Also, at the beginning of each book are references to chapters that appear in the book. She really reminded me of W Somerset Maugham in that her writing was literally poetic in places. You have a sense of foreboding reading this because you have the benefit(? ― Rebecca West, quote from Black Lamb and Grey Falcon “He is in his late sixties, but has the charm of extreme youth, for he comes to a pleasure and hails it happily for what it is without any bitterness accumulated from past disappointments, and he believes that any moment the whole process of life may make a slight switch-over and that everything will be agreeable for ever. Rebecca West's epic Masterpiece not only provides deep insight into the former country of Yugoslavia;it is a portrait of Europe on the brink of war. A vivid depiction of the suffering history has imposed upon the people of Bosnia from the late sixteenth century to the beginning of World War I. I have no idea how I will write a review of it but someday soon I will try. (2) She, This was such a good read. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. The shadow of WWII hangs over this and adds even more intensity. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post. Cart All. 2017 100 Books You Must Read Before You Die [volume 2] 2020 The Return of the Soldier. I can't forget the words of an old woman in Montenegro; "If I had to live, why should my life have been like this? In 1933, at the age of 18, Patrick Leigh Fermor set out on an extraordinary journey by foot - from the Hook of Holland to Constantinople. It still is fat and plain but is at least occasionally enjoyed on my shelf. Everyday low … A brilliant and versatile novelist, critic, essayist, and political commentator, West's greatest literary achievement is perhaps her travel diary, Black Lamb and Grey Falcon: A Journey through Yugoslavia (1942). This time I made it through. Black lamb and grey falcon by Rebecca West, 1955, Macmillan edition, in English A magnificent blend of travel journal, cultural commentary, and historical insight. ‎Written on the brink of World War II, Rebecca West's classic examination of the history, people, and politics of Yugoslavia illuminates a region that is still a focus of international concern. A magni…, From the assassination that triggered World War I to the ethnic warfare in Serbia, Bosnia, and Croatia, the Balkans have been the crucible of the twentieth century, the place where terrorism and genoc…, The Year of Our Lord 1943: Christian Humanism in an Age of Crisis, By early 1943, it had become increasingly clear that the Allies would win the Second World War. Wells, with whom she had a son. For now, I can say that the effort to read it was repaid a thousand times over by the unknown to me history I learned, the deep understanding of the human condition it showed, and the foundation I now have for reading. Including some that did not manifest themselves until long after her death. Over the last many years I have attempted to read this book three times. I am not saying she was educated a la Charlotte Mason, but her studies anxiously were filled with living books as throughout this book she makes connections from all her reading and without effort explain how history has shaped the c. This was such a good read. Account & Lists Account Returns & Orders. 1150 pages including the Epilogue but not the Bibliography! Perhaps I'll pick up the book again at a later date. In placing 5 stars on Dame Rebecca West’s Black Lamb and Grey Falcon I am giving her credit for writing a book better than it could have been intented. Primarily, I’m thinking here about her obsession with racial and national destinies /identities / behavior. Read 310 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. She has a good eye for people and their ways, and deploys her descriptive powers to good effect when describing the country and its inhabitants. In 1998 I became friends with a political refugee from Bosnia and her family. But from everything I've heard, I very much look forward to it. "The Golden Bough" describes our ancestors' primitive methods of worship, sex practices, strange rituals and festivals. Her fondness for assigning the most abstract and poetic meaning to anything from the weather to the expression of a nearly starving local can be maddening. I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it highly. And so I really need to marshal my thoughts here, because I genuinely believe that. It is one of the great books of the 20th century, a magnum opus. 1150 pages including the Epilogue but not the Bibliography! In his characteristically masterly way, Trevor evokes the passions and frustrations of the people of a small Irish town during one long summer. I read this book for months (I believe I started it in July). Could just be my interpretation but the book was split into chapters and there were 2 dedicated to Serbia and older Serbia. That cannot help but inspire respect, though if you agree with everything she says in this book I'll start thinking you are her clone. Rooted in foundational loss and the hope that can live in anger, Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism. Be the first to ask a question about Black Lamb and Grey Falcon. Black Lamb and Grey Falcon: A Journey Through Yugoslavia is a travel book written by Dame Rebecca West, published in 1941 in two volumes by Macmillan in the UK and by The Viking Press in the US.. His review is, This book is as much of a battleground as the Balkans. The author is well read and it shows in the travel