Ohhh, a bread machine, that sounds so awesome! I hope you enjoy all the delicious bread! :D
I read somewhere that one of the reasons why "Imre" is hard to find is (apart from it being privately printed, like you said) that many copies of it were destroyed in an eartquake that happened in Italy a while after it was published (ironically, a natural tragedy is the fake reason EP-S previously used for his fake cartomancy book being so obscure ;) so I like to think he would have found this turn of events somewhat funny!)
It really is very much of its time, I agree! Some of his ideas are kind of dated and I side-eye them. I feel the same about his pro-homosexuality treaty, which is basically a long, non-fiction version of the themes of "Imre". It's dull and heavy reading at times, but it also has some surprisingly current views, like mentioning same-sex marriage and saying that the Bible actually never condemned homosexuality (which makes me think about that bit in "Imre" when Oswald quotes a verse from the book of Ruth that is very frequently used for wedding vows--as a queer person who grew up in a Catholic culture, I think it's so validating and vindicating and comforting, and I like to think EP-S totally did it on purpose to spite the haters/homophobes! I love him, what a badass!)
But I got sidetracked, sorry, haha... I still think "Imre" is a very unique book. I like its choices of epigraphs and chapter titles and even if it's so short, it's just so poignant, and unapologetic in its idea of happiness being deserved and fully possible! <3
When I first read it, I definitely felt like it could have been more substantial and plotty (I wanted more of this story and its happy ending!) but I've also come to appreciate it exactly as it is. I totally understand the ideas of masks and shadows and hiding behind fancy terms as a way of detaching yourself/staying safe, so while the way he writes is totally of its time, the idea is still (sadly) relevant today, and I get the feeling that he also means something by not saying what he doesn't say. The thinly-veiled Budapest, the made-up myth about the Z. cousins, and even EPS hiding himself behind a pseudonym (or two, if you count Oswald, as being his alter-ego) and yes, that bridge, OMG what an image! <3 I feel this novel is a sort of liminal space, in which what isn't said has as much weight as what is actually said, but after a moment of uncertainty and suspension between both (literally over water, ha!) there is a happy transition and a balance.
Also I find it fascinating from a language/geography point of view, and what it means in the context of LGBT characters. Oswald is British, Imre is Hungarian, they can't speak each other's languages, so they need to find a common ground, to create a new way/bridge of communication, which is obviously veiled and hesitant and careful at first, which makes the developing trust and the "silence in intimacy" so lovely to read about! Neither of them is an especially rooted character at first, but at the end of the novel, I always feel a sense of an unlikely but very much deserved end of the quest/homecoming shining through! <3 Also, I am weak for characters who have closed up themselves and their feelings because of past, sad experiences finding happiness eventually--it's just so comforting and heartwarming! You may find this funny, but when I first read Tfoth, Keith Windham reminded me a little bit of Lieutenant Imre, because he is also a soldier that doesn't necessarily chose to be one (Keith is way more ambitious, though!) and who keeps people at arms' length, because people are awful... until he meets someone who isn't, and changes his worldview! <3
(I love this little book a lot, can you tell?)
(Also, the whole 'intense same-gender friendship where one character's textual love interest is the other's acceptably-gendered sibling, with lots of emphases on how very similar the siblings are in appearance and personality' is literally how they did homoerotic subtext in the 1860s, and I cannot take it seriously in something published in the twenty-first century.)
Oh, good to know! I've heard several good things about this book over the years, but never knew this, and actually appreciate knowing it before deciding if/when to read it! This was very interesting to read, I always appreciate your thoughtful reviews!
I feel it may be interesting reading something both written and set in the 1930s
Have you read "The heart is a lonely hunter"? I've re-read it a little while ago, so I immediately thought of it. It was written in 1940, so it's close enough, I guess? It's set in the 1930s, in the southern USA, and it's excellent!
(ETA: I now realise you meant "South riding" rather than reading another 1930s book--but my rec still stands! ;)
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I read somewhere that one of the reasons why "Imre" is hard to find is (apart from it being privately printed, like you said) that many copies of it were destroyed in an eartquake that happened in Italy a while after it was published (ironically, a natural tragedy is the fake reason EP-S previously used for his fake cartomancy book being so obscure ;) so I like to think he would have found this turn of events somewhat funny!)
It really is very much of its time, I agree! Some of his ideas are kind of dated and I side-eye them. I feel the same about his pro-homosexuality treaty, which is basically a long, non-fiction version of the themes of "Imre". It's dull and heavy reading at times, but it also has some surprisingly current views, like mentioning same-sex marriage and saying that the Bible actually never condemned homosexuality (which makes me think about that bit in "Imre" when Oswald quotes a verse from the book of Ruth that is very frequently used for wedding vows--as a queer person who grew up in a Catholic culture, I think it's so validating and vindicating and comforting, and I like to think EP-S totally did it on purpose to spite the haters/homophobes! I love him, what a badass!)
But I got sidetracked, sorry, haha... I still think "Imre" is a very unique book. I like its choices of epigraphs and chapter titles and even if it's so short, it's just so poignant, and unapologetic in its idea of happiness being deserved and fully possible! <3
When I first read it, I definitely felt like it could have been more substantial and plotty (I wanted more of this story and its happy ending!) but I've also come to appreciate it exactly as it is. I totally understand the ideas of masks and shadows and hiding behind fancy terms as a way of detaching yourself/staying safe, so while the way he writes is totally of its time, the idea is still (sadly) relevant today, and I get the feeling that he also means something by not saying what he doesn't say. The thinly-veiled Budapest, the made-up myth about the Z. cousins, and even EPS hiding himself behind a pseudonym (or two, if you count Oswald, as being his alter-ego) and yes, that bridge, OMG what an image! <3 I feel this novel is a sort of liminal space, in which what isn't said has as much weight as what is actually said, but after a moment of uncertainty and suspension between both (literally over water, ha!) there is a happy transition and a balance.
Also I find it fascinating from a language/geography point of view, and what it means in the context of LGBT characters. Oswald is British, Imre is Hungarian, they can't speak each other's languages, so they need to find a common ground, to create a new way/bridge of communication, which is obviously veiled and hesitant and careful at first, which makes the developing trust and the "silence in intimacy" so lovely to read about! Neither of them is an especially rooted character at first, but at the end of the novel, I always feel a sense of an unlikely but very much deserved end of the quest/homecoming shining through! <3 Also, I am weak for characters who have closed up themselves and their feelings because of past, sad experiences finding happiness eventually--it's just so comforting and heartwarming! You may find this funny, but when I first read Tfoth, Keith Windham reminded me a little bit of Lieutenant Imre, because he is also a soldier that doesn't necessarily chose to be one (Keith is way more ambitious, though!) and who keeps people at arms' length, because people are awful... until he meets someone who isn't, and changes his worldview! <3
(I love this little book a lot, can you tell?)
Oh, good to know! I've heard several good things about this book over the years, but never knew this, and actually appreciate knowing it before deciding if/when to read it! This was very interesting to read, I always appreciate your thoughtful reviews!
Have you read "The heart is a lonely hunter"? I've re-read it a little while ago, so I immediately thought of it. It was written in 1940, so it's close enough, I guess? It's set in the 1930s, in the southern USA, and it's excellent!
(ETA: I now realise you meant "South riding" rather than reading another 1930s book--but my rec still stands! ;)