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itselvv's review against another edition
أحببت الفكرة، لكن التنفيذ كان في غاية السوء، كان مُشتِتًا وغير مفهوم.
لم يعجبني أسلوب كتابته، بدا وكأنه يكتب مقالًا علميًا، أو كأنه يكتب أفكاره الخاصة كما تجول في ذهنه دون تحرير أو تدقيق.
ckrupiej's review against another edition
" A escoha da vida que não se vive e do caminho que não se percorre é tentadora porque imaginamos que, não fosse termos feito isto ou tentado aquilo, as coisas seriam diferentes, e nós mais felizes, mais sábios, mais amados, mais respeitados. Talvez não. "
wsking's review against another edition
3.0
I obtained this at ALA 2018 (?) as an advance incorrected page proof. Not what I thought it would be, but charming nonetheless. An interesting philosophical ramble through the mind of the writer and the various “monsters” in literature which have caught his fancy. Might have been more tightly written. But still entertaining and thought provoking in spots.
austra_pro's review against another edition
5.0
Superīga, superīga grāmata. Lieliska odziņa uz laba grāmatu gada kūkas. Autors te ir varējis pilnībā izpaust visu, ko zina, un izskatās, ka zina viņš daudz. Viņš dzīvi skata caur grāmatu prizmu, jo grāmatas bija viņa bērnības pirmā uzticamā un nemainīgā vērtība, kas vienlaikus ir skumji un arī skaisti.
“One can build one’s autobiography in many ways: through the places one has lived, through the dreams one has had and still remembers, through remarkable encounters with unfading men and women, through mere chronological accounting. I have always thought of my life as the turning of the pages of many books. My readings, the ones that form my imaginary cartography, define almost every one of my intimate experiences, and I can trace back to a certain paragraph or line most everything I believe I know about the essential things.”
Ne visi viņa aprakstītie literārie varoņi ir briesmoņi, lai ko solītu grāmatas nosaukums. Te ir par viņiem visiem – Alisēm un Robinsoniem, diktatoriem un māksliniekiem. Kā ikviens no viņiem ir mūsos, un mēs esam viņos. Kā literatūra dod iespēju runāt par lietām, par kurām citādi runāt neprotam vai nedrīkstam.
“Today we believe in monsters but we do not want to feel responsible for them. For us, the existence of a monster such as the Chimera is no longer a question of truth but of evading the truth, of refusing to admit that we are capable, each and every one of us, of the most admirable deeds and the most abominable crimes.”
“We forget that fiction is neither accountancy nor dogma and does not deliver messages or catechisms. On the contrary, it thrives on ambiguity, in opinions raw or half-baked, in suggestions, intuitions, and emotions.”
“We never land on a desert island without longing to leave it. Anchored on the mainland, we dream of sailing beyond the horizon and arriving on a savage shore where we can build a world however see fit, where we can become a despotic ruler of a tiny private universe.”
“A book, or even an entire library, can only illuminate the path a reader has chosen; it cannot direct that reader towards an obligatory goal, or even impose a certain direction.”
“One can build one’s autobiography in many ways: through the places one has lived, through the dreams one has had and still remembers, through remarkable encounters with unfading men and women, through mere chronological accounting. I have always thought of my life as the turning of the pages of many books. My readings, the ones that form my imaginary cartography, define almost every one of my intimate experiences, and I can trace back to a certain paragraph or line most everything I believe I know about the essential things.”
Ne visi viņa aprakstītie literārie varoņi ir briesmoņi, lai ko solītu grāmatas nosaukums. Te ir par viņiem visiem – Alisēm un Robinsoniem, diktatoriem un māksliniekiem. Kā ikviens no viņiem ir mūsos, un mēs esam viņos. Kā literatūra dod iespēju runāt par lietām, par kurām citādi runāt neprotam vai nedrīkstam.
“Today we believe in monsters but we do not want to feel responsible for them. For us, the existence of a monster such as the Chimera is no longer a question of truth but of evading the truth, of refusing to admit that we are capable, each and every one of us, of the most admirable deeds and the most abominable crimes.”
“We forget that fiction is neither accountancy nor dogma and does not deliver messages or catechisms. On the contrary, it thrives on ambiguity, in opinions raw or half-baked, in suggestions, intuitions, and emotions.”
“We never land on a desert island without longing to leave it. Anchored on the mainland, we dream of sailing beyond the horizon and arriving on a savage shore where we can build a world however see fit, where we can become a despotic ruler of a tiny private universe.”
“A book, or even an entire library, can only illuminate the path a reader has chosen; it cannot direct that reader towards an obligatory goal, or even impose a certain direction.”
booksonal's review against another edition
4.0
Fabulous Monsters goes through different literary characters with multiple points of view, quotations and illustrations of each character. It delved into more than just the characters, but also brings in the authors and moves the characters into our world.
Though not all were familiar to me, I enjoyed reading about them, especially with all the comparisons and variety between all the characters.
From thoughts on imagination, identity and contradictions, to reflection, feelings and the blending of the reader and the protagonist. From Alice to Job and Dracula to Superman, it has something for everyone.
Though not all were familiar to me, I enjoyed reading about them, especially with all the comparisons and variety between all the characters.
