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A Wild Swan: And Other Tales
Fairy tales for our times from the Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Hours. A poisoned apple and a monkey's paw with the power to change fate; a girl whose extraordinarily long hair causes catastrophe; a man with one human arm and one swan's wing; and a house deep in the forest, constructed of gumdrops and gingerbread, vanilla frosting and boiled sugar.
In A Wild Swan and Other Tales, the people and the talismans of lands far, far away, the mythic figures of our childhoods and the source of so much of our wonder are transformed by Michael Cunningham into stories of sublime revelation. Here are the moments that our fairy tales forgot or deliberately concealed: the years after a spell is broken, the rapturous instant of a miracle unexpectedly realized, or the fate of a prince only half cured of a curse. The Beast stands ahead of you in line at the convenience store, buying smokes and a Slim Jim, his devouring smile aimed at the cashier. A malformed little man with a knack for minor acts of wizardry goes to disastrous lengths to procure a child. A loutish and lazy Jack prefers living in his mother's basement to getting a job, until the day he trades a cow for a handful of magic beans.
Re-imagined by one of the most gifted storytellers of his generation, and exquisitely illustrated by Yuko Shimizu, rarely have our bedtime stories been this dark, this perverse, or this true.
In A Wild Swan and Other Tales, the people and the talismans of lands far, far away, the mythic figures of our childhoods and the source of so much of our wonder are transformed by Michael Cunningham into stories of sublime revelation. Here are the moments that our fairy tales forgot or deliberately concealed: the years after a spell is broken, the rapturous instant of a miracle unexpectedly realized, or the fate of a prince only half cured of a curse. The Beast stands ahead of you in line at the convenience store, buying smokes and a Slim Jim, his devouring smile aimed at the cashier. A malformed little man with a knack for minor acts of wizardry goes to disastrous lengths to procure a child. A loutish and lazy Jack prefers living in his mother's basement to getting a job, until the day he trades a cow for a handful of magic beans.
Re-imagined by one of the most gifted storytellers of his generation, and exquisitely illustrated by Yuko Shimizu, rarely have our bedtime stories been this dark, this perverse, or this true.
134 pages, Hardcover
First published November 10, 2015
About the author
Michael Cunningham
68 books4,043 followersMichael Cunningham is the author of the novels A Home at the End of the World, Flesh and Blood, The Hours (winner of the Pen/Faulkner Award & Pulitzer Prize), Specimen Days, and By Nightfall, as well as the non-fiction book, Land's End: A Walk in Provincetown. His new novel, The Snow Queen, will be published in May of 2014. He lives in New York, and teaches at Yale University.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 956 reviews
January 7, 2016
Most avid readers have a few authors they feel zealous about...
greedy, fanatical, devoted, .... ( perhaps in a nutty way), and they aren't your husband,
wife, or child. What's going on with these voracious bookworms?
I suspect these type of bookworms are not Hollywood star struck in any shape or form..
but talk about one of their favorite authors that can do no wrong...
those authors where they can no longer review without bias...( not completely)...
and it's like witnessing a gushy book fan in heat!
So...I'll say up front, Michael Cunningham, born the same year as me, shares the same birthdate with my younger daughter, Ali, ....lights my fire.
"A Wild Swan", won't be for everyone. There is a great chance that fans of
Michael Cunningham's novels, will be disappointed not to have another Cunningham-novel-masterpiece to read.
This small collection of altered fairy tales - for adults -was written with the same
gorgeous prose as his novels. I looked to see if these short stories had the
psychological-punch ....( mind-twisting-swimming-type-thinking from the layers of depth he writes)...as his books. The answer: yes! Emotions felt!! Elevated thinking.
Were you a fan of Rumpelstilskin as a child? Rapunzel? Jack and the Beanstock?
If yes..Michael Cunningham's gives us a fresh look at these old tales...
This is the 2nd re-telling I've read recently ...enjoying authors new modern perspectives. Curtis Sittenfeld wrote "Eligible", a retelling of "Pride and Prejudice"...
( wonderful!!!!)....
"A Wild Swan", ....( depending on how much you enjoy fairy tales to begin with)...
this book is clever, witty, and terrific! A fairy tale for the grown-up mind with a childlike spirit.
The illustrations by Yuko Shimizo are marvelous!
greedy, fanatical, devoted, .... ( perhaps in a nutty way), and they aren't your husband,
wife, or child. What's going on with these voracious bookworms?
I suspect these type of bookworms are not Hollywood star struck in any shape or form..
but talk about one of their favorite authors that can do no wrong...
those authors where they can no longer review without bias...( not completely)...
and it's like witnessing a gushy book fan in heat!
So...I'll say up front, Michael Cunningham, born the same year as me, shares the same birthdate with my younger daughter, Ali, ....lights my fire.
"A Wild Swan", won't be for everyone. There is a great chance that fans of
Michael Cunningham's novels, will be disappointed not to have another Cunningham-novel-masterpiece to read.
This small collection of altered fairy tales - for adults -was written with the same
gorgeous prose as his novels. I looked to see if these short stories had the
psychological-punch ....( mind-twisting-swimming-type-thinking from the layers of depth he writes)...as his books. The answer: yes! Emotions felt!! Elevated thinking.
Were you a fan of Rumpelstilskin as a child? Rapunzel? Jack and the Beanstock?
If yes..Michael Cunningham's gives us a fresh look at these old tales...
This is the 2nd re-telling I've read recently ...enjoying authors new modern perspectives. Curtis Sittenfeld wrote "Eligible", a retelling of "Pride and Prejudice"...
( wonderful!!!!)....
"A Wild Swan", ....( depending on how much you enjoy fairy tales to begin with)...
this book is clever, witty, and terrific! A fairy tale for the grown-up mind with a childlike spirit.
The illustrations by Yuko Shimizo are marvelous!
January 13, 2016
Not the usual type of book I read but am willing to try anything written by this author. To my surprise I enjoyed it very much. Taking many of our beloved fairytale and giving them a very inventive modern twist was pure entertainment. Many were extremely amusing, so very clever. But..... while Cunningham's wit and originality were in fine display I missed his ingenious plots and his expansiveness that is more adequately displayed in his novels. Still very entertaining, a quick read that was more than worth my time.
February 9, 2016
Fairy tale retellings are one of my 'things,' so I had to pick this up when I came across it on the library shelf. I haven't read anything else by this Pulitzer Prize-winning author, so I can't compare this to his other writings.
The stories collected here are very consistent in 'feel' throughout. Each takes a fairy tale (or other well-known tale), and injects it with a dash of the modern-day (without wholly removing its more 'classic' elements), and twists the story a bit in order to accentuate the ironic, and perhaps make a bitter comment on humanity. There aren't a lot of happy endings to be found here.
Dis. Enchant.
This very brief piece on the theme of 'ordinary' people being resentful and jealous of the 'extraordinary' sets the tone of the book very well. If you like this piece, I'd recommend continuing. If you don't - the book might not be for you.
A Wild Swan
Based on: The Wild Swans: http://hca.gilead.org.il/wild_swa.html
All happens as it did in the Andersen tale - the brothers transformed, the sister who works to rescue them from the curse. But the author focuses on what happened to the one brother who was left with a swan's wing; transposing him in his trauma from the fantasy castle to a contemporary setting of bars full of alcoholic, depressed victims of curses.
Crazy Old Lady
Based on: Hansel and Gretel
The woman who focused on sex and good times while all her friends were getting married and settling down always dreamed of being a 'Mrs. Robinson'-style cougar in her later years. To her dismay, as she ages, she realized the boys just aren't interested. A bit unhinged, she decides to build a candy-and-gingerbread cottage. What eventually happens mirrors what happened to the witch in Hansel and Gretel a bit more closely than she expected. But the kids who visit her are no innocents.
