Books You Will Never Read

[Robert Adam Gilmour]

Quote Originally Posted by qcrisp

I picked Sir Walter Scott's Waverley from the shelves of a bookshop recently and read the author's introduction, which was all about the great pains he took to arrive at the right title for his novel. Imagine agonising for days, weeks, longer, over how to strike the right note for your readership, and, at the end of it, coming up with Waverley (Or, 'Tis Sixty Years Since).

Is it just a word he made up? Because I know it as a place (had to look it up to know it was a train station). Didn't realise the Edinburgh train station was named after his books but there's also an Edinburgh health organisation and a Scottish boat cruise company with the name.
And a whole load of other things including a slave plantation.
Waverley (novel) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[qcrisp]

Quote Originally Posted by Robert Adam Gilmour

Quote Originally Posted by qcrisp I picked Sir Walter Scott's Waverley from the shelves of a bookshop recently and read the author's introduction, which was all about the great pains he took to arrive at the right title for his novel. Imagine agonising for days, weeks, longer, over how to strike the right note for your readership, and, at the end of it, coming up with Waverley (Or, 'Tis Sixty Years Since). Is it just a word he made up? Because I know it as a place (had to look it up to know it was a train station). Didn't realise the Edinburgh train station was named after his books but there's also an Edinburgh health organisation and a Scottish boat cruise company with the name. And a whole load of other things including a slave plantation. Waverley (novel) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It's the name of the hero in the novel, but I don't think the introduction says where the author got the name from, only why - to do with lack of existing associations. He actually spent more time talking about the book's subtitle.

[miguel1984]

I mostly skip autobiographies, Chronicles, Volume 1 by Bob Dylan being an exception.

I tend to find the genre too self-congratulary, but that is probably my bad.

Quote Originally Posted by miguel1984

I mostly skip autobiographies, Chronicles, Volume 1 by Bob Dylan being an exception. I tend to find the genre too self-congratulary, but that is probably my bad.

For the most part I agree; I am intrigued by slave narratives, and also intend on reading Géza Csáth's diary soon.

[paeng]

One thing I noticed is that I get to appreciate a work when I combine it with others, such as Nostromo with Heart of Darkness, Dante, Apocalpse Now, and Aguirre: The Wrath of God, or Madame Bovary with Lady Chatterly's Lover, Pope's "The Rape of the Lock" with musical works by Henry Purcell, Gay's The Beggar's Opera, and John Donne,the Forsyte Saga with the film version, works by Evelyn Waugh, and sets like Mishima's Sea of Fertility, Richardson with Fielding and Lodge's Art of Fiction, Pilgrim's Progress with Fussell's The Great War and Modern Memory, Kafka with Dostoyevsky's Notes from the Underground, etc.

[miguel1984]

Ana Kai Tangata by Scott Nicolay.

[Robert Adam Gilmour]

How about for ethical qualms?

First, music:

Quite a lot of people stopped listening to Swans after Larkin Grimm claimed Gira raped her. I found her side of the story a lot more convincing but I'm still going to keep listening and buying his stuff. I don't blame people who couldn't though.

On the other hand I won't buy anymore Burzum after I found out the man hasn't changed and he's just as crazy as ever.
Avoiding buying Nokturnal Mortum and Drudkh and related bands, who are supposed to be the best of the racist black metal bands.
Maybe Death In June too.
Perhaps just listen to some of it on youtube a few times?

When I read that Esoterra book which had a Ligotti interview, there was lots of metal, industrial and neo-folk bands who the interviewer was always subtly trying to ask if they were racist.

===
Boox!

I find John C Wright dislikable in many ways, not only his extreme prejudices and taking part in screwing up the Hugo awards but I've heard good things about some of his early work. Might go for some, might not.

Cirsova magazine is edited by a gamergate guy who also appears on the Castalia blog, but I've heard some good things about the magazine.

I've heard some glowing things about Nick Land but also that he's one of the thought leaders of intellectualised bigotry. Not going near that stuff then. Wonder if he's a member here.

When you look at it overall it seems inconsistent, and I admit I'll be swayed by quality and if they're long dead and unable to benefit, I'll go for it.

How about you lot?

I paid for and own three Burzum shirts because I love his music. Maybe I should balance this morally by clicking the dislike button on his cute and goofy YouTube videos.

[Robert Adam Gilmour]

I got the first 6 albums. Love some of it, but find most of it very patchy.

[Robert Adam Gilmour]

Leviathan and Rik James are two more bands.