Former leading New Zealand publisher and bookseller, and widely experienced judge of both the Commonwealth Writers Prize and the Montana New Zealand Book Awards, talks about what he is currently reading, what impresses him and what doesn't, along with chat about the international English language book scene, and links to sites of interest to booklovers.
Saturday, September 13, 2014
Eccentric Metaphors For Books – Rich Chocolate Cake and Drawn-On Mustaches
By Pronoy Sarkar | Friday, September 12, 2014 - Off the Shelf
Some books, when read, feel like swimming through a swamp. The weeds interfere with your stroke, and the smell, pungent and biting, sears your senses. Once you’ve reached the other side, the difficulty of the swim becomes a sign of accomplishment, of an obstacle overcome. Other books, when read, feel like eating a rich chocolate cake. Every bite is heaven on earth. You eat and feel slightly ashamed, but you finish nonetheless.Coventry Patmore likened Shakespeare to roast beef, Anne Fadiman once wrote.
These associations are helpful, if completely abstract. For example, I recently read a book that I felt was frivolous and self-serving—like a drawn-on mustache. Say what you will of my metaphors, they’re more meaningful to me than the easy “a work of dazzling beauty.”
And so here I go: The History of Love by Nicole Krauss is like finding a cove on an abandoned beach where large turtles come to lay their eggs.
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