Wine tends to make people a bit sleepy, which explains the French 35-hour work week and lack of productivity. Vodka brings out extreme reactions in people, from the poetic to the severely depressed or extremely violent. Beer tends to make people a bit louder and happier - I can't make generalizations about the Czechs, but beer led the Germans to the Wehrmacht marching bands and camaraderie and...oh wait, let's just not go there.
Political correctness is the pettiest form of casuistry.
ἡ δὲ κἀκ τριῶν τρυπημάτων ἐργαζομένη ἐνεκάλει τῇ φύσει, δυσφορουμένη, ὅτι δὴ μὴ καὶ τοὺς τιτθοὺς αὐτῇ εὐρύτερον ἢ νῦν εἰσι τρυπώη, ὅπως καὶ ἄλλην ἐνταῦθα μίξιν ἐπιτεχνᾶσθαι δυνατὴ εἴη. – Procopius
Ummaka qinnassa nīk!
*MySmiley*
ἡ δὲ κἀκ τριῶν τρυπημάτων ἐργαζομένη ἐνεκάλει τῇ φύσει, δυσφορουμένη, ὅτι δὴ μὴ καὶ τοὺς τιτθοὺς αὐτῇ εὐρύτερον ἢ νῦν εἰσι τρυπώη, ὅπως καὶ ἄλλην ἐνταῦθα μίξιν ἐπιτεχνᾶσθαι δυνατὴ εἴη. – Procopius
Ummaka qinnassa nīk!
*MySmiley*
Russian Book Club: Chapaev and Pustota or Buddha's Little Finger
- 16/05/2010 03:42:07 PM
966 Views
I'll have my full thoughts up in a few hours
- 16/05/2010 04:33:54 PM
624 Views
Could you give me a better reference as to where that was in the book?
- 17/05/2010 03:09:16 AM
606 Views
Chapter 5, just before Kocurkin appears for the first time. *NM*
- 17/05/2010 02:34:30 PM
279 Views
In Russian it says "succubus" became the Russian "suka" or "bitch" *NM*
- 17/05/2010 02:49:03 PM
356 Views
Ahh, so the English version is closer.
- 17/05/2010 07:38:35 PM
642 Views
This reply is mostly empty of thoughts. 
- 16/05/2010 05:37:54 PM
622 Views
- 16/05/2010 05:37:54 PM
622 Views
I'll wait until it is substantially empty but nominally full, then. 
*NM*
- 17/05/2010 03:09:52 AM
320 Views
*NM*
- 17/05/2010 03:09:52 AM
320 Views
OK, here's what I wrote for the OF Blog on this book
- 17/05/2010 02:22:18 AM
647 Views
I like the way your review is an un-review.
- 17/05/2010 03:08:20 AM
570 Views
That's what I wanted to convey, since it's hard to be definitive with such a work
- 17/05/2010 03:16:19 AM
673 Views
I wouldn't term it "fantasy".
- 18/05/2010 02:24:40 PM
600 Views
My thoughts.
- 17/05/2010 02:16:11 PM
646 Views
Pelevin isn't a real Buddhist, he's a superficial pop-culture Buddhist.
- 18/05/2010 02:33:37 PM
666 Views
Re: Pelevin isn't a real Buddhist, he's a superficial pop-culture Buddhist.
- 18/05/2010 10:37:36 PM
592 Views
It is apparently called Clay Machine Gun in the UK.
- 17/05/2010 02:41:41 PM
620 Views
It's Čapajev a Prázdnota (Chapaev and Emptiness) in Czech
- 17/05/2010 07:46:14 PM
659 Views
In Russian prazdny or prazdnost' would mean "lazy, inactive" *NM*
- 18/05/2010 02:21:42 PM
301 Views
Bah. No bookshop in Edinburgh has it. Amazon will have to be my saviour.
- 18/05/2010 12:56:28 PM
519 Views
I like this passage about 10 pages from the end of the book on Russia
- 17/05/2010 02:56:49 PM
644 Views
I think the pseudo-Buddhist bit is not as good as the Russian vodka psychology.
- 18/05/2010 02:35:07 PM
608 Views
Perhaps
- 18/05/2010 02:38:24 PM
560 Views
All and none. Russia is a paradox, but one that can be explained.
- 19/05/2010 03:30:58 PM
613 Views
Re: I think the pseudo-Buddhist bit is not as good as the Russian vodka psychology.
- 18/05/2010 11:12:10 PM
662 Views
I'll drink to that!
- 19/05/2010 03:34:40 PM
477 Views
And I still don't have a copy of this book!
- 17/05/2010 07:37:35 PM
667 Views
I'll bet you could find a Russian version online if you searched rambler.ru. *NM*
- 18/05/2010 02:35:49 PM
316 Views
Re: I know a weird "lending library" sort of site that can give you the English version.
- 20/05/2010 12:48:57 PM
758 Views