What we’re about
There are a number of reading groups in Glasgow but this one is intended to be a bit different. Every month, members are invited to go and read something from a chosen region or country and report back and then we vote on the most interesting sounding book for discussion at the next meeting. We will concentrate on literary fiction but interpret that very broadly.
Venue TBD.
Upcoming events (1)
See all- Vive La FranceDram, Glasgow
As the poorly cropped Pissaro painting of Paris indicates, our next meetup will be dedicated to French literature. The format is the same as ever - read a book from our target country and come along and talk about it. As an experiment, I asked Chatbot GPT to come up with a list of France's 10 greatest writers and present in poetic form in the style of Baudelaire:
In Parisian streets where shadows dance, A tapestry of words, a poet's trance. Let's weave a tale of France's finest art, Where novelists and poets play their part.
Baudelaire, with flowers dark and bold, His verses, like a haunting melody, unfold. Verlaine, with moonlit dreams so fair, Whispers secrets in the midnight air.
Now to novelists, a grand parade, Their stories linger, never to fade. Hugo, with "Les Misérables" profound, Captures hearts with every sound.
Proust, in his labyrinth of memory's hold, Unravels time, tales of love untold. Flaubert, with precision, crafts his prose, Each word a gem, where beauty flows.Maupassant, with short stories brief, In shadows lurk both joy and grief. And Colette, with her tales of passion's fire, Weaves desire with each whispered desire.
Zola, the chronicler of human fate, In his world, the city's heartbeats pulsate. Camus, with existential thought profound, In absurdity, meaning is found.
So here they stand, in France's literary hall, Their words like stars, illuminating all. Poets, novelists, their legacy grand, Forever etched in the heart of the land.
Observations:
A) This sounds nothing like Baudelaire.
B) What no Georges Perec and "Life: A User's Manual"?
C) Wot, no oulipou generally?
D) If anyone wants to read something a bit weirder, the vaguely Borgesian "The Glory of the Empire" by Jean D'Ormesson is worth a look The Glory of the Empire – New York Review Books (nyrb.com)
E) Chatbot GPT has given us only one female author so to rectify we have Georges Sands, Marguerite Dumas, Simone de Beauvoir, Marguerite Yourcenar, Nathalie Sarraute and many others.
F) List also short on contemporary novelists and cos my own tastes are resolutely mid-century, I can only think of arch-controversialist Michelle Houellebecq.As always these are only recommendations. Feel free to go completely off-piste.
Since Dram seemed to be quite acceptable to everyone last time I'll try and book the same spot.
