Mother of All Books

Balatarin
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Mother of All Books
by Jahanshah Javid
07-Apr-2011
 

I have become an accidental owner of a Kindle, Amazon.com's digital reader. I cannot tell you how much it means to me. I look at it every day and smile, for more reasons you could imagine. It's a world of books at my finger tips. And it's perfect for someone like me who doesn't live in one place. It will be in my carry-on or backpack wherever I may be.

The danger is that it might end up becoming the digital version of my old library: Lots of great books I'll never read. Just the thought of having access to great books may be satisfying enough. Like traveling to the most interesting, beautiful places in the world but never leaving my hotel room. Just being there FEELS better than not being there.

There is some hope though. I have been reading books every day for more than two years now (usually no more than a couple of pages a day, but still...) and I think this trend will continue for some time, as long as I find book that are compelling enough for my short attention span and limited patience.

It wasn't easy deciding which book should be my first digital purchase. It seemed way more important than I imaged. The FIRST book among MILLIONS. The Mother of All Books. Which writer would get the honor? So many titles, so many varieties... fiction... non-fiction. Which is most beautiful? Smartest? Most profound? Honest? I was thinking way too much about it. I was over- and over-analyzing why I was going to choose this or that title. You'd think I was trying to pick my bible.

Thankfully I heard Christopher Hitchens' recent interview and I got tempted to buy one of his books on atheism. I'm usually not very cautious and I buy things as soon as I want them. This time I thought I'd better read an excerpt first. So I downloaded the few available pages and I quickly decided that it isn't for me. First of all, Hitchens was preaching to the converted. I don't need to read hundreds of pages to be convinced religions are a sham. Plus he has a condescending tone. I guess his writings are good for people who have doubts about god. To me it's like beating ideas that are already dead.

I put the Kindle aside and focused on finishing books already at hand. In particular I was thoroughly enjoying Stefan Zweig's 1933 biography Marie Antoinette: The Portrait of an Average Woman. He describes how a spoiled, intellectually lazy but free-spirited 15-year-old girl becomes the victim of circumstance and ultimately loses her head; how she was unprepared to get married and completely incompetent and careless as a queen. And when she finally starts to show maturity and courage, it's much too late. The French Revolution mercilessly ends her life.

What fascinated me, besides Marie Antoinette's lively, playful, careless character, was the contrast between women in the position of royalty and the rest of the female population. I still don't understand how it was that in those days a queen exercised real power -- even more than the king himself in the case of Louis XVI -- and yet women in general were thought of as inferior and enjoyed few rights.

I don't understand the social, political, psychological factors that allowed for such a contradiction. As a woman you were condemned to a lesser existence -- unless you were queen. Why? Based on what? What was it about royalty that for centuries people set aside their prejudices and accepted domination by women at the highest level but did not take them seriously in the home or society? It's a mystery to me.

I was half-way through the book when I lost it a couple of weeks ago. I left it on a bus. I don't think I'll buy another copy to finish it. But I do recommend it. Details of Marie Antoinette's life are so interesting, I think any reader would be fascinated, whether you're interested in history or not. And if you're into history, noticing the many parallels between the French and Iranian revolutions add to the fascination.

Meanwhile I finally decided what book I would order on my Kindle. Initially I wanted to venture into the vast unknown and try my luck. Eventually though I picked one I knew I would order sooner or later. I clicked on the bookstore link, searched for Henry Miller's Tropic of Capricorn and downloaded it for a dollar (yes, ONE dollar). It's the sequel to my favorite book, Tropic of Cancer. Nothing turns me on more than limitless honesty and naked truth these days and right now I don't know anyone who delivers better than Miller.

Balatarin
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comments

Thanks for the blog.  I

by comments on Tue Apr 12, 2011 02:34 PM PDT

Thanks for the blog.  I will read  Marie Antoinette: The Portrait of an Average Woman soon.  Very interesting suggestion since I usually read biographies and nothing else.

I am curious to know what the problem of Tropic of Capricorn was that made it being banned.


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Jahanshah Javid

Persian?

by Jahanshah Javid on Sun Apr 10, 2011 01:32 PM PDT

I'm not sure Monda. I don't see an option on the Kindle to be able to type in Persian and search for a book. But out of curiosity I did a search for Sadegh Hedayat and the Blind Owl showed up as well as a biography of him by Homa Katouzian.


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Monda

Question on Kindle offerings

by Monda on Sun Apr 10, 2011 01:24 PM PDT

How is the Persian collection availability on Kindle? Prose and poems? 

If I can get a good selection as I do through (no longer Free, often $1.99 a pop) downloads, then I should let go of my thing with sniffing book pages and upgrade my senses to a kindle (on sale). 


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Azarin Sadegh

@Jaleho: I'm so impressed with you!

by Azarin Sadegh on Fri Apr 08, 2011 09:51 PM PDT

Wow...I can't believe you still remember that nice exchange between us!  Yes, I was super excited and I met him during that event in LA...He signed my copy of his Museum of Innocence and also accepted the short story I'd written for him (a story about one of his readers being obsessed with him:-)

So, I wasn't disappointed..NOT AT ALL! Actually, I wrote an article about that event right after I got home..:-)

//iranian.com/main/2009/nov/my-evening-orhan-pamuk

I've also bought his The Naive and The Sentimental Novelist which is the written version of that seminar you attended.


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Anonymous Observer

My recommendation for you JJ

by Anonymous Observer on Fri Apr 08, 2011 09:16 PM PDT

I think you should get "Iran: A Nation Interrupted" by Hamid Dabashi....

