Cliquer sur une vignette pour aller sur Google Books.
|
Chargement... East Wind Melts the Ice: A Memoir through the Seasonspar Liza Dalby
   Aucun Actuellement, il n'y a pas de discussions au sujet de ce livre.
Dalby's book is a treasure trove of the most fascinating natural and cultural information. Horticulturalists, botanists, ornithologists, mycologists, meteorologists, entomologists, etymologists, gastronomists, artists, and aesthetes of all types will undoubtedly find something of interest within this volume. Moreover, those interested in Asia and Japan—and especially the cultural connotations of the seasons in Japanese art, literature, and poetry—will find the work particularly rewarding. Prix et récompenses
Writing in luminous prose, Liza Dalby, acclaimed author of Geisha and The Tale of Murasaki, brings us this elegant and unique year's journal-- a brilliant mosaic that is at once a candid memoir, a gardener's diary, and an enlightening excursion through cultures east and west. Structured according to the seasonal units of an ancient Chinese almanac, East Wind Melts the Ice is made up of 72 short chapters that can be read straight through or dipped into at random. In the essays, Dalby transports us from her Berkeley garden to the streets of Kyoto, to Imperial China, to the sea cliffs of Northern California, and to points beyond. Throughout these journeys, Dalby weaves her memories of living in Japan and becoming the first and only non-Japanese geisha, her observations on the recurring phenomena of the natural world, and meditations on the cultural aesthetics of Japan, China, and California. She illuminates everyday life as well, in stories of keeping a pet butterfly, roasting rice cakes with her children, watching whales, and pampering worms to make compost. In the manner of the Japanese personal poetic essay, this vibrant work comprises 72 windows on a life lived between cultures, and the result is a wonderfully engaging read. Aucune description trouvée dans une bibliothèque |
Discussion en coursAucunCouvertures populaires
 Google Books — Chargement...GenresClassification décimale de Melvil (CDD)025.5Information Library and Information Sciences Library and Archival Science Reference; Reference books; Aids to readersClassification de la Bibliothèque du CongrèsÉvaluationMoyenne: (3.95)
Est-ce vous ?Devenez un(e) auteur LibraryThing. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
)
3
Liza Dalby, who spent many years living in and studying Japan, wrote each essay during the days of one almanac period, over the course of several years. She wrote them originally in Japanese, and translated and interpreted her original thoughts into English for this book. The subject matter ranges widely, covering her years in Japan, her current family life, and other thoughts which occur to her.
This does make the book a bit of a mish-mash, and it's clear that the publishers had no idea what to do with it. They have decided to market it as a sort of Eastern mysticism/self-help book - it's subtitled "A Guide To Serenity Through The Seasons", and one of the critic's blurbs claims that the book "calms, quietens, transports". I think this might put off most of the people who would actually enjoy the book.
I found some of the essays fascinating, especially those about Japan and Japanese culture. But there are some periods of the almanac which clearly failed to inspire her, and we end up with a handful of banal, unconnected episodes, for example about times she has seen quails near her home in Northern California.
Mind you, I suppose banality is a matter of taste. I am not very interested in gardening, but someone who was might have enjoyed those essays. And I will be keeping this book, because of the enjoyable little insights into Japanese culture.
Recommended for: anyone with a strong interest in at least two of the following: Japan, translation (between languages and cultures), gardening, and the flora and fauna of Northern California. (