I just finished reading this and was absolutely blown away by the ending. I was not expecting everything to come together in the miraculous way that it did. I'm very curious how you would respond to the rest of this incredible book.
I was likewise surprised by how effectively it all came together. I wasn't expecting it to just continue to get better and better, but it really did! Not sure if I'll do a full review right away as I don't really have the time right now, but hopefully soon!
I am glad to see a Romanian author being read outside of Romania. It is a pity that not a lot of Romanian authors get translated into English, cause there is a lot of good literature being produced here nowadays.
Some contemporary authors that I am aware have been translated are Filip Florian and Gabriela Adameșteanu. Hertha Müller(although she wrote in German). For clasics, you could try Mircea Eliade, Marin Preda and Liviu Rebreanu. And if you like absurd theatre, you should try Eugen Ionesco.
I had this on my pre-order list, then nixed it when I could not quite get into his BLINDING -- though I think it was one of those cases of just not being in the right frame of mind for it. I will try again on BLINDING. But this novel sounds amazing, something I will need to purchase. Thanks for the mid-read review.
Interesting you say that. While I've heard mostly positive things about BLINDING, I have heard some negative reactions from some readers that I trust. SOLENOID, as far as I can tell, does seem to be in a category all its own though. I'm looking forward to going back to BLINDING later, but I'd be *very* surprised if it even comes close to SOLENOID.
Thank you for your video; I am not a fan of Carturescu, but I heard a lot about Solenoid, and out of curiosity, bumped into your video. Now I know I won't be reading this book, and I understand the reluctance and change of demeanor from librarians when I asked about his books. Obviously to each their own, beauty is I the eye of the beholder, et cetera. Just not for me 🤷♂️
Great review, Sir! I have the priviledge to listen to Cărtărescu in his native language and to read his books also, but to be fair I really enjoyed this review in English, it is similar to how I feel about the book.
I finished reading this and am kind of overwhelmed by how beautiful the writing was. There were some passages which just moved me so much. Thank you for this video which motivated me to read this book 🙏🏽.
these fat books should be published as hardbacks, not in paperback format. But that would drive up the selling price, I guess. nevertheless, fat paperbacks are hard to handle whilst reading. thanks for the review, btw. looking fwd to the full review.
For what it's worth, it doesn't feel like an ordinary paperback. I'm not sure how to describe it exactly, but it feels more sturdy than other paperbacks I own. I certainly wouldn't have minded a hardcover though! Thanks for watching.
How strange! I just read Above Us The Milky Way this month and loved it. Will have to go find your review on it. Also need to dive into this publisher. "the greatest surrealist novel of all time" ! man that gets me excited.Wonderful hype, I am ordering it asap.
Wow, what a coincidence! That book didn't get nearly enough attention when it was published -- I'd be keen to hear your thoughts on it. My video on it is quite old and probably quite bad, but it's such a brilliant book. I think you'll like Solenoid!
Very nice! I'm really eager to read Blinding now - I've only heard great things. I'm hoping that Solenoid sells well so that they can fund Sean Cotter to translate the next two volumes of Blinding.
I’m up to the point where you started your discussion, so I wanted to listen to your thoughts, Sean, thanks for sharing. I haven’t found the influence from Borges to be as pervasive as those of Kafka or even Daniel Schreber. The passages on his teaching/work at school are . . . less inspiring . . . I am hoping that there is a different gear in the second half. The moments of surrealism still seem to be overwhelmed by the Proustian autofiction. Thanks for sharing the other influences you’ve found. Hope you’re having a wonderful break! Cheers, Jack
Oh my gosh, this sounds like it'll be right up my alley, I've just pre-ordered. The language is beautiful, and I think I could spend an hour or more sitting on any of the sections you quoted. (My "it" is trying to consume me with its chronic kidney disease, so the last passage hit incredibly hard, but was also strangely freeing.) I hope you'll do a followup review once you've finished! Have you ever thought of doing a reading vlog, updating thoughts as you go within one video? I love those, and think it might be perfect for long, complex books like this. (Sidenote: I love that you own a huge copy of the Voynich manuscript. Now I want to buy that too...) You are bad for my pocketbook, Sean! But please don't stop featuring these incredible experimental novels I likely wouldn't have heard of otherwise.
I'm happy it piqued your interest! The meditations in this book about living with a chronic illness are really powerful - I like how he explores how the mind can go beyond the body. A reading vlog style video could be interesting. I like watching them too, but never really thought of doing one myself. I'll think on it! Thanks for the idea. The facsimile of the Voynich manuscript is useful to have around, hah. Whenever I'm feeling particularly smart, I open it and immediately get put back in my place. (I honestly just own it to show to students to get them excited about the mysteries surrounding many medieval manuscripts! This particular facsimile edition is really well done, though it wasn't cheap.)
@@travelthroughstories Hi Sean, I’m wondering if you’ve gotten further in Solenoid and are planning a follow up review? I’m about to start reading it tonight, and I’d be so interested in your final thoughts, whenever you have them.
