John Berger

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I just finished his To The Wedding which is filled with the sort of low-key languidge that I associate with Ondaatje (and I probably will incur wrath from somewhere), though for the bulk of the novel, it was too low-key and a bit inert. But the final 30 pages were sparkling magic, melancholic to the core.

Anyway, what do ppl think of him as an author and as a critic?

― Leee O'Gaddy (Leee), Tuesday, 13 April 2004 17:34 (twenty-two years ago)

You may want to look at John Berger's influence on music criticism on ILM, too. (I've only read 'Ways of Seeing' but thought that was great).

― N. (nickdastoor), Tuesday, 13 April 2004 17:38 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm not sure why you would expect to incur wrath from someone vis a vis the Ondaatje comparison. Ondaatje's debt to Berger seems transparent, and the epigraph to In The Skin of A Lion is taken from Berger.

I think as a critic Berger winds up wide-of-the-mark a lot of the time, though he's always interesting. I prefer him as a fiction writer, and greatly recommend the trilogy 'Into Their Labours.' The three books are now only available separately I believe--"Pig Earth," "Once In Europa," "Lilac and Flag"--but ought to be read together (they're all brief-ish,) in that order. One of my favorite overlooked pieces of contemporary writing.

― M Specktor, Tuesday, 13 April 2004 19:52 (twenty-two years ago)

Rereading my post; what I originally was going to type was more like "Berger uses Ondaatje's style" but forgot to delete the wrath part when I made my edit.

― Leee O'Gaddy (Leee), Tuesday, 13 April 2004 20:05 (twenty-two years ago)

thirteen years pass...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08yrm17

― xyzzzz__, Tuesday, 1 August 2017 20:42 (eight years ago)

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