Tony! I’ve read The Memory Police. What a great concept. Would love to hear what you think when you’re done. Can’t say any more do fear of spoiling it.
She must be very interested in memory because I also think the professor and the housekeeper is about memory. I just downloaded this novel to my audible so I think I’m going to listen to it soon! I’m looking forward to it. Thank you so much for reading Jenny!!
My dad used to be able to recite stories and poetry he memorized as a child. When I expressed amazement over that, and told him how Japanese kids rote-memorized literary passages, he said that that's how it used to be in the US too, but the teaching community (actually, he used more choice words 😅) had changed all that in favor of “more modern” teaching methods in the 1950s and 60s, and that by the time my cohort got to that stage of our education, memorizing literature was no longer practiced.
Even compared to what it was like in my day compared to what my son encountered after leaving Japanese school to start school in California I was stunned by how much is changed. And I don’t believe it was for the better but I suppose that really ages me to say that! But it’s true! Especially the multiplication tables they really should keep that strong as far as I’m concerned! Thank you so much for reading this. I was so happy when I saw your comment!
A great read. I know someone who uses the memory palace technique for remembering names when he meets people. He's in marketing, so it's hugely valuable.
Coincidentally, I'm a few pages into The Memory Police, by Yoko Ogawa (translated by Stephen Snyder).
Good morning! Thank you so much for leaving a comment I was so excited when I saw it this morning. I have not read the memory police or the housekeeper and the professor which is also about memory. I should pick up a copy. I would love to hear your thoughts when you read it. I’m trying to remember if I’ve ever written anything by this translator before. Did you happen to notice the New York Times article about afternoon matinee? I was kind of surprised they went after the translator that way especially when they don’t have access to the original text. I read both of his novels, each translated by someone else. Have you?
So true! "Memory Palace." But you caught my attention immediately with the reference to fireflies. A favorite image since childhood. A sprinkling of fireflies were also pictured in my favorite childhood book of cat stories. (And I still have it!). Two kinds of genius to this collection: each story is different in structure -- the fireflies are a vignette rather than a story --and the illustrations are so beautifully detailed. The details become the strokes for the story, so that the story can be read over and over with something else to find. And this endless matching of visual detail with language phrases becomes a vivid palace! Lol! (Can you tell I still adore this book? lol!). Anyway, I was saddened to see the trend in children's literature of illustration becoming streamlined ("modern"). Allows for about one room, and one room is not a palace -- it's a dull studio apartment! . . . Unless the walls are papered in colorful kanji !!! (Sorry for the long comment; fireflies get me started. . . ).
Omg! It is The Golden Book of Cat Stores. By Elizabeth Coatsworth with illustrations by Feodor Rojankovsky. Published by Simon and Schuster in 1953. (I still have it!)
Thank you so much for reading this! I spent two decades of my life every single day in the struggle... and what is so scary is that it goes as fast as it is learned when you stop reading.. especially my writing ability is vanishing in front of my eyes!
Tony! I’ve read The Memory Police. What a great concept. Would love to hear what you think when you’re done. Can’t say any more do fear of spoiling it.
She must be very interested in memory because I also think the professor and the housekeeper is about memory. I just downloaded this novel to my audible so I think I’m going to listen to it soon! I’m looking forward to it. Thank you so much for reading Jenny!!
My dad used to be able to recite stories and poetry he memorized as a child. When I expressed amazement over that, and told him how Japanese kids rote-memorized literary passages, he said that that's how it used to be in the US too, but the teaching community (actually, he used more choice words 😅) had changed all that in favor of “more modern” teaching methods in the 1950s and 60s, and that by the time my cohort got to that stage of our education, memorizing literature was no longer practiced.
Even compared to what it was like in my day compared to what my son encountered after leaving Japanese school to start school in California I was stunned by how much is changed. And I don’t believe it was for the better but I suppose that really ages me to say that! But it’s true! Especially the multiplication tables they really should keep that strong as far as I’m concerned! Thank you so much for reading this. I was so happy when I saw your comment!
A great read. I know someone who uses the memory palace technique for remembering names when he meets people. He's in marketing, so it's hugely valuable.
Coincidentally, I'm a few pages into The Memory Police, by Yoko Ogawa (translated by Stephen Snyder).
Good morning! Thank you so much for leaving a comment I was so excited when I saw it this morning. I have not read the memory police or the housekeeper and the professor which is also about memory. I should pick up a copy. I would love to hear your thoughts when you read it. I’m trying to remember if I’ve ever written anything by this translator before. Did you happen to notice the New York Times article about afternoon matinee? I was kind of surprised they went after the translator that way especially when they don’t have access to the original text. I read both of his novels, each translated by someone else. Have you?
So true! "Memory Palace." But you caught my attention immediately with the reference to fireflies. A favorite image since childhood. A sprinkling of fireflies were also pictured in my favorite childhood book of cat stories. (And I still have it!). Two kinds of genius to this collection: each story is different in structure -- the fireflies are a vignette rather than a story --and the illustrations are so beautifully detailed. The details become the strokes for the story, so that the story can be read over and over with something else to find. And this endless matching of visual detail with language phrases becomes a vivid palace! Lol! (Can you tell I still adore this book? lol!). Anyway, I was saddened to see the trend in children's literature of illustration becoming streamlined ("modern"). Allows for about one room, and one room is not a palace -- it's a dull studio apartment! . . . Unless the walls are papered in colorful kanji !!! (Sorry for the long comment; fireflies get me started. . . ).
I missed this--thank you, Sally!! The book sounds wonderful! Do you remember the title? I want to get a copy!!
Omg! It is The Golden Book of Cat Stores. By Elizabeth Coatsworth with illustrations by Feodor Rojankovsky. Published by Simon and Schuster in 1953. (I still have it!)
Oops "Cat Stories."
Hang on to your copy, they are $$$$$ to get now!! xo
Thank you so much for reading this! I spent two decades of my life every single day in the struggle... and what is so scary is that it goes as fast as it is learned when you stop reading.. especially my writing ability is vanishing in front of my eyes!