journal writing. What I loved most about the book was Rebecca’s writing style. Fairfield and B/W Illus; Map on End Papers | Jan 1, 1958 Hardcover Her book makes many things clear. Massive massive game changing book and much respect to Rebecca West because the research and detail that must have gone into that book just must have been eye-wateringly massive! However, it was one of the finest books I have ever read. Browse Recommendations; Choice Awards; Genres; Giveaways; New Releases I just got the Penguin version from the library and am copying the intro with my scanner. The book is the record of a two-month road trip through much of Yugoslavia by a British writer, who meticulously and fastidiously recorded everything that she and her husband experienced on their way. Tags: Black Lamb and Grey Falcon, Croatia, Friday Reads, GoodReads, Rebecca West, Yugoslavia | Reblog (0) Comments. She was travelling with a Serbian Jewish dude so that may have influenced her slightly in places. As such it is a monument to the lost world that was pre-WWII Yugoslavia. Black Lamb and Grey Falcon: West, R: Books - Amazon.ca. Her prose can alternate between too florid and poetic to classic history professor. I guess it’s something I occasionally ask my 2 young boys to tap into when they are sparring in boxing. Black lamb and grey falcon by Rebecca West, 1994, Penguin edition, in English A magnificent blend of travel journal, cultural commentary, and historical insight, Black Lamb and Grey Fal… (1) Rebecca West is very pro-Serb and very anti-Turk. I have lost count how many times I had scribbled “wow – beautifully written Rebecca” on the sides of the text. A prolific, protean author who wrote in many genres, West was committed to feminist and liberal principles and was one of the foremost public intellectuals of the twentieth century. Her book makes many things clear. Black Lamb and Grey Falcon: A Journey Through Yugoslavia (One Volume edition) by Cicely Isabel West, Rebecca Pseud.) It was given to me as a gift and I was intimidated by the heft. Black Lamb and Grey Falcon, a Journey Through Yugoslavia. The comments to this entry are closed. See what your friends are reading. This book is as much of a battleground as the Balkans. She had a son with H.G. I’m married to a lovely Bosnian lady so this was a huge magnifying glass for. I started this mammoth book a few years ago but ended up putting it aside. Although she refutes others' categories of superior and inferior races, she herself, at times, assigns relative value to different racial or ethnic groups. Black Lamb and Grey Falcon records a journey taken by West and her husband Paul, a banker, through the former Yugoslavia in 1934. Paperback (02 Jul 2020) Save $1.81. Not since Margeuerite Yourcenar have I felt so humbled and awed by a woman author, whose breadth and scope of panoramic vision is magnificent. Skip to main content.ca. Her fondness for assigning the most abstract and poetic meaning to anything from the weather to the expression of a nearly starving local can be maddening. It is an essential reference tool for stud…, Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh*t: Why That Is And What You Can Do About It, Great Catastrophe: Armenians and Turks in the Shadow of Genocide, The destruction of the Armenians of the Ottoman Empire in 1915-16 was the greatest atrocity of World War I. Black Lamb and Grey Falcon Brilliant book. Find books like Black Lamb and Grey Falcon from the world’s largest community of readers. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Goodreads members who liked this book also liked: The New York Times Best Book of the Year, 1997, Written on the brink of World War II, Rebecca West's classic examination of the history, people, and politics of Yugoslavia illuminates a region that is still a focus of international concern. I have no idea how I will write a review of it but someday soon I will try. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read Black Lamb and Grey Falcon. West’s prolific journalistic works include her coverage of the Nuremberg trials for the New Yorker, published as A Train of Powder, and Black Lamb and Grey Falcon, her epic study of Yugoslavia. Holy Mother of God. Impossible to read it without going up in arms over some question or other; however pacific you are, Rebecca West will give you cause. However there is enough of the dispassionate reporter, learned professor and knowledgeable travel guide to keep me reading even as the length of the read was getting to me. She sets Byzantium as her standard for judging "civilization" and is attracted to Orthodox Catholicism. If you know Charlotte Mason "spreading a living feast " and ever wondered what it would look like for students who have tasted it, Rebecca West is the final product of it. I have been reading it at the approximate rate of 5 pages a day, with some breaks, since July 22, 2019. 2010 The Book of Spies. Not only did she give me angles on an area that I had thought I had understood but wrote it all in such a beautifully poetic manner. Having said all that I would be lying if I said that I had read all that there was to read about the wars that had happened in the past in that area from the Serbian side, if honest, I don’t think I had read anything from that angle at all, so to hear about some of the Turkish atrocities and the impact of circa 500 years of Turkish rule in that area from “the other side” although written by a diplomatic English lady, was quite eye opening. 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