Jacked
Based on: Jack and the Beanstalk
Here, the classic story is infused with plenty of authorial commentary on topics such as how very foolish it is to entrust your last cow to an 'imbecilic son' who'd trade it to a stranger for a handful of beans. It also comments on the very questionable morality of everything Jack does, although his burglaries and thefts certainly allow he and his mother to buy private planes, remote island, and limited edition Murakami Louis Vuitton handbags.
Poisoned
Based on: Snow White
After rescuing Snow White from her glass coffin, the prince develops a pervy obsession.
A Monkey's Paw
Based on: the W.W. Jacobs story, of course. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mon...)
The twist is: What if they didn't use the third wish to send away the rotted corpse of their son? What if they invited him back anyways?
The story becomes a disturbing digression on the erosion of happiness.
Little Man
Based on: Rumplestiltskin
I've read other positive representations of the titular ugly 'little man' of the Rumplestiltskin story. Here, he is consumed by the desire to have a child: to be a good father and to pass on his knowledge to a new generation. His efforts to help a hapless girl spin straw into gold are motivated largely by kindness. But we all know what happens to a dream deferred... or denied.
Steadfast, Tin
Based on: Hans Christian Andersen's Steadfast Tin Soldier
A modern relationship is depicted here, which may mirror the tragic fairy tale in certain respects. At least, the woman in the relationship seems to think it does; and her daughter explicitly thinks that her mother used telling her the story as a way to try to explain her parents' relationship.
The story rather deftly questions the concept of destiny and true love, as it describes a troubled - but eventually 'steadfast' - marriage.
Beasts
Based on: Beauty and the Beast
Ooh, this was a twist on the story that I hadn't ever actually seen before. (And I've read a LOT of takes on this story.) I thought it worked really well, too. I might even say it was Angela Carter-worthy. Here, many events proceed as expected, with the additional information that Beauty herself might've been less meek and selfless, and more hopeless and frustrated than we thought. She professes her love for the Beast and breaks the spell... but have you ever considered WHY someone might've cast such a spell on the Beast?
Her Hair
Based on Rapunzel
Beginning where the story usually ends, this shows us a blind man at the fulfillment of his long and arduous quest to find his love. The short piece quickly becomes a metaphor about how we all sometimes hide certain things in relationships, to keep others happy.
Ever/After
I guess Cunningham didn't want to end the book on a low note, because this original fairy tale of an arranged royal marriage that works out surprisingly well is a love letter to life, with all its quotidian warts and travails.
Note: The illustrations here, by Yuko Shimizu, are exquisite. Simple, stark black-and-white, like something from a less-perverse Aubrey Beardsley. I couldn't help feeling like they belonged to a less earthy, more transcendent collection of fairy tales, though.
The stories collected here are very consistent in 'feel' throughout. Each takes a fairy tale (or other well-known tale), and injects it with a dash of the modern-day (without wholly removing its more 'classic' elements), and twists the story a bit in order to accentuate the ironic, and perhaps make a bitter comment on humanity. There aren't a lot of happy endings to be found here.
Dis. Enchant.
This very brief piece on the theme of 'ordinary' people being resentful and jealous of the 'extraordinary' sets the tone of the book very well. If you like this piece, I'd recommend continuing. If you don't - the book might not be for you.
A Wild Swan
Based on: The Wild Swans: http://hca.gilead.org.il/wild_swa.html
All happens as it did in the Andersen tale - the brothers transformed, the sister who works to rescue them from the curse. But the author focuses on what happened to the one brother who was left with a swan's wing; transposing him in his trauma from the fantasy castle to a contemporary setting of bars full of alcoholic, depressed victims of curses.
Crazy Old Lady
Based on: Hansel and Gretel
The woman who focused on sex and good times while all her friends were getting married and settling down always dreamed of being a 'Mrs. Robinson'-style cougar in her later years. To her dismay, as she ages, she realized the boys just aren't interested. A bit unhinged, she decides to build a candy-and-gingerbread cottage. What eventually happens mirrors what happened to the witch in Hansel and Gretel a bit more closely than she expected. But the kids who visit her are no innocents.
Jacked
Based on: Jack and the Beanstalk
Here, the classic story is infused with plenty of authorial commentary on topics such as how very foolish it is to entrust your last cow to an 'imbecilic son' who'd trade it to a stranger for a handful of beans. It also comments on the very questionable morality of everything Jack does, although his burglaries and thefts certainly allow he and his mother to buy private planes, remote island, and limited edition Murakami Louis Vuitton handbags.
Poisoned
Based on: Snow White
After rescuing Snow White from her glass coffin, the prince develops a pervy obsession.
A Monkey's Paw
Based on: the W.W. Jacobs story, of course. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mon...)
The twist is: What if they didn't use the third wish to send away the rotted corpse of their son? What if they invited him back anyways?
The story becomes a disturbing digression on the erosion of happiness.
Little Man
Based on: Rumplestiltskin
I've read other positive representations of the titular ugly 'little man' of the Rumplestiltskin story. Here, he is consumed by the desire to have a child: to be a good father and to pass on his knowledge to a new generation. His efforts to help a hapless girl spin straw into gold are motivated largely by kindness. But we all know what happens to a dream deferred... or denied.
Steadfast, Tin
Based on: Hans Christian Andersen's Steadfast Tin Soldier
A modern relationship is depicted here, which may mirror the tragic fairy tale in certain respects. At least, the woman in the relationship seems to think it does; and her daughter explicitly thinks that her mother used telling her the story as a way to try to explain her parents' relationship.
The story rather deftly questions the concept of destiny and true love, as it describes a troubled - but eventually 'steadfast' - marriage.
Beasts
Based on: Beauty and the Beast
Ooh, this was a twist on the story that I hadn't ever actually seen before. (And I've read a LOT of takes on this story.) I thought it worked really well, too. I might even say it was Angela Carter-worthy. Here, many events proceed as expected, with the additional information that Beauty herself might've been less meek and selfless, and more hopeless and frustrated than we thought. She professes her love for the Beast and breaks the spell... but have you ever considered WHY someone might've cast such a spell on the Beast?
Her Hair
Based on Rapunzel
Beginning where the story usually ends, this shows us a blind man at the fulfillment of his long and arduous quest to find his love. The short piece quickly becomes a metaphor about how we all sometimes hide certain things in relationships, to keep others happy.
Ever/After
I guess Cunningham didn't want to end the book on a low note, because this original fairy tale of an arranged royal marriage that works out surprisingly well is a love letter to life, with all its quotidian warts and travails.
Note: The illustrations here, by Yuko Shimizu, are exquisite. Simple, stark black-and-white, like something from a less-perverse Aubrey Beardsley. I couldn't help feeling like they belonged to a less earthy, more transcendent collection of fairy tales, though.
October 3, 2016
Έχω που λέτε μια αδυναμία. Δεν ξέρω πότε το κατάλαβα πρώτη φορά, ούτε πως μου συνέβη. Δεν έχω κάνει κάτι ιδιαίτερο για να θρέψω αυτή μου την αδυναμία, είναι η αλήθεια. Δεν ασχολούμαι ιδιαίτερα με αυτήν, απλά υπάρχει στο πίσω μέρος του μυαλού μου. Αλλά μου αρέσει να μαθαίνω για βιβλία που αφορούν την αδυναμία μου και όταν πέσω πάνω σε κάποιο θα πρέπει να το σηκώσω, να το ξεφυλλίσω και αρκετές φορές να το διαβάσω ολόκληρο.
Ποια είναι η αδυναμία μου; Μου αρέσουν τα παραμύθια.
Θυμάμαι με αγάπη το πως πέρασα από μια χούφτα με τα παιδικά παραμύθια που μου αφηγούνταν και που διάβαζα, στους μύθους της εφηβείας και στα ενήλικα, μοντέρνα παραμύθια της J.K. Rowling, του Neil Gaiman, του Jim Henson, του Wes Anderson, του Tim Burton, του Guillermo del Toro. Α, και να μην ξεχάσω τον Doctor Who ε, ίσως το σημαντικότερο μοντέρνο παραμύθι.
