen Ellenbogen. ISBN 0241100097.
DoubleDay should learn from the British Publisher how to print/bind books.

蛤蟆的油，黑泽明著

看过“罗生门”，当时惊诧这么老的片子竟然比很多现代的电影还鲜活，有生命力、冲击力 -- 有过类似感受的还有“伊利亚特”。现在还记得罗生门里武士和女人痛苦、扭曲的悲诉。

“蛤蟆的油”是黑泽明的自传，从儿时写到“罗生门”。在罗生门停笔是因为他也不肯定自己是不是能说真话，在说真话。是啊，谁又能真正看到、面对自己？

很好的一本书。

李正伦的翻译很有味道。

南海公司出版，2006年。ISBN 7544233278。

The Time of Secrets, by Marcel Pagnol

Little Marcel started to have a feeling for girls ...

Translated by Rita Barisse. Published by Doubleday & Company, Inc, 1962. (Doubleday needs to improve its print quality and selects better paper.) The book has no ISBN!