WG - Author Letter (Anais Nin)

This week's Weekly Geeks was too good to pass up.

"Write a letter to a firm favourite author of yours, preferably someone alive – letting them know how much you either admire or even love their work." ~ WG

(I'm going to stray from the "alive" part because as soon as I read this WG, I knew I had to write to Anais Nin).

Dear Anais ~

You entered my life in my early college years through the film Henry and June. My roomie said there was nothing more beautiful, erotic, or empowering than this film. I nearly agree with her. Your words, your journals surpass the desire of the 1990 production.

Some might have judged your relationship with Henry and June. And I have to admit, I did feel an overwhelming sense of pity for poor Hugo. He was such a loving and dutiful husband wasn't he? Still, Henry's virile words and gruffness, his ability to incite raw animalistic want, and the way you both pushed each others limits...well, I understand the pull. Plus, June, oh June. Strong and weak, trapped by her own beauty. Of course it is easy to fall in love with both of them. Of course it is easy to allow them to be your muse and you theirs.

So your words, yes, your words. Having watched the film I immediately went out and purchased a few of your journals. The beauty!

"Often, though, the passivity of the woman's role weighs on me, suffocates me. Rather than wait for his pleasure, I would like to take it, to run wild. Is it that which pushes me into lesbianism? It terrifies me. Do women act thus? Does June go to Henry when she wants him? Does she mount him? Does she wait for him? He guides my inexperienced hands. It is like a forest fire, to be with him. New places of my body are aroused and burnt. He is incendiary. I leave him in an unquenchable fever."

Dear Anais! I don't judge. I understand how complicated life can be. I understand that you are trying to find yourself outside of Man. You are reconciling both the femininity and masculinity of your spirit. Your words were exactly what I yearned for and leaned on in my early twenties. And now in my early thirties, nearly ten yeas later, I find that they still resonate with me.

I picked up a collection of your essays that was given to me many years ago on my birthday. It had been left unread sitting on my shelf, turning yellow. I chastised myself for abandoning your words. In Favor of the Sensitive Man is a collection of your writings, through letters, articles, interviews, and lectures. The book is divided into 3 topics: Women and Men; Writing, Music, and Films; and Enchanted Places.

I've read a the first couple of essays, knowing that you wrote them over forty years ago. The one thing that struck my thoughts while reading the first essay, "Women and Eroticism" was questioning how far we really have come in comparison to your struggles. Oh Anais, you were such a strong woman, always attempting to remain authentic to your own sense of Self, your own desire to explore what matters the most to you even if it made those around you and yourself uncomfortable. I think that females still struggle with their duality. I know that we have more opportunities now than women did in your time, but does that mean the inner struggle isn't still there? We still fight against our sexuality, our desire, putting ourselves first. We still wear the many masks of Wife, Mother, Daughter, Best Friend. What I think you taught me the most with your undeniable strength and open vulnerability is that it's okay to not always know the answers. It's okay to make mistakes. We can love many and we can love both conditionally and unconditionally.

I hope that you are still treasured for the amazing woman you are years from now by future generations.

Warmest,

C

(WG) Best Movie Adaptations

With the release of Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince this past week, I thought it would be good to turn once again to movie adaptations. In March, with the release of Watchmen (using that as a jumping off point for discussion), I brought up the subject of worst movie adaptations. This time, I'd like to bring up best movie adaptations (not saying if the recent Harry Potter movie is or isn't faithful to the book since I'll be honest I haven't read the book, but using the subject as a jumping off point for discussion).

So what are some of your favorite movie adaptations of books?

This is a really fun WG (I missed the wort adaptation question last year so I might add that at the end). So, first, I'd like to admit, I cheated. I'm terrible at remember titles of movies, titles of books (and while we're on the subject, songs, artists, characters...). Knowing this, I did a quick google search and came across two different websites that were both helpful and a lot of fun to go through.

First check out this site - it has catalogued a major list of books to movie and a pretty handy way to search.

Then, there is this site from The Book Reporter that will keep you abreast of all the up and coming movies based on books (I saw a preview of Shutter Island yesterday and just found out it was a book).


