Aidan Higgins
Paperback | Pages: 252 pages Rating: 3.54 | 102 Users | 21 Reviews
Particularize Out Of Books Langrishe, Go Down
| Title | : | Langrishe, Go Down |
| Author | : | Aidan Higgins |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Special Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 252 pages |
| Published | : | August 1st 2004 by Dalkey Archive Press (first published January 1st 1966) |
| Categories | : | Cultural. Ireland. Fiction. Literary Fiction. European Literature. Irish Literature |
Representaion In Favor Of Books Langrishe, Go Down
An eminently poetic book, Langrishe, Go Down (Higgins's first novel) traces the fall of the Langrishes--a once wealthy, highly respected Irish family--through the lives of their four daughters, especially the youngest, Imogen, whose love affair with a self-centered German scholar resonates throughout the book. Their relationship, told in lush, erotic, and occasionally melancholic prose, comes to represent not only the invasion and decline of this insular family, but the decline of Ireland and Western Europe as a whole in the years preceding World War II. In the tradition of great Irish writing, Higgins's prose is a direct descendent from that of James Joyce and Samuel Beckett, and nowhere else in his mastery of the language as evident as in Langrishe, Go Down, which the Irish Times applauded as "the best Irish novel since At Swim-Two-Birds and the novels of Beckett."Mention Books To Langrishe, Go Down
| Original Title: | Langrishe, Go Down (Irish Literature) |
| ISBN: | 1564783529 (ISBN13: 9781564783523) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Literary Awards: | James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Fiction (1966) |
Rating Out Of Books Langrishe, Go Down
Ratings: 3.54 From 102 Users | 21 ReviewsArticle Out Of Books Langrishe, Go Down
I use the word "read" in the loosest possible sense - after the first 100 pages, I stopped truly reading and started skimming, and I only did that because it's a book club book. It's terribly low brow of me, I know, but I do so like a plot in my novels, and I just couldn't find much of one here.I didn't like Langrishe, Go Down so much as Balcony of Europe, but I believe it was Higgins' first book ... the writing was still stunning; I just didn't find the narrative to be very strong.
A vastly underrated novel, rich and teeming with subtleties. In the long Irish tradition of the big-house novel and at the same time a sharp allegory about the temptation and erotic pull of Fascism. An attractive German charms and seduces a lazily self-absorbed household in the 1930's, and then destroys everything. You'd have to be dense not to see the meaning of it.
This slow burn dirge chronicles one familial example in the decline of Ireland's landed gentry. After the Langrishe patriarch passes on, his four adult daughters fade away into spinsterhood on the family land, slowly selling off bits and pieces in order to survive. The bulk of the plot dwells on the youngest daughter Imogen, who steps out of spinster character to fritter away a couple of years in the company of a freeloading German scholar. Far from the usual Dalkey fare, the book stays the
Undeniably beautiful writing but no narrative to speak of. Not my cup of tea, Im afraid.
Sorry to say that it was difficult to read. The lead male character had few redeeming qualities. He seemed like a weak imitation of Hesse's Knulp. The author seemed to be imitating Joyce and Beckett. There is some beautiful writing and nice imagery, but didn't hold together for me.
I wanted to love this as C. Toibin, guy who wrote "The Master," says it's wonderful but I can't get a rhythm with it. Perhaps you have to be Irish. I've read about a third and have put it down but will pick up again and see what happens to the Blanche Dubouis (sp?)type character and her brittle, sexless sister (that makes the book seem more interesting than it is).
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.