Αυτό εδώ το σύντομο βιβλίο περιέχει τα retellings 10 παραμυθιών, από τον Τζακ και τη φασολιά μέχρι την Πεντάμορφη και το Τέρας και από τη Ραπουνζέλ μέχρι τον Χάνσελ και τη Γκρέτελ, καθώς και ένα νέο παραμύθι, δημιουργία του σ��γγραφέα. Οι ιστορίες του Michael Cunningham όμως δεν είναι παραμύθια για παιδιά.
Γεμάτα ανατροπές, τα παραμύθια του A Wild Swan: And Other Tales αποκαλύπτουν τις κρυφές πτυχές των original παραμυθιών που δε βρήκαν το δρόμο τους σε μας. Στοιχεία του βιβλίου που ξεχωρίζουν; Η άγρια φύση των παραμυθιών που ξεκλειδώνεται μέσα από την υπέροχη πρόζα του συγγραφέα, το σεξ και το χιούμορ/κλείσιμο ματιού στον αναγνώστη που βρίσκονται σε κάθε ένα από τα 11 διηγήματα αλλά κυρίως η διαστροφή στη ματιά του δημιουργού που ποτίζει το κείμενο και αλλάζει την οπτική μας στις οικίες ιστορίες που όλοι ξέρουμε από παιδιά.
Ένα απολαυστικό, γρήγορο ανάγνωσμα, ένα βιβλίο που πραγματικά χαίρομαι να υπάρχει στο ράφι μου. Περισσότερα για το βιβλίο θα πούμε στο PopCode μέσα στον Σεπτέμβριο, αλλά μέχρι τότε να πω πως η εικονογράφηση της Yuko Shimizu είναι φανταστική και προσθέτει ακόμη περισσότερη ομορφιά σε κάθε ιστορία, όχι βέβαια πως αυτές το χρειαζόταν.
A Wild Swan: ★★★★
EDIT: Έφτασε η ώρα. Το κείμενο μου στο PopCode για το βιβλίο θα το βρείτε εδώ: http://bit.ly/awildswan
Ποια είναι η αδυναμία μου; Μου αρέσουν τα παραμύθια.
Θυμάμαι με αγάπη το πως πέρασα από μια χούφτα με τα παιδικά παραμύθια που μου αφηγούνταν και που διάβαζα, στους μύθους της εφηβείας και στα ενήλικα, μοντέρνα παραμύθια της J.K. Rowling, του Neil Gaiman, του Jim Henson, του Wes Anderson, του Tim Burton, του Guillermo del Toro. Α, και να μην ξεχάσω τον Doctor Who ε, ίσως το σημαντικότερο μοντέρνο παραμύθι.
Αυτό εδώ το σύντομο βιβλίο περιέχει τα retellings 10 παραμυθιών, από τον Τζακ και τη φασολιά μέχρι την Πεντάμορφη και το Τέρας και από τη Ραπουνζέλ μέχρι τον Χάνσελ και τη Γκρέτελ, καθώς και ένα νέο παραμύθι, δημιουργία του σ��γγραφέα. Οι ιστορίες του Michael Cunningham όμως δεν είναι παραμύθια για παιδιά.
Γεμάτα ανατροπές, τα παραμύθια του A Wild Swan: And Other Tales αποκαλύπτουν τις κρυφές πτυχές των original παραμυθιών που δε βρήκαν το δρόμο τους σε μας. Στοιχεία του βιβλίου που ξεχωρίζουν; Η άγρια φύση των παραμυθιών που ξεκλειδώνεται μέσα από την υπέροχη πρόζα του συγγραφέα, το σεξ και το χιούμορ/κλείσιμο ματιού στον αναγνώστη που βρίσκονται σε κάθε ένα από τα 11 διηγήματα αλλά κυρίως η διαστροφή στη ματιά του δημιουργού που ποτίζει το κείμενο και αλλάζει την οπτική μας στις οικίες ιστορίες που όλοι ξέρουμε από παιδιά.
Ένα απολαυστικό, γρήγορο ανάγνωσμα, ένα βιβλίο που πραγματικά χαίρομαι να υπάρχει στο ράφι μου. Περισσότερα για το βιβλίο θα πούμε στο PopCode μέσα στον Σεπτέμβριο, αλλά μέχρι τότε να πω πως η εικονογράφηση της Yuko Shimizu είναι φανταστική και προσθέτει ακόμη περισσότερη ομορφιά σε κάθε ιστορία, όχι βέβαια πως αυτές το χρειαζόταν.
A Wild Swan: ★★★★
EDIT: Έφτασε η ώρα. Το κείμενο μου στο PopCode για το βιβλίο θα το βρείτε εδώ: http://bit.ly/awildswan
December 31, 2015
Cunningham presents some new spins on beloved classics with this short collection of retellings, updates and continuations of folk and fairy tales for adults.
There's some fun and provocative stuff here - crazy cat ladies who build gingerbread houses, ne'er-do-wells and their beanstalks, closet necrophiliacs who wake sleeping princesses . . .
Most are worthy of three stars, with a few fivers scattered about. I truly love the last tale - an original offering about how we can make our own fairy tales come true by noticing the magic in our every day lives. At least that's what I thought it was about . . .
The illustrations by Yuko Shimizu are truly lovely!
There's some fun and provocative stuff here - crazy cat ladies who build gingerbread houses, ne'er-do-wells and their beanstalks, closet necrophiliacs who wake sleeping princesses . . .
Most are worthy of three stars, with a few fivers scattered about. I truly love the last tale - an original offering about how we can make our own fairy tales come true by noticing the magic in our every day lives. At least that's what I thought it was about . . .
The illustrations by Yuko Shimizu are truly lovely!
November 27, 2015
I'd rate this 3.5 stars.
The idea of putting twists on the fairy tales we know and love isn't a new one. Many books have given these familiar tales a modern spin, a more macabre tone, even made them more politically correct, as the originals were decidedly not!
In A Wild Swan and Other Tales , Michael Cunningham, one of my favorite authors, tries to humanize the tales a bit, modernizing them, and imbuing many with more emotion and character development than the originals offered. He looks at some familiar tales—Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel, Rumpelstiltskin—and others I wasn't familiar with. All in all, it's an interesting exercise, one which I think had mixed results.
As I've said many a time before, if a story hits me emotionally without making me feel manipulated, it definitely resonates. The stories I liked best in this collection either moved or amused me, sometimes both. My favorites included "Jacked," in which Jack (of beanstalk fame) is a lazy man-child whose encounters with the giant provokes intriguing feelings in the giant's wife; "Little Man," an amusing and moving take on Rumpelstiltskin; "Beasts," an interesting twist on Beauty and the Beast; "Steadfast; Tin," a story about a couple which reminded me more of "How I Met Your Mother" than any fairy tale; and my favorite, "Ever/After," a moving look at the idea of happily ever after.
I love the way Michael Cunningham tells a story, and I've always found that characterization is among his many strengths, so those stories in which the characters were front and center worked best. A few of the stories were odd, and one was told in such a way that I wasn't exactly sure who was narrating it or what was happening.
Overall, this was an intriguing and worthwhile read. If you like fairy tales, give this a tryit's not quite the tales you know, but they'll definitely get you thinking.
See all of my reviews at http://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blo....
The idea of putting twists on the fairy tales we know and love isn't a new one. Many books have given these familiar tales a modern spin, a more macabre tone, even made them more politically correct, as the originals were decidedly not!
In A Wild Swan and Other Tales , Michael Cunningham, one of my favorite authors, tries to humanize the tales a bit, modernizing them, and imbuing many with more emotion and character development than the originals offered. He looks at some familiar tales—Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel, Rumpelstiltskin—and others I wasn't familiar with. All in all, it's an interesting exercise, one which I think had mixed results.
