Life In 19x19

chiwito wrote:For example, I just finished for the second time David Wingrove's series Chung Kuo, and I am eagerly awaiting the newly revised version of the series [in 19 volumes instead of the original 8], to begin appearing this year. I also got heavily into reading and collecting works of the French literary group OuLiPo because of the go-related material written by members Georges Perec and Jacques Roubaud. Next to go lit and "regular" go books, OuLiPo was my top collecting interest for much of the past decade. The book Shibumi, probably the most popular go-related novel in English and the one most often cited as introducing players to the game, led me on a slightly odd reading path. I had read as a teen two of "Trevanian's" earlier books, the Eiger Sanction and the Loo Sanction. After finding Shibumi, I read the rest of his works. I also got into the story of James Hashian, an author who falsely claimed to be Trevanian for a number of years. I actually preferred Hashian's two novels, published under his own name, to most of the real Trevanian's work. I don't read a lot of mysteries, but I have greatly enjoyed the works of Dale Furitani, Sujata Massey, and Laura Joh Rowland, all of whom I originally discovered because they had go scenes in a few of their works. I've not been a big fan of epic fantasy, and never really got into the Wheel of Time series, but I should mention it just because of the sheer bulk it adds to my go lit collection. The same may be said of the many editions and translations of the Tale of Genji.

I was drawn to the Wingrove series because of my interest in China, but found it quite repetitive after the first few books; I think I slogged through the fifth then gave up. I shudder to thing that it will be extended to 19 volumes - or are they just being cut up into smaller books? (While I recall go being in a few scenes, it wasn't there a lot.)

The OuLiPo group, alas, were a fad that had nothing important to say, and the books of their authors (with the exception of Calvino) are easily forgettable, aside from the gimmicks they used. But that first book by Lusson, Perec and Roubaud was indeed interesting as a book written for the general public.

DrStraw wrote:

chiwito wrote:...

I have to wonder how you ever discovered that all those books has references to go in them. I have never even heard of the authors you mention.

As to OuLiPo, if you are french and study maths (they are some mathematicians among them, Roubaud and Le Lionnais for example), litteracy (Perec is quite famous) or go, you have some chance to know them. They are among the first to promote go in France. The article on go in the french reference encycloopedia (Encyclopaedia Universalis) was written by Roubaud, IIRC.

Tryphon wrote:

DrStraw wrote:

chiwito wrote:...

I have to wonder how you ever discovered that all those books has references to go in them. I have never even heard of the authors you mention.

As to OuLiPo, if you are french and study maths (they are some mathematicians among them, Roubaud and Le Lionnais for example), litteracy (Perec is quite famous) or go, you have some chance to know them. They are among the first to promote go in France. The article on go in the french reference encycloopedia (Encyclopaedia Universalis) was written by Roubaud, IIRC.

Yes, I doubt the OuLiPo book on go has been translated into other languages; or at least not into English.

I try to read as much as I can which usually varies from 2 hours - 6 hours/week depending on life's vagaries (and how often I ride the bus to work that week).

Currently working on the new William Vollmann book (after finally meeting him, yeah!) and still slogging through the Socratic Dialogue section of Plato.

Bruce "Call my bookie" Young

topazg wrote:Sol, I've read some of Richard Dawkins, and while I wholly appreciate the intent of message, I tend to get irritated with his sometimes evangelical (right word? hrm!) tone at doing so. Again don't want to step on TOS issues, though I will add that if you are interested in historical scholar stuff at all on the whole God thing, you may want to look into some of Bart D Ehrman's books, I find them fascinating and more of an insight into the actual historical context of who believed what, when and why, than a "does God really exist or not" question.

Sounds good, I'll be sure to check Ehrman out . And yes, I do agree with you there regarding Dawkins, though I consider him far more tolerable than Hitchens - intelligent man, but sometimes (well, usually) he is just vicious and out of line with what he says I think.

Interestingly, I find that Dawkins has become atheism's pit-bull, and has gone way too far with his extremism. (I agree with him, but he's become a fundamentalist.) As for Hitchens, at least he's funny.