From thoughts on imagination, identity and contradictions, to reflection, feelings and the blending of the reader and the protagonist. From Alice to Job and Dracula to Superman, it has something for everyone.
flybyreader's review against another edition
3.0
First of all, though I finished the book, I am still a little confused because the title of the book is misleading as the literary characters mentioned in the book are neither fabulous nor are they monsters. I still have no idea about the purpose of this title. When I look at the list of names I see no connection: There is Alice, as in the wonderland, then Robinson Crusoe, Superman (I still don't understand the purpose of him being there?), Satan (maybe the only one that can be considered as monster maybe?), Heidi's grandfather (I mean why? Was he that bad?). Some of them can be anti-heroes but not monsters. I don't know. Still too confused.
Even if I skip the list of completely unrelated figures of literature, I think the content is also a little disorderly, it felt like the author had too much knowledge (it's obvious he knows his onions) but could not make up his mind to bring every bit and piece together properly. I don't know what I expected when I picked it up but this was not it. I am not really satisfied but glad I read it, though.
Last but not least, one full star goes to the chapter "Hacivat and Karagoz", a highly underestimated Turkish literary classic and traditional performing art. I don't know how the author got to know about it but I have to congratulate him on his analysis of the characters and their reflection of Turkish culture and society.
(Special thanks to Yale University Press and NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for honest review.)
Even if I skip the list of completely unrelated figures of literature, I think the content is also a little disorderly, it felt like the author had too much knowledge (it's obvious he knows his onions) but could not make up his mind to bring every bit and piece together properly. I don't know what I expected when I picked it up but this was not it. I am not really satisfied but glad I read it, though.
Last but not least, one full star goes to the chapter "Hacivat and Karagoz", a highly underestimated Turkish literary classic and traditional performing art. I don't know how the author got to know about it but I have to congratulate him on his analysis of the characters and their reflection of Turkish culture and society.
(Special thanks to Yale University Press and NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for honest review.)
linddykal's review against another edition
3.0
A collection of essays on various fictional characters.
kikiandarrowsfishshelf's review against another edition
4.0
Alberto Manguel’s book Fabulous Monsters details those fictional characters that he seems to feel the most for. At times it is a stranger list. There is Phoebe Caulfield for one. But it is an international list and that in of itself is a pleasure. Each character gets his/her own essay. The book, like most of Manguel’s work when he writes about reading is engrossing and great fun.
At times, though, it is very strange and, dare I say, very male.
Manguel’s reading of Little Red Riding Hood and Sleeping Beauty are bit disturbing, off putting. They are not necessarily wrong. But strange. He takes about the seductive power about Red Riding Hood, and while he is not wrong when he calls her both the seduced and seducer, there is something weird about that expression considering that the version Manguel mostly deals with is the Perrault version, which is really about women and sex. He also does not mention the coda in the Grimm version (I can see Angela Carter rapping his knuckles about that), and so there is a disjointed feeling.
The same is true about his reading of Sleeping Beauty where the rape versions are not mentioned, which is strange because there is a French version. It makes for slightly strange reading.
But his essays about Alice and Gertrude in particular are absolutely wonderful. His take on Alice is great and his opinion of Gertrude is quite amusing. He also gets you to look at Catcher int eh Rye in different way (besides Holden as an ass). He is one of those people who does feel something for Gertrude.
At times, though, it is very strange and, dare I say, very male.
Manguel’s reading of Little Red Riding Hood and Sleeping Beauty are bit disturbing, off putting. They are not necessarily wrong. But strange. He takes about the seductive power about Red Riding Hood, and while he is not wrong when he calls her both the seduced and seducer, there is something weird about that expression considering that the version Manguel mostly deals with is the Perrault version, which is really about women and sex. He also does not mention the coda in the Grimm version (I can see Angela Carter rapping his knuckles about that), and so there is a disjointed feeling.
The same is true about his reading of Sleeping Beauty where the rape versions are not mentioned, which is strange because there is a French version. It makes for slightly strange reading.
But his essays about Alice and Gertrude in particular are absolutely wonderful. His take on Alice is great and his opinion of Gertrude is quite amusing. He also gets you to look at Catcher int eh Rye in different way (besides Holden as an ass). He is one of those people who does feel something for Gertrude.
whateveryoneelseisreading's review against another edition
3.0
I received an ARC of this book thanks to Net Galley and publisher Yale University Press in exchange for an honest review.
This is an interesting little collection of discussions about literary characters, for want of a better description. The title 'Fabulous Monsters' is meant to represent all of them but I find it a little confusing on the whole given that many of them are heroic characters. Each discussion is accompanied by a doodle of the character and I really liked these. They added a layer of charm and really helped linked the discussions together. The content of the discussions were sometimes interesting but there seemed very little link in terms of what Manguel chose to discuss about each character. I guess there doesn't need to be but for some of them, the character themselves was barely mentioned. This was particularly baffling with Alice in Wonderland for example, whose discussion was a lengthy comment on Wonderland rather than anything to do with Alice herself, who is actually a pretty interesting character given her origins. I did enjoy this and found it very charming but a few of the literary references were lost on me. A great gift for a fan of literature though.
This is an interesting little collection of discussions about literary characters, for want of a better description. The title 'Fabulous Monsters' is meant to represent all of them but I find it a little confusing on the whole given that many of them are heroic characters. Each discussion is accompanied by a doodle of the character and I really liked these. They added a layer of charm and really helped linked the discussions together. The content of the discussions were sometimes interesting but there seemed very little link in terms of what Manguel chose to discuss about each character. I guess there doesn't need to be but for some of them, the character themselves was barely mentioned. This was particularly baffling with Alice in Wonderland for example, whose discussion was a lengthy comment on Wonderland rather than anything to do with Alice herself, who is actually a pretty interesting character given her origins. I did enjoy this and found it very charming but a few of the literary references were lost on me. A great gift for a fan of literature though.
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