As I've said many a time before, if a story hits me emotionally without making me feel manipulated, it definitely resonates. The stories I liked best in this collection either moved or amused me, sometimes both. My favorites included "Jacked," in which Jack (of beanstalk fame) is a lazy man-child whose encounters with the giant provokes intriguing feelings in the giant's wife; "Little Man," an amusing and moving take on Rumpelstiltskin; "Beasts," an interesting twist on Beauty and the Beast; "Steadfast; Tin," a story about a couple which reminded me more of "How I Met Your Mother" than any fairy tale; and my favorite, "Ever/After," a moving look at the idea of happily ever after.
I love the way Michael Cunningham tells a story, and I've always found that characterization is among his many strengths, so those stories in which the characters were front and center worked best. A few of the stories were odd, and one was told in such a way that I wasn't exactly sure who was narrating it or what was happening.
Overall, this was an intriguing and worthwhile read. If you like fairy tales, give this a tryit's not quite the tales you know, but they'll definitely get you thinking.
See all of my reviews at http://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blo....
April 8, 2019
I spotted this slim book while browsing the 'new' shelves of the library one evening. I feel drawn to retellings of fairy tales, though so many end up disappointing me. Because I enjoy Cunningham's writing, I didn't think twice about checking out this book.
I wasn't excited about any of the stories until I got to the seventh (out of eleven), the story titled "Little Man" (Rumpelstiltskin), easily my favorite, which has a perfect reason to use second-person narration. With it, Cunningham does one of the things I feel a retelling 'should' do: i.e., get inside the head of a character we haven't heard from before. Its ending, one fairly long paragraph, was so exquisite, drawing our attention to how someone like him in 'real life' could turn into the person he has become, that I read it several times.
The next story, "Steadfast; Tin", is another that used a twisting of the genre effectively, bringing the story into relevance to a modern-day couple, while cleverly filling in the reader who might not be familiar with the HC Andersen tale of The Steadfast Tin Soldier. The story after that, "Beasts", frustrated me with its standard 'retelling' of "Beauty and the Beast", until I arrived at the ending and the reason for it all became clear: I had been as seduced as Beauty was.
I should also mention "A Monkey's Paw", a very good story: I've just never been a fan of the original by W.W. Jacobs whose title contains the definite article.
The illustrations by Yuko Shimizu are ethereal and disturbing; and I guess because I'm not a visual person, I didn't realize, till I later looked at her website, that I've encountered her work before.
Probably more of a 3.5 stars kind of book, but I've rounded up, because I can't stop thinking of that paragraph.
I wasn't excited about any of the stories until I got to the seventh (out of eleven), the story titled "Little Man" (Rumpelstiltskin), easily my favorite, which has a perfect reason to use second-person narration. With it, Cunningham does one of the things I feel a retelling 'should' do: i.e., get inside the head of a character we haven't heard from before. Its ending, one fairly long paragraph, was so exquisite, drawing our attention to how someone like him in 'real life' could turn into the person he has become, that I read it several times.
The next story, "Steadfast; Tin", is another that used a twisting of the genre effectively, bringing the story into relevance to a modern-day couple, while cleverly filling in the reader who might not be familiar with the HC Andersen tale of The Steadfast Tin Soldier. The story after that, "Beasts", frustrated me with its standard 'retelling' of "Beauty and the Beast", until I arrived at the ending and the reason for it all became clear: I had been as seduced as Beauty was.
I should also mention "A Monkey's Paw", a very good story: I've just never been a fan of the original by W.W. Jacobs whose title contains the definite article.
The illustrations by Yuko Shimizu are ethereal and disturbing; and I guess because I'm not a visual person, I didn't realize, till I later looked at her website, that I've encountered her work before.
Probably more of a 3.5 stars kind of book, but I've rounded up, because I can't stop thinking of that paragraph.
December 11, 2016
Michael Cunningham is the author of The Hours, a book inspired by Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway which won him the Pulitzer Prize for fiction, and was later adapted into a successful movie. I have never read the book nor seen the film, though I really enjoyed the musical score by Philip Glass, which might be his finest work for film (you can listen to it here - I don't think you will be disappointed).
A Wild Swan is his first collection of short stories, and one which I approached with certain interest and curiosity - it is a collection of fairy tales told anew. A surprising subject for someone who has been writing mostly realistic fiction, I was very interested me how the author would approach hi subject - and in the end can't help but be disappointed
This is a slim collection - less than 150 pages long - and yet includes 11 stories, complete with black and white illustrations by Yuko Shimuzu. Cunningham takes classic stories such as Snow White, Rapunzel, Beauty and the Beast and Jack and the Bean Stalk, and tells them again in his own way - in a different setting, or from another perspective. Fairytale retellings are nothing new, but they are something entirely new for this particular author - and it shows. Aside for two exceptions, I found none of these "new" stories to be either particularly impressive or memorable - they read more like exercises in writing, a way for the author to try himself out in something that he has not attempted before. It is not a bad thing in itself, but the end result is not always ready to be presented to a wider audience. Such exercises are often hidden in the proverbial drawer, where they await better times which often don't come.
The first one is "A Monkey's Paw", which is of course based on "The Monkey's Paw", the famous story by W. W. Jacobs. "The Monkey's Paw" has been adapted into other media and parodied multiple times (Including a memorable episode of The Simpsons , Cunningham's spin is creative enough to be interesting and at the same time just short enough to not overstay its welcome.
The real gem of the collection is Little Man, which is the retelling of Rumpelstiltskin, told in the second person from the perspective of the imp. In the original, as collected centuries ago by the Grimm brothers, a miller brags to the King of his realm that his daughter can spin straw into gold; the King throws the poor girl into a locked room full of straw and demands that she turn it all into gold before morning, or else she will be beheaded. Rumpelstiltskin is the mysterious figure who appears out of nowhere, offering her a deal: he will spin the straw into gold for exchange of something of hers. First, he takes her necklace; when the King sees a room full of gold and locks her in an even bigger room, demanding more gold, he takes her ring; when the next day the King says that he will marry her if she will turn another room of straw into gold, the imp demands their firstborn child.
In the original tale just appears out of nowhere, and not as a savior - he essentially blackmails the girl into giving him what he wants, knowing full well that these are offers that she can't refuse if she wants to live (in some versions of the stories the imp begins to spin gold despite the girl protesting that she has nothing more to pay him at the last day, and tells her that he will take her first child, leaving her horrified). The original tale offers no information about the imp, his character or motivation - we can see him as unlikable, but we do not know why he is so, or why he does what he does. This is why Cunningham's story works so well - it gives voice to someone who did not have one before, and unexpectedly flips the tables on morality of the characters. Rumpelstiltskin becomes a sympathetic character and very believably so, and his portrayal as of a being filled with deep sadness and loneliness, consumed by deep longing for a child is touching and memorable. This is, to put it simply, a good story, and deserves praise as such.
Still, two stories do not exactly cut it, and despite enjoying them I can't recommend the collection as a whole. If I was to describe A Wild Swan with one word, it would be "unnecessary" - one or two stories are not enough to save it. If you are interested in fairy tales adapted into contemporary prose, look no further than Philip Pullman's brilliant Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm: A New English Versiont, which treats the source material with respect and courtesy.
A Wild Swan is his first collection of short stories, and one which I approached with certain interest and curiosity - it is a collection of fairy tales told anew. A surprising subject for someone who has been writing mostly realistic fiction, I was very interested me how the author would approach hi subject - and in the end can't help but be disappointed
This is a slim collection - less than 150 pages long - and yet includes 11 stories, complete with black and white illustrations by Yuko Shimuzu. Cunningham takes classic stories such as Snow White, Rapunzel, Beauty and the Beast and Jack and the Bean Stalk, and tells them again in his own way - in a different setting, or from another perspective. Fairytale retellings are nothing new, but they are something entirely new for this particular author - and it shows. Aside for two exceptions, I found none of these "new" stories to be either particularly impressive or memorable - they read more like exercises in writing, a way for the author to try himself out in something that he has not attempted before. It is not a bad thing in itself, but the end result is not always ready to be presented to a wider audience. Such exercises are often hidden in the proverbial drawer, where they await better times which often don't come.
