2007 books

[peteryoung]

33) Thomas Mann, Bashan and I, 1919
Having recently 'owned' and been best mates with a samoyed named Jake, I'm all too aware that dogs have emotional and complex personalities that we are often too rushed to acknowledge. I want to start exploring this theme further in memoirs and fiction (I'll also mention here that Benji reads nothing but memoirs on dogs, in Thai). So before I inevitably get around to reading John Grogan's Marley and Me I thought I'd do well by checking out a much earlier memoir by this Nobel Laureate. Unfortunately Mann has very little to say that provides much of an insight into the inner life of his dog Bashan (almost in denial of how the book was sold to me by it's glowing blurb), Mann being more concerned with his own foibles and how Bashan fits in around his own idiosyncracies and behaviour and, remembering occasionally that he also has readers to inform, his own literary erudition – yes, it's a translated edition from 1923, but still a rather stuffy one. We learn little enough about Bashan such that I think Mann failed to do his loyal and devoted subject any justice at all, at least by modern expectations. A poor start, but I'll keep looking.

Comments

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

Mr Flying Sauce, would you mind if I imitated this style of book reviewing in my journal? I like how you have a small image of the book, followed by the title, then a brief description of what you thought of it.

[peteyoung.livejournal.com]

Of course I wouldn't mind! Several people on my friends list do something similar with their books, movies and music.

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

Great. :-)

[voidampersand.livejournal.com]

If you haven't read it, I would highly recommend The Dog Who Wouldn't Be. A wonderful book about an incredibly talented and funny dog. It has several of the most amazing dog stories ever, all true.

[peteyoung.livejournal.com]

Thanks Tom, that's one Farley Mowat book I'd not heard of.

And I guess I have neglected to tell you...

[godelescherbach.livejournal.com]

...that Cosmo has a growth in his heart. It is causing his heart to enlarge, causing a lot of difficulty breathing. The vet has said that he has "weeks, maybe a few months"...

Re: And I guess I have neglected to tell you...

[peteyoung.livejournal.com]

So sorry to hear that, Fred. How are Laura and Liz taking it?

Re: And I guess I have neglected to tell you...

[godelescherbach.livejournal.com]

Laura does not understand it. It probably won't affect her until things go south. Liz appears to be taking it better than I, oddly enough. But then I have always been sentimental old fool about dogs.