Bookshelf Part 5

Another bundle of books I've recently finished.

Introduction to Wreck-the-Fanfic Project

I have never really understood the appeal of fanfics (fan-fictions). If someone wants to write, or feels the genius inside telling her (or him but rarely) to write, what's the big deal of writing your own story? For me, fanfics are the least creative form of literature. Yes, I hear your voices, goddamnme!! the defending of the genre, the opinions that some are really good etc. Some may be, for all I care, I read only the horrible ones. But for me, being in various fandoms half of my life, fanfics are not actually Pulitzer award worthy pieces of writing. It may be because I came across nasty, incoherent and bad ones first and I'm biased? Maybe. 

I don't understand what is so hard in writing YOUR own story, with names and places created by you. Inspiration from people around, motifs or even celebrities is fine, it is something natural, but writing slash fanfic with real people somehow doesn't sit well with me.

I find majority of fanfics a worthless piece of wasted space (to put the euphemism before the page break).

Japanese literature for dummies Part 2

   Previously we took a closer look into hedonistic lives of high aristocracy of Heian who spent their lives devoted to pursuing pleasures and honing the literary skills (real or imagined). In other words - Part 1. The very same period gave us eternal Genji complex that every writer and work suffers from, and of course neverending battle between Spring and Autumn (I didn't mention it, Princess Nukada's poem in Man'you). Right now we will dissect more next periods in Japanese literature.

Japanese literature for dummies Part 1

   A short introduction to Japanese Literature. Otherwise known as You're-Not-Japanese-So-You-Won't-Understand. It's really short, because there's absolutely no use in writing elaborated post on something that is highly personal. Books are personal, same as music. I may like something, but other people may hate it with passion.

Writing

I was wondering lately why so many people try to publish something they wrote. In my country there is a bitter joke about it. It says: "We have 300 thousands of poets and twice as much writers". I think it comes from the certainty that everyone who can write a short message by phone or a memo is able to write a novel. And here we are, poor readers of such created monstrosity. Maybe I'm biased, OK, I AM biased, but for me, true literature ended with:

poetry: in 1891 - death of Rimbaud,

short story: in 1927 - death of Akutagawa,

novel: well, Ursula Le Guin is still alive, but she's one of maybe 5 people I admire.

These people were, or still are, the masters of the word. OK, maybe I am too much into the first two, but I love those troubled geniuses with all my heart and mind. I love every, even weak work of theirs. Whenever I read L'Eternite, Ophelie, or any short story by Akutagawa, I got goosebumps. The rhytm, melody, and composition are just perfect.

 If I experience this, over a hundred years after Rimbaud's death, over

 80 years after Akutagawa took his own life, that means it is eternal.

In contrary to most of modern writers.