The first one is "A Monkey's Paw", which is of course based on "The Monkey's Paw", the famous story by W. W. Jacobs. "The Monkey's Paw" has been adapted into other media and parodied multiple times (Including a memorable episode of The Simpsons , Cunningham's spin is creative enough to be interesting and at the same time just short enough to not overstay its welcome.
The real gem of the collection is Little Man, which is the retelling of Rumpelstiltskin, told in the second person from the perspective of the imp. In the original, as collected centuries ago by the Grimm brothers, a miller brags to the King of his realm that his daughter can spin straw into gold; the King throws the poor girl into a locked room full of straw and demands that she turn it all into gold before morning, or else she will be beheaded. Rumpelstiltskin is the mysterious figure who appears out of nowhere, offering her a deal: he will spin the straw into gold for exchange of something of hers. First, he takes her necklace; when the King sees a room full of gold and locks her in an even bigger room, demanding more gold, he takes her ring; when the next day the King says that he will marry her if she will turn another room of straw into gold, the imp demands their firstborn child.
In the original tale just appears out of nowhere, and not as a savior - he essentially blackmails the girl into giving him what he wants, knowing full well that these are offers that she can't refuse if she wants to live (in some versions of the stories the imp begins to spin gold despite the girl protesting that she has nothing more to pay him at the last day, and tells her that he will take her first child, leaving her horrified). The original tale offers no information about the imp, his character or motivation - we can see him as unlikable, but we do not know why he is so, or why he does what he does. This is why Cunningham's story works so well - it gives voice to someone who did not have one before, and unexpectedly flips the tables on morality of the characters. Rumpelstiltskin becomes a sympathetic character and very believably so, and his portrayal as of a being filled with deep sadness and loneliness, consumed by deep longing for a child is touching and memorable. This is, to put it simply, a good story, and deserves praise as such.
Still, two stories do not exactly cut it, and despite enjoying them I can't recommend the collection as a whole. If I was to describe A Wild Swan with one word, it would be "unnecessary" - one or two stories are not enough to save it. If you are interested in fairy tales adapted into contemporary prose, look no further than Philip Pullman's brilliant Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm: A New English Versiont, which treats the source material with respect and courtesy.
September 9, 2018
“Lentamente il principe si volta offrendole un sorriso lascivo e bestiale; un sorriso predatore e famelico. Nonostante l’avvenenza, qualcosa nel suo volto non quadra. Gli occhi restano selvatici. La bocca sembra ancora adatta a squarciare la gola di un cervo. Potrebbe quasi essere il fratello più giovane e più bello (molto più bello) della bestia, come se i genitori avessero dato alla luce prima un bambino deforme e poi uno stupendo, perfettamente proporzionato.”
Devo fare due preamboli.
1. Il primo molto breve consiste in un’unica affermazione:
così come credo nel valore delle riletture altrettanto sono convinta del merito delle riscritture.
2. Il secondo riguarda la mia modalità di lettura. Dopo aver strigliato una delle mie figlie che aveva l’abitudine di leggere due o tre libri per volta oramai è qualche anno che ho, invece, scoperto di sbagliarmi alla grande. Così come ognuno hai suoi ritmi del sonno o di altro anche la lettura va liberata da standard impositivi. Dunque, per farla breve, oggi (Dopo le dovute ritrattazioni con mia figlia che nel frattempo ha optato per la lettura saltuaria…) leggo parallelamente dai tre ai cinque libri. Una modalità in cui mi sento molto a mio agio ma in cui, nel tempo, riconosco la pecca non tanto di un’eventuale confusione (perlomeno è un’eventualità che non mi è ancora successa) ma di un impossibile obiettività di giudizio. Mi spiego meglio: se fra i tre o più libri che sto portando avanti ce n’è uno o due che preferisco giocoforza l’altro o gli altri finiscono in seconda linea.
Stando così le cose, per quanto riguarda il libro in questione di Cunningham l’ho letto con un interesse moderato riconoscendone, tuttavia, un valore superiore che merita una futura rilettura.
L’autore rimodella favole note e meno note in una chiave cinica.
Finita l’infanzia e, riaprendo il libro a cui da bambini ci si aggrappava speranzosi che la vita sia prodiga di lieti fine, si scopre, invece, che il re è assolutamente nudo.
Dunque lo sguardo adulto scova e mette in risalto le piaghe purulente del principe di Raperonzolo scaraventato dalla strega giù dal dirupo.
La maturità riguarda alla vecchia di Hansel e Gretel e vede davanti a i suoi occhi una vecchia pazza che si é "data a una carriera di zoccolaggine" mentre i due bambini sono cresciuti e diventati una giovane coppia psicopatica.
L’incanto dell’infanzia diventa disincanto.
Principi e principesse: state attenti!
La magia di una penna vendica la vostra sfacciata perfezione.
Il lieto fine ha le ore contate…
Da rileggere!
” Se certe manifestazioni di perfezione possono essere macchiate, o sfigurate, o costrette a percorrere la terra con pantofole di ferro, il resto di noi si ritroverà a vivere in un mondo meno arduo; un mondo di aspettative più ragionevoli; un mondo in cui le parole “bellezza” e “potenza” potranno essere associate a una più ampia schiera di donne e di uomini. Un mondo in cui gli elogi, i complimenti non siano accompagnati dalla sottintesa disponibilità a chiudere un occhio su uno o due difettucci, su qualche piccola, insignificante deficienza.
Chiedetevelo, per favore. Se poteste lanciare un maleficio sull’atleta spaventosamente affascinante e sulla modella di intimo che lo ama, o sulla coppia del cinema il cui DNA sommato rischia di generare bambini di un’altra specie addirittura... lo fareste? La loro aura di felicità e prosperità, i loro orizzonti sconfinati, vi irritano, almeno un po’? Ogni tanto vi mandano su tutte le furie?
Se la risposta è no, tanto di cappello.
Se sì, invece, ci sono incantesimi e antichi sortilegi, ci sono formule da pronunciare a mezzanotte, durante certe fasi della luna, presso laghi senza fondo nascosti nel folto dei boschi, o in segreti antri sotterranei, o in qualsiasi crocicchio dove si incontrino tre strade.
È sorprendente quanto sia facile impararle, queste maledizioni.”
- Illustrazioni di Yuko Shimizu.
Devo fare due preamboli.
1. Il primo molto breve consiste in un’unica affermazione:
così come credo nel valore delle riletture altrettanto sono convinta del merito delle riscritture.
2. Il secondo riguarda la mia modalità di lettura. Dopo aver strigliato una delle mie figlie che aveva l’abitudine di leggere due o tre libri per volta oramai è qualche anno che ho, invece, scoperto di sbagliarmi alla grande. Così come ognuno hai suoi ritmi del sonno o di altro anche la lettura va liberata da standard impositivi. Dunque, per farla breve, oggi (Dopo le dovute ritrattazioni con mia figlia che nel frattempo ha optato per la lettura saltuaria…) leggo parallelamente dai tre ai cinque libri. Una modalità in cui mi sento molto a mio agio ma in cui, nel tempo, riconosco la pecca non tanto di un’eventuale confusione (perlomeno è un’eventualità che non mi è ancora successa) ma di un impossibile obiettività di giudizio. Mi spiego meglio: se fra i tre o più libri che sto portando avanti ce n’è uno o due che preferisco giocoforza l’altro o gli altri finiscono in seconda linea.
Stando così le cose, per quanto riguarda il libro in questione di Cunningham l’ho letto con un interesse moderato riconoscendone, tuttavia, un valore superiore che merita una futura rilettura.
L’autore rimodella favole note e meno note in una chiave cinica.
