Random books from zerkalo's library

De la séduction by Jean Baudrillard

De vernuftige edelman Don Quichot van La Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes

Tussen iemand en niemand - Essays by Joseph Brodsky

Ex Ponto by Joseph Brodsky

Dode zielen of de lotgevallen van Tjitsjikow by Nikolaj Gogol

Mein Name sei Gantenbein by Max Frisch

The Unknown Modigliani: Drawings from the Collection of Paul Alexandre by Noel Alexandre (editor)

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Friends: benwaugh, gust, Himmelkoemov

Interesting libraries: almigwin, artelsj, Autodafe, brusselsbook, Cinematheque, CJHanson, conceptbooks, cowpeace, deklerk, EdS, enzonen, existanai, gust, Himmelkoemov, Himmelkoemovwishes, jwhenderson, notemieke, peterdj, plumpesdenken, pomonomo2003, q_and_a, razorsoccam, razorsoccamremembers, s.e.c., Steven_VI

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Member: zerkalo

CollectionsYour library (634), Currently reading (5), To read (59), All collections (634)

Reviews111 reviews

Tagsfiction (222), classic (106), german literature (100), nobel prize (94), memoirs (74), privé-domein (63), 20th century (55), autobiography (50), russian literature (50), flemish literature (47) — see all tags

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Favorite authorsAnna Akhmatova, Herwig Arts, Hans Boland, Heinrich Böll, Hermann Broch, Joseph Brodsky, Mikhail Bulgakov, Albert Camus, Elias Canetti, J. M. Coetzee, Alfred Döblin, Ilya Ehrenburg, Willem Elsschot, Orlando Figes, Claire Goll, Günter Grass, Hermann Hesse, Marcel Jouhandeau, Ernst Jünger, Wim Kayzer, Daniil Kharms, György Konrád, Geert Mak, Curzio Malaparte, Osip Mandelštam, Nadezhda Mandelstam, Golo Mann, Klaus Mann, Thomas Mann, Czesław Miłosz, Heiner Müller, Charlotte Mutsaers, Vladimir Nabokov, Orhan Pamuk, Konstantin Paustovsky, Edgar Reitz, Karel van het Reve, José Saramago, Clem Schouwenaars, Bruno Schulz, W. G. Sebald, Jorge Semprún, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Botho Strauss, Italo Svevo, Wislawa Szymborska, Andrey Tarkovsky, Geert van Istendael, Stefan Zweig (Shared favorites)

Favorite bookstoresantiquariaat Diogenes, antiquariaat Oorlog en Vrede, boekhandel De Reyghere, boekhandel Raaklijn, De Slegte Brugge, Fnac Brugge, In Den Eenhoorn, Poeziecentrum Gent

Favorite librariesOpenbare Bibliotheek Brugge "de Biekorf", Openbare Bibliotheek Gent

Other favoritesDamme Boekendorp

About meMy user name ZERKALO is the russian word for "mirror".
It is equally the name of the mesmerizing film by Andreï Tarkovski (Mosfilm,1974).

I appreciate being contacted on literature matters, especially
some positive and challenging feedback on the "teneur" of past reviews I've made, though feel free to head to your own topics of interest as well. I promise to give in due time comments on any matter in any language I'm competent responding. If it should occur you don't read dutch, I would not bother.

I often wished that I had clear, For life, six hundred pounds a year; A handsome house to lodge a friend; A river at my garden's end.

Jonathan Swift (1667-1745).

.

Ik ben geen

Ik ben geen bezitter van de waarheid en wil het ook niet zijn.

Dwalen langs de randen van de ketterij past mij uitstekend.

Om datgene te vermijden wat men de rust van het geloof noemt,
maar wat eenvoudig zelfvoldaanheid is.

Mijn Poolse geloofsgenoten hielden van de woorden van het kerkritueel,
maar hielden niet van de theologie.

Misschien was ik als een monnik in een klooster midden in het bos,
die kijkend door het raam naar de overstromende rivier
zijn traktaat schreef in het Latijn, een taal die onbegrijpelijk was
voor de in schaapsvacht gehulde dorpelingen.

En wat een grap om tussen de scheve schuttingen van een stadje,
waar midden op de stoffige straat de kippen scharrelen,
over de esthetiek van Baudelaire te delibereren!

Gewend om de Moeder Gods om hulp te verzoeken,
kon ik haar nauwelijks herkennen
in de Godheid die verheven was tot altaargoud.

Czeslaw Milosz - Theologisch traktaat, vertaald door Gerard Rasch; uitgeverij Atlas - A'dam/A'pen. 2006; pagina 9.

.

About my libraryWork in progress.This virtual library reflects all books which I have read so far and consider as valuable, along with some I definitely want to read. I believe in slow reading. Also, I have a preference for ego-documents.
Although my knowledge of english, german and french is sufficient, I mostly prefer to read and review books in dutch, simply out of ease. Yet, as we live in a rather small linguistic community, a dutch reader is now and then forced to embrace other languages, because some items of his interest are not available in his own language.
Ratings: everything rated 4 1/2 and 5 stars is exceptional to my taste, however if a work is rated under 3 stars, I find it mediocre or bad, but this happens not too often, for I mostly know what kind of literature I'm heading for.

Photo on this page: Still from "The mirror/zerkalo" - a film by Andreï Tarkovski.