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Books vs. everything else 28 July 2010

Posted by Mekekamps in Art, Books, Philosophy.
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A Pair of Ragged Claws recently went through the self-indulgent exercise of determining what is more important – books, or other things. The exercise was to determine whether you would give up books, and what it would take?

Basically,

what things would you give up before you gave up books? This is one of those completely hypothetical, it’s Friday on Ragged Claws questions where someone comes along and says to you: I have bad news, you have to give up either books or sex. Unless you give up one of them entirely and forever, you will die. Which do you choose?

Some of his assessments were interesting (most of them funny), and all of them reflect the things he is spending time on in his life (TV, betting on horses, sex, +++).

It got me thinking. I love books, too. I am a slow reader, but I love the experiences books can give you. For the most part, I would choose books over most other activities (except for sleep!), as long as choosing books would mean a limitless supply of them. The libraries of Alexandria to my disposal? I would ditch laser tag for that!

But I also know people who have true passion in their lives, apart from books. Like music. I do not personally understand it (as shown by our esoteric discussions about whether, if you had to choose, you would choose going blind or going deaf, where I chose deaf and they chose blind). But I do recognise it – that true yearning for music, the enjoyment, the creation or the experience of it with their whole beings.

This particular person, however, also has an immense appetite for books and they are the most widely read person I know. So what would this person choose –

Books or music?

Or, if you are not musically inclined – books or your other passion? What would you choose?

Republishing old children’s books 15 April 2010

Posted by Mekekamps in Life.
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I am totally thrilled by this news (although it is probably not news anymore): Publishing houses are reprinting old children’s books. As in Strewwelpeter and other books.

That is fantastic, I love those old stories that don’t hold back, neither on the Political Correctness front or on the Gruesome Gore front – everything is permitted in the name of teaching children the lessons of life! Fun, fun.

Meke

Christmas Poem 6 January 2010

Posted by Mekekamps in Life.
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Peter de Vries wrote in The Tents of Wickedness (1959):

“Since last the tutelary hearth
Has seen this bursting pod of kin,
I’ve thought how good the family mould,
How solid and how genuine.

“Now once again the aunts are here,
The uncles, sisters, brothers,
With candy in the children’s hair,
The grownups in each other’s.

“There’s talk of saving room for pie;
Grandma discusses her neuralgia.
I long for time to pass, so I
Can think of all this with nostalgia.”

Based on this poem, I want to revisit him as an author. So much humour, yet I had completely forgot about him. I purely enjoyed Tunnel of Love (1954), so I will see if I can find one of his other works soon.