Finita l’infanzia e, riaprendo il libro a cui da bambini ci si aggrappava speranzosi che la vita sia prodiga di lieti fine, si scopre, invece, che il re è assolutamente nudo.
Dunque lo sguardo adulto scova e mette in risalto le piaghe purulente del principe di Raperonzolo scaraventato dalla strega giù dal dirupo.
La maturità riguarda alla vecchia di Hansel e Gretel e vede davanti a i suoi occhi una vecchia pazza che si é "data a una carriera di zoccolaggine" mentre i due bambini sono cresciuti e diventati una giovane coppia psicopatica.
L’incanto dell’infanzia diventa disincanto.
Principi e principesse: state attenti!
La magia di una penna vendica la vostra sfacciata perfezione.
Il lieto fine ha le ore contate…
Da rileggere!
” Se certe manifestazioni di perfezione possono essere macchiate, o sfigurate, o costrette a percorrere la terra con pantofole di ferro, il resto di noi si ritroverà a vivere in un mondo meno arduo; un mondo di aspettative più ragionevoli; un mondo in cui le parole “bellezza” e “potenza” potranno essere associate a una più ampia schiera di donne e di uomini. Un mondo in cui gli elogi, i complimenti non siano accompagnati dalla sottintesa disponibilità a chiudere un occhio su uno o due difettucci, su qualche piccola, insignificante deficienza.
Chiedetevelo, per favore. Se poteste lanciare un maleficio sull’atleta spaventosamente affascinante e sulla modella di intimo che lo ama, o sulla coppia del cinema il cui DNA sommato rischia di generare bambini di un’altra specie addirittura... lo fareste? La loro aura di felicità e prosperità, i loro orizzonti sconfinati, vi irritano, almeno un po’? Ogni tanto vi mandano su tutte le furie?
Se la risposta è no, tanto di cappello.
Se sì, invece, ci sono incantesimi e antichi sortilegi, ci sono formule da pronunciare a mezzanotte, durante certe fasi della luna, presso laghi senza fondo nascosti nel folto dei boschi, o in segreti antri sotterranei, o in qualsiasi crocicchio dove si incontrino tre strade.
È sorprendente quanto sia facile impararle, queste maledizioni.”
- Illustrazioni di Yuko Shimizu.
December 7, 2015
This is one of the most enjoyable collection of short stories I've read since Angela Carter's The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories. If anything, the characters here where written with more impact and depth. Carter is a master at ambiance, but Cunningham mastered character creation in short form here.
The illustrations are absolutely haunting.
I highly recommend this one!
The illustrations are absolutely haunting.
I highly recommend this one!
October 2, 2015
This was good, but just good. Each fairy tale came with a new twist, but the premise was so familiar that it sometimes felt as though you were just reading the same story you've read a thousand times before. It's a fast read though and I enjoyed it. In fairy tale retellings I think I want something vastly different, rather than slightly different. For anyone who likes classic tales with tiny tweaks, this is the book for you. For anyone who wants something more, read The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter.
January 9, 2016
Utterly unimaginative and yet somehow oozing with smugness.
March 9, 2016
Narrators - Lili Taylor and Billy Hough : 4 stars
Their narrations were just right for the stories, giving them that extra spark. There is one where they were narrate together that was one of my favorites.
The stories/tales themselves...
There were a few stand-outs among the bunch (Wild Swans, Poisoned, the one based on the one-legged soldier and the ballerina, Monkeys Paw ) but overall I wasn't super impressed with them.
Each story has its own charm... some were wicked, some were strange, sweet and a bit dark. A certain gave me chills even though I heard a different re-telling of some years ago (still not exactly sure when and where ) and if I could purchase each story separately, that would be one of them I would choose.
Despite the off-beatness of these stories, I was never completely pulled in for most of collection. I'm still thinking over these though, they have that certain 'pull' to them, that 'something' you can't quite pinpoint.
I give Mr. Cunningham props though for doing something a bit different with these tales, not many fresh ideas out there to re-invent/re-tell fairytales these days (and who doesn't love to visit these worlds now and again in some form?).
This was a good read for me while I wasn't feeling well, it was nice to just lay down, close my eyes, and let my mind drift along with the stories.
Recommend? Probably, it will most likely be one you will love or feel 'meh' about but still worth the try methinks.
Happy reading!
Their narrations were just right for the stories, giving them that extra spark. There is one where they were narrate together that was one of my favorites.
The stories/tales themselves...
There were a few stand-outs among the bunch (Wild Swans, Poisoned, the one based on the one-legged soldier and the ballerina, Monkeys Paw ) but overall I wasn't super impressed with them.
Each story has its own charm... some were wicked, some were strange, sweet and a bit dark. A certain gave me chills even though I heard a different re-telling of some years ago (still not exactly sure when and where ) and if I could purchase each story separately, that would be one of them I would choose.
Despite the off-beatness of these stories, I was never completely pulled in for most of collection. I'm still thinking over these though, they have that certain 'pull' to them, that 'something' you can't quite pinpoint.
I give Mr. Cunningham props though for doing something a bit different with these tales, not many fresh ideas out there to re-invent/re-tell fairytales these days (and who doesn't love to visit these worlds now and again in some form?).
This was a good read for me while I wasn't feeling well, it was nice to just lay down, close my eyes, and let my mind drift along with the stories.
Recommend? Probably, it will most likely be one you will love or feel 'meh' about but still worth the try methinks.
Happy reading!
June 28, 2016
"Sometimes the fabric that separates us tears just enough for love to shine through. Sometimes the tear is surprisingly small."
January 23, 2021
Cum ar continua poveștile în zilele noastre dacă în locul binecunoscutului ”și au trăit fericiți până la adânci bătrâneți” ar urma altceva?
Mai cunoscut pentru romanul ”Orele” despre opera Virginiei Woolf, (ecranizat cu Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore și Meryl Streep), Michael Cunningham rescrie cele mai cunoscute povești ale copilăriei în cheie modernă, cu multa virtuozitate, realism și umor, dezvăluindu-le latura întunecată, cinică și perversă și le dă un final alternativ.
Așadar, al doisprezecelea frate cu o aripă de lebădă din povestea lui Andersen devine alcoolic, zace prin baruri și moare singur; vrăjitoarea din căsuța de turtă dulce din basmul Fraților Grimm e o fată bătrână cu tinerețea risipită în dezmăț ce încearcă să își ademenească ursitul cu veleități de gospodină, dar se trezește aruncată în cuptor de rebelii Hansel si Gretel plini de piercing-uri și tatuaje; Albă ca Zăpada are o căsnicie atât de plictisitoare cu prințul încât tânjește după somnul din sicriul de cleștar, iar după ce a retezat vrejul de fasole și l-a ucis pe uriaș, Jack duce o viață de bătrân star ratat lângă mama bețivă, posesoare a ultimului model de poșetă Hermès .
Mai cunoscut pentru romanul ”Orele” despre opera Virginiei Woolf, (ecranizat cu Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore și Meryl Streep), Michael Cunningham rescrie cele mai cunoscute povești ale copilăriei în cheie modernă, cu multa virtuozitate, realism și umor, dezvăluindu-le latura întunecată, cinică și perversă și le dă un final alternativ.
Așadar, al doisprezecelea frate cu o aripă de lebădă din povestea lui Andersen devine alcoolic, zace prin baruri și moare singur; vrăjitoarea din căsuța de turtă dulce din basmul Fraților Grimm e o fată bătrână cu tinerețea risipită în dezmăț ce încearcă să își ademenească ursitul cu veleități de gospodină, dar se trezește aruncată în cuptor de rebelii Hansel si Gretel plini de piercing-uri și tatuaje; Albă ca Zăpada are o căsnicie atât de plictisitoare cu prințul încât tânjește după somnul din sicriul de cleștar, iar după ce a retezat vrejul de fasole și l-a ucis pe uriaș, Jack duce o viață de bătrân star ratat lângă mama bețivă, posesoare a ultimului model de poșetă Hermès .
