My Russian spring (gimme some reading tips!)

[sealwhiskers]

Lately I've been trying to read some Russian/Slavic writers, since my Russian is barely existent and I am too slow a reader in Polish, I read them translated into those languages I am a completely fluent reader in, so that I can do it somewhat swiftly

Comments

[carrieb]

I read Catharine Valente's Deathless awhile ago. It is a re-telling of a Russian fairy tale written by an American married to a Russian. Maybe you would like it? I have to admit I didn't understand it at all.

Good book I just finished: Under the Light of Heaven by Guy Gavrial Kay. It's set in a fictional historical China. Good stuff, but his usually are.

[sealwhiskers]

Heh, I read Valente for the language much more than for her stories. Sometimes her gorgeous prose can be a little overloaded, but it is pretty damn fantastic. I bought "The Girl who Circumnavigated Fairyland In a Ship of her own Making" just for the incredible title. It's an Alice in Wonderland sort of story, with a hint of Coraline.
But mostly, I just read some poetry of hers once in a while, because she is best in shorter passages where you don't really have to understand everything except on some form of visceral level.

I will most certainly check out that Gavriel Kay book in the future, I have some books of his that I truly love.

[carrieb]

Guess what I'm reading right this very moment! Other than LJ. . .

The Girl who Cicumnavigated. . .

Love the language, have a hard time getting into the plot. I must say her Orphan Tales duology was probably one of the best two books I've ever read. I couldn't finish Palmpiset though.

[sealwhiskers]

Hahaha, well, I'll be damned!
Yeah, she's got the language down in abundance, but sometimes it drowns the plot. I also liked the Orphan Tales very much though. Have you tried her poetry? It takes away the issue of plot mostly, and can be read on another, more visceral level. Maybe try A Guide to Folktales in Fragile Dialects.

[pachamama]

You know she's an longtime LJ-er and former poetryslamming denizen -- I've been her LJ friend since long before she was a bestseller. yuki-onna is her handle.

[sealwhiskers]

I did know that, although she wasn't active when I joined PS. I read some of her poetry before I ever saw her books in bookstores or heard about her from outside of our old, sadly inactive community. It was through PS that I got to know of her.