Burns vs Petőfi, or Whose National Poet Is More S**t?

First of all, thank you to Pam for the opportunity to write for One Proud Post, the new series here on Bloggers’ World!

You have to forgive me for choosing a post with a title that might sound offensive at first reading! It’s written tongue-in-cheek, and I think regardless of whether you have any interest in (bad) poetry or whether you’ve even ever heard of Robert Burns – I’d be very surprised if you’ve heard of Sándor Petőfi! 🙂 -, it’s still a post that should make you smile. Which is why I chose it to share today.

Over five years of blogging about literature, history and – occasionally – art, I have written many posts that I’m proud of. (We’ll ignore the others. 🙂 ) The ones I’m most proud of, invariably, are those that speak about something not very well known in an entertaining manner.

I enjoy writing about topics that are out of the mainstream – about the Histories of Herodotus, for example, or Spanish and Hungarian naval history (Hungarian what? It’s a landlocked country!), about forgotten books and obscure poetry. I had written posts on topics about which you’d find nothing in English on the internet apart from my blog. And whenever I managed to write about these topics in a truly entertaining manner, that’s when I feel I’ve done well. Because I’m passionate about sharing literature and history with others.

So I hope you’ll enjoy reading:

Burns vs Petőfi (Or Whose National Poet Is More S**t?)

 

A (Somewhat Traumatised) History of Hungary in a Dozen Maps

Hello everybody!

I just finished writing a post about the history of Hungary via maps which took me well over three months! While I realise that most of you probably have zero interest in the history of Hungary, traumatised or not, with maps or without… I just had to shout from the rooftops! I mean I thought I’d never finish it. Phew!

For those of you who’d like to know a little about Hungary (for example which foreign ruler did the Hungarians annoyed to death, literally), here’s the link:

The History of Hungary in a Dozen Maps

Please come and visit and I hope you enjoy it. 🙂

Writing Challenge: How Many Times Can You Rewrite the Same Old Boring Story?

Hello, everybody!

Those of you sometimes visit my blog might be aware that where I am we have returned to full lockdown – very boring! So partly to avoid going bonkers I restarted my Lockdown Diaries but very soon (as in a couple of days) I realised that there’s nothing particularly worthwhile to write about because let’s face it, nothing particularly worthwhile happens. This put me in mind of a book by a French author:

Exercises in Style by Raymond Queneau

This book is an old favourite of mine, I first read it back in grammar school (in Hungarian then) and a few years ago I got myself an English copy. I’m sure it would be best in French but I can’t read French. 🙂

The book is basically the retelling of an boring and bland incident, a couple of paragraphs long, in ninety-nine different styles. So I took a leaf out of Queneau’s book, so to speak, and devised my own writing challenge – to write each day’s lockdown diary entry in one of these styles. I find it quite entertaining and perhaps you might be interested in trying your hand at it?

If you do, please join in either by writing an entry in the same style each day and leave it in the comments on my blog, or if you prefer, write it on your own blog and link to my blog’s entry for that style and/or leave a message for me in the comments so that I can read your entry!

Please note, this is not a competition with prizes, it’s just a bit of fun and a chance to experiment with different writing styles… which all bloggers can benefit from!

You can read yesterday’s entry here: Lockdown Diaries II, Day 7: You Know

(I usually publish the new entries between 4 or 6 pm GMT (when I finished my daily work).

#blogging, #challenge, #coronavirus, #lockdown, #writing-challenge

Have you ever read a book because of drinking a cocktail?

🙂

Death in Venice

Join Me for a Hike with a Book of Haikus?

Here: Lockdown Diaries Day 36 (Hiking the Kii Peninsula with a Book of Haikus

🙂

#haiku, #hiking, #japan, #lockdown, #poetry

Lockdown Diaries

Hello everyone!

How about we try to liven this place up a bit more! I see lots of likes as if lots of people visiting but not so many posts!

(Admittedly I haven’t been here for more than half a year or so!)

How about we share some of our lockdown stories for a start?

