It's Not an All Night Fair
5 journalers for this copy...
From the back:
"With more than thirty works of fiction translated into more than thirty languages, the award-winning Pramoedya Ananta Toer was Indonesia's most celebrated writer. It's Not an All Night Fair tells the deeply affecting story of a son returning home to central Java to confront the dying and eventual death of his father. Struggling to understand his reticent father, the son embarks on a personal quest to find value and meaning, not only in his father's life but in his own."
"With more than thirty works of fiction translated into more than thirty languages, the award-winning Pramoedya Ananta Toer was Indonesia's most celebrated writer. It's Not an All Night Fair tells the deeply affecting story of a son returning home to central Java to confront the dying and eventual death of his father. Struggling to understand his reticent father, the son embarks on a personal quest to find value and meaning, not only in his father's life but in his own."
From flipkart.com:
"Now available for the first time in English, a classic from "a novelist who should get in line for the Nobel Prize" ("Los Angeles Times")
Pramoedya Ananta Toer is Indonesia's most celebrated writer, with over thirty works of fiction translated into over thirty languages, and the recipient of many major international awards, including the grand prize in the Fukuoka Asian Culture Prize competition, Japan's highest literary honor. Narrated in the first person in Pramoedya's signature style, "It's Not an All Night Fair" tells the deeply affecting story of a son returning home to central Java to confront the fact of his father's death. Struggling to understand his reticent father, the son embarks on a personal quest to find value and meaning not only in his father's life but also in his own."
***
I had high expectations of this book, but I must say I was disappointed. I found the author's style too straight-forward and simple, almost clumsy. If it is, as the above review states, his signature style, I don't think I'll want to read any of his other works, never mind how celebrated he is. To me, the style detracts from the reading experience. It was too matter-of-fact to make me identify with the characters and to feel for them. Too bad - but at least I now get to cross Indonesia off my Geographical Challenge list :)
***
This book will now travel on to mathgirl40 in Canada as her selection from the South-East Asian VBB.
"Now available for the first time in English, a classic from "a novelist who should get in line for the Nobel Prize" ("Los Angeles Times")
Pramoedya Ananta Toer is Indonesia's most celebrated writer, with over thirty works of fiction translated into over thirty languages, and the recipient of many major international awards, including the grand prize in the Fukuoka Asian Culture Prize competition, Japan's highest literary honor. Narrated in the first person in Pramoedya's signature style, "It's Not an All Night Fair" tells the deeply affecting story of a son returning home to central Java to confront the fact of his father's death. Struggling to understand his reticent father, the son embarks on a personal quest to find value and meaning not only in his father's life but also in his own."
***
I had high expectations of this book, but I must say I was disappointed. I found the author's style too straight-forward and simple, almost clumsy. If it is, as the above review states, his signature style, I don't think I'll want to read any of his other works, never mind how celebrated he is. To me, the style detracts from the reading experience. It was too matter-of-fact to make me identify with the characters and to feel for them. Too bad - but at least I now get to cross Indonesia off my Geographical Challenge list :)
***
This book will now travel on to mathgirl40 in Canada as her selection from the South-East Asian VBB.
It's Not an All Night Fair arrived today. This was one I had chosen from ApoloniaX's South-East Asian VBB. Thank you very much, Annimanni!
I was interested in this book because I'd read very little that is set in Indonesia and I'd heard good things about this author. This very short novel follows a young man as he returns home to his dying father. The writing is sad and thought-provoking, but the story, which seemed stagnant, left me wanting. Still, I'm glad I read the book and would like to seek out more from this author.
I tagged Nakipa in a wishlist-tag game and thought she might enjoy this book as well, so it's travelling in the same package.
It arrived today! Thank you so much for the extra surprise :D
The thing I love the most about foreign authors is the sense of traveling to different places in my sofa. I was never physically in Indonesia, only very near at sea, and now I can say that I was there in my imagination, thanks to Mr. Toer.
Released 11 yrs ago (1/3/2013 UTC) at Lisboa - City, Lisboa (cidade) Portugal
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
Going out to the UK as a Birthday present for MissMarkey. I hope it gets there on time! :D
Thank you for this book. Going on Mount TBR. I like it's BC history. Thanks again :)
Great!! A Book for the Lifetime Reading challenge counting for Indonesia.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Especially since I was able to compare it with my own experience with the sudden death of my mother...
Very well written, I liked the style. I learned something about Indonesia (from zero to a tiny bit).
It's a pity that this book is so very short!
Counts for Indonesia.
