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Posts Tagged ‘Anna Karenina’

Life and death at the railway station

Posted in Literature, tagged , , , , , on 1 February, 2010 | 23 Comments »

When literature possesses a Tolstoy, it is easy and pleasant to be a writer; even when you know you have achieved nothing yourself and are still achieving nothing, this is not as terrible as it might otherwise be, because Tolstoy achieves for everyone. Trust Chekhov to get it exactly right.  He puts his finger on [...]

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Goodbye Levin

Posted in How to live, Literature, tagged , , , on 5 July, 2009 | 2 Comments »

Yes, I finally finished Anna Karenina last week.  Was shattered and moved.  By Anna crouching next to the train, red bag discarded, waiting for the “midpoint between the two wheels” to come even with her, by the glimpse of Vronsky after her death – “his face, aged and full of suffering”– going off to fight the war [...]

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Truth is a woman: Quotes from June

Posted in Quotes from the month, tagged , , , , on 3 July, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

Finally, I’ve finished Anna Karenina.  It’s only taken months, what with 800 pages and 15 minute bursts of reading.  Is it because I’m getting older that my attention span is shot, or can I blame the internet?  I’m going to discuss the book again shortly, but for now, the famous opening line: All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is [...]

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Labouring mightily: Quotes from May

Posted in Quotes from the month, tagged , , , , , , on 3 June, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

On the weekend I heard for the second time the most wonderful quotation and this time I’m writing it down.  It was in a program about the career of the Italian film-maker, Roberto Rossellini, and the movie, Rome, Open City which he made in 1945.  The quotation comes in the last line in the program [...]

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Anna and Vronsky

Posted in Literature, tagged , , on 18 May, 2009 | 6 Comments »

I’m re-reading Anna Karenina.  It’s the Penguin edition by the feted translators, Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, and it says on the flyleaf: William Faulkner, it’s said, was once asked to name the three best novels ever.  He replied: “Anna Karenina, Anna Karenina, Anna Karenina.” I don’t know if it’s the translation or that I’ve grown [...]

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