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sarahhengle's review
5.0
An incredible read. I love Perec’s writing on questioning and analysis of the mundane. I strive to have the curiosity that he possesses and love his writing style. Highlights include: ‘Approaches to What?’ and ‘Reading: A Socio-political Outline’ but loved all essays. Can’t wait to read more from him.
e333mily's review
5.0
Brilliant brilliant brilliant I must read more Perec immediately!!
—
“What we need to question is bricks, concrete, glass, our table manners, our utensils, our tools, the way we spend our time, our rhythms. To question that which seems to have ceased forever to astonish us. We live, true, we breathe, true; we walk, we open doors, we go down staircases, we sit at a table in order to eat, we lie down on a bed in order to sleep. How? Where? When?
Why?
Describe your street. Describe another street.
Compare.
Make an inventory of your pockets, of your bag. Ask yourself about the provenance, the use, what will become of each of the objects you take out.
Question your tea spoons.
What is there under your wallpaper?
How many movements does it take to dial a phone number? Why?
Why don't you find cigarettes in grocery stores? Why
not?”
“Like the librarians of Babel in Borges's story, who are looking for the book that will provide them with the key to all the others, we oscillate between the illusion of perfection and the vertigo of the unattainable. In the name of completeness, we would like to believe that a unique order exists that would enable us to accede to knowledge all in one go; in the name of the unattainable, we would like to think that order and disorder are in fact the same word, denoting pure chance.
It's possible also that both are decoys, a trompe l'oeil intended to disguise the erosion of both books and sys-tems. It is no bad thing in any case that between the two our bookshelves should serve from time to time as joggers of the memory, as cat-rests and as lumber-rooms.”
“I have a confused sense that the books I've written are inscribed in, that they get their meaning from, a global image I have formed of literature, but it seems I shall never be able to grasp that image exactly, that for me it lies beyond writing, it's a ‘why do I write’ to which I can reply only by writing, by endlessly deferring that moment when I cease from writing and the image becomes visible, like a puzzle that has been inexorably completed.”
—
“What we need to question is bricks, concrete, glass, our table manners, our utensils, our tools, the way we spend our time, our rhythms. To question that which seems to have ceased forever to astonish us. We live, true, we breathe, true; we walk, we open doors, we go down staircases, we sit at a table in order to eat, we lie down on a bed in order to sleep. How? Where? When?
Why?
Describe your street. Describe another street.
Compare.
Make an inventory of your pockets, of your bag. Ask yourself about the provenance, the use, what will become of each of the objects you take out.
Question your tea spoons.
What is there under your wallpaper?
How many movements does it take to dial a phone number? Why?
Why don't you find cigarettes in grocery stores? Why
not?”
“Like the librarians of Babel in Borges's story, who are looking for the book that will provide them with the key to all the others, we oscillate between the illusion of perfection and the vertigo of the unattainable. In the name of completeness, we would like to believe that a unique order exists that would enable us to accede to knowledge all in one go; in the name of the unattainable, we would like to think that order and disorder are in fact the same word, denoting pure chance.
It's possible also that both are decoys, a trompe l'oeil intended to disguise the erosion of both books and sys-tems. It is no bad thing in any case that between the two our bookshelves should serve from time to time as joggers of the memory, as cat-rests and as lumber-rooms.”
“I have a confused sense that the books I've written are inscribed in, that they get their meaning from, a global image I have formed of literature, but it seems I shall never be able to grasp that image exactly, that for me it lies beyond writing, it's a ‘why do I write’ to which I can reply only by writing, by endlessly deferring that moment when I cease from writing and the image becomes visible, like a puzzle that has been inexorably completed.”
cryo_guy's review
2.0
Well this was alright. I'm giving it 2 stars cuz it was kinda boring. Some of the essays have a bit of charm, others have Perec's committed style to them, but the rest are a bit tedious even being as short as they are, a bit inane if you will. I understand that part of that is the point-a real examination and even glorification of the mundane.
I enjoyed Perec's A Void, but that was a work unto itself. These essays, being nonfiction, are nice for giving some insight into the man and his thoughts, but ultimately they aren't terrible elucidating to that end.
Clever, but generally hardly more than idle musings.
I enjoyed Perec's A Void, but that was a work unto itself. These essays, being nonfiction, are nice for giving some insight into the man and his thoughts, but ultimately they aren't terrible elucidating to that end.
Clever, but generally hardly more than idle musings.
cecilyroseceillam's review
challenging
informative
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
4.0
Very interesting book, very similar to Nadja but instead of being about love it’s about a bunch of random different things. He’ll go from talking about the science of reading to talking about his bucket list or what makes a library then go on to talk about how to decorate a room. I’d highly recommend if you want something non fiction, short and informative while also being very surrealist.