• When reality is surreal, only fiction can make sense of it...

    From August Abolins@2:460/256 to All on Sunday, April 24, 2022 05:53:56
    Hi All...

    When reality is surreal, only fiction can make sense of it...

    In 1353, Giovanni Boccaccio wrote The Decameron: one hundred nested tales told by a group of young men and women passing the time at a villa outside Florence while waiting out the gruesome Black Death, a plague that killed more than 25 million people. Some of the stories are silly, some are bawdy, some are like fables.

    In March 2020, the editors of The New York Times Magazine worked to create a collection of stories written just as the pandemic first swept the globe. How might new fiction from some of today's finest writers help us memorialize and understand the unimaginable? And what could be learned about how this crisis will affect the art of fiction?

    These Stories from Quarantine by twenty-nine authors vary widely in texture and tone. The work is a historical tribute to a moment unlike any other in our lifetimes, offering perspective and solace to the reader now and in the uncertain future.

    Table of Contents:
    "Preface" by Caitlin Roper
    "Introduction" by Rivka Galchen
    "Recognition" by Victor LaValle
    "A Blue Sky Like This" by Mona Awad
    "The Walk" by Kamila Shamsie
    "Tales from the LA River" by Colm T?ib?n
    "Clinical Notes" by Liz Moore
    "The Team" by Tommy Orange
    "The Rock" by Leila Slimani
    "Impatient Griselda" by Margaret Atwood
    "Under the Magnolia" by Yiyun Li
    "Outside" by Etgar Keret
    "Keepsakes" by Andrew O?Hagan
    "The Girl with the Big Red Suitcase" by Rachel Kushner
    "The Morningside" by T?a Obreht
    "Screen Time" by Alejandro Zambra
    "How We Used to Play" by Dinaw Mengestu
    "Line 19 Woodstock/Glisan" by Karen Russell
    "If Wishes Was Horses" by David Mitchell
    "Systems" by Charles Yu
    "The Perfect Travel Buddy" by Paolo Giordano
    "An Obliging Robber" by Mia Couto
    "Sleep" by Uzodinma Iweala
    "Prudent Girls" by Rivers Solomon
    "That Time at My Brother?s Wedding" by Laila Lalami
    "A Time of Death, The Death of Time" by Juli?n Fuks
    "The Cellar" by Dina Nayeri
    "Origin Story" by Matthew Baker
    "To the Wall" by Esi Edugyan
    "Barcelona: Open City" by John Wray
    "One Thing" by Edwidge Danticat

    Stories from Quarantine | Paperback
    The New York Times, Scribner | Scribner
    Fiction / Anthologies (multiple authors) / Disaster / Literary Collections / American
    Published Mar 22, 2022


    Ciao!
    /|ug (https://t.me/aabolins)

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  • From George Pope@1:153/757 to August Abolins on Sunday, April 24, 2022 13:08:06
    Hi All...
    When reality is surreal, only fiction can make sense of it...
    In 1353, Giovanni Boccaccio wrote The Decameron: one hundred nested tales told >by a group of young men and women passing the time at a villa outside Florence
    while waiting out the gruesome Black Death, a plague that killed more than 25 million people. Some of the stories are silly, some are bawdy, some are like fables.
    In March 2020, the editors of The New York Times Magazine worked to create a collection of stories written just as the pandemic first swept the globe. How might new fiction from some of today's finest writers help us memorialize and understand the unimaginable? And what could be learned about how this crisis will affect the art of fiction?

    Hmm, I''m intrigued, & looked both titles up on Z-Lib -- nada yet for either. . .:( & it didnt offer me the option to request it, as it's done for me before. Oh, well; I've put both of these on my to-read list -- I love a good sety of themed short stories.

    I found one, paperback, written by immigrants telling their stories from a subjective POV -- powerful stuff! Heartfelt & real. Here's the Z-Lib pagefor it:
    https://ca1lib.org/book/6154760/cae595

    A delightful reasd -- especi8ally the first story that'll really sdock it home to the reader about the emotional turnmoil & stresss many young immigrant women face, from whichever culture -- this just happens to be told from one.

    These Stories from Quarantine by twenty-nine authors vary widely in texture an
    tone. The work is a historical tribute to a moment unlike any other in our lifetimes, offering perspective and solace to the reader now and in the uncertain future.
    Table of Contents:
    "Preface" by Caitlin Roper
    "Introduction" by Rivka Galchen
    "Recognition" by Victor LaValle
    "A Blue Sky Like This" by Mona Awad
    "The Walk" by Kamila Shamsie
    "Tales from the LA River" by Colm T?ib?n
    "Clinical Notes" by Liz Moore
    "The Team" by Tommy Orange
    "The Rock" by Leila Slimani
    "Impatient Griselda" by Margaret Atwood
    "Under the Magnolia" by Yiyun Li
    "Outside" by Etgar Keret
    "Keepsakes" by Andrew O?Hagan
    "The Girl with the Big Red Suitcase" by Rachel Kushner
    "The Morningside" by T?a Obreht
    "Screen Time" by Alejandro Zambra
    "How We Used to Play" by Dinaw Mengestu
    "Line 19 Woodstock/Glisan" by Karen Russell
    "If Wishes Was Horses" by David Mitchell
    "Systems" by Charles Yu
    "The Perfect Travel Buddy" by Paolo Giordano
    "An Obliging Robber" by Mia Couto
    "Sleep" by Uzodinma Iweala
    "Prudent Girls" by Rivers Solomon
    "That Time at My Brother?s Wedding" by Laila Lalami
    "A Time of Death, The Death of Time" by Juli?n Fuks
    "The Cellar" by Dina Nayeri
    "Origin Story" by Matthew Baker
    "To the Wall" by Esi Edugyan
    "Barcelona: Open City" by John Wray
    "One Thing" by Edwidge Danticat
    Stories from Quarantine | Paperback

    So that be the TOC? Do you havethe Z-Lib link? is it on there yet?

    I searched the title only & set the publishing yeasr to 2022-02022, but nada matching -- lots of partial matches showed up, but not the one you're speaking of, & searching for the Decameron only broughht up a bunch of US political stuff.. .

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  • From George Pope@1:153/757 to August Abolins on Sunday, April 24, 2022 13:15:58
    Hi All...
    When reality is surreal, only fiction can make sense of it...
    In 1353, Giovanni Boccaccio wrote The Decameron: one hundred nested tales told >by a group of young men and women passing the time at a villa outside Florence
    while waiting out the gruesome Black Death, a plague that killed more than 25 million people. Some of the stories are silly, some are bawdy, some are like fables.

    Hmm, any idea why it's called the "Decameron"(based on Grrco-Roman root for "ten")?

    Your original subject is correct -- I love reading fiction to learn of a subject, place, era, or event.. . it makes it more real to me, t lidsten in on the thoughhts of those who were there.

    Along with your orighinal subject, above, goes the line: "Every book is an autobiography."; I fully believe this, & have learned much of authors by reading their oeuvre from starty to current (or end, if deceased, discarding those ghost-written because,. . greedy publishers. . )

    Like I recognize Stephen King in my own childhood experiences; I fully believe he experienced cruel(way beyond normal grade school hijinks) bullying.

    I wrote a story at 10yo that in retrospect was so very King-esque & I'd never heard of him (this was 3 years before "Carrie") - creepy/freaky. . .

    Inew was far mnore grasphic in its violence & gore, but then I was only ten, with zxero formal trainng in writing. (we might say I was introduced to it the year before, & took to it like a dry fish to water, but subsequent events in my life distrated me from this hobby, & it seems it's been lost (I know, deep down, this isn't truye-- but I think my tiome to reconnect with it is for later, in retirement, when I actually know some stuff worthy of writing partial autobiographies(novels)) using.




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  • From August Abolins@1:153/757.21 to George Pope on Sunday, April 24, 2022 20:18:00
    Hello George!

    ** On Sunday 24.04.22 - 13:15, you wrote to me:

    Hmm, any idea why it's called the "Decameron"(based on
    Grrco-Roman root for "ten")?

    Perhaps the "ten" refers to the 10 people:

    "100 tales told by a group of seven young women and three young
    men"

    --
    ../|ug

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  • From George Pope@1:153/757 to August Abolins on Tuesday, May 10, 2022 08:55:46
    Hello George!
    ** On Sunday 24.04.22 - 13:15, you wrote to me:
    Hmm, any idea why it's called the "Decameron"(based on
    Grrco-Roman root for "ten")?
    Perhaps the "ten" refers to the 10 people:
    "100 tales told by a group of seven young women and three young
    men"

    Whoops! Thank you; Not sure how I missed that -- normally I'm automatically adding any numbers I see.. .

    I just grabbed it from Z-Lib & sent it to my Kindle.. .

    Penguin Classics, so likely more yip-yappity filler text than actual book! :P

    I'm not doing a book report, so just let me get to the meat/story, already!

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  • From August Abolins@1:153/757.21 to George Pope on Tuesday, May 10, 2022 20:35:00
    Hello George Pope!

    ** On Tuesday 10.05.22 - 08:55, George Pope wrote to August Abolins:

    I just grabbed it from Z-Lib & sent it to my Kindle.. .

    Hope you enjoy it. It's a rollicking fun read. But it may
    depend on the translator.

    Penguin Classics, so likely more yip-yappity filler text
    than actual book! :P

    That's a good edition. It provides historical background. The
    PROLOGUE is essential reading, as that is by the author.

    But.. yeah.. there is a lot of "educational" material!


    I'm not doing a book report, so just let me get to the
    meat/story, already!

    Hope you enjoy it! My first exposure to it in my teenager
    years was a hardcover illustrated version that was left in my
    house by a guest. It was a very interesting discovery. :D

    --
    ../|ug

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