November 23, 2022
Primul meu contact cu Michael Cunningham nu a fost extraordinar, însă volumul său cu basme repovestite poate fi considerat destul de amuzant, trist sau înspăimântător pe alocuri.
„O lebădă sălbatică și alte povești” este o colecție de 9 basme reinterpretate, plus o introducere și o încheiere proprii autorului, tot în spiritul basmelor de odinioară. În această colecție, a existat un singur basm pe care eu nu-l știam dinainte și acela este „Laba de maimuță„. Acesta a fost, de asemenea, capitolul meu preferat din volum.
Continuarea aici: https://cristinaboncea.com/2022/11/23...
„O lebădă sălbatică și alte povești” este o colecție de 9 basme reinterpretate, plus o introducere și o încheiere proprii autorului, tot în spiritul basmelor de odinioară. În această colecție, a existat un singur basm pe care eu nu-l știam dinainte și acela este „Laba de maimuță„. Acesta a fost, de asemenea, capitolul meu preferat din volum.
Continuarea aici: https://cristinaboncea.com/2022/11/23...
June 10, 2020
I didn't like all the retellings in this short book as much, some were just too short and I couldn't even place them all - but I really enjoyed the slightly longer ones. He really made me feel for Rumpelstiltskin. Poor guy gets cheated out of adopting a child. There's surprising humor in the stories, and Cunningham's way with words is always enviable. I still prefer his novels, as they move me a lot more, but this is a really nice collection and the art is beautiful, too.
July 14, 2020
V-ați pus vreodată întrebarea cum s-a obișnuit să trăiască al doisprezecelea frate al Elizei cu aripa de lebădă în loc de mînă? Sau ce a făcut Jack cu toate bogățiile pe care i le-a furat uriașului după ce s-a suit pe vrejul de fasole? Sau ce a împins-o pe bătrîna vrăjitoare să-și facă o colibă de turtă dulce? Sau cum își petrec serile Albă ca zăpada și prințul ei, Frumoasa și bestia ei, Rapunzel și prințul ei?
Dacă da, Michael Cunningham vă oferă cîteva răspunsuri în fermecătorul său volumaș O lebădă sălbatică și alte povești, în care basme celebre sînt fie rescrise din punctul de vedere al antagonistului (că, nu-i așa, există două laturi ale oricărei istorii) fie se prelungesc neașteptat, tocmai pentru ca „Fericiți pînă la adînci bătrîneți” să nu mai cadă „peste toți ca lama unei ghilotine”.
Ultima dintre ele, „Odată/niciodată”, o poveste „originală” în care nu se întîmplă nimic extraordinar (prințul nu-i viteaz, prințesa nu-i frumoasă, dar devin regi și cîrmuiesc înțelept), toată lumea trăiește fericită, este și ea un răspuns la o întrebare: cum ar fi lumea fără povești? Pașnică, dulce și atît de mediocră... 😊
Dacă da, Michael Cunningham vă oferă cîteva răspunsuri în fermecătorul său volumaș O lebădă sălbatică și alte povești, în care basme celebre sînt fie rescrise din punctul de vedere al antagonistului (că, nu-i așa, există două laturi ale oricărei istorii) fie se prelungesc neașteptat, tocmai pentru ca „Fericiți pînă la adînci bătrîneți” să nu mai cadă „peste toți ca lama unei ghilotine”.
Ultima dintre ele, „Odată/niciodată”, o poveste „originală” în care nu se întîmplă nimic extraordinar (prințul nu-i viteaz, prințesa nu-i frumoasă, dar devin regi și cîrmuiesc înțelept), toată lumea trăiește fericită, este și ea un răspuns la o întrebare: cum ar fi lumea fără povești? Pașnică, dulce și atît de mediocră... 😊
November 29, 2015
A Wild Swan: And Other Tales offered more hits than misses, which, for a collection of short stories, equals a successful reading experience for me. This was my first time reading anything by Michael Cunningham and I quite enjoyed how deep he took me inside the characters' minds, hearts and souls. I always say one thing I like retellings to do is add depth to the originals' characters -- Cunningham did exactly that! He also chose the somewhat darker path of the originals -- another favorite of mine.
The retellings were modernized but they weren't drastically different from their originals. So if you're someone who prefers the author make a lot of changes or add a lot of new stuff you may be better off with another collection; for example, The Witch And Other Tales Re-Told by Jean Thompson.
Hmm, if I were threatened with a poisoned apple, I'd have to pick "A Wild Swan" as my favorite of the collection. It retold tales classified within The Maiden Who Seeks Her Brothers such as "The Six Swans" and "The Twelve Brothers," but told from the POV of the twelfth brother who was left with a wing instead of an arm after the enchantment was lifted.
"Little Man," a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin, tugged at my heartstrings. "Steadfast; Tin" offered an honest portrayal of marriage and true happy endings. That one was a tearjerker. "Beasts" had a twist ending. Finally, "Ever/After" was a fitting close to the collection and another story that choked me up with its depiction of real love, family, and happily ever after.
4 stars
The retellings were modernized but they weren't drastically different from their originals. So if you're someone who prefers the author make a lot of changes or add a lot of new stuff you may be better off with another collection; for example, The Witch And Other Tales Re-Told by Jean Thompson.
Hmm, if I were threatened with a poisoned apple, I'd have to pick "A Wild Swan" as my favorite of the collection. It retold tales classified within The Maiden Who Seeks Her Brothers such as "The Six Swans" and "The Twelve Brothers," but told from the POV of the twelfth brother who was left with a wing instead of an arm after the enchantment was lifted.
"Little Man," a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin, tugged at my heartstrings. "Steadfast; Tin" offered an honest portrayal of marriage and true happy endings. That one was a tearjerker. "Beasts" had a twist ending. Finally, "Ever/After" was a fitting close to the collection and another story that choked me up with its depiction of real love, family, and happily ever after.
4 stars
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August 6, 2024Opinião no canal:
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June 23, 2016
Insubstantial at best, insufferable at worst, boring most of all. NPR's recommendation brought me here. Why do I keep listening to them? The "fairytales subversively retold" schtick is such well-covered ground that if you're going to retread it, you have to do something extremely original, especially considering the recent plethora of garbage fairytale material being spewn out by Disney lately. And you know what, at least I can respect the almost sinister triviality of shows like Once Upon A Time or the live-action remakes of old animated favorites. At least their naked corporate greed is just that, naked; transparently brainless. A Wild Swan is brainlessness posturing infuriatingly as art.
Also, there are some men who are good at writing women and women's POVs; Cunningham is not one of them. Every insipid sentence of this book screams middle-aged male - its hatred of millennials, its disillusionment with marriage, its lazy characterization of male/female relationships and complete one-dimensional understanding of women. The most horrid of the latter is the retelling of Beauty and the Beast in which It's like a porny, unclever, misognystic R.L. Stine twist.
Read instead: David Sedaris' Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk, which manages to capture the folksy, sentimental nature of fairytales and insidiously twist them, but with all new stories (no more retellings of Rapunzel or Jack and the Beanstalk, please, PLEASE) or Jonathan Goldstein's Ladies and Gentleman, The Bible! which humorously retells famous bible stories.
Also, there are some men who are good at writing women and women's POVs; Cunningham is not one of them. Every insipid sentence of this book screams middle-aged male - its hatred of millennials, its disillusionment with marriage, its lazy characterization of male/female relationships and complete one-dimensional understanding of women. The most horrid of the latter is the retelling of Beauty and the Beast in which It's like a porny, unclever, misognystic R.L. Stine twist.
Read instead: David Sedaris' Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk, which manages to capture the folksy, sentimental nature of fairytales and insidiously twist them, but with all new stories (no more retellings of Rapunzel or Jack and the Beanstalk, please, PLEASE) or Jonathan Goldstein's Ladies and Gentleman, The Bible! which humorously retells famous bible stories.