I’ll start the ball rolling:

We’re in Day 32 here – I’m in London – and currently we have glorious sunshine so I’m typing it this in the garden! I’m lucky as I didn’t lose my job so I’m working from home every day and the network we have to use for work is so slow it’s enough to make you cry!

For those who don’t know: I run a book blog which goes by the name of Waterblogged: Dry Thoughts on Damp Books, at the moment it’s been a bit taken over by the Lockdown Diaries which are a mixture of reporting what’s happening where I am and creating opportunities to escape the lockdown virtually with travel and books. You’re all welcome to check it out of course. 🙂

How is it where you are? What’s the weather like? What are the lockdown rules like? How are you coping? I would love to hear your stories!

Keep safe, keep sane, keep smiling!

#blogging, #books, #lockdown

“You’re Gonna Love This Book” – A Comment

For @pamkirst2014

And anybody else who’s interested! 🙂

I didn’t come to read this post of yours, Pam, until today but when I wanted to leave the comment below it, I couldn’t for some reason, so I am forced writing a new post. Apologies. 🙂

I’m totally in agreement with the idea that books mean different things to different people or even that they mean different things to the same person at different stages in their life. So much in agreement in fact that I explored this same avenue a few times in posts of my own on the blog – because Waterblogged: Dry Thoughts on Damp Books was always meant to be an untraditional book blog.

This is the post I’m talking about:

• Two Versions of The Old Man and the Sea

I’m pretty sure I explored the idea in some others but I can’t remember what they were called. 🙂 I think I remember this one because it was a very personal post that I didn’t expect anyone to take much notice of at all,  and it generated a lot of comments and some very interesting conversations.

I always thought that I was an oddity among book bloggers in that I never liked traditional book reviews,  or the kind of analyses that our literature teachers required us to write. (I did like it when they gave us essay questions that allowed us to explore a theme, a thought or a character from a book but that is not at all the same thing – as I think you’d agree!) So when I blog about books, I tend to write exactly the sort of posts that you were describing: talking about why the book matters to me and what I think it can offer to people, rather than going into details of the plot or characterisation or analysing the writer’s style. But I did it all instinctively, I never thought it through the way you did, so it was really interesting to read your thoughts on this.

(Oh and Happy New Year, by the way! 🙂 )

Party Time!

Welcome to the Bloggers’ World Beach Party

It’s a grey and dull midday where I am. It may be sunny for some of you and it might be a tropical thunderstorm somewhere else. Some of you are maybe still in bed, some of you maybe went already to bed…

No problem! Because this is a virtual party…

So let’s  go down to a nice sandy beach somewhere… (you name it). Personally, I favour the beach under the ruins of the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion. (We’ll pretend that the horrible hotel is not there.) And let’s watch the sunset over the Aegean together.

Bring out the party food, the cocktails and the mocktails, your swimsuit and beach towel (if you like a nice moonlit swim in the still waters of the bay later) – and of course the music!

How to Blog Party (In Case You’ve Never Done This Before)

Add a comment at the end of this post, introducing your blog (don’t forget to leave a link).  Read and reply to other people’s comments, visit blogs that take your fancy, chat to people like you’d do at a real party. You might or might not encounter new blogs to follow and new followers for your own blog but at the very least you have the chance to talk about blogging and make new friends.

I’ll start it off with an intro to my blog:

---

Waterblogged: Dry Thoughts on Damp Books

…started out life as a book blog when I got fed up with my family pulling faces at the dinner table as I was trying to share my earth-shattering insight into books I’ve been reading. And it remains primarily a book blog although it’s been enriched with travel photography, a quotes section and a bit of art and architecture on the side.

I read anywhere and everywhere – including the bath tub. In consequence I ruined many a good book by dropping them into the bath. If you have just spoiled a book in similar manner, I’ll refer you to my Wet Book Rescue page. 🙂

It’s not one of those book review sites where books are graded by stars and you get a link to a bookshop to buy the book and earn the blogger money. Although occasionally I write the odd more or less traditional review, there’s more to writing about books than writing reviews as you’ll find out if you explore my blog. 🙂

I love the classics (modern and ancient), history and travel so these are my chief topics (although I read plenty of rubbish too!).

BW Party: One Day to Go!

Time to organise the party food, folks, and choose the music!

See ya’ll tomorrow. 🙂

You’re Invited: BW PARTY

Party Date: 23 October

2 days to go!

All invited whether or not ever having been active members of this forum – bring all your “friends and relations”, business associates and the lonely old lady who lives next door! The more, the merrier!

Come and introduce your blogs, get to know others and have fun!

@ishitarc1908, @niciacruz, @wordsfromarifa, @21timetraveler, @thelink19, @adriennea3, @infobloomer, @raniamanda, @amommasview, @anandartist, @andysmerdon, @angieskitchenshenanigans, @annfishervirtualworld, @agord2015, @anushababbar, @arpitastravelblog, @thecajkovic, @bennabdycollins, @bethanyaharvey, @bobbyshabangu, @brendablagdon, @cathylynnbrooks, @niyati16, @colettebates, @darshith0000, @audreydcunningham, @camelliasentry, @wynstep, @princeramsey, @clockworkindigo, @visionofdestinyuganda, @continuingwithme, @crawcraftsbeasties, @dawnmarie823, @derekjlee, @devilrockz, @divorcinganarc, @donnainthesouth, @dj120, @drmegsorick, @dhyanmukta, @createtoenchant, @laikassuvaikais, @languorouspages, @megselizabeth86, @thestayengagedexperiment, @esk11, @feelings161, @fictionalkevin, @avenscent, @funsimplicity, @getyourlenson, @lizarebeca, @foodeezjunction, @agord2015, @garthmr, @garyloggins, @thegeneviever, @mumbletymuse, @gritsandpineconescom, @gritsandpineconescom, @myusername432, @robertmgoldstein, @bethanyaharvey, @haripriyakm, @hlindschinger, @hjsportsed, @contenttocapture, @hst4haiku, @kristinavanhoos, @lulaharp, @maddy1953, @onetarhayes, @iaminaplace, @iamabloggertoo, @indira2412, @irenecorl4u2013, @ivanproust, @insomniacbee, @janimey, @mkjackie99, @jahnavichintakunta, @aventuraroxy, @jessmcombs, @jeanburkespraker, @jsackmom, @jennierawling, @ashishvision, @jadekeahi, @justdreadfull, @kayeraye, @kelliblogs @k, @koolitzable @k, @dalees107, @laikassuvaikais, @laduchessederat, @lifeobserverwrites, @loriastratton, @confusionandknitting, @mylittlespaceinthesun, @kmmyrman, @maidsdayoff, @alongthesideoftheroad, @nandininautiyal, @neildsilva, @nicolaauckland, @worthinessambassador, @noorainsobiya, @santoshnc, @notionlux, @alongthesideoftheroad, @offshoreausterity, @ohmyglai, @sarahsatticoftreasures @o, @teiyaoloilolesoipei, @teiyaoloilolesoipei, @donnamcmillen300, @princeramsey, @iaminaplace, @lyndapoysor, @pamkirst2014, @preciousvalencia1, @piyushavir, @whitneyparchman, @raniamanda, @middleagedrager, @ramida78, @ranu802, @rdmaxwell55, @robertmgoldstein, @lilacsky22, @raforbeginners, @camelliasentry, @funsimplicity, @loriastratton, @beckyaluoch, @sumitagrawal01, @sashay909, @natashart, @sasmiths1112, @btarmstrong, @anandartist, @sirtonix, @bennabdycollins @iamdonovan, @vellissima, @vikrambishla, @wordsfromarifa, @suekwoodward, @wanderlusteternal, @welshshortbread, @whitneyparchman, @xaranahara, @yentll02, @justdreadfull, @revrumblefish

Apologies to anyone who accidentally got left out, whose @ call sign didn’t work, those who got pinged twice (three times?), &c., &c.! I repeat: All are invited whether listed above or not! Hope to see you all on the 23rd!