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Jim Heimann: Leroy Grannis : Surf Photography of the 1960s and 1970s
Sorry for the non French speaking readers, but I couldn't resist this morning to mention this : "l'étreinte fraternelle du samouraï"
If you want to understand why I wanted to mention this, then read the last book of Amelie Nothomb : "Ni d'Eve, ni d'Adam".
Easy and quick to read, and nice.
For the crazy impatient people who do not want to read the book and want to directly read the part I am speaking about, go there. But honestly, you'd better read the beok.
Strange feeling this morning that life is made of several feelings which, despite the deep impression that each people experience their own feelings, are exactly the same for everybody. Books tend to be the link showing that behind each story, different and unique for everybody, the life experience, love, hate, smile, courage, ... notions are universal and universally shared.
To be honest, till few years I used to read "useful" books, that is to say, books in which you learn about a subject (politics, economy, surf ...). Very few romans.
Now, I take time to read pure useless books :-) and what stroke me is how parts of our life can be so well described in stories which look, at first, very far away from our daily life.
I finished to read "une gourmandise" yesterday evening. That's a very good book. To be honest, not as strong as "l'elegance du herisson", but very good book.
The 2 stories are linked altogether. The style is definitely good (from my point of view, but I am not a specialist). I would say accurate. Complicate but beautiful words when need be, and very simple words and sentences sometimes.
Also, a lot of discretion, a lot of suggested situations, ideas, stories, just to let the reader's spirit travel around, imagine what the cake looks like, smell the flowers, kiss a lady.
I am really happy I have discovered this author, Muriel Barbery.
To be fully honest, I did not discovered it alone. A friend of mine, Joe, spoke to me about this book. But, Joe hadn't read this book at this time. So I was the cobaye.
I would like to say many thanks to Joe, without his first words about this book I wouldn't have bought it and read it. Thank you very much.
After "Saturday"
Nice start, seems to be the same pleasure than "L'élégance du hérisson"
And now, with "une Gourmandise"
That's the first time that an author makes me smile, laugh, think like that. I never think I would ever had felt something like that with a book. It began with "Etoiles"
And cannot resist to point this extract from the book, for French speaking readers ...
It's saturday today. I just finished the book of Ian Mc Ewan. Thanks to M. for giving me this book. She was right saying it's a good one.
One day in the life of a man, on life in one day of this man. Intense and quiet. Life, death, kids, love, work, sex, music, poetry, politics, war, Europe, USA ...
Surprising how the author managed to concentrate all this in one book, in one day.
If today, saturday, you do not know what to read, then read "Saturday".
PS : And now, I'm going to start "une gourmandise". Will it be as wonderful as "l'elegance du herisson". For sure I'll tell you.
Looking at the stats of my blog, I saw that the Kidibi album is "popular". When I say popular, it means that there was more than 1 visit in the last 10 years. I was wondering why. And, thanks to the stats system, keywords, etc, I saw that the keyword "sandgames" is responsible for that. I gave this name to one picture of the album .
So, being curious, I looked at the "sandgames" results in google, and found that this is the title of a book : "Sandgames"
And I read here:
SANDGAMES
Poems by MICHELE VASSAL
Winner of the Listowel Writers' Week Poetry Prize 2000. In her first collection, Sandgames, Michele Vassal explores the duality of exile through the fading negatives of memory, exposing them to a light of sexual and religious metaphor. With an artist's sense of contrast and perspective, she chronicles a sensual and cruel reality where displacement and belonging coalesce into an intricate but singular vision.About the Author
In the late seventies, Michele Vassal left her hometown of Barcelonnette, in the Alpes de Haute-Provence and moved to Dublin. She is now living and writing in Kenmare, County Kerry, with her family and their five cats. Though French is her first language, she prefers writing in English. Her poems have been published in numerous journals and anthologies in Ireland and in the U.S. She received first prize at the 1999 Listowel Writers' Week for this collection of poetry.
