Well I should have started on the 3rd part of the Microsoft interview posts but I couldn't really get myself to do it. Soon I will though.
So this should be a lighter post, mainly about my life in the past few days. The title is "adapted" (as Nag would say) from Beyoncé's song.
I went to Diwan with Nag, we both didn't really intend on getting any books but we ended up getting 3 books, Sun Tzu's Art of war and Karen Armstrong's History of God for myself, and Sidney Sheldon's "Are you afraid of the dark?" for Nag. I am yet to read any of them because I have just finished Coelho's The Alchemist and started on The Devil and Miss Prym (Spanish version is here)
The weird thing is that although The Alchemist is Coelho's most famous work, I find myself enjoying The Devil and Miss Prym a lot more so far. The Alchemist is an easy read, but I didn't find it very interesting. And Coelho had this habit of explaining everything to the reader. At least that's what I thought he was doing in The Alchemist. I like a writing style that rewards a thoughtful reader. Statements with clues to insights, just show me the road and let me walk it myself. I didn't get that from the alchemist and I even felt some of Coelho's explanations are intelligence insulting, you know, when someone is explaining something really obvious...
I also got one of those for my baby. And I love it! (Nag will now comment once again about "guy" love for material possessions) Still undecided about changing the speakers though, because so far the factory spec speakers are doing just fine.
That's the past few days, on another, more futuristic, note, we're going to Hurghada next Friday! We're staying for 3 days (we is me and the people at ITWorx, it's a recreational company trip). This should provide for the relaxing weekend by the sea that I've been longing for for so long now.
C'est tout pour maintenant, a bientĂ´t :)
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9 comments:
I liked the Devil and Miss Prym better than the Alchemist myself. But the best of all is still Veronika decides to die. I actually am planing to also see the play this autumn, I heard it was great.
I have to look for it then.
Thanks for the tip!
I don't think we'll get the play here though.
The pile of books to be read is getting higher by the day :D
hmmm.... i read The Alchemist, Devil and Miss Prym, Veronika decides to die, By the River Piedra I sat down and wept, Eleven Minutes (and yes even tho i read all of these, i still think he is commercial)
The Alchemist is the least i liked.. and i am amazed at Karim, because one of the main reasons i didnt like it was Karembu himself.. he found complete passages copied from "Wisdom of the Sands" by Antoine de Saint Exupery (i hope i spelled it right), the same man who wrote Le Petit Prince, i.e. before Coelho was born aslan...
The ones i liked most were 11 Minutes and Devil and Miss Prym. By the River Piedra is a masterpiece too.. actually, 11 minutes and River Piedra are extreeeeeemely emotional.. given the right emotional mood, one relates to it at a certain point in their lives.
that can be a topic for another day.
Hey Mr C!! As promised,here I am commenting on your blogs.They are highly interesting...I raise my hat to you and your friends- they make it even more interesting (fly in the elevator!!)I am glad you liked Diwan..it's one of my most favourite places all over Cairo!I had an exam today and it's been such a long one,but I couldn't let u down and not post my comment:)
Cheers, mate!
At last, the one and only Tiny came out of the shadows (or out of the light and into the dark as the duke would probably say) and commented on one of my blog posts :)
Thank you for taking the time ya Tiny.
Good luck with your exams!
You have got to join us sometime at Diwan. When you're done with your exams isa.
Two corrections:
1. It's "Wind, Sand and Stars" not "Wisdom of the Sands".
2. When I first read "The Alchemist", I didn't know about this and I liked the book a lot...so that's how it's my favorite Paulo Coelho book ;)
I read "The Devil and Miss Prym", "The Pilgrimage", "By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept"...mmm...oh, and "Veronica Decides to Die".
And? What do you think of them? :)
I believe "The Lord of the Flies" is a more original and genuine exploration of the nature of man kind and whether we are genuinely good or genuinely evil. "Devil & Miss Prym" ain't as good.
I liked the Alchamist and i would continue to like until i read "Wind, Sand and Stars". I do think it's a bit overrated though, but still a good book.
Veronica is a good read, although not quite original. I would agree with Nag that Coelho is a commercial artist.
I guess you can't afford to be not commercial if you make living out of writing. Writers write so that people read and if your writing isn't accessible to enough readers to justify a big publisher to endorse you then you should take writing as a hoby not a profession
My 2 Cents of Wisdom
It seems so many things are trying to get me to read "Lord of the flies" these days, so I should do it, soon hopefully.
I am not sure about the theory of commercial writing. Many a writer chose to just write what they want to, and commerce just agreed with them. It is a lot different if you set out with the "commerce" in mind.
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