Ataraxia

  The German Refugee by Bernard Malamud   This is an excellent story, which was to be expected. Bernard Malamud is the author of a novel, The Assistant, included in the TIME Top 100 best books. I have read about a quarter of The Assistant and realized that I love it so much, that I want to prolong the pleasure, so it is now on standby. The German Refugee could have been a case where I come with expectations and get disappointed. However, I started reading without being attentive to the author, this being a short story, it is included together with a few others I have not enjoyed so much, even if collected under the name Best American Short Stories. The German refugee could (should?) have been named the Jewish refugee, since the hero is Jewish and hates the Germans: “who are pigs that act like peacocks”- he is referring to the Nazi Germans, or maybe all of the Germans of that time.   This is so packed with emotions, terrible things, human strengths and values that I wonder...

  The Natural by Bernard Malamud The fourth superb novel by an amazing author that I am grateful that I could read- 11 out of 10   This is the fourth masterpiece by Bernard Malamud that I enjoy. What a fabulous writer, that I knew nothing about only a few months ago. I can only hope that I Stumble Upon Happiness again by finding writers that are as good as Bernard Malamud. The strange thing is that I had doubts regarding The Natural, concerning first of all the subject of the novel. In subsidiary, there was probably a worry that after a series of three fantastic works, the fourth might not be on the same level. But the fact that The Natural deals with baseball was the main drawback in my perspective, as a man with no knowledge of the game. -            How will I cope with a work that talks about third base, strike and so on? There was a misfire, as I started reading under the worst auspices. The book was abandoned after about ...

  The Fixer by Bernard Malamud Exceptional, meaningful masterpiece that will stay vivid in the memory of the reader – 10 out of 10   After reading The Assistant it should come as no surprise that Bernard Malamud can create a masterpiece that may take your breath away at times. The drama of The Fixer is so compelling that it will stay with you forever, unless you do not care about others and their suffering. It is difficult to say how or why but I had a feeling that something wrong will happen to Yakov Bok or the fixer as he will be called throughout the book. It may come back to The Assistant, the book that has propelled Bernard Malamud among my top favorites, which has its share of tragedy. It is a miraculous gift that this marvelous writer has, to make the reader so intimate and attached to main characters that not only seem common, but even worse. Both Frank and Yakov have quite a few shortcomings, with the first stealing and even getting involved in a hold up and the latte...

  Nostromo by Joseph Conrad is on most of the important lists: Bokklubben World Library’s Best 100 Novels of All Time, The Modern Library 100 Best Novels of the 20 th Century, The 1,000 Novels Everyone Must Read, and it is ranked 283 rd on The Greatest Books of All time site, alas, it does not make it among my Top Favorites – you find thousands of reviews of magnum opera from the aforementioned and other compilations on my blog https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2025/09/do-you-have-any-feedback.html and YouTube channel   7 out of 10   I have read a few books by Joseph Conrad, who was one of the greatest authors https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2025/07/under-western-eyes-by-joseph-conrad.html of all time, it is even more amazing that English was his third language, and yet, he is acclaimed for four, or five oeuvres on the lists of best works   That notwithstanding, I did have some mixed encounters, if Heart of Darkness was impressive and pleased ev...

  Note 2 on Comedii La Portile Orientului by Andrei Plesu | realini

  Obscenitatea Publica by Andrei Plesu   I should feel very uneasy writing about Andrei Plesu. I remember one his texts where he is very tough on people like me, who have no qualms about writing, without the proper “expertise”, training, background and…verb. He is probably right in condemning this explosion of expression, wherever, whenever and especially not called for. Albeit he was referring in particular to those who comment at the bottom of newspaper articles, anonymous insulters, using hate speech to pour venin in the public space, I do understand that there is a limit to what a pygmy like me can hope to obtain when facing a giant, like the author of this book.   For many years, Andrei Plesu had been the most beautiful mind, the Plato of Romania, the philosopher king we so much needed, a witty, charming, genius of a man. With an extraordinary speech and flamboyant bow tie-cravattes, he represented the NEC plus ultra of the intellectual world.   And all of a sud...