Sorry man...couldn't resist...bad joke... 


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ayatoilet1

Newspapers and Magazines

by ayatoilet1 on Fri Apr 08, 2011 06:01 PM PDT

I find my kindle is great for newspapers and magazines, I get an annual subscription to many magazines and daily papers and i don't have to walk out the door anymore to pick up the paper or add to paper trashpiles in the house! i love it and take it everywhere i go! i always have something to read.


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Jaleho

Hey Azarin,

by Jaleho on Fri Apr 08, 2011 05:41 PM PDT

I remember that you wanted to go to that Pamuk's lecture series which he was supposed to repeat in CA (remember the one I told you he gave in Boston?) How did you find him, I mean personally? Hope you didn't get disappointed too much, I remember you were quite excited about it :-)

 


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Azarin Sadegh

I might be crazy, dear Jaleho

by Azarin Sadegh on Fri Apr 08, 2011 05:06 PM PDT

But I still think that The Black Book is Pamuk's best work...:-)

Yet, I think JJ might like My Name is Red, because of its breathtaking prose and the beauty of its thoughts, and images...Of course there is some love story that he might enjoy, plus all these original povs (pov of a horse or a tree, or the color red)...Pamuk is like red wine (real red wine, not people named redwine:-) You have to read him slowly. Put the book down, and breathe, breathe more...:-)   


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Jahanshah Javid

Thanks!

by Jahanshah Javid on Fri Apr 08, 2011 01:23 PM PDT

Azarin: That was funny. Sure, I'll take anything naked -- without all the stuff we put on to hide reality :) Thanks for the recommendation. Pamuk should give you a comission :)

Reed Wine: Japanese symbolism sounds interesting. Thanks Ostad!

Ari: Tozihol Masael ro hefzam :)

Sepehr: The Kindle was not intended for me. But I'm glad I have it. I can't see myself running around with a multi-purpose tablet computer just yet. Like everything else, I'll finally get there sooner or later.

Shirin: Mamnoon! Motmaen baash roohe Guttenberg az hameye maa khoshhaaltareh.

Aynak: Great recommendation. Thank you!


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Jaleho

JJ, books from Kindle

by Jaleho on Fri Apr 08, 2011 11:54 AM PDT

OK, although Azarin came to her senses and picked My Name Is Red as best of Pamuk's books, [maybe :-).... ]

but I think YOU won't like that book! Not that I know you, but from the little that comes through the digital medium, I am willing to bet that you would like these good books (and then inspite of yourself you'd have something in common with me!):

The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

Solar by Ian McEwan

And among classic free books, I think you'd love to revisit Anna Karenina, Our Town (by Thornton Wilder). Another book that I think you would like (which I didn't) would be Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult.

 

If I were prophetic in any of these, please let me know!


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aynak

Read Katouzian's "The Persians"

by aynak on Fri Apr 08, 2011 11:24 AM PDT

 

JJ, I don't know if Katouzians book is available for download, or if you have read it or not,  but if it is, do not hesitate.   It will not disappoint, I promise.    Katouzian, is among few Iranian writers who include a ton of reference materials.  

But what I like about this book, is the way it logically interconnects our history with our culture.    I think it is a must read for any Iranian.   I disliked the fact and question him not using the name of Persian Gulf in his  first map, and his coverage of middle part i.e just pre-Islam to Safavid can get a lot more beef, but excellent book overall.  (I think Katouzian, should make this a 2 or 3 volume book).    

May we all have good dreams.


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ahang1001

قاتل کیست؟

ahang1001
Fri Apr 08, 2011 10:16 AM PDT

با پیشرفت علم دیجیتال...دیگر نیازی به خرید کتاب کاغذی نیست

گوتنبرگ هم دیگه املی شد.

اما با این سیستم دیجیتالی

میتوان با جستجوگر واژه ها... فورا قاتل را در رمان های جنایی پیدا کرد و دیگر نیازی به خواندن کتاب نیست

بد بحال آگاتا کریستی

بد بحال گوتنبرگ

دکانشان تخته شد

با آرزوی ساعات خوب...در کنار

digital reader

شارژ کردن باطری یادتان نرود

چون وسط کار...خالی میشه و آدم رو پکر میکنه

شیرین


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Sepehr

JJ Jan, now a kindle in addition to an ipod?

by Sepehr on Fri Apr 08, 2011 04:26 AM PDT

I must have really been a bad salesman, with the tab you would have had both in one.  Looks like I will have to ship you one myself for your birthday or something!

gorbooneto 


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Ari Siletz

Good recommendation Azarin!

by Ari Siletz on Fri Apr 08, 2011 01:07 AM PDT

In the process, Pamuk reveals the great respect for and strong influence of Perisan art in the Ottoman Empire. This was a time when the push-pull of Western vs. Persian cultural influence was shifting towards Europe.  

Do they have Tozih ol masaael?


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Red Wine

...

by Red Wine on Fri Apr 08, 2011 01:02 AM PDT

Sir,do not forget to read books with European romanticism and  Japanese symbolism. You have to start now!


If you want..I can recommend to you some writers.

Have a peaceful Spring with so many interesting books.


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Azarin Sadegh

Naked truth or just naked?

by Azarin Sadegh on Fri Apr 08, 2011 12:51 AM PDT

Just kidding...:-)

On a more serious note, I suggest you download the classics: Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, or Falkner...They should be free!

But if you're not broke, I suggest Orhan Pamuk's My name is Red!


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