Catalonia, a region in Northeast Spain, includes Barcelona. It was in the news in 2017 when it tried to become entirely independent. According to Wiki, 35% of the inhabitants speak Catalan, which evolved from the vulgar Latin of Roman conquerors. During his rule, fascist dictator Francisco Franco banned the language outside of people's homes. Upon his death, the restrictions were phased out, and the region recovered its autonomy. Salvador Dali and Joan Miro lived there, as well as Picasso during his childhood. Not surprisingly, there are Catalan authors. I'd never heard of any, so when
The Time of the Doves by Merce Rodoreda came into my possession, I decided to give it a whirl. Set in Barcelona, it is a first person account of a woman from her late teens into middle age. It is dubbed "stream of conscious," but it's an infinitely easier read than James Joyce or Virginia Woolf. Since the protagonist is not a writer but an average person, the style is unpolished, the prose often repetitive and clumsy. In this instance the artist's rigid vision detracts from the overall effect. I faced this problem regarding what I believe is my best work,
Killing, which I wanted to be completely uncompromising. It's first incarnation as an ebook featured dialogue that was 95% Brooklynese, which people found very difficult. I'm glad I eventually compromised. The dialogue is now approximately 50% Brooklynese and accessible to all. Back to the novel in question, a portrait of the bittersweet mystery of life, the frightening disconnect between individuals, even spouses and children. Unfortunately, I experienced a disconnect between the novel and me, although there were moments it almost won me. Fortunately, it is only 201 pages. The title refers to the husband's collection of birds. I suspect that aspect is a metaphor but I was unable to grasp the relationship between it and the lives of the characters. The Spanish Civil War, which took place 1936-'39, and which Franco's forces won, figures prominently, although the fighting is on the periphery. 25 users at Amazon have rated
The Time..., forging to a consensus of 4.2 on a scale of five. Obviously, many of those folks connected with it. Published in 1962, it is still selling modestly, ranked 305,000th at a site that lists more than 13 million titles. In all, Rodoreda had 13 novels and four short story collections published. She passed away in 1983 at 74. Here's a pic of her relative to the protagonist of
The Time of the Doves:
I wonder what percentage of white folks have uttered the N-word in their adult lives. I'm guilty. What percentage have thought it? I'd bet it's as high as the percentage of hip hop artists who use it.
Paris has installed new public urinals. Some natives are not pleased. Here's a pic:
A day without rain is like - really rare this summer. It was beautiful this afternoon, but it didn't help business any. My thanks to Michael, who bought another obscure paperback romance, and to the gentleman who purchased a CD the Mets put out, which features a mix of rock tracks and radio highlights of games. Special thanks to the woman who said I look younger and younger every time she sees me. How I wish it were true.
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