I am not sure how I became the owner of this book. I found it on my bookshelf this summer.
The only thing that was clear is that it was bought in my local bookshop because of its label
on the back cover. Did I buy it? I typically do not buy contemporary novels because I want
novels to have withstood the test of time before I give them my attention. Did someone give
it to me as a present? This is possible. I live in the summer, surrounded by woods, in a
wooden house.
I was researching how many copies of the Swiss children’s book Heidi have been sold worldwide, as I once heard it was the most popular German-language book ever. During this process, I came across Cornelia Funke, who is listed as a bestselling children’s book author from Germany. I had never heard of her, and my curiosity was piqued. She wrote many popular children’s books, but Inkheart is her most famous one because it was also turned into a Hollywood motion picture. I just finished reading this wonderful book. What appealed to me most is that the story celebrates the love of books.
This Chinese novel is deeply moving. The writing is very simple, but it manages to pierce through one’s heart. Set during the Civil War in China, it tells the story of a farmer who gambled away his father’s land and tries to make a living in an increasingly difficult context. First, he is forcefully inducted into the Nationalist army. Then, when the Communists take over, things improve for a while before turning dire. We accompany Fugui throughout his life, starting from his early gambling habits to his marriage and, eventually, his children.
First Poem: “Daily I Fall In Love With Waitresses”
by Elliot Fried
Daily I fall in love with waitresses
with their white bouncing name tags
and white rubber shoes.
I love how they bend over tables
pouring coffee.
Their perky breasts hover above potatoes
like jets coming in to LAX
hang above the suburbs—
shards of broken stars.
I feel their fingers
roughened by cube steaks softened with grease
slide over me.
Their hands and lean long bodies
keep moving so…
fumbling and clattering so harmoniously
that I am left overwhelmed, quivering.
Daily I fall in love with waitresses
with their cream-cheese cool.
They tell secrets in the kitchen
and I want them.
I know them.
They press buttons creases burgers buns—
their legs are menu smooth.
Eric Carle made beautifully illustrated books. Here is his most famous one made into a beautiful short film of 6 minutes. Click on picture below to play the film.