Customer Reviews:
Kudos to the Translator.......2006-02-25
Not only was this a wonderful book, but the translation was magnificent as well. Kudos to Pani Malgosia, as I called her in First Year Polish at Michigan. As I know from my many years of struggle with the language, Polish is a tough language to learn and fit lyrically into English. Doskonale!
A rare treat!.......2004-06-02
Rare is the author who can delve into the spirit of a place and breath it into life. Faulkner was one who succeeded in making his mythical Yoknapatawpha walk and talk, creating a stage for human passions grounded in some very real terra firma.
Poland's literary bad boy, Andrzek Stasiuk, has done much the same with his homeland, a very real region in South-Eastern Poland known as Galicia. This forgotten corner of Europe is the backdrop for Stasiuk's melancholy work. Whether a novel or a mosaic of prose poems, it is hard to tell, but throughout the 15 tales, Stasiuk weaves a rich tapestry from the poignant and often brutish lives of one village's inhabitants. Each tale mirrors the bleak tragedy and faint hope of some of the villages' more 'colorful' characters. Whether its the quiet gypsy and his three-wheeled junk-filled bicycle, the resigned sheriff, the near-insane loggers who slave themselves to death only to throw away their pitiful wages on vodka and more vodka, or the menagerie of the local pub, Stasiuk's characters provide a peek into the freak-show world of post-communist Poland. More than anything, 'Tales of Galicia' shows the painful reality of what has happened with those unable to cope with the pace of a freer, more materialistic, Iron Curtain-less Eastern Europe. But Stasiuk wisely avoids the pitfalls of sociology. His 'place' and 'people' speak of universal follies and foibles.
Like in his previous work, 'The White Raven,' the main character--if there is one--is a murderer. A seemingly normal pig butcher who calmly slits the throat of his wife's lover. Stasiuk never moralizes. He merely paints a picture of what is. His characters are simple people driven to extremes through their pitiful circumstances.
After the murderer's premature death in the local prison, he sneaks back (now a spirit) to his native village where he interacts with the living, not quite knowing which world is the better. Like some ethereal guide from the other world, he pities those still left to suffer their days through a hopeless existence. He eventually makes himself known to a precious few, demanding his tarnished name be set right. The last tale ends with the skeptical sheriff confronting the burnt-out local priest with the murderer's last request.
With his resurrected main character, Stasiuk paints a stark picture of a world where the dead commune daily with the living, where the past mingles amidst the present. In a way, Stasiuk has retraced those steps found in another work of Slavic genius, 'Dead Souls,' whose echoes can be heard everywhere in 'Tales.' Yet, Stasiuk also has much in common with his peers across the Atlantic. His portrayal of tough people imprisoned in a tough environment is reminiscent of Richard Ford or Pam Houston's short stories.
For those who love their literary 'places,' Stasiuk's Galician mountains will envelop the reader in their piney arms. Sometimes a little difficult to follow---character motivation tends to evaporate in the mountain mist---this work is a fascinating escape into a world well off the beaten path. The earthy, primeval language of Stasiuk carries over well into English thanks to the sterling work of translator, Margarita Nafpaktitis, and makes for a rare treat well worth the read!
Wonderful Translator.......2004-02-10
Margarita Nafpaktitis, the translator of this book, was my English teacher last year at the University of Michigan. She was the best English teacher I've ever had; her class was fantastic. She is very intelligent and has done a great job translating this work.
best book ever, dawg.......2003-11-20
such a strange and beautiful novel in stories. Andrzej is the man. that's all I got to say.
