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
1084 Views
I'll have my full thoughts up in a few hours
- 16/05/2010 04:33:54 PM
744 Views
Could you give me a better reference as to where that was in the book?
- 17/05/2010 03:09:16 AM
723 Views
Chapter 5, just before Kocurkin appears for the first time. *NM*
- 17/05/2010 02:34:30 PM
351 Views
In Russian it says "succubus" became the Russian "suka" or "bitch" *NM*
- 17/05/2010 02:49:03 PM
404 Views
Ahh, so the English version is closer.
- 17/05/2010 07:38:35 PM
768 Views
This reply is mostly empty of thoughts. 
- 16/05/2010 05:37:54 PM
743 Views
- 16/05/2010 05:37:54 PM
743 Views
I'll wait until it is substantially empty but nominally full, then. 
*NM*
- 17/05/2010 03:09:52 AM
368 Views
*NM*
- 17/05/2010 03:09:52 AM
368 Views
OK, here's what I wrote for the OF Blog on this book
- 17/05/2010 02:22:18 AM
787 Views
I like the way your review is an un-review.
- 17/05/2010 03:08:20 AM
691 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
787 Views
I wouldn't term it "fantasy".
- 18/05/2010 02:24:40 PM
717 Views
My thoughts.
- 17/05/2010 02:16:11 PM
785 Views
Pelevin isn't a real Buddhist, he's a superficial pop-culture Buddhist.
- 18/05/2010 02:33:37 PM
789 Views
Re: Pelevin isn't a real Buddhist, he's a superficial pop-culture Buddhist.
- 18/05/2010 10:37:36 PM
725 Views
It is apparently called Clay Machine Gun in the UK.
- 17/05/2010 02:41:41 PM
739 Views
It's Čapajev a Prázdnota (Chapaev and Emptiness) in Czech
- 17/05/2010 07:46:14 PM
765 Views
In Russian prazdny or prazdnost' would mean "lazy, inactive" *NM*
- 18/05/2010 02:21:42 PM
357 Views
Bah. No bookshop in Edinburgh has it. Amazon will have to be my saviour.
- 18/05/2010 12:56:28 PM
641 Views
I like this passage about 10 pages from the end of the book on Russia
- 17/05/2010 02:56:49 PM
760 Views
I think the pseudo-Buddhist bit is not as good as the Russian vodka psychology.
- 18/05/2010 02:35:07 PM
738 Views
Perhaps
- 18/05/2010 02:38:24 PM
686 Views
All and none. Russia is a paradox, but one that can be explained.
- 19/05/2010 03:30:58 PM
749 Views
Re: I think the pseudo-Buddhist bit is not as good as the Russian vodka psychology.
- 18/05/2010 11:12:10 PM
781 Views
I'll drink to that!
- 19/05/2010 03:34:40 PM
610 Views
And I still don't have a copy of this book!
- 17/05/2010 07:37:35 PM
787 Views
I'll bet you could find a Russian version online if you searched rambler.ru. *NM*
- 18/05/2010 02:35:49 PM
369 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
890 Views