The author is from Barcelonnette, a very nice place where I spent several months, skiing, climbing, running, years ago. She is French but she prefers writing in English, and I dare say "like me for this blog" :-)
I just find some coincidences, it's amazing, funny. I think I know what will be my next book, after "samedi" and "une gourmandise" (see "currently reading" on the right column).
A funny picture from Leroy Grannis in his book (Leroy Grannis: Surf Photography of the 1960s and 1970s
And also a private joke ...
(hum, j'me comprends)
:-)
You can wait a long time for others to offer you some surprises, but you can also create yourself your own surprises. That's exactly what I did, and not on purpose ... The right components to organize a surprise for yourself were in this case : Leaving home for more than one week. Order something you really wanted since months. Be sure you have a lot of work so you'll forget about the non-working things you've done in the past 48 hours.
How to proceed :
Just when you arrive in your temporary destination, jump on any of your prefered online shop.
Buy online your items.
Forget about it, and do not track the mails to confirm the order.
Work hard.
Go back home (or in one of your homes ...).
Then finally it gives a welcome back home with Leroy Grannis: Surf Photography of the 1960s and 1970s
The Leroy Grannis book is great, beautiful, a true trip in the past, in the 60's and the 70's. I have not ended yet to look at all the pictures, I prefer looking a little bit everyday, reading some of the texts, feeling the water in the board and on the Katin trunks ... I have not ordered the Leroy Grannis $2,000 edition
For "Une Gourmandise" - Muriel Barbery, I need first to end the current book I am reading, but, given my past reading of "L'elegance du herisson" - Muriel Barbery
2 books.
2 different worlds.
2 good moments.
If you want to live or spend some time with some girls, women, mother, sister, grand mother, then read "Le corps de Liane". Written by a woman, and I would say mainly for women. But it's always interesting to read what you are not used to read, especially as a man, with a different view, a different mind on the book. It did not helped me to understand why women are always doing things the reverse way (at least, exactly the opposite of how I would have done it :-)), but it's interesting to observe a tribe, trying to figure out what are the mechanisms working inside of it. Why love, hate, smiles, tears, ...
A good book, easy and quick to read.
If you want to enter a world of men. But not the kind of men you see in typical "American" movies, with good boys, close shaved, smiling even at 3 o'clock in the morning after a hard day. No, men, almost like you and me (I speak to men there, not the few women who read me :-)). Then read "Hommes entre eux". The action is taking place in a cold place, with snowstorm, crazy temperatures. Two men, one woman, life, death, the past, the memories. Good book, interesting book, quiet and violent. Strong.
That was the conficulture moment of the day on this blog ...
PS : these two books are mentionned in the left column under the "done" title.
For those looking for good books about surfing, not only about nice pictures but also about, surf history, surf spirit, and philosophy (yes, I am not afraid of saying "philosophy"), or people, here is a list of some of my favorite books
First, the one I MUST mention, if I want to refer to "life is like a wave on a coral reef", it is in French but it really reflects surf and "WAVES". The book can named "Vagues" be found on Amazon in France (translation = Waves). The texts, the pictures, are a real dive into the surf spirit. It also gives a good idea for those who do not surf, about what is so fascinating in waves.
Then, during winter, it's always nice to wear some nice colored shirts, and so I recommend the "The Aloha Shirt"
Then for those who are wondering about Bodysurf, there is a beautiful book : "Bodysurf"
And about tribes of surfers, 2 books :
"les tontons surfeurs"
"Hawaii Surf Spirit"
Of course , these are not the only ones, and there is still, the nice pictures and texts from TSJ (The Surfers Journal). Each issue is a real pleasure, a full book, a part of surf history.
So, you may have noticed it, I really liked the book "L'élégance du hérisson"
- About Russia, Pokrovskoie (I’ve been there, read this post), and about "Anna Karenine"
- About beautiful words and meaning : “WABI”, page 174 and 175. The definition of the Japanese word WABI, is a pure refinement ! I have one Japanese saber which is definitely WABI, now it's clear (a saber given by Hiro Hito to someone who gave it to someone else who finally gave it to me … what history inside of this gift ! One of the most important gift I ever received).