Average customer rating:
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Mishka, Pishka, & Fishka, and other Galician tales
Eric A Kimmel
Manufacturer: Coward, McCann & Geoghegan
ProductGroup: Book
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ASIN: 0698306228 |
Book Description
This digital document is an article from The Review of Contemporary Fiction, published by Review of Contemporary Fiction on September 22, 2003. The length of the article is 322 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Andrzej Stasiuk. Tales of Galicia.(Book Review)(Brief Review)
Author: Michael Pinker
Publication:
The Review of Contemporary Fiction (Refereed)
Date: September 22, 2003
Publisher: Review of Contemporary Fiction
Volume: 23
Issue: 3
Page: 123(2)
Article Type: Book Review, Brief Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This digital document is an article from World Literature Today, published by University of Oklahoma on May 1, 2004. The length of the article is 524 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Andrzej Stasiuk. Tales of Galicia.(Book Review)
Author: Jerzy R. Krzyzanowski
Publication:
World Literature Today (Refereed)
Date: May 1, 2004
Publisher: University of Oklahoma
Volume: 78
Issue: 2
Page: 90(2)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Average customer rating:
- The Saxon Shore: Arthur's Beginnings
- Review
- Even worse than Whyte's previous efforts
- Superb writing
- Very ordinary
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The Saxon Shore (The Camulod Chronicles, Book 4)
Jack Whyte
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Similar Items:
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The Eagles' Brood (The Camulod Chronicles, Book 3)
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The Fort at River's Bend (The Camulod Chronicles, Book 5)
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The Sorcerer: Metamorphosis (The Camulod Chronicles, Book 6)
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The Singing Sword (The Camulod Chronicles, Book 2)
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Uther (The Camulod Chronicles, Book 7)
ASIN: 0812544161 |
Book Description
Merlyn Britannicus and Uther Pendragon--The Silver Bear and The Red Dragon--are the leaders of the Colony, lifeblood to the community from which will come the fabled Camulod.
But soon their tranquility is in ruins, Uther lies dead following treachery...and all that is left of the dream is the orphaned babe Arthur. Heir to the Colony of Camulod, born with Roman heritage, as well as the royal blood of the Hibernians and the Celts, Arthur is the living incarnation of the sacred dream of his ancestors: independent survival in Britain amidst the ruins of the Roman Empire.
When Arthur is adopted by his cousin, Caius Merlyn Britannicus, an enormous responsibility is placed upon Merlyn's shoulders. Now he must prepare young Arthur to unify the clans of Britain and guard the mighty sword Excalibur, crafted by his great uncle Publius Varrus. Above all, Merlyn must see that Arthur survives to achieve his ancestors' dreams--in spite of the deadly threats rumbling from the Saxon Shore.
Customer Reviews:
The Saxon Shore: Arthur's Beginnings.......2006-01-16
The Camulod series, ably written by Jack Whyte, covers the 5th century in Britain. His research into the relatively unknown aspects of life in early Britain is evident in many ways.
This is the 4th book in the series of 6-so far:), and finally meshes all the elements together that bring Arthur into his place in history. Here Whyte excels in a manner few can, without being redundant, or edging towards fantasy. For these books are not of that genre, but an honest attempt at creating a plausible background for the legend of Arthur of Camulod.
In the Eagles Brood, the last book, we found Merlyn riding towards Uther with the intent to kill him. Merlyn had long suspected Uther of one other heinous crime and now believed him responsible for the murder of his beloved wife Dierdre, and his unborn child.
As he pauses on a high bluff overlooking a beach, he sees what he believes is Uther, raping and ultimately killing a woman, before he can reach him. What he finds is quite shocking, and ends with Merlyn hearing a new born baby nearby. Hoping to escape any further danger, he hears the crying infant floating away in the coracle, and in a desperate attempt to save him ,swims frantically to the coracle and heaves himself over the side, and beholds Arthur, future High King of Britain.. The Saxon Shore finds both of them drifting helplessly out to sea. By now, he is already fully realizing just who and what this baby is-Arthur, the future High King of Britain. He makes a vow to dedicate his life to the rearing of this tiny babe into adulthood. But the secret of the boys lineage must be closely held, for in the wrong hands, murder would ensue.
Rescue, though very dicey at first, comes from unknown Gaelic hands. Without giving away major plotlines here, it can only have been fate that brought them together. For far from being strangers, these are some of Arthurs own.
Whyte's knowledge of smithing in those times, and the ancient craft of swordmaking is awesome. Through the first books, we see the origins of the sword Excalibur, and why it must be kept secret and in trust for the right man. Whyte creates a beautiful scenario for the Sword In The Stone of legends here.
The extensive scholarship into the existing tribes who inhabited early Britain, along with the hand drawn maps, show just how much research Whyte put into creating these books. Yet they are never dull, and the characters are all crisply individual and very believable.