February 4, 2016
Michael Cunningham takes a feather from Angela Carter (The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories) and updates a handful of well-known and quite iconic fairy stories.
Instead of feminism and subversion as the main (re)active ingredients, Cunningham opts for a difficult combination of modernism and satire.
This works particularly well in his rendition of ‘The Monkey’s Paw’, and less well with Cinderella and Jack and the Beanstalk – probably because these characters are so mythopoeic already, and therefore they actively resist Cunningham’s attempts at humanising their contexts.
While not entirely successful, this collection is ample evidence of both Cunningham’s technical proficiency and rich humanism.
Instead of feminism and subversion as the main (re)active ingredients, Cunningham opts for a difficult combination of modernism and satire.
This works particularly well in his rendition of ‘The Monkey’s Paw’, and less well with Cinderella and Jack and the Beanstalk – probably because these characters are so mythopoeic already, and therefore they actively resist Cunningham’s attempts at humanising their contexts.
While not entirely successful, this collection is ample evidence of both Cunningham’s technical proficiency and rich humanism.
December 26, 2020
O antologie surprinzător de inteligentă, profundă și emoționantă pe alocuri, în ciuda realismului magic, pe care eu nu îl apreciez în general. Autorul a luat basme și povești clasice și le-a dat o notă stridentă de modernism, insuflându-le astfel mai multă credibilitate. O lectură diferită, dar parcă scrisă pe fugă.
,,Cu toate astea, vrem mereu mai mult. E drept că unii dintre noi vor mai mult decât alții, dar toți vrem mereu mai mult din... ceva."
,,Cu toate astea, vrem mereu mai mult. E drept că unii dintre noi vor mai mult decât alții, dar toți vrem mereu mai mult din... ceva."
May 24, 2016
Почему оно кончилось?! Куда это годится?!
December 19, 2015
I think the art was better than the stories.
January 14, 2018
Vorneweg möchte ich gerne sagen, dass die drei Sterne definitiv eine Tendenz nach oben haben! Ich bin auch lange zwischen drei und vier geschwankt, weil ich mich schwer entscheiden konnte, aber letztendlich fühlt es sich nach drei bis dreieinhalb Sternen an.
Das liegt daran, dass es zwar gut war, unterhaltsam und auch kreativ, toll geschrieben und mit einem etwas zynischen Unterton von Zeit zu Zeit, vielleicht gar manchmal etwas satirisch auf die heutige Gesellschaft, aber es hinterließ keinen Wow-Effekt.
Trotzdem hat mir das Buch im Gesamten - bis auf die erste und die letzte Geschichte - wirklich richtig gut gefallen. Ich habe es auch fast in einem Rutsch durchgelesen, weil man, wenn man mal dabei ist, wirklich schwer davon lassen kann. Es liest sich unglaublich gut weg, ist bespickt mit tollen Ideen und interessanten Seiten der Figuren. Es gibt in dem Buch zwar niemanden, den man tatsächlich mögen kann, aber das muss man hierfür auch nicht.
Das Ganze hegt einen eher negativen Blick auf unsere heutige Zeit, die Gesellschaft, die Wünsche und Erwartungen und Taten der Menschen. Ich fand es aber ganz gut beleuchtet und auch in gewissem Maße recht amüsant. Hat mir gefallen, aber großartig war es nicht.
Dennoch ein Buch, welches ich gerne in meinem Regal behalten werde. Eventuell kann man in einigen Jahren noch mal etwas anderes aus den Geschichten ziehen. Wer weiß. Wirklich was geben konnte es mir eher nicht - auch ein Punkt, weswegen es nur drei Sterne erhält. Es ist durchaus sehr unterhaltsam, aber es gab für mich keinen Mehrwert, was etwas schade war. Wenn man will, kann man sich den aber durchaus rausfiltern. Jede Geschichte hat immer noch seine eigene Moral. Das kann man dem Autor nicht absprechen. (: Ich wünsche viel Spaß bei dem Buch.
Das liegt daran, dass es zwar gut war, unterhaltsam und auch kreativ, toll geschrieben und mit einem etwas zynischen Unterton von Zeit zu Zeit, vielleicht gar manchmal etwas satirisch auf die heutige Gesellschaft, aber es hinterließ keinen Wow-Effekt.
Trotzdem hat mir das Buch im Gesamten - bis auf die erste und die letzte Geschichte - wirklich richtig gut gefallen. Ich habe es auch fast in einem Rutsch durchgelesen, weil man, wenn man mal dabei ist, wirklich schwer davon lassen kann. Es liest sich unglaublich gut weg, ist bespickt mit tollen Ideen und interessanten Seiten der Figuren. Es gibt in dem Buch zwar niemanden, den man tatsächlich mögen kann, aber das muss man hierfür auch nicht.
Das Ganze hegt einen eher negativen Blick auf unsere heutige Zeit, die Gesellschaft, die Wünsche und Erwartungen und Taten der Menschen. Ich fand es aber ganz gut beleuchtet und auch in gewissem Maße recht amüsant. Hat mir gefallen, aber großartig war es nicht.
Dennoch ein Buch, welches ich gerne in meinem Regal behalten werde. Eventuell kann man in einigen Jahren noch mal etwas anderes aus den Geschichten ziehen. Wer weiß. Wirklich was geben konnte es mir eher nicht - auch ein Punkt, weswegen es nur drei Sterne erhält. Es ist durchaus sehr unterhaltsam, aber es gab für mich keinen Mehrwert, was etwas schade war. Wenn man will, kann man sich den aber durchaus rausfiltern. Jede Geschichte hat immer noch seine eigene Moral. Das kann man dem Autor nicht absprechen. (: Ich wünsche viel Spaß bei dem Buch.
June 4, 2023
2/5 ⭐
To nie było to, czego oczekiwałam od tej książki. Jest to zbiór opowiadań.... Brudnych. Przede wszystkich. Są brudne, mroczne i szokujące. Takich retellingow nie czytałam nigdy wcześniej. I wiem, że znajdą się osoby, do których trafi taka forma. Do mnie niestety niekoniecznie trafiła. Za to muszę przyznać, że ilustracje są powalająco piękne
To nie było to, czego oczekiwałam od tej książki. Jest to zbiór opowiadań.... Brudnych. Przede wszystkich. Są brudne, mroczne i szokujące. Takich retellingow nie czytałam nigdy wcześniej. I wiem, że znajdą się osoby, do których trafi taka forma. Do mnie niestety niekoniecznie trafiła. Za to muszę przyznać, że ilustracje są powalająco piękne
January 13, 2022
A quick read of fairytales with a modern mindset. I'll admit, I removed a star because Cunningham didn't have to create plots or characters, he just put a modern riff on it.
While I remembered the fairytale basics, I didn't know or forgot some of the plot twists, such as Jack going up the bean stalk three times. I never understood that if Jack was such a simpleton, why did his mother trust him to sell the cow in the first place? I don't know if I ever knew the story of the Monkey's Paw.
Artwork in the book--
I enjoyed this and if Cunningham wrote more, I'd read them. But I like his (own) novels too. He jokes in an interview--
“By now my full name is the Pulitzer prizewinning author of The Hours Michael Cunningham,” he jokes. “There is no occasion on which I’m not introduced in this way.”
While I remembered the fairytale basics, I didn't know or forgot some of the plot twists, such as Jack going up the bean stalk three times. I never understood that if Jack was such a simpleton, why did his mother trust him to sell the cow in the first place? I don't know if I ever knew the story of the Monkey's Paw.
Artwork in the book--
I enjoyed this and if Cunningham wrote more, I'd read them. But I like his (own) novels too. He jokes in an interview--
“By now my full name is the Pulitzer prizewinning author of The Hours Michael Cunningham,” he jokes. “There is no occasion on which I’m not introduced in this way.”
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