Il carteggio di Aspern e altri racconti

All the stories in this collection address a subject that has become more topical with time - the urge to delve into the private lives of celebrities. James' celebrities are mostly writers with one story featuring instead a painter. In every story the narrator is endeavouring to enter the private li Leggi tutto

I need to write a review, but it is the first Henry James I’ve ever read and I am totally converted. Such an artistry and psychological insight! And suspense as well- superb.

Though others may have more sanguine ideas about Venice, my first visceral response when I think of the city is one of creepiness. I guess this is informed by my viewing the Nicolas Roeg direction of the Daphne du Maurier story "Don't Look Now" over thirty years ago. A subsequent reading of the stor Leggi tutto

How can any collection that includes The Aspern Papers , The Figure in the Carpet , and “The Real Thing” get less than 5 stars? Each of these three and other “tales” in this book vary in length, from a gem of the short story “The Real Thing” to the masterful novella I’ve re-read with delight, The Aspe Leggi tutto

This new Oxford edition (2013) sites `The Aspern Papers' alongside some of James' other short fictions which are concerned with literary life, especially the relationships between author, texts, and critics. Written between 1888-1896, the four stories collected here (`The Death of the Lion', `The Fig Leggi tutto

metterci un mese a leggere un libro di ottanta pagine può voler dire varie cose: attenzione fagocitata dal lavoro (possibile) lettrice in via di rimbambimento rapido (molto possibile) rapporto autore/lettrice non buono (certo). Le tre cose non si escludono a vicenda, ma quella certa è - appunto - certa. Leggi tutto

It’s funny, James and I can never quite click. I always remain impressed with him, but I can never fall in love. Something about his style feels too mannered somehow (and this from someone who loves William Gass!). I don’t know. But these were good, and well worth reading

Every so often, I resolve to try to read Henry James: last time was about ten years ago, when I came across a copy of Italian Hours , which James' level of condescension towards Italy made me abandon after about 50 pages. Having been given this slim volume, I decided once again to see whether I coul Leggi tutto

Tre sono i racconti di Henry James raccolti in questo libro, accomunati dall’ambientazione italiana in cui si muovono personaggi quasi esclusivamente anglosassoni: Il carteggio Aspern a Venezia, Daisy Miller a Roma e Il diario di un uomo di cinquant’anni a Firenze. A narrare la prima storia è un cr Leggi tutto

This masterpiece by James is probably well known to most readers of this brief review. All I'm going to say, therefore, is that I was very impressed by James's ability to build tension/anticipation into his narrative. About half way through I began to read more continuously and perhaps even a bit ha Leggi tutto