I read a lot too, since i dont have tv or my computer in my room i end up reading, which i enjoy, plus i think sometimes a good book prevails over a tv show

I am reading Integral Consciousness at the moment.

kirkmc wrote:
I was drawn to the Wingrove series because of my interest in China, but found it quite repetitive after the first few books; I think I slogged through the fifth then gave up. I shudder to thing that it will be extended to 19 volumes - or are they just being cut up into smaller books? (While I recall go being in a few scenes, it wasn't there a lot.)

A great many other readers had a similar reaction to the series as Kirk's. In fact, from the trend line of the sales stats over the course of the series it looks as if Most readers had that reaction. I'm not sure that "repetitive" is the word I would use to describe the feeling, though. I think that many readers dropped off for two reasons: First, there was a general perception that the quality of the writing sagged quite a bit in the later volumes. While that sort of judgment is inherently subjective, I think it was pretty widely shared. In the case of the final volume, even Wingrove acknowledges it and offers a reason, that it was something of a rush job dictated by the terms of his advance. Secondly, the nature of the plotlines changed so greatly that the later volumes might as well be considered to be in an entirely different genre than the first three or four. Even if they had all been of equal quality, they might well have appealed to such different audiences that avid readers of the early books might not be interested in the later.

The series was originally supposed to be nine volumes. The last two were essentially condensed into one for the aforementioned contractual reasons. The new series will reverse that. Each of the original books was quite lengthy, with the paperback editions running 6-800 words. Most of the foreign translations split the English volumes into two or three books each. The revised editions will add a certain amount of new material and will essentially publish each previous volume as two. Combined with the expansion of the original volume eight into something approximating the plots of what should have been vols eight and nine, the split will yield 18 books. A prequel will begin the new series, bringing it to 19.

chiwito

DrStraw wrote:
I have to wonder how you ever discovered that all those books has references to go in them. I have never even heard of the authors you mention.

Back when the usenet group rec.games.go was the main online gathering place for people interested in discussing the game, there were a few other people who also collected or systematically read books with go references. We'd keep each other apprised of anything we found, and the frequency of our discussions on the topic often led other go enthusiasts to mention similar works or scenes across which they stumbled. Some of the conversations spilled into other book-related or genre-focussed usenet groups, where random folks without go interests would occasionally post about items they'ed noticed.

chiwito

I read bridge books too.

And sometimes miscellaneous fiction and non-fiction.

zinger wrote:I read bridge books too.

And sometimes miscellaneous fiction and non-fiction.

Now that gives me an idea. I have dozens of bridge books which I bought before I started playing go. Maybe some of these are classics and out of print. I should think of adding those to my auction site as I have not read them in over 30 years.

DrStraw wrote:

zinger wrote:I read bridge books too.

And sometimes miscellaneous fiction and non-fiction.

Now that gives me an idea. I have dozens of bridge books which I bought before I started playing go. Maybe some of these are classics and out of print. I should think of adding those to my auction site as I have not read them in over 30 years.

I also have many old bridge books. The problem with them is that practically everything on bidding a lot of defensive play (lead cards, defensive signaling) has long been outdated.

My personal favorites are Terry Patchett and China Mieville. I've just got China's latest (Kraken). I haven't had time to read it yet, but he is by far the best fantasy (if you can limit him to one genre) author I've ever encountered.

I'm currently reading Learning Capoeira: Lessons in cunning from an Afro-Brazillian art. It's fascinating, even if I don't agree with the author all the time, especially as the author mostly was involved in a different style to mine and was exposed to some quite different ideas, as well as some definitely the same (Angola vs. Regional/Contemporary for those in the know).

Not only do I read a lot of books, I'm also involved in running a publishing business called Forgotten Books. We sell out of copyright books through amazon, but if anyone's interested all our titles are also free online at http://www.forgottenbooks.org
(If anyone's offended at that blatant bit of self promotion let me know and I'll take it off. )
We don't have any go related titles yet I think (we might have a translation of the one where Confucius says it's better than doing nothing), but when I get some spare time (eg. finish my PhD) I hope to maybe put out one or two of the old classic collections.

tj86430 wrote:I also have many old bridge books. The problem with them is that practically everything on bidding a lot of defensive play (lead cards, defensive signaling) has long been outdated.

Perhaps true, but they still have curiosity value for the avid player.