Orpheus

After watching Hadestown I decided to revisit Jean Cocteau Orpheus. This time I decided to read his play which the movie was loosely based on. The play was just ok. It's astonishing how much better the movie was. It was more poetic and memorable. I think that Cocteau just became a better writer in time. He wrote the play in the 1920s and the movie was made in 1950. I watched it as a kid. It was my introduction to mythology.

Victoria

This was a lovely novella. An author is in love with a girl named Victoria. Unfortunately her parents want her to marry for money. For a while he is engaged to a younger woman whose life he saved. However, Victoria is really the one for him despite the bad treatment she gives him. Sadly the book ends on a tragic note. This book seems like it's really simple but it speaks volumes more than more complicated works. I think it's one of Hamsun's best. This is my third time reading it over twenty five years.

Bruges-La-Morte

Bruges-La-Morte is about a desperate widower who falls for a dancer who looks like his deceased wife. But she's nothing like his past wife. She's nasty and brings the downfall of him. Even his help leaves and is mortified. This short novel packed a punch. Apparently it was one of the first books to have photographs along with it. I'll have to read more from this author.

The Street of Crocodiles

This is a classic Polish novella. I found it hard to follow so I'm going to reread it and give more of a update some time coming up. The Brothers Quay did a short based on it so it's worth looking over again.

The Shoemaker's Wonderful Wife

I really like Lorca so I've been going through his plays gradually. So far these early plays of his show potential but don't wow like Blood Wedding. This one is about a 50 something year man who leaves his young nagging wife. During his absence, the two realize how much they actually do love one another. It doesn't help that the town is against them. This play was cute but greatness was around the corner.

Brigitta and other tales

I read the novella Rock Crystal and loved it. So I decided to read more by Adalbert Stifter. This contains four stories by him. Two stories were ok. The others were great. "Abdias", one of the ok ones, is about a guy whose daughter is blind and she recovers. "Limestone" is about a priest and this was the worst of them. However "The Forest Path" was fantastic. It was really cute. It's about a wealthy hermit who is a hypochondriac. He is cured when he meets a sweet country girl. The other one "Brigitta" was great too. It's about a good looking guy who has had lots of girls who finds himself returning to the plain wife he left years ago. I really like Stifter and I'm going to read more by him.

The Mummy Market

Every once in a while I like to try an out of print children's book. This was a cute one with a good message. Three children want to get rid of their mean housekeeper. They go to the "mummy market" to find a suitable mom to take her place. But they keep coming up with duds. Eventually they learn from a friend that what they want to do is actually find their real mom. SPOILER: Someone on goodreads said that they didn't like the fact that the enchantment was never explained. I was fine with this. Not everything has to be solved in a book.