Ataraxia

  The Moon and Sixpence by William Somerset Maugham is ranked 2492 nd on The Greatest Books of All Time site – you have thousands of reviews of magnum opera from this and other web pages on my blog https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2025/09/do-you-have-any-feedback.html and YouTube channel, where my macaws are resplendent   8 out of 10   William Somerset Maugham https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2026/07/cakes-and-ale-by-somerset-maugham-is.html is one of my favorite authors, indeed, he used to share the number one spot with Marcel Proust, and Kingsley Amis, until the latter changed my perspective, if not completely, at least to an important degree   ‘Maugham is the only bad writer whose books you read to the end with interest, sympathy and enjoyment’ this is what Kingsley Amis wrote, there is more, some of the lines might be more appreciative, at some point, he listed books according to importance, and Maugham was there, though not in prominent plac...

  Jurnal by Monica Lovinescu – she was one of the most important intellectuals of our land, a courageous woman, she was a heroine, a dissident who deserves perpetual homage and one, or a few statues – you find thousands of reviews on my blog https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2025/09/do-you-have-any-feedback.html   9 out of 10   Monica Lovinescu was one of the crème de la crème, the group that includes Andrei Plesu https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2026/07/comedii-la-portile-orientului-by-andrei.html my number one favorite – notwithstanding that, there have been some tensions there, between the two, maybe within the circle at large   The philosopher Andrei Plesu has tried to serve the community, just like Monica Lovinescu has done, in her role of radio host, during the days of the communist regime, she was so brave to inform the public in Romania from Germany, the offices of Radio Free Europe, just as the employees were targets of the local KGB Andr...

  I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians, written and directed by Radu Jude 8 out of 10 Radu Jude has won the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival, together with many other trophies, for his acclaimed, wonderful Aferim, which is arguably better than I Do Not Care... Nonetheless, the latest creation of the talented writer-director has been met with almost universal acclaim. The motion picture has an enviable 81 out of 100 Metascore, with The Los Angeles Times giving it 90, for a 'brilliantly multi faced picture'. Variety is equally enthused by 'a film that leaves you smarter'. Indeed, who am I to argue with those and other enthusiastic experts... Although this viewer has been less elated than the above, I must admit that the feature is educational, thought provoking, accurate, complex, albeit is seems chaotic, covering too much ground with what looks like feeble forces at times. If Ioana Iacob is laudable for her efforts in the leading role of the direct...

  The Night Watch by Sarah Waters is one of The 1,000 Novels Everyone Must Read according to one critic, and I am avenged by the algorithm of The Greatest books of All Time for once- over the past weeks, we have been way out of sync – because on The GOAT this is just 7899 th , most likely where I would place it on my own list – by the way, you find thousands of reviews of magnum opera from the aforementioned and other web pages on my blog https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2025/09/do-you-have-any-feedback.html     6 out of 10   Sarah Waters https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2024/12/affinity-by-sarah-waters-is-included-on.html has three oeuvres on the list of 1,000 Novels Everyone must read, albeit Affinity is only 3115 th on The Greatest Books of All Time site, where Fingersmith is 1010 th , which may be irrelevant, what matters in this corner is where this reader stands   Alas, I did not connect with any of the three books that are allegedly ...

  Aguirre, The Wrath of God aka Der Zorn Gottes directed by Werner Herzog, with Klaus Kinski in the lead role A different version of this note and thoughts on other books are available at: -               https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEVa4_CsRStSBBDo4uJWT8BSWtTTn0N1E   and    http://realini.blogspot.ro/ This is one of the best films ever made and it is included on the TIME Magazine List of Best 100 Movies It was filmed in extreme circumstances and the director Werner Herzog gives some details in a documentary about His Dear Friend. Klaus Kinski, who plays the lead role in Aguirre was a fascinating and disturbed man. I will return to the subject later. But Don Lope de Aguirre is also an adventurous man, with many psychological issues. Klaus Kinski could have gone wild and perorate with emphatic gusto. But he keeps everything under control, even when he does get worked up. From th...

  In Intimitatea Secolului 19 by Ioana Parvulescu is an excellent book – you find thousands of reviews on my blog https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2025/09/do-you-have-any-feedback.html and YouTube channel   10 out of 10   Ioana Parvulescu is most likely the most important female luminary in our land, and she would be able to ‘compete’ with any intellectual elsewhere, this work is a proof of her talent, she brings readers in The Intimacy of The Nineteenth Century, which would be the approximate, maybe even the correct translation of the title   She has worked at Humanitas https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2025/10/sebastian-mon-frerescrisoare-catre-un.html and she is one of the national elites, along Gabriel Liiceanu, Andrei Plesu, she is a professor of Romanian Literature at the University, she had been an editor at Romania Literara, and…I used to see her often Which means she most likely lives downtown, anyway, the University is there, just like ...