@@Elizabeth-Reads Hey Elizabeth. Yes, I've finished it! It continues to be as good as the first 200 pages. It's one of those big books that really earns every page, in my opinion. I'm not sure if I'll do a full review, especially as Seth over at the channel WASTE Mailing List just posted a 2 hour review of it and, after watching just the first half of it (so far!), I'm not sure that I have anything to add. I'll let it sit for a couple of weeks though and I may decide to revisit my notes and write up a follow up. Thanks for following up though! I really hope you enjoy it as much as I did. It's a truly remarkable book.
@@travelthroughstories Thank you! I'll have to listen to Seth. I'm excited to get started, the quotes you read just fascinated me. Thanks so much for bringing this onto my radar!
I read this in the spanish translation, and it is now probably my favourite book of all time. Its just awe inspiring and beautiful, its reflection on death and escape from reality were really impactfull for me. Even though its dense and pretty long everyone should give it a try!
This book sounds fascinating, and I’m so impressed how much you were able to unpack though you’re not yet finished with the book. By the way, I always love your selection of quotes and the way you “bookend” them with great analysis. I hope you enjoy the rest of Solenoid!
Thanks for the kind words, Johanna! This book has so many great moments that it was hard just picking a couple of quotes, but I'm glad they sounded interesting.
Thanks for watching, Abhilash! I'm also very excited for the new McCarthy. I've read some Vasquez, but I haven't heard of this new one yet - I'll check it out.
I just finished reading this and was absolutely blown away by the ending. I was not expecting everything to come together in the miraculous way that it did. I'm very curious how you would respond to the rest of this incredible book.
I was likewise surprised by how effectively it all came together. I wasn't expecting it to just continue to get better and better, but it really did! Not sure if I'll do a full review right away as I don't really have the time right now, but hopefully soon!
I am glad to see a Romanian author being read outside of Romania. It is a pity that not a lot of Romanian authors get translated into English, cause there is a lot of good literature being produced here nowadays.
I've only heard wonderful things about contemporary Romanian literature -- I hope Solenoid's success leads to more being translated into English!
Are there any authors you can recommend?
Some contemporary authors that I am aware have been translated are Filip Florian and Gabriela Adameșteanu. Hertha Müller(although she wrote in German). For clasics, you could try Mircea Eliade, Marin Preda and Liviu Rebreanu. And if you like absurd theatre, you should try Eugen Ionesco.
Some very intricate bullcrap. I'm from Romania, almost nobody (it's on TV sometimes) talks about him or his books.
I had this on my pre-order list, then nixed it when I could not quite get into his BLINDING -- though I think it was one of those cases of just not being in the right frame of mind for it. I will try again on BLINDING. But this novel sounds amazing, something I will need to purchase. Thanks for the mid-read review.
Interesting you say that. While I've heard mostly positive things about BLINDING, I have heard some negative reactions from some readers that I trust. SOLENOID, as far as I can tell, does seem to be in a category all its own though. I'm looking forward to going back to BLINDING later, but I'd be *very* surprised if it even comes close to SOLENOID.
Any books you'd consider recommended reading beforehand for comprehension?
Thank you for your video; I am not a fan of Carturescu, but I heard a lot about Solenoid, and out of curiosity, bumped into your video.
Now I know I won't be reading this book, and I understand the reluctance and change of demeanor from librarians when I asked about his books.
Obviously to each their own, beauty is I the eye of the beholder, et cetera.
Just not for me 🤷♂️
About 70% through right now and really enjoying it. Choosing not to take notes was definitely a mistake though haha
Amazing book. Every and each sentence it's breathtaking.
Great review, Sir! I have the priviledge to listen to Cărtărescu in his native language and to read his books also, but to be fair I really enjoyed this review in English, it is similar to how I feel about the book.
Thank you! As much as I liked Sean Cotter's translation, I'm very jealous that you can read the original.
I finished reading this and am kind of overwhelmed by how beautiful the writing was. There were some passages which just moved me so much.
Thank you for this video which motivated me to read this book 🙏🏽.
this sounds so good!! hadn't heard of it before your review, but now i'm def interested in checking it out!!
I'm so happy I could put it on your radar! It's absolutely fantastic.
these fat books should be published as hardbacks, not in paperback format. But that would drive up the selling price, I guess. nevertheless, fat paperbacks are hard to handle whilst reading. thanks for the review, btw. looking fwd to the full review.
For what it's worth, it doesn't feel like an ordinary paperback. I'm not sure how to describe it exactly, but it feels more sturdy than other paperbacks I own. I certainly wouldn't have minded a hardcover though! Thanks for watching.
How strange! I just read Above Us The Milky Way this month and loved it. Will have to go find your review on it. Also need to dive into this publisher. "the greatest surrealist novel of all time" ! man that gets me excited.Wonderful hype, I am ordering it asap.
Wow, what a coincidence! That book didn't get nearly enough attention when it was published -- I'd be keen to hear your thoughts on it. My video on it is quite old and probably quite bad, but it's such a brilliant book. I think you'll like Solenoid!
