Down and Out in Paris and London, by George Orwell

A good book by Orwell, his first published work. Humorous and touching, often funny, he manages to depict the life of the paupers in Paris and the beggars in London in the late 20s vividly and uncondescendingly. It still is very up to date, one feels most of his observations are timeless and could have been written today - the numbing effects of poverty, the social issues. The Paris chapters are the best, but the whole book is interesting and a very good read.

And it's interesting to remember that this happened at the same time as what's told in A Moveable Feast, by Hemingway - such different experiences in Paris!

Au Plaisir de Dieu, by Jean d'Ormesson

I watched a television series when I was a kid, in the 70s, Au Plaisir de Dieu, and I remember liking it, so recently I bought the book. It's a good book, about the end of an era, depicting the story of the decadence of an old aristocratic French family, a relic of the Ancien Régime, in the 20th century. It's very well written, in the classic French tradition of Martin du Gard, Proust, Marguerite Yourcenar or, later, Le Clézio and Tournier. I think it would be more powerful if it ended at the sale of the château, the last chapters are somewhat stretched, but the narrative is always nostalgically beautiful, with some great characters and very accomplished scenes.

Weekend in Barcelona

What a great time I had in Barcelona last weekend. Such a beautiful and cosmopolitan city; and having been there before, I just enjoyed the walking, the food, the sightseeing. And most of all, the company - I met a facebook friend from Australia, someone I had been chatting with for some time and had the chance of finally meeting live. I will always be thankful to facebook for the new friends I made there around the world. This time, it was as if we knew each other for years, such a pleasant feeling of familiarity. And the weather was wonderful. It's so good to know there are nice people out there, and to make new friends! Somehow, that makes me feel reconciled with life.

The Stranger's Child, by Alan Hollinghurst

I like Hollinghurst's books very much, ever since I read The Line of Beauty. He writes beautifully, and The Stranger's Child is just as elegantly written as one would expect, but it somehow falls short compared to his other books, like The Line of Beauty, The Swimming Pool Library or The Folding Star. This one is too long; it's always an enjoyable read, but sometimes one feels the author has become a little too self-indulgent, self-satisfied with his own story. There are great scenes, though, and the themes of the evolution of gay life in England along the 20th century and of the literary biography / memory are very well depicted. All in all, it's a very good book and a most enjoyable read, but Hollinghurst has far better work.

The Play of the Eyes, by Elias Canetti

The third part of Elias Canetti's memoirs is as interesting as the first two. He's in a way extremely self-centered and self-assured, but his pursue of self-awareness, his staunch devotion to language and words, and above all his keen sense of observation, that translates into fabulous portraits and a vivid depiction of a time and place - the Vienna of literatti in the 30s - is most captivating. I read it with a feeling of discovery, because I know very little of German literature, apart from Thomas Mann; Hermann Broch, Robert Musil and Büchner were just names, as were Grozs, Alma Mahler or Wotruba. It's exciting to learn about a whole body of literature just waiting to be read! That's one of the things I always loved about books and reading: the opening of new horizons, new cultures, new people. One goes from one book to another, and it never ever ends, even if one was to live a thousand years.