Camulod itself, created by Merlyn's grandfather Caius Brittannicus, his father Picus Brittanicus, and his uncle Publius Varrus is modelled on the old Roman republic, where all worked together and fought only for the good of one another. Having sustained a massive head wound, Merlyn for two years has had no memory of any of the Colony's beginnings. When he recovers it, in the Eagle's Brood, he has yet to discover how badly things are slipping in his beloved home.
After being released by his Gaelic captors, who are holding the "babby" hostage, until Merlyn brings Doneuil, King Athol's son home, he heads for Camulod. Donueil, captured 4 or 5 years prior, during a raid upon Camulod, has become a close friend and ally of Merlyn. It is Donueil's sister, thought long dead, whom Merlyn had married. And it is Donueil's other sister Ygraine whom Lot of Cornwall had married.
In the savage and long wars against Lot, many lives have been lost, and Ygraine fleeing Lot, runs straight into Uther and his bed. Out of this joining comes Arthur.
Though this is a long book, it rarely lacks interest. The military actions are all expertly depicted, holding the readers interest, due to the colorful and lively dialogue.
The constant incursions by roaming invaders, some, like the Saxons, simply seeking land to settle on peacefully, others simply to destroy, show Whyte's understanding of the duality of need vs greed. There is treachery, envy and intrigue enough in The Saxon Shore to keep you turning pages well into the night.
The seeds of Merlyn the Wizard, built so carefully through the earlier books, are fully realized in this one. Much of the legend was founded simply on Merlyn's ability to think quickly on his feet. But now we see that the prophetic dreams, along with Merlyn's acquistion of some assassins tools build his reputation to the point, that even those that know him well, by the end of the book, fear him.
This is one of the most intelligent interpretations of the Arthurian legend I have had the pleasure to read. It coheres without resorting to trickery or magic, but instead by utilizing historical fact, a much more human solution is found.
To really get maximum enjoyment from this book, I recommend starting with the first book: The Skystone, and reading them all before picking this one up. They are so readable, and entertaining, I promise you won't regret one moment spent in reading them.
Review.......2005-05-05
Jack WHyte has done it again. Another adventures addition to the Camulod Chronicals. Whyte's style of writting has made every page interesting to read. With ongoing adventures for the young Arthur, a leave from the colony is a must. This story of Arthur keeps getting better with each book.
Even worse than Whyte's previous efforts.......2003-09-15
If you liked Whyte's previous sophomoric efforts, you'll love this. In addition to being the same dumb, hackneyed story lines and stock characters we are used to from the previous books, this one has the additional feeling of being pure filler: in no real way does the story get advanced. Arthur begins as a baby, and ends as a small boy. There are adventures, but nothing important happens. As usual, in Whyte's books, the bad guys are left alive so they can sneak up and do new evil, and as usual the bad guys are pure plot devices and in no way characters. With all the (totally ahistorical) democratic rhetoric, Merlin's brother shows up out of nowhere and they immediately hand him half the power in Camelot. Anyone who would read this, I guess, has already read the previous lame offerings in this series and doesn't object to laughably boring plots which rely heavily on coincidence, caricatures who never grow or change, and historical detail that sounds like it comes from a museum brochure rather than any real scholarship. So go for it. But please, if you want something exciting that will also make you think, look at the really good Arthurian efforts out there--Gillian Brandshaw, A.A. Attanasio, or Barbara Taylor Bradford to name just a very few...
Superb writing.......2003-03-26
To get the full power of the Camaloud Cronicles, you must start from the beginning (The Skystone) and read them all in sequence. Wonderfull tale!
Very ordinary.......2002-07-25
I'm astounded by those who rate this book five stars. Whyte has created an interesting approach to the Arthurian legend in placing it within a remnant of Roman Britain but the writing is at best ordinary and, at least this particular book, needs significant editing. (At over 700 pages this one just drags on and on.)
I keep reading the series because I enjoy variations on the legend and Whyte may have created something more historically "accurate" than any of the other authors but I don't recommend The Saxon Shore to anyone other than Arthur junkies. Certainly reviews here that claim this is five star literature are overblown.