About 200 pages in and absolutely love it. Great mid-view and looking forward to the full review when it’s out. Thanks for pumping out the content!!
Thanks for watching! Good to hear that you're really enjoying Solenoid too. I'll definitely make a more informed follow up video when I finish.
Just into Blinding; Solenoid soon. Even more eager now.
Very nice! I'm really eager to read Blinding now - I've only heard great things. I'm hoping that Solenoid sells well so that they can fund Sean Cotter to translate the next two volumes of Blinding.
I’m up to the point where you started your discussion, so I wanted to listen to your thoughts, Sean, thanks for sharing.
I haven’t found the influence from Borges to be as pervasive as those of Kafka or even Daniel Schreber. The passages on his teaching/work at school are . . . less inspiring . . . I am hoping that there is a different gear in the second half. The moments of surrealism still seem to be overwhelmed by the Proustian autofiction. Thanks for sharing the other influences you’ve found.
Hope you’re having a wonderful break!
Cheers, Jack
best living writer
Amazing how many insights into psychological reality come from a powerfully surreal novel.
Please make a full review of the book, the ending is so important!
Reading this now (about 20% through) and really liking it. There is something rather beautiful about the writing.
Really nice discussion.
Oh my gosh, this sounds like it'll be right up my alley, I've just pre-ordered. The language is beautiful, and I think I could spend an hour or more sitting on any of the sections you quoted. (My "it" is trying to consume me with its chronic kidney disease, so the last passage hit incredibly hard, but was also strangely freeing.)
I hope you'll do a followup review once you've finished! Have you ever thought of doing a reading vlog, updating thoughts as you go within one video? I love those, and think it might be perfect for long, complex books like this.
(Sidenote: I love that you own a huge copy of the Voynich manuscript. Now I want to buy that too...) You are bad for my pocketbook, Sean! But please don't stop featuring these incredible experimental novels I likely wouldn't have heard of otherwise.
I'm happy it piqued your interest! The meditations in this book about living with a chronic illness are really powerful - I like how he explores how the mind can go beyond the body.
A reading vlog style video could be interesting. I like watching them too, but never really thought of doing one myself. I'll think on it! Thanks for the idea.
The facsimile of the Voynich manuscript is useful to have around, hah. Whenever I'm feeling particularly smart, I open it and immediately get put back in my place. (I honestly just own it to show to students to get them excited about the mysteries surrounding many medieval manuscripts! This particular facsimile edition is really well done, though it wasn't cheap.)
@@travelthroughstories Hi Sean, I’m wondering if you’ve gotten further in Solenoid and are planning a follow up review? I’m about to start reading it tonight, and I’d be so interested in your final thoughts, whenever you have them.
@@Elizabeth-Reads Hey Elizabeth. Yes, I've finished it! It continues to be as good as the first 200 pages. It's one of those big books that really earns every page, in my opinion. I'm not sure if I'll do a full review, especially as Seth over at the channel WASTE Mailing List just posted a 2 hour review of it and, after watching just the first half of it (so far!), I'm not sure that I have anything to add. I'll let it sit for a couple of weeks though and I may decide to revisit my notes and write up a follow up. Thanks for following up though! I really hope you enjoy it as much as I did. It's a truly remarkable book.
@@travelthroughstories Thank you! I'll have to listen to Seth. I'm excited to get started, the quotes you read just fascinated me. Thanks so much for bringing this onto my radar!
I read this in the spanish translation, and it is now probably my favourite book of all time. Its just awe inspiring and beautiful, its reflection on death and escape from reality were really impactfull for me. Even though its dense and pretty long everyone should give it a try!
This book sounds fascinating, and I’m so impressed how much you were able to unpack though you’re not yet finished with the book. By the way, I always love your selection of quotes and the way you “bookend” them with great analysis. I hope you enjoy the rest of Solenoid!
Thanks for the kind words, Johanna! This book has so many great moments that it was hard just picking a couple of quotes, but I'm glad they sounded interesting.
Thanks this, the new McCarthy, Vasquez's Retrospective are the three books i am waiting to be availble in India atm. Thanks for the video.
Thanks for watching, Abhilash! I'm also very excited for the new McCarthy. I've read some Vasquez, but I haven't heard of this new one yet - I'll check it out.
I've gotta say, your review has really *sold* me on 'noid. (Actually I pre-ordered it months ago but I couldn't resist the pun.)
😂😂
It,was on my TBR but you beat me to it 😅
I'd love to hear your thoughts on it when you get to it!
Thanks. I'm hooked.
Thanks for watching. I hope you find it as worthwhile as I'm finding it!
I guarantee no one actually finishes this book. It's a test for reader dilettantes.
Why would someone not finish it? lol
@@travelthroughstories Too much work
@@williamgass9242 It seemed to me much more readable than most other maximalist novels of a similar page count.
@@travelthroughstories Hmm... Interesting response.
Did he ever finish?