Celine

I have now read all of Celine's novels. I read that his contributions to literature influence Hemingway and many others, I assume from introducing the vernacular spoken word into literature. But I find that he influenced primarily the development of pulp fiction, much as Jane Austen gave rise to Harlequin romances. I also found Celine difficult to read, as I was not familiar with the vernacular of France in the 30s, 40s and 50s. He employed an interesting stratagem for his trilogy on World War II, which is supposed to be Celine at his best: he used a character called Celine, obviously himself, in all three. It was interesting from an structural standpoint, but was primarily effective in making me wonder how much was fiction, as he is known to have traveled to the places at the times described in the novels. I also read an issue of OK Magazine, an issue of The New Yorker, two issues of Eclectic Reading, two issues of The Economist, and an issue of The New Scientist since my last post.

I have now returned to the delights of Julien Green's journals.