January is usually the month where people try to get started on their reading goals, they make lists of their “24 for 2024” books and although I wish I had that kind of discipline I’m too much of a mood reader for that. So my January wrap-up consists mostly of random books that I found secondhand or that I kind of challenged myself to read just for the fun of it. So let’s get on with it, shall we?
The Double-Bass, by Patrick Suskind
I found this book, or actually I should say this book found me, completely by chance. I was walking through my favourite backstreets of Monastiraki in Athens when I decided to see if one of the usual places that I find second hand books had anything good. When I saw this little book, for it is hardly 80 pages long, my first reaction was indifference. I read ‘Perfume’ by the same author last year and I found it an utter dissapointment, so I saw little reason to why I should bother with this one. While I was about to leave, however, I had a sudden change of heart and thought to myself “Hey, why not give Suskind another shot, I’ll only be spending 2 euros anyway…” So that is how I ended up reading, and finshing, this book the very same day that I bought it. ‘The Double-Bass’ is Suskind’s first work to be performed on stage in 1981 and was later published in 1984 in Germany. A dramatic monologue in one act where Suskind’s unnamed protagonist, a double-bass player for the State Orchestra, is talking about his love for the instrument, his past life, and his current misery. Adorned with many references to the great masters of classical music, especially Schubert, we witness the lonely musician’s descend into misery; a misery that transforms love to hate, and admiration into obsession.
I am not entirely familiar with the world of classical music, but even so I felt that this book, this play, had such humanity in it, such vulnerability that I think anyone can deeply relate to the protagonist. The musician speaks with such pathos that it is difficult not to be blown away from his ramblings and his love for music. I am very glad I didn’t give up on Suskind and that mere chance led me to this amazing book.
Electra, by Sophocles
Cover from the ‘Kaktos’ edition translated by Kostas Georgosopoulos
Last year, I read "The Flies' by Jean Paul Sartre and then I remembered that I had Sophocles’ play lying somewhere on my bookshelves. This play (not to be confused with Euripides’ version) is set in Argos a few years after the Trojan War and tells the story of Electra and her brother Orestes seeking justice for the murder of their father Agamemnon by their mother, Clytemnistra, and her lover Aegisthus.
I read this purely out of boredom to be honest. While I considered the story compelling, I have found out that most of the Greek classics make for a tiresome, and if I may say so boring, reading experience. So, while I appreciate the greatness of this play and admire its execution and moral message, I cannot say that I loved it.
The Bidet (or Heroes' Shrine for Sale or the Elegant Toilet), by Marios Hakkas
Cover from the ‘Kedros’ edition, 1970 A collection of short stories, written in 1970, by a great Greek novelist. These stories talk about consumerism, gentrification, about art and literature as a commodity, and important historical events of the time, all with with a very sarcastic and ironic tone. A small book that documents the human condition with all its brutality, love and care.
I found the writing widely accessible and fun, while at the same time it speaks about very important and relevant social issues. If one can get their hands on this book I reccomend it with a passion, you won’t regret it!
Vita Nova, by Louise Gluck
A lovely poetry collection from the Pulitzer Prize winner, Louise Gluck. As someone who is not familiar with Gluck’s poetry I think that this serves as a very fine introduction. This collection deals with loss, separation, and what life is after these events, and the use of language is sharp and brutal, at times reading more like prose than poetry and the use of Greek myths helps bring a sort of romanticism to the poems . Gluck invites us to her inner world, her sorrows, her reflections; it is almost like watching a confession unfold and the reader can’t help but join in on her sadness.
Overall', I fantastic introduction to Gluck’s poetry that makes me really excited to explore her other works.
The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas
I read the ‘Count of Monte Cristo’ as a part of the Game of Tomes bookclub, hosted by Carolyn Marie Reads and Emmie Reads on youtube and thank God that I did because this was my favourite read of the month. A classic tale of revenge, written by Alexandre Dumas (the father) first serialized in the 1840s, it tells the story of Edmond Dantes who was wrongfully imprisoned for a crime he did not commit. We follow our protagonist through his 14 year imprisonment in the Chateau d’If, his escape and his plot to get revenge on the three men resposnible for his incarceration. An exploration on revenge, justice, forgiveness, societal norms and appearances, The Count of Monte Cristo is considered a major literary classic for good reason.
While many readers feel intimidated by the sheer size of this classic, myself included (almost 1250 pages) upon starting it I found that the language was suprisingly accesible and easy to understand. As I continued reading, I found it difficult to tear my eyes away from the page. Because of the fact that the story was published in a sort of magazine in the span of many years, the reader finds themself coming back chapter after chapter. Considering that the text is almost 200 years old there are a lot of questionable elements, namely the blatant Orientalism and slavery, but there are other subjects that are handled with surprising care by the author, the portrayal of the female characters, the subject of fatherhood, even the impied lesbian relationship in the book is portrayed in a serious manner and not just played for laughs. This text has ,perhaps, become one of my favourite classics of all time and I urge everyone, even the most reluctant of readers to give it a try.