Books I Read March 14th, 2021

We got rain this week, that was good. My sister came to visit, that was good. If you wanted to take a minute and read this article I wrote about my friend Kasia whose sister has been arrested by the Belarusian secret police, you would be made aware of another ongoing human tragedy about which you can do very little. But then, what is life but registering ineffectual protests against an indifferent existence? I read the following books this week.

Leonardo's Judas by Leo Perutz – Leonardo seeks the human face of betrayal in the romantic adventures of a German merchant and an impoverished Florentine beauty. Probably my last favorite Perutz, which marks it out as as strong and valuable work.

Arthur and George by Julian Barnes – The intersecting biographies of an unjustly imprisoned Eurasian lawyer and the boisterous creator of Sherlock Holmes. Entirely readable.

Bird in a Cage by Frederic Dard – An fresh released ex-con meets a woman on Christmas Eve, gets involved in a locked door mystery. Tight and mean and weird. My further fores into French noir have been paying dividends.

Hiroshima Mon Amour by Margaret Duras – I am not sure why I read this.