Book Description
Although the exact dates of construction of the so-called Saxon Shore forts are uncertain, the development of the frontier system that ran form the Wash to the Solent on the south-east coast of Roman Britain was spread over at least a century and a half. Many of the new forts were notable for the superior strength of their defences, with thicker stone walls bristling with projecting curved bastions. These and other features were clearly designed to them more difficult to storm than old-style frontier forts with their classic playing-card shape and internal towers. Defense earlier in the Roman era had meant aggressive response in the open field or even offensive pre-emptive strikes into enemy territory. The new trend was to build stronger, the emphasis being on solid, more static defense, anticipating attack and absorbing it rather than going out to meet it. Most of the major harbours and estuaries of the east and south-east coasts of Britain were fortified in this manner. There was a similar series of military installations across the Channel in Gaul, extending along the northern coast as far as what is now Brittany.
Whatever their precise tactical and strategic function, a continuing debate to which this book contributes, the construction of these stone forts represented a huge outlay of money, and commitment of manpower and materials. The Saxon Shore Forts are among the most impressive surviving monuments of Roman Britain. This book addresses a number ofthe fascinating questions they provoke - Who built these Forts? When and for what purposes? How were they built? How did they operate? Who garrisoned them, and for how long?
Customer Reviews:
Saxon Shore.......2007-06-28
The typical Osprey title, concise, well-written, well-researched, and interesting. It is supplemented by excellent full-color plates depicting the fortifications themselves, and their soldiers in combat or on civilian duty.
Excellent short book on the Saxon Shore.......2007-05-13
This is a very well written, scholarly (although short) book on the Saxon Shore forts of Roman Britain that fills a gap in the literature nicely. It is beautifully printed, has many useful maps, illustrations and photos, and has a nice bibliography. Some of the books in this series are rather lightweight; I am happy to report that this one is much better than average for the Osprey series.
A technical survey of the design, history and technology.......2007-04-10
Nic Fields' ROME'S SAXON SHORE: COASTAL DEFENCES OF ROMAN BRITAIN AD 250-500 provides a technical survey of the design, history and technology of key fortresses and defensive systems of early Roman Britain, making it a pick for military collections and libraries strong in early history. The 'Saxon Shore' forts of Britain are among the most impressive monuments of the Roman occupation of the British Isles: their ruins are part of today's British landscape and their history is surveyed here with maps, photos and black and white and color illustration throughout.
The Saxon shore, what's that?.......2007-01-04
Osprey keeps pumping out titles for history lovers everywhere. This is a concise, and easy to follow narrative of the defenses of Eastern Britian through the Arthurian period. Great illustrations as per usual, and brief time line make it quick study for Roman history buffs.
Average customer rating:
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Four Months of Darkness
Saxon Shore Cdrede Btv057
Manufacturer: REDEYE DISTRIBUTION
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD
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ASIN: 6307805471 |
Customer Reviews:
Good book, despite racist-sounding title.......2002-06-12
This book is a reprint of a work originally published in 1906. Hence the terribly un-PC title.
But in spite of the passage of nearly a century, this book is a pretty solid piece of scholarship which holds up remarkably well for its age.
Discussing not only archaeological findings, but also exhibiting an extremely thorough knowledge of linguistics and cultural studies as well as classic texts such as the Saxo Grammaticus and Tacitus's Germania, Shore weaves them all together to provide an intriguing discussion of just who Britain's conquerors and colonizers in the mid-5th century consisted of.
Presenting a refreshingly original perspective, he discusses not only the Angles and Saxons about whom we usually hear so much and their less oft-mentioned compatriots the Jutes, but even presents fascinating evidence which points to the widespread participation in the settlement of England of the Frisians and the western Slavs (who he refers to by their Germanic apellation of "Wends"), as well as mysterious traces which hint at some sort of possible Finnish contacts as well.
The book is dated a bit by certain sections which discuss various skulls and their various European racial "types" as was the vogue in pre-WWII anthropological literature.
Nevertheless, this is still a noteworthy work which presents valuable and thought-provoking information which I have never seen elsewhere. It is a pity that other subsequent researchers in this field seem not to have followed up on this work and delved further into the investigation of the possible participation of other peoples presented here, and sought to find further evidence proving or disproving it.
Average customer rating:
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Roman Fortifications on the "Saxon Shore"
Dept.of Environment
Manufacturer: Stationery Office Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0116703407 |
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