I can only rate three stars because other than Lord Chandos Letter itself, actually only 10% of the book, spoke to me. It is a letter to a friend explaining why words no longer can express anything he sees or feels, so he decides to abandon words altogether. There is a certain irony to the "story" i...
Five stars because it is an important work. I only read the introduction and the "Letter".
At a minimum, readers intending to read Enrique Vila-Matas’ Bartleby & Co. would be well-advised not only to read (or reread) Bartleby, the Scrivener, but also the last story in this collection. It mattersCavalry Soldier—A sergeant imagines his future as he advances with his squadron through skirmis...
"Der Schwierige" made me laugh out loud a couple times, though I found its reliance on nuances of late-teens Viennese high society very hard to decipher; it has some interesting social analysis going on, I think, but I only got a little of it. "Der Unbestechliche" is easier, a reassuring domestic co...