By Dr. Edith Eva Eger
The story of a young dancer and gymnast who was sent to Auschwitz at the age of 16. Together with her sister she survived a year of horrors, and after the war she moved to the US to become, many years later, a renowned psychologist who helped many to overcome their horrific pasts. Most of the book revolves around her life, and incorporates stories of some of her patients, and how they also helped her heal herself. [333 pp. | Hebrew translation]
By Olga Tokarczuk
This is the story of an old lady who lives in a remote Polish village year-round, while most of its resident only stay there for the summer. She takes care of the "abandoned" properties during winter, and teaches English at the local school, though prior to that she was a civic engineer, building bridges in various countries. She is also a very sensitive woman who loves the poetry of William Blake (hence the title of the book), and quite eccentric, staunchly believing in the powers of astrology and in the evilness of hunters (especially those who stage feeding areas only to kill the approaching animals).
When hunters start dying out in mysterious ways, nobody believes her when she claims it was the acts of vengeful of the animals. [Hebrew translation; 263pp.]
By Émile Zola
This book took a long time to read, even if I did read other books at the same time. Some chapters just went on and on, and were not easily flowing. Anyway, each chapter presents a period in the life of Nana, an actress/celebrity/prostitute in Paris of the 1860s/1870s, from the times she first revealed to society until her untimely death. Through her we also get a good critical look at the society that embraces/makes fun of/objects to her. [386 pp., including notes, not including introduction.]
By Sebastian Smee
Exploring significant relationships and mutual influence between pairs of contemporary artists: Lucian Freud and Francis Bacon; Edouard Manet and Edgar Degas; Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso; and Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning.
Each one of these artists were influential in the art world, and would have probably not have created the same art if not for their meeting their counterparts. Their stories are shared in an easy to follow sequence of events in the lives of each painter in the pair, the effects they had on each other once they met, the struggles and jealousies, as well as deep love and/or admiration for each other's art. [nonfiction, 390pp.]
Favorite quote:
The creative process is a little like the act of making love. It can be as violent as fucking, like an orgasm or an ejaculation. The result is often disappointing, but the process is highly exciting.
-- Francis Bacon
By Sue Roe
[finished reading it around May 12]
This book was definitely interesting to read, and I did learn a lot from it. However, at time, it was a bit overwhelming with information, and it was not always easy to keep track of all the names mentioned. [nonfiction, 368pp.]
By Nils Büttner
This book was not an easy read. It requires more concentration than I afforded it. I believe it is divided into chapters in a way that makes sense, and there are some enlightening descriptions of some of the paintings (and color reproductions of them are included, sometimes with enlarged details). But it often feels too scholarly for a lay reader. I did enjoy the artwork and especially seeing the sketches Bosch made (see below). [non-fiction, 208pp. including references and index]
By Francis R. Kowsky
I like learning about the lives of people who made a huge difference in my life and the lives of many others. Calvert Vaux is one of them. A co-designer of Central Park (together with Frederick Olmsted), he revolutionized the idea of what park is for, re-envisioned apartment buildings, and the importance of incorporating architecture wisely in the landscape. This book does a good job describing all this, with added notes about his life and misfortunes, though it does tend to go into more architectural detail than I find necessary for a lay person like me. [320pp plus notes and index]
By Thomas Travisano
This is a biography of a poet I've never heard of before, though she has been known and respected from a young age, and her reputation has increased as she aged and further after her passing. Her childhood was not typical and neither was the life she lived as an adult. Her father died when she was only 8 months old, and her mother was committed to a mental health institution when she was five. She grew up with relatives and never felt she had a home of her own until much later in life. This book describes her travels and life in Europe, Key West, Brazil, and various places in the US, while weaving her poems into the context of the life she lived while writing them and the scenes in her life she was describing in them. [Non fiction; 422pp, including notes and index]
