Incidentally, where did the annoying phrase “Christmas in July” come from?
But I digress before I’ve begun.
Thanks to the wonders of technology, you will be reading this post sometime around midnight in your freezing cold room, or on a nippy morning with a hearty croissant and cup of tea. But it’s pre-programmed to post now, and is actually being written by yours truly in her purple bikini at an Internet cafe in Noosa at 2pm on a lovely warm 24 degree day, with that special Queensland winter light and not a cloud in the sky.
I decided that the weather warranted an escape to the beach for a few days.
Lest you think I’m writing just to make you jealous, or to urge you to join the rest of us in the Western world’s second fastest growing urban region here in Quinceland, I am randomly going to make some observations relevant to recent posts. Since I’m, like, not spending my time commenting right now.
Okay, here’s one that continues my guided tour of the best of the literary canon. And it’s relevant to lots of recent LP discussion. Deconstruct if you like, or not as the case may be. Just picture me as your High School English teacher. This is from the last chapter of Joseph Roth’s The Radetzky March, where Baron von Trotta, having walked from the Insane Asylum to the Palace of Schonbrunn stands outside in the rain and imagines the thoughts of Emperor Franz Joseph, who lays dying. The Emperor knows the Capuchin friar will soon be visiting to confess him:
“I’ve had to wait a long time!”, he said. Then he thought about his sins. “Pride” occurred to him. “I was proud!” he said.
He went through sin after sin, as listed in the catechism. I was emperor for too long! he mused. But he thought he had said it aloud. “Everyone has to die. The Kaiser dies too.” And he felt as if at the same time, that part of him that was imperial was dying. “War is also a sin!” he said aloud. But the priest didn’t hear him. Franz Joseph was again surprised. Every day brought casualty lists; the war had been raging since 1914. “Let it end!” said Franz Joseph. No one heard him. “If only I’d been killed at Solferino!” he said. No one heard him. Perhaps, he thought, I’m already dead and I’m talking as a dead man. That’s why they don’t understand me. And he fell asleep.
And here’s a quote from Pope Benedict, which just about sums up how I’m feeling just now:
In the world in which we live, the need to be physically and mentally replenished has become as it were essential, especially to those who dwell in cities where the often frenzied pace of life leaves little room for silence, reflection and relaxing contact with nature.
Amen to that!
Joseph Roth what a fine writer, one of the blessings of the last five years has been Granta’s reissures of Roth, which has provide much easier access to most of his catalogue and also his non-fiction - if you want to continue the tale of the Trottas you’ll have to read “The Emperor’s Tomb” after Radetsky. Also if anyone reading this was the fortunate bugger who found a copy of “Tarabas” on the Central train terminal I’d love to have it back.
This piece from the New Yorker is a pretty good introuduction to Joseph Roth for those interested
http://www.newyorker.com/critics/books/?040119crbo_books
Have a whole host of Roth novels to read when I finish if only I could include non-English speaking writers for some of the examples in my thesis. If so I’d probably have a few Austrians (Schitzler, Broch, Musil) making an appearance.
Kimbo, I’m jealous. The weather is indeed beautiful and I’m stuck at home writing a lecture.
Thanks for the link, Stephen. I’ve read Radetzky March - got interested when I saw the excellent German miniseries adaptation with Max von Sydow as Baron Franz von Trotta und Cipolje and the wonderful Charlotte Rampling as Valerie von Taussig.
Aside from the scene Kim’s quoted, the one with the Count in the asylum is yet another memorable one.
I’m something of an enthusiast for all things Habsburg and for Austrian/Bohemian culture, and couldn’t agree more about Musil, whose Man Without Qualities I still look forward to finding time to read in its entirety.
christmas in july, i think there was a festival up in katoomba or somewhere in the blue mountains that used to run with this name. as they have often or at least sometimes, have actual snow in winter.
Sometimes I feel so ill-educated after reading some of these posts!
Yet another book to add to my literary must-try list. Though the last book I read on the recommendation of anyone at LP (Christon Tsiolkas’ Dead Europe, thanks Mark) gave me terrible nightmares.
“I‚Äôm something of an enthusiast for all things Habsburg”
Mark, have you forgotten Milo Minderbender’s Catch 22 advice ”The Hapsburgs are shaky !” ie no credit, (and don’t forget the peas on the high seas)
Sorry Christos gave you nightmares, Kate - did you like the book though?
I did… sort of. It was so bleak. But extremely well-written and powerful.
Yes, I’d agree with that, Kate.
My high school English teacher used to whack us with a length of green garden hose.
But was she wearing a purple bikini like Kim’s at the time, Tony?
I had a massive crush on my Grade 12 High School teacher - used to picture her as Bathsheba (yes, we did Hardy for Senior English).
I think I had a crush on every English teach I ever had. Probably every teacher. I’m a sucka for petty authority.
My teacher was a hottie, Amanda. She used to have big chats to me after class about literature and kulcha.
He may have been, under his tie & plaid blazer (not kidding - just terrible, it was).
He used to call the hose “the green medicine”. A great lover of Joyce, Donne & Byron - I quite liked him, hose notwithstanding.
Did somebody say Byron?
Rise from your slumber
in unvanquishable number!
Kim, is it an itsy bitsy teenie weenie purple polka-dot bikini?
*pulls soapbox out from it’s hiding place and climbs on*
‘Christmas in July’ is just wrong. Wrong wrong wrong. Why is Christmas in December? Coz it slotted very nicely into the themes of the already existing Yule festival. And when is Yule? Winter Soltice.
And when is Yule/Winter Solstice in Australia? June people, JUNE.
Go ahead, have Christmas at Yule. But get the right goram month!
*goes to climb off soapbox.. and falls flat on her face*
Speaking of English teachers, I liked this article in the Nation about Oprah’s book club which is taking on Faulkner. I have always liked Oprah and spoke up for her book club when the snootierthanthou snark about it. I might join her, its probably time revisit ol’ Bill.
Kimbo, ok, I’ll admit it, I am jealous.
I hope you realise you’ll be expected to provide a full report on your Noosa adventures (even if, as is unlikely, you spent your whole time reading various canonical authors on the beach) when you return.
How did you know about the polkadots, Irant?
Glad that there are some other Roth fans out there.
No great adventures to report - had a nice relaxing time. Sunshine was beautiful! What’s not to love about Noosa? (Well a few things actually, but anyway!).
Noosaville, Kim.
But the surrounds are splendid. Aaah, to be in Quinceland, now that winter’s here.