موش ها و آدم ها، خوشه های خشم، شرق بهشت

مغزم از کتاب های ادبیات سال های دبیرستان تربیت شده که به نام اشتاین بک این سه پاسخ رو بده، طوطی وار و بی علاقه
ولی از این به بعد نه
از این به بعد یادم می مونه که تو تاریکی اون شب تب دار یک نفس صحبت های جورج و لنی که کنار آب نشسته بودند رو می خوندم
یادم می مونه که فکر کردم بعضی وقت ها دیوانه وار فقط به یک چیز فