What I've been reading

The Rings of Saturn
by W. G. Sebald

"The Rings of Saturn begins as the record of a journey on foot through coastal East Anglia. From Lowestoft to Bungay, Sebald's own story becomes the conductor of evocations of people and cultures past and present: of Chateaubriand, Thomas Browne, Swinburne and Conrad, of fishing fleets, skulls and silkworms."

This book came from my classic list of fiction, but isn't fiction at all. It isn't an ordinary travelogue either, as he goes off in all sorts of directions with the narrative, prompted by some association with the place he's travelling through. I used to spend much more time on non-fiction, which has now been substituted by the Buddhist reading that I'm doing, but this has reminded me of the simple pleasure of looking at the real world through someone else's eyes, whether that is in a travel narrative like this or through writing about science.

Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World
by Mark Kurlansky

"Wars have been fought over it, revolutions have been triggered by it, national diets have been based on it, economies and livelihoods have depended on it. To the millions it has sustained, it has been a treasure more precious that gold."

This is a book off my shelves that I haven't read in a while, and is a fascinating walk through the history of cod fishing (and cooking) up to the date of publication at the end of the 1990's. I wonder how things have changed in the last 25 years, because it wasn't looking good back then.

Put Out More Flags
by Evelyn Waugh

narrated by Michael Maloney

"Upper-class scoundrel Basil Seal, mad, bad, and dangerous to know, creates havoc wherever he goes, much to the despair of the three women in his life-his sister, his mother, and his mistress. When Neville Chamberlain declares war on Germany, it seems the perfect opportunity for more action and adventure."

I hold up my hands for this one, I wasn't paying enough attention while I listened. Despite this, the bits that I absorbed were quite good in the Waugh sort of way, a precursor to Catch-22 in portraying the dishonesty and inefficiency of wartime management by self-serving officers looking out for their own interests. A more light-hearted and humorous take on similar views as the 'Ragged Trousered Philanthropists' (below), which was an altogether more downbeat narrative.

The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists
by Robert Tressell

"The story of a group of working men who are joined one day by Owen, a journeyman-prophet with a vision of a just society. Owen's spirited attacks on the greed and dishonesty of the capitalist system rouse his fellow men from their political quietism."

This was one of the most dispiriting books I've read. It's a Socialist polemic in the form of a novel that describes the poverty and destitution of the working classes before the establishment of the welfare state and the NHS, and made me feel even worse than when I read Orwell's 'The Road to Wigan Pier'. The employers and idle rich are portrayed as crooks (with the exception of just two men), and the majority of the workers aren't prepared to see that there is any alternative to their fate. Women don't feature other than as wives reliant on their husbands without any other influence. It certainly makes a strong case for socialism, but spoils it somewhat by describing an unrealistic socialist utopia where all have their choice of occupation and are paid equally. I'm glad I finished it, but it was a worthy rather than enjoyable read.

Good Behaviour
by Molly Keane

"Behind the gates of Temple Alice the aristocratic Anglo-Irish St Charles family sinks into a state of decaying grace. To Aroon St Charles, large and unlovely daughter of the house, the fierce forces of sex, money, jealousy and love seem locked out by the ritual patterns of good behaviour."

An interesting book set in Ireland in what feels like the 19th century, I wouldn't say it's gripping but good enough to keep me reading. I don't think she really gave a good account of each character - we were almost kept at a distance from them, and her portrayal of the aftermath of a death was strange. She did use some lovely adjectives, though.