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El Conde
- Details
- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Film
- Hits: 504
An interesting (although perhaps not so good) look at Chilean Politics and history, in specific General Pinoche, told as if he were a Vampire.
Black and White, the themes primarily the cruelty of his regime and the ensuing Nepotism & Kleptocracy.
Too many parallels to Trump, coincidence? Perhaps.
Anyways, not great, not bad, more a "Meh", but a better "Meh" than most.
Robert Martiensen
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Other
- Hits: 609
Another Outsider Artist, this one a retired Australian Maths Teacher who upon dying is discovered to have created thousands of artworks.
Links:
- https://amp.abc.net.au/article/102969272
- https://www.hamiltongallery.org/events/robert-martiensen-the-secret/
Think, if his sister hadn't called in somebody with a little more taste and appreciation this would have been lost. And I see it all the time at the thrift shop (fortunately, in my opinion, most of what's donated from these estates is rubbish. Most. But there's always the possibility of an outlier...
The Saga of the People of Laxardal and Bolli Bollason's Tale
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Books
- Hits: 513
Icelandic Sagas, of which I am not too familiar (Beowulf I've read, the rest, not so much so.)
Curious, in that they record the family/tribal history of the first Norse settlers, and in the tone that they're related, where the narrator gives details he/she could not have known, and recites the history in a manner that while concise leaves you to decipher (??) - assign the motives to the characters from the events and their words.
So, bereft of "tone" in the sense that the descriptions of events are lacking in emotional adjectives such as "rage" or "pleasure" or "love", rather the narrator uses others to describe the exterior events and the reader to discern the interior lives of the characters. And good, in that equal attention is given to the strong female leads.
Interesting, and a little different from my usual fare, and good to read (some of) Tolkien's source or inspirational material.
Also interesting, in the sense of community justice, outlaws, the running feuds (and how they're rarely forgiven), and - something I didn't know (but should have) - Iceland when first settled was somewhat (25-40%) forested. It was those damned Vikings that made it the grassy knoll we all think of today.
Anyways, from then on to my next read - Jan Harold Brunvand's "Too Good To Be True" - a compilation of Urban Legends. The same author as wrote "The Vanishing Hitchhiker", and what a change in tone!. Fortunately it's a simple read, I'm looking forward to some more substantial fare.
Six Walks in the Fictional Woods - Umberto Eco
- Details
- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Books
- Hits: 562
Lectures, in published form, on the meta of fiction, involvement of the reader, etc, etc, by Umberto Eco.
I would probably have preferred to sit in on the lectures, interesting, engaging, fortunately slim (which is why I picked it to read first).
I enjoyed, many wouldn't.
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