In 2009 she moved to Montréal and the French translation of The Road by Cormac McCarthy(2006) had just come out. Her manager told her about the book, so she decided to read the original novel in English. It stunned her how her manager kept saying how many people enjoyed this book, so she pursued. Each chapter was still dark and depressing and by the time she finished the book all she could think was, “That was a waste of my time. I can think of many things to do to feel depressed that takes less energy.”
Now she is reading 1984, George Orwell (1949). She never read it in school or college like many of her colleagues but perhaps the timing is right. She started reading it in December but had to stop for awhile since it was so disturbing. It reminded her a bit of The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, another novel that took months to complete…so depressing but well written.
If one looks at the news, reads articles on the internet and the election results of her neighbours in the South, it all seems to come together in a very very bad way.
Troiku
The Road
nineteen-eighty-four
the spirit dies
The road
disturbing nightmare
abuse of power
nineteen-eighty-four
Trumped up lies
making history
the spirit dies
stripped of free thinking
in a shadow world
©Tournesol’17/02/11
Daily Moments – February 11 2017 – Dystopian Nightmare
I found The Road utterly depressing too. What a ghastly vision. It seems to me that so many people are fixed in negative thinking and have a subconscious thought that we live in ‘end times’. They like this kind of stuff because it resonates with their deepest fears. Just some thoughts…
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I totally agree. I just sent an email to a friend and it was the total opposite. You know, I think I will send you one too instead of publicly sharing here (chuckles)
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Hi, I’d love an email. My address is
suzanne_593@hotmail.com
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Thanks so much, Sue. Talk soon.
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You are right…. I liked the troiku a lot.Especially the one verse! Also since we talked about it last, I was surprised to learn that 1984 was written in 1944. I thought it was written closer to the time I read it originally. I should probably read it again.
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It is quite depressing but fortunately it is not too long.
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You can get it for under $2 on kindle which I like because when I forget what something means, I just point on that word and it explains the meaning and history. EBooks are great to read in another language since the dictionary is within the reader.
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I only read on Kindle nowadays.
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I have Rumi and the book of Living and Death in hard covers and on kindle. When I want to move later, I will give these books to my son.
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I just put up an Amma quote. I needed the reminder and thought others might as well.
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Yes, thanks for that:)
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Actually he started writing it in 1944 and completed it and it was published in 1949
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Are you glad you read it? I’m tempted.
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I’m still not finished…I can only read a bit at a time so I don’t get too depressed. I find Orwell was way ahead of his time writing this what many authors are writing in this millenium. Whatshis name’s behaviour gets scarier when you compare to some of his philosophies. I wonder if WHN ever read this book or if it is his template for governing. It’s an easy enough book to read, no big words…yeah, I think he may have read it (smiles)
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I decided to erase what I was going to say… about WHN.
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