Conversations – Volume 1: Jorge Luis Borges and Osvaldo Ferrari: Translated by Jason Wilson

Title: Conversations – Volume 1
Authors: Jorge Luis Borges and Osvaldo Ferrari
Translator: Jason Wilson
Publisher: Seagull Books
ISBN: 978-0857421883
Genre: Non-Fiction
Pages: 352
Source: Publisher
Rating: 5/5

Reading conversations with writers is fun. It is the best thing ever according to me. Their views, thoughts, expressions, blatantly calling out bull shit sometimes and most importantly their perspectives are to be cherished and worth going back to every once a while.

For me, reading about conversations with Jorge Luis Borges was a stunning experience. He doesn’t leave any stone unturned. His conversations are with Osvaldo – a poet and a university professor.

Jorge Luis Borges has always been my idol. I love everything he has written – from prose to non-fiction to his poems. They all make for some marvelous reading. What makes these conversations different, you ask?

These are two intelligent people discussing literature, art, poetry, politics and more. How much better than this can it get for you, humble reader? The sections are short, which means that you might read them fast, but it takes time to soak in all that the master (well to me he is) is saying.

The forty-seven pieces in the book are as varied and diverse than perhaps anything you’ve ever read. My favourite portions of course in the book are when they are discussing literature (which is almost all time) – from Dante to Henry James, on poetry, realist and fantasy literature (my most favourite piece in the book) to the detective story.

Borges’ fiction was always infused with dreams and so much magic realism – it makes you dizzy after a while but when you sink into the prose, it is something else. He speaks of his works (another aspect that intrigued me a lot) and the socio-economic condition (then) of Europe and the political atmosphere. Like I said, no stone is left unturned. To top it all, there is also a second volume in line which I will speak about soon. For all literary lovers, this is a treat like none other.

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Conversations, V 1

Conversations, Volume 1 (English)

About Women: Conversations between a Writer and a Painter by Lisa Alther and Francoise Gilot

Title: About Women: Conversations between a Writer and a Painter
Authors: Lisa Alther and Francoise Gilot
Publisher: Nan A. Talese
ISBN: 978-0385539869
Genre: Non-Fiction
Pages: 256
Source: Personal Copy
Rating: 5/5

When a writer and a painter come together (and both of them are women) and speak of women issues, their lives, emotions, growing-up years and everything else in between, you get a fascinating conversation book titled “About Women: Conversations between a writer and a painter”. The two women talking are author Lisa Alther and painter and writer Francoise Gilot.

I came across this book randomly online and decided to read it, the minute I finished reading the synopsis. The book is about their lives and experiences. It just gives you a feeling of being in a salon and hearing them speak and hoping that the conversation will not end.

They have been friends for more than twenty-five years. They come from different backgrounds – Gilot from Paris and Alther from Tennessee. They also belong to different generations but the conversations are so intriguing – from arts to parenthood to feminism and how all of this impacted their lives and more importantly their art.

“About women” is divided into eight sections and each section gives you a different perspective on living and how art is so intricately linked with our lives. The book is all about being a woman – through generations of women and how each generation views womanhood. It is not so much about feminism as it is about making a point by doing what you wish to, whatever the circumstances. The conversations are beautifully drawn – even though they might seem random sometimes; they interconnect and fall right into place.

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About Women: Conversations Between a Writer and a Painter

About Women: Conversations Between a Writer and a Painter