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Friday, November 6, 2015

The Writer's Life 11/6 - Picaresque

"Picaresque" is defined as "of or relating to an episodic style of fiction dealing with the adventures of a rough and dishonest but appealing hero." I was introduced to the genre in college in the 70's. When recently I was scouring the book donations that have piled up in my apartment, looking for something to read, I noted the term on the cover of Gentlemen of the Road by Michael Chabon, and decided to give it a go, especially since it is only 196 pages. Published in 2008, it is the amusing story of two borderline scoundrels roaming the Caucasus circa 950 AD. One is an aging African strongman, the other a brooding sort of doctor of Frankish origin. In the Afterword, the author states he originally intended the title to be Jews with Swords. The protagonists become involved in the toppling of a tyrant responsible for the slaughter of Muslims. The prose is literary, florid, which lends the narrative an authenticity of time and place. It features archaic terms such as "Mahout," a handler of elephants. It is not an easy read. The long sentences often lost me, but the novel is clearly the work of a gifted writer, the type of work expected from someone with a Masters in Fine Arts. The novel is a simple adventure for the most part, a broad depiction of life's mysteries. When the "doctor" is thanked for saving a life, he says: "I don't save lives... I just prolong their futility." A line like that will always hit home with someone like me, who sees life as a constant struggle vs. futility. Chabon has won many awards, including a Pulitzer for The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Klay (2001). He has collaborated on two screenplays and had two of his novels adapted to the screen by others: his first, The Mysteries of Pittsburgh (2008) and his second, the critically acclaimed The Wonder Boys (2000), which I hated. His older works are still selling modestly at Amazon, as is his latest. On a scale of five, I rate Gentlemen... three.  

In Blake Shelton's bit song Sangria, there is a lyric: "We've got the last two glasses on a straw hook bar..." I've been learning how to play it and have wondered, since I first read the line, what the heck is meant. As one who is rarely in a bar, I assumed it had to do with shape. It finally occurred to me to Google it, and it's actually hut, not hook, which makes perfect sense. It seems most lyrics sites have it wrong.

My thanks to today's book buyers and donors.
Vic's 5th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/okxkwh5
Vic's 4th novel: tinyurl.com/bszwlxh
Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
Vic's Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
Vic's Short Story Collection: http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tiny.cc/0iHLb Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kx3d3uf
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tinyurl.com/l84h63j
Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp
Vic's Horror Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3f

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