2008/10/25 Toronto
Granddaughter
Mandatory
In 1997 I was invited to the International Festival of Authors in Toronto. The Russian author Viktor Pelevin made a big impression on me; he seemed to be opposed to socializing. And socializing is mandatory for authors at a festival.
I’m back in Toronto for the same festival and last night over dinner I had a pleasant conversation with an author’s husband. He showed me a picture of his granddaughter. This gesture touched me.
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17 comments 
I remember some pictures people showed me, although I didn't know them. I remember I looked at the photo's thoroughly,. Maybe I was looking for something special, or maybe I was just prolonging the time, making them seem special. I still don't know.
impressed and touched
Allmost the opposite behaviour brings about a kind of appreciation for both. The kind rebel!Arnon
Is Mr Pelevin the same person who behaved oddly on the bus to Niagara Falls?Oscar W
Yes.Mark
Both gestures seemed to be perfectly honest.Socializing... yeah... sucks balls.
Since I have a son, people I don't know talk about their children or grandchildren all the time. They show pictures and tell stories about them. A whole new world of socializing opens up when you walk around with a baby! Escaping is very difficult.
escape from yourself
Hi Lila,beauty for me, is not having to escape. Then, when you're lucky, you can see, the person behind te face.....
To all: the person behind the face
What interests me is how you percieve Arnon. Did your perception of Arnon changed by visiting this blog on a regular base?What do you consider his main characteristic?In 'Vrij Nederland' he was once described as a "briljant rotjoch" and a deadly egoïst. Are these epithets still appropriate? Or has his repuation altered during the years?
My first encounter with Mr. Arnon was an interview (to this day I still can't recall which one) he did with another writer (the other was the subject). I didn't like him one bit, I thought Mr. Arnon was a bit cocky and presumpious. But as it always goes, I start to like things I dislike.
smile
The perception of Arnon Grunberg in combination with the subject of this blog....you make me smile :)
ps. maybe he's watching
@Mieke
It were all these comments you mentioned and more of them - and the books he wrote of course - that arose my curiosity in Arnon.
I finished ‘Onze oom’ now. I do like the end sentence ‘I will stay a little longer’.
On the whole, the book gave me a very uneasy feeling. Uneasy but familiar. I think, this is what happens when you wonder around Our Uncle a little too long.
What will his next novel be about ?
It were all these comments you mentioned and more of them - and the books he wrote of course - that arose my curiosity in Arnon.
I finished ‘Onze oom’ now. I do like the end sentence ‘I will stay a little longer’.
On the whole, the book gave me a very uneasy feeling. Uneasy but familiar. I think, this is what happens when you wonder around Our Uncle a little too long.
What will his next novel be about ?
@Bernard, please tell me more about Onze Oom. I'm still wondering whether it's relentlessly hard and I trust your opinion over any reviewer's.
Didn't Arnon once say he'd like to write a novel about a family and with a happy end? Perhaps that will be the next one.
Didn't Arnon once say he'd like to write a novel about a family and with a happy end? Perhaps that will be the next one.
@Noa
The book is already about a kind of a family and there is no unhappy end, one could say. It is not even a relentlessly hard book, although the use of humour is sparse.
I just finished the Albert Verwey Reading (here on this site) and I can strongly recommend it. This A.V. reading will say more about the novel, any novel, than I can do.
I think you are ready for ‘Onze Oom’.
The book is already about a kind of a family and there is no unhappy end, one could say. It is not even a relentlessly hard book, although the use of humour is sparse.
I just finished the Albert Verwey Reading (here on this site) and I can strongly recommend it. This A.V. reading will say more about the novel, any novel, than I can do.
I think you are ready for ‘Onze Oom’.
@Arnon
Do you like Viktor Pelevin? I find his work a little bit weird, but some of them zijn geniaal!bytheway... hoe gaat het?
Marco
I like Pelevin as a character. I'm not sure about his work.[ Add comment ]
