Thursday, December 17, 2020

The Evenings


The Evenings is the 1947 debut novel of Dutch author Gerard Reve. I didn't expect it, but I found this one of the most encouraging books I've read in years. from Wikipedia:
The novel describes ten evenings out of the life of the 23-year-old office clerk Frits van Egters living in Amsterdam. It is partitioned into ten chapters, of which each describes an evening between 22 and 31 December 1946. The novel was written very shortly after World War II. Though the war itself is hardly mentioned, the story gives, by describing an individual's experiences, a detailed description of contemporary post-war society...

from the back of the book:
Twnty-three-year-old Fritz -office worker,daydreamer, teller of inappropriate jokes- finds life absurd and inexplicable. He lives with his parents, who drive him mad. He has terrible, disturbing dreams of death and destruction. Sometimes he talks to a toy rabbit. Darkly funny and mesmerizing, The Evenings takes the tiny quotidian triumphs and heartbreaks of our everyday lives and turns them into a work of brilliant wit and profound beauty.
The Guardian calls it a masterpiece. The LA Review of Books concludes a positive review with this: "The Evenings earns its status as a little masterpiece — a provocative reminder that life goes on even in the bleakest of circumstances."

24 comments:

  1. sounds like a good read thanks
    Happy Thursday brrr no snow but very cold here this week in the 20s

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    1. We got down in the 20s last night. The high today is supposed to be 43. It's supposed to head up into the 50s the day after. No snow anywhere near in our forecast. I don't know whether to be happy about that or not lol

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  2. This does sound like a good book. It would be interesting to read about 10 days in the life of any of us. What would you choose? Have a good one today.

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    1. I was surprised by the book. I'm not sure what I would pick... That's a good question.

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  3. ...3 inches of snow overnight and into the low 20s.

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    1. We're expecting a high today of 52 with a low tonight of 39

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  4. That sounds like an interesting read.

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  5. New author to me: I looked him up, and he wrote a large number of novels but only a few have been translated into English. Amazing how much literature is forgotten, just because no one can read that much.

    be safe...mae at maefood.blogspot.com

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    1. I had never heard of him. I just happened across the book back in the days when I could browse used book stores. I miss those days.

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  6. Sound like a very good read. Enjoy your day, Valerie

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    1. It's sunny and warmer today, and I'm having a cup of coffee while I watch the bird feeders, so I'm enjoying the day :) I hope yours is also pleasant.

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  7. I wouldn't have picked this one up on my own, but it definitely sounds like one I need to grab for my bookcase,a dn I thank you. Happy Friyay! RO

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    1. I'm a sucker for anything labeled "masterpiece" ;)

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  8. Hmm. Sounds interesting. Oh yes, and I wanted to say I enjoyed the Amos and Andy episode. Thanks for sharing!

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    1. I'm so glad you enjoyed that video :)

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  9. I think I'd like this one a lot. Sounds like my kind of book. Stay well and happy!

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    1. Well and happy here :) I trust you are the same.

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  10. That sounds like an intriguing read. :)
    29 degrees right now here. High of 34 it says.

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    1. Brrrr! Here it's 42 with a predicted high of 46 and rain. Rain all day.

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  11. Not heard of this author, always good to find new books of interest 😊. Happy wishes! Hugs, Jo x

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    1. I just stumbled across it. I love used book stores!

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  12. If the cover of the book is any indication of what is to come, this sounds like an excellent read. I'd love to find it, but my library is still closed due to Covid-19.

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