#russian library

[factoidfactory]

Random Fact #3,219

Library cats aren’t a new trend.

Cats have been a common part of libraries for longer than books have (the first library cats were in the library of Alexandria).

^ This is Kuzya, a Russian library cat. He has to wear a bowtie because he was promoted to Library Assistant and employees who hold that position need to look spiffy on the job. (No, really.)

[kaggsy59]

"I'm not on good terms with the present day, but posterity loves me." #SigizmundKrzhizhanovsky @ColumbiaUP @RusLibrary #ReadIndies

For our #ReadIndies a year ago, I was delighted to be able to revisit one of my favourite authors in translation, Sigizmund Krzhizhanovsky. I think I’ve written about everything of his which has been translated into English, mainly in volumes from NYRB Classics, translated by the wonderful Joanne Turnbull with Nikolai Formazov, and his writing is truly unique. However, in 2022 Columbia University…

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[kaggsy59]

"…his heart had opened, awakened for a long time to come." @ColumbiaUP @RusLibrary #homewardfromheaven @Bryan_S_K

“…his heart had opened, awakened for a long time to come.” @ColumbiaUP @RusLibrary #homewardfromheaven @Bryan_S_K

An imprint I always follow with interest is the Russian Library arm of Columbia University Press. They’ve released all manner of wonderful titles, many of which I’ve covered here on the Ramblings; and so I was intrigued when I saw they were issuing a work by an author new to me, Boris Poplavsky. “Homeward from Heaven” was his final work, considered his masterpiece, and here it’s translated by…

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[kaggsy59]

"The soul looks to art to protect it from the mind…" #SigizmundKrzhizhanovsky @ColumbiaUP @RusLibrary

“The soul looks to art to protect it from the mind…” #SigizmundKrzhizhanovsky @ColumbiaUP @RusLibrary

There was high excitement at the Ramblings when I learned that Columbia University Press was bringing out a collection of Sigizmund Krzhizhanovsky‘s non-fiction writings under their Russian Library umbrella. SK is a massive favourite with me, and I’ve reviewed all of the marvellous NYRB editions of his work, along with an early collection from Glas. So it was a given that I’d want to read this,…

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[danielafiliperodrigues]

PUNK PRINCESS, a double 7" vinyl with sound and visual collages made from readings. Russian Library, Junho 2021

SOUND COLLAGES by DISC 1 A - António Caramelo B - João Paulo Daniel DISC 2 C - Bruno Silva D - Diana Policarpo Note: The sound collages were exclusively made from the sound recordings of the initial readings, without any possibility of resorting to other external sound sources. LANGUAGE COLLAGE by Filipe Felizardo (with thanks to CRU-Dissaramas) READINGS by Filipe Felizardo, Muyassar Kurdi, Isobel Atacus, Dayana Lucas, Nuno Marques Pinto, Diana Combo, Vasco Macedo, Mário Mar, Anna Piosik, Filipa Cordeiro, June Nash, Daniela Rodrigues, Violeta Lisboa, Fernando Ramalho, João Catarino, Bruno Humberto, Marta Ângela, Afonso Mota, Diana Policarpo, João Desmarques The readings were recorded in the spring of 2020 The collages were made in the summer and fall of 2020 Cover Design by João Paulo Daniel Lathe Cut by Lisbon Vinyl Cutters Russian Library 2021 Nota: Numa primeira fase convidaram-se os seguintes vinte leitores a ler excertos, da sua autoria ou não, e a gravá-los da forma que lhes fosse mais conveniente - Afonso Mota (Alberto Pimenta), Ana Piosik (poema polaco), Bruno Humberto (texto do próprio), Daniela Rodrigues (Cristina Morales), Dayana Lucas (Julio Cortázar e René Char), Diana Combo (Francisco Madrid), Diana Policarpo (Audre Lorde), Fernando Ramalho (Ana Hatherly), Filipa Cordeiro (Rumi e um poema da própria), Filipe Felizardo (Thomas Metzinger), Isobel Acatus (texto da própria), João Catarino (Friedrich Nietzsche), João Desmarques (Fiódor Dostoiévski), June Nash (texto da própria), Mário Mar (Heiner Müller), Marta Ângela (textos da própria), Muyassar Kurdi (Steve Dalachinsky), Nuno Marques Pinto (Henri Michaux e João Saboga), Vasco Macedo (texto do próprio) e Violeta Lisboa (I Ching). Numa segunda fase, os vinte leitores foram divididos em dois grupos e, após algumas permutações, formaram-se quatro grupos distintos, cada um contendo registos sonoros de dez leitores, que constituíram a base para as colagens sonoras da responsabilidade de António Caramelo, Bruno Silva, Diana Policarpo e João Paulo Daniel - com uma única premissa: todo o material sonoro criado teria que ser obtido exclusivamente a partir dos registos das leituras iniciais, sem qualquer possibilidade de recurso a outras fontes sonoras exteriores, embora com total liberdade de interpretação e manipulação desse material sonoro.                    

Ouvir aqui; ler crítica aqui.

[kaggsy59]

"But that's not my point" #WITMonth #Klotsvog21 @RusLibrary @ColumbiaUP @Rustransdark

“But that’s not my point” #WITMonth #Klotsvog21 @RusLibrary @ColumbiaUP @Rustransdark

Having already read several books for WIT, I hadn’t necessarily intended to pick up another one. However, the best laid plans… Earlier in the year, I took part in a Twitter readalong of Olga Zilberbourg’s “Like Water and Other Stories” which was co-ordinated by the lovely Reem (Paper Pills) @ReemK10. She’s indefatigable when it comes to organising these events and when she announced one for this…

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[kaggsy59]

"...great acts of violence are covered up as legitimate acts of war..." @ColumbiaUP @RusLibrary

“…great acts of violence are covered up as legitimate acts of war…” @ColumbiaUP @RusLibrary

Today on the Ramblings sees a return to one of my favourite types of reading matter – something Russian! It’s been a little while since anything from that country graced the blog (well, a week since I directed you to Shiny New Books!), and I always fear dipping into RRD (Russian Reading Deficiency…) Fortunately, one particular publisher is always on hand to help rectify that – the very wonderful…

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[kaggsy59]

“Can any man remain in Moscow without softening of the brain…” #woefromwit # alexandergriboedov @RusLibrary

Woe from Wit by Alexander Griboedov Translated by Betsy Hulick

Back in 2018, I reviewed a fascinating book for Shiny New Books called Death of the Vazir-Mukhtar by Yuri Tynianov. That book was a fictionalised retelling of the life of an intriguing Russian author Alexander Griboedov; a friend and contemporary of Pushkin, he’s probably best known for his play, “Woe from Wit”. So when I heard the…

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