The Best of the Best


Many people might disagree, but I truly loved both the book and the movie adaptation of Atonement. I found that McEwan's Atonement was beautifully written, and although Briony was a bit frustrating, I adored the notion of one event (tragically) altering a lifetime of events. The movie adaptation did not disappoint.

Next on my list is Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Uh, hello. Gonzo reporting done Johnny Depp style?! Is there anything more yummylicious than that? I read somewhere that Johnny Depp took his role of Hunter S. Thompson so seriously that he went into character and didn't step out even when he wasn't filming. Man I love them both.

Less Than Zero. Has anyone else seen or read this? I admit I saw the movie first, maybe in late middle school early high school years? I didn't even realize that it was based on a novel. Then, in college, I stumbled upon Jay McInerney and Bret Easton Ellis (they still seem to go hand in hand in my mind). Their works are racy pop culture pieces of literature. It was only then that I realized Less Than Zero was first a book. It's been so long, I can't remember if there were many incongruencies, I just recall being pleased with both.

Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs and directed by David Cronenberg. Ah yes, yet another memory from my college years. I went through a very large feast on the Beats. I think many jump on the Jack Kerouac bandwagon, but for me, it was definitely Burroughs and his use of stream of consciousness that made me swoon. Half the time reading his stuff made my brain feel like mush, but that's okay. It was always a good ride. Cronenberg's adaptation was campy and brilliant. In fact, I can't imagine any other director taking on this endeavor.

And last, but hardly least...The Princess Bride. Even to this day, is there anything sweeter than dear Wesley saying "As you wish" you Princess Buttercup? I'm a product of the 80's and grew up loving this movie. In fact, I think that I still have most of it memorized. It's a great film to pass on to my current students when we're doing the fairy tale unit. I feel like I'm doing my part in turning my students into 80's lovin' fiends. (Shhh...but I even sneak an episode of 21 Jumpstreet in there; lesson plans included!) OK. Back to the actual post. So here I was, loving The Princess Bride like every other kid around and one day while at a used book store, I found the book. I was thrilled. I think I was in 8th grade. It was the only time in my life that I ever wrote to the William Goldman expressing my gratitude for publishing this story. He never wrote back. Of course, I had no idea who he was at the time. I just knew that I didn't even get a mass produced 'thank you letter'. Maybe I'm still bitter?

Famous in Florida (WG)

This week's Weekly Geeks question asks...

Do you live in a place where a famous author was born? Does your town have any cool literary museums or monuments? Does Stephen King live at the end of your street? Was Twilight set in your hometown

I thought that this was a pretty fun question. Florida is a pretty transient state (most people become shocked when I admit I'm a native, that's pretty unheard of around these parts :P ), so I limited my authors to those that have impacted that state.

Zora Neale Hurston is a fixture in Eatonville, a tiny black community that rests right next to Winter Park, Florida. Many people know Hurston from her work, Their Eyes Were Watching God. (I hate to admit this, but I've never read it). Historically, she is associated with the Harlem Renaissance, and worked closely with Langston Hughes. She was well travelled, exploring the Caribbean and the Southern American States researching African American folklore. Sadly, she died extremely poor, and was buried in an unmarked grave in Fort Pierce.

Every year, Eatonville puts on a Zorafestival which celebrates her life and writing.

Second on my list is Ernest Hemingway. I remember first reading A Farewell to Arms and For Whom the Bell Tolls in 8th grade (maybe 9th?). I had no idea who he was really, but remember being bored at times with the themes of war. Still, I trudged through them. Later in life, I read The Sun Also Rises and some of his short stories. I think that Hemingway (at least for me) falls in the group of "authors who I appreciate after reading up on their biography". Overall, he's not what I'm into, and quite honestly, I couldn't really carry on much of a discussion about any of his books since I read them so, so, SO long ago (and to be even more honest, have no desire to re-read them). *But* I have been to his house in Key West and yup the cats are still roaming. There are approximately sixty. When I first went there in college, I joked that my goal was to grab a "hemingway" cat (six-toed kitty) and take it home as my souvenir. I, of course, did not; but I did play with them through out the tour. (Oh and the cats have a very impressive drinking fountain - a urinal from Sloppy Joe's, the famous bar).

