What we’re about
Calling all curious minds interested in exploring new perspectives and discussing literary classics or thought-provoking new ideas in non-fiction. Let's explore the thoughts of authors across time and geographical space. Books are introduced by questions just to get conversation rolling.
We'll meet during the week for dinner or on the weekend for coffee. Events will be planned in advance so that we all have time to read, and there will be polls to choose future books. Suggestions for books, restaurants, and cafes you would like to try are welcome.
Bring your appetite for reading and discussions in good company with good food, and I hope to welcome you in the coming months!
Instead of a list of various rules to remember, here's just one: There is zero tolerance for selfish, self-centered jerks who get confused by other people having a perspective different to theirs in practice (not in theory! In theory, even a jerk would agree people are different; it's just the practice of respecting those difference is hard because doing so is inconvenient and takes too much effort from the jerk). If you get asked to change a behavior that has negative affects, fix it.
Consider that we often do what is convenient, easy, and familiar to us, without considering the consequences of our behavior on others until confronted. So we don't act with bad intentions, but that doesn't necessarily mean that we do things with good intentions either.
Luckily, there is redemption for everyone, jerks included. But if you believe that the best response to counter automatically, without any reflection, with how the other person is so wrong to the point, so wrong that you'll use wildly incorrect generalizations or downright offensive counterarguments, then also strongly consider whether another group would fit your core values with less friction. Like strongly consider, and by that I mean just self-select and leave or be removed by the organizer. I'm not sure why you would want to stay in a group where the organizer or a fellow member think you've crossed a threshhold of acting selfishly and thoughtlessly enough that they must summon up the courage and directness to ask you to address the behavior.
Upcoming events
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Celebrate Jane Austen's 250th anniversary birthday!
Location not specified yetTo celebrate the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen's birth on Dec 16, 1775, let's discuss how a master of situational humor and irony gets translated from her original 19th century novel to the 21st century big screen. Austen innovated on the technique of indirect free discourse, whereby the character's inner thoughts interweave with that of the third-person narrator in her novels. Due to the widespread use in contemporary novels now, it's often overlooked how groundbreaking Austen is in this regard. Her novel Emma is particularly rich in this technique.
Emma (2020, director Autumn de Wilde) and Emma (1815, author Jane Austen) , which is Dec 16
The heroine Emma Woodhouse is an independent, confident young woman who is too clever for her insular village while also lacking wisdom or introspection to put her intellect to real use. Having no need for marriage herself due to her wealth, she instead plays matchmaker for others as a way to alleviate her boredom, which inevitably leads to a series of mishaps and misunderstandings. Will Emma develop the wisdom to rein in her well-intentioned but frivolous ways?
Please watch the film AND read the book before you come; the discussion will contain spoilers.
To find where can you watch it and with which language options:
https://www.werstreamt.es/film/details/1969288/emma/5 attendees
Arguably the most influential magic realism book you've never heard of
Location not specified yetThis precursor of Latin American magic realism led Gabriel Garcia Marquez to overcome his writer's block and write One Thousand Years of Solitude. Jorge Luis Borges called it "one of the best works of Hispanic literature."
Pedro Paramo (2025, director Rodrigo Prieto) and *Pedro Paramo (*1955, author Juan Rulfo)
The premise starts out relatively simply: Juan Preciado tries to make good on his promise to his dying mother to find his father, Pedro Paramo. This leads him to the once bustling town of Comala, now a ghost town. Themes include the Mexican afterlife, hope as a motivator, and redemption for past sins. If you like Marquez and Cormac McCarthy, consider giving this novel a try.
Non-linear chronology is a main technique of the novel, which will be interesting to discuss how well it is translated to the big screen. Books and films using non-linear narration benefit from coming together with others to piece together what happens.
To find where can you watch it and with which language options:
https://www.werstreamt.es/film/details/3743980/pedro-paramo/18 attendees
Discuss Villeneuve's Arrival and Chiang "Story of Your Life"
Location not specified yetTo celebrate Valentine's Day, or rather the day after, let's talk about choosing love. Arrival and the short story "Story of Your Life" are beautiful, moving odes to not only the bittersweetness of love but also to such ideas as language shaping perception, commitment to decisions and experiences despite the known outcomes, how "others" are perceived as threats, and the possible non-sequentiality of time. We'll follow the linguist Louise Banks as she carries out her task to learn the language of the alien "Heptapods" for the US Army but discovers much more about herself and her inner strength along the way.
Please note, we'll discuss both the film and the short story.
Arrival (2016, director Denis Villeneuve) and "Story of Your Life" (2002, author Ted Chiang in his short story collection Stories of Your Life)To find where can you watch it and with which language options:
https://www.werstreamt.es/film/details/824928/arrival/10 attendees
Past events
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