- About neologisms : page 195 “le palapaga” and page 337, « Des tribus Gagaouzes ».
- It’s the season, so about sales and women fighting for the best product at the best price : page 234.
- About flowers, roses and Camelias : P 296, and 322.
- About helping the others to be happy : P 316.
Well, you may have understood it, this book is a real pleasure. And my pleasure is to share it with you. For information for the non French speaking readers of this blog, Muriel Barbery wrote another book "une Gourmandise"
I just ended the book "les hirondelles de Kaboul" written by
Well, this is STRONG. You really feel like you are in Kabul, with Taliban, with the history of the war, with this strange atmosphere of a city between life and death. Time is different over there, work is different, life is different. Every day you fight to stay alive. Not physically, but mentally.
This book disturbed me. Really. But this is good. It is not like a book you close, saying, "ok, next". After this book you want to stop. You take time to listen to silence, you take time to think about the whole world.
The strongest thing in this book is the reality of how man's mind can fall into craziness within uncommon situation. How you can fall from Love to hate, to death. How you can rebirth from the darkness with only the view of a smile.
This is not a book about Afghanistan, this is not a book about Muslims. This is a book about love, hate, crude and nude human feelings. This is a book about light and darkness.
A must read ...
It's christmas time and everybody is looking for ideas and gifts.
Well here are some, always tested and approved by your personal surfer blogger :
1- Books (sorry, mainly in French, for the other in english, look in the right column of this blog):
"Lettres a prunelle"
"Journal d'Hirondelle"
"Petite Philosophie du Surf"
2- DVD :
Good selection of Videos of surfing on www.surfhistory.com
3- Clothes, accessories :
I specially recommend the Micro Puff Pullover from Patagonia : A "must have" in winter ! Light, warm, efficient.
And many other clothes or accessories available on Patagonia.com.
Also if you want some nice allweather trail shoes, I recommend the Puma Trail fox and Salomon's shoes.
"c'est une histoire d'amour dont les episodes ont ete melanges par un fou"
(
"it is a love story, chapters of which has been messed up by a madman")
The new Amelie Nothomb book
I liked many of her books, always a pleasure to read them, quick, intense. I really liked the sentence I quote in this post, that's what made me bought it.
I'll tell you more once I've finished to read it.
(ps : picture extracted from a "Flou artistique" period of my new artist life. I let my camera drives me among the different kinds of "artistic moments" the technology dictates me :-))
Special info for the Spanish speaking readers !
Desnivel editions are launching the Spanish version
of Yvon's book at the end of september with the Spanish title: Que mi gente
se vaya a hacer surf.
2 new books for surfers. 2 new books for Christmas. 
Bend to Baja, THE BOOK, is now available. I mentionned the Bend To Baja trip there. And now the book is available. You can preorder it there.
Then you have The Surfers Journal Shop which proposes a book from Ron Church.
Here is what is mentionned on TSJ web site.
Ron Church - California and Hawaii 1960/1965
Ron Church
brought a trained photographer’s eye to the sport of surfing, which in
itself was unusual. With his background in sport diving and underwater
research photography combined with his La Jolla, California roots, he
turned his attention to surfing just as the sport was beginning to
morph from a sleepy but evocative pastime into a commercialized
lifestyle. From 1960 into 1965 he captured its last moments of
innocence, first in California, moving to Oahu’s big-wave fields, and
then back to California. Graphic designer/bookmaker Tom Adler has been
producing an acclaimed series of art books featuring surf photography
(ie. “Don James, San Onofre to Point Dume, 1936-1941”, “SURFING
PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE SEVENTIES TAKEN BY JEFF DIVINE), utilizing his own
unique design sense to select offbeat images that seem to make magic by
the time he arranges them on the pages. This, his second book from the
files of Ron Church (The first being SURF CONTEST, published in early
2006) is a joint effort between The Journal and T. Adler Books.
You may remember this post about Yvon's latest book ? Well, now, the book is available in French and there will be a press conference on the 6th of November in Paris about this book.
The translation of the title in French sounds a bit less funny I think, but still, it translates the spirit of Yvon.
Here are the french docs about this book :
Download homme d'affaire malgre moi presentation
Download the french first page and presentation
In France, this french version of the book is not available yet on Amazon and other internet websites, but you can order it directly to Patagonia or buy it in a Nature et Decouvertes shop.
You may have heard about CHANGE THIS. This is a very interesting website, with many manifestos.
I strongly recommend this one :Never the same !
What does it take to change the world? To change people? To make a difference, every day? Charles Halton presents 18 characteristics to help you create transformational experiences.
Nice reading during your holidays ...
Patagonia was part of the "carnet de roots" contest as mentionned here.
I received a copy of the text of the winner and the authorization to publish it on this blog.
The winner is : Anne Maupas Boucault, who wrote from Chili a text about her exploration as a child.
It is in french but I placed here part of the text :
La forêt interdite Les souvenirs d’escapades forestières d’un groupe de gamins dans la « Corne de l’Afrique »
Par Anne Maupas Boucault
Capra, caprae furent mes premiers termes latins, mots talismans appris au collège : capra, capra, caprae... Elles furent très tôt présentes au coeur de ma vie, ces charmantes bêtes cornues, elles étaient là, au plus profond de mon enfance, en Terre Courage ariégeoise plus exactement, lorsque je les coursais en riant aux éclats avec mon épagneul blanc et noir. Il les aimait bien les cabritas, il savait les rendre folles, les inquiéter et puis, tout d’un coup, les laisser tomber pour vaquer à des occupations supérieures. A chaque fois, tremblantes et haletantes, elles n’en revenaient pas, les biquettes... Au cours de ces folles courses poursuites et autres jeux machiavéliques, nous avons soulevé des tonnes de poussières sous l’oeil mécontent du chevrier. Il pouvait bien s’égosiller et faire mine de nous poursuivre en agitant son long bâton. De toutes façons, nous estimions qu’il ne surveillait pas vraiment son troupeau et que nous connaissions chaque tête aussi bien que lui. Du haut de mes trois pommes, j’en étais persuadée ! En terre ariégeoise, je fus très tôt le bouc émissaire des bergers... La situation ne s’améliora guère lorsque mes parents partirent pour une contrée étrangement surnommée « Corne de l’Afrique » où j’appris à aimer les fins de pistes... Au bout de ces pistes, je savais intimement que les chèvres m’attendaient. Mais tout de même, il y avait autre chose. Autre chose. Les premières amours, les premières amitiés et les premières sensations... Là-bas, mon indépendance s’affirmait auprès d’une troupe de mouflets d’une huitaine d’années qui animait Randa, un village juché sur la montagne. Depuis Tadjourah la Blanche, on y accédait par une route de terre qui me semblait infiniment longue et cabossée, particulièrement à la saison des pluies lorsque l’eau se ruait, intrépide, au fond des oueds assoiffés. Cela faisait des mois ou des années que je vivais avec mes parents dans cet espace perdu. Pas d’école, pas de locaux et encore moins d’instit. La maison, une oeuvre cubiste blanche, était toute simple, c’était probablement une des plus belles du hameau. A l’intérieur, elle était dépourvue de revêtement mural. Le mobilier était réduit au strict minimum. Ce dénuement favorisait les vagabondages de mon imagination. S’il n’y avait rien, c’était que tout était envisageable, ou mieux, que tout était possible. Dedans, mais également dehors. J’ai grandi dans ce vide et dans cette atmosphère que venaient combler les conversations parentales tendres, attentionnées et protectrices qui nous semblaient bien anodines dès qu’elles abordaient les thèmes soporifiques du travail, de la politique ou de notre éducation.