And finally, someone more current - Stephen King. Stephen King is a seasonal resident in Florida, living in Sarasota during the winter months. (His daughter, a permanent Floridian, ministers at a Unitarian Universalist Church in Plantation, Florida with her girlfriend, who is also a Reverend.) I first began reading Stephen King in the third grade. I remember picking up Skeleton Crew (a collection of short stories) and reading it at the laundry mat. A stranger commented on my choice, but I didn't see the big deal. Then, at school during our scheduled silent reading time, I took it out. My teacher was shocked, made me stop reading the novel and sent home a note to my mom asking if she was aware of her child's choice in books. My mom, a little annoyed because I think her parental controls were being questioned, wrote back and suggested the teacher pay attention to my reading level instead. In middle school, I devoured Stephen King novels. I remember buddies and I having competitions to see who could finish his lengthier works first: The Stand, It, Tommyknockers. I generally always won.

To be fair, I haven't picked up a Stephen King book since my middle school years. I do have The Stand (I remember it was my favorite and want to re-read it) and On Writing on my shelf. I'd like to get around to that soon. Also, I'll probably check out Duma Key since its location is a fictionalized island off of Sarasota. King places the main character in many restaurants and places in Sarasota. I get a kick out of traveling to places that show up in books. Might be a fun read.

Historical Era (WG)

This week's Weekly Geeks post asks:

Is there a particular era that you love reading about? Tell us about it [...] Do you have a favorite book that really pulled you back in time, or perhaps gave you a special interest in that period? [...]

This is really a tough WG question for me.  I rarely read historical fiction.  It's not that I have a rule against it, but it never seems to find its way home to me.  This hasn't always been the case.

When I was much younger - middle school age - I used to devour those trashy Harlequin Historical Romances.  I mean, I'd go through dozens of them in a month.  During those reading years, I remembered being fond of the Civil War.  I found an author who wrote from both perspectives (I know that you'll be shocked, but in one of the books, a Confederate fell in love with the enemy). Those were some interesting times in my reading life. I passed a History test because it just so happened that the book prior to the test was about the Spanish/American War, and although I forgot to study for the exam, I had a good memory of the historical backdrop of the love story.  Hmmmm...novel researched and written that well, or the teacher's test that easy?  

I quickly outgrew the historical romance scene and haven't really revisited it.  

Here recently I've read a couple of World War II books for a book challenge, but I think that's about it.  So, what time period would I be most interested in reading?  (*And I'm going to assume that the question includes present or near-present authors writing in historical times rather than historic writers writing in contemporary times) 

- oh gosh, this is a lot harder.  I'm struggling here.  Perhaps the 50's & 60's because the escape from the restraints of what is the norm to finding your own voice is appealing...I might have to reexamine at some point why I'm naturally disinclined to works not set it contemporary times.  

Awful Book-to-Movie Adaptation (WG)

This week's Weekly Geek question asks:

Worst movie adaptations: The recent release of Watchmen based on the graphic novel by Alan Moore got me thinking about what I thought were the worst movie adaptations of books. What book or books did a director or directors completely ruin in the adaptation(s) that you wish you could "unsee," and why in your opinion, what made it or them so bad in contrast to the book or books?

Immediately Starship Troopers came to mind.  In college I took a Science Fiction class because it's never been a genre that I've been terribly fond of.  For my outside readings I focused on the works of Heinlein. (I chose him because of Friday - very few SF authors of the time wrote female protagonists; Heinlein was an exception). So, here I was maybe a junior in college, I just finished reading Starship Troopers and decided to rent the DVD. 

 I might have even been working on a paper where I was going to compare the two (?).  

Dear god, I cringe thinking about that movie again.  And the thing is, I know that S. Troopers has somewhat of a cult-like following for those B flick movie fanatics and that's great.  Good for them.  I'm in favor of the random B-flick movies (Troma! for one)...but I had different expectations for Starship Troopers.  I didn't expect to have the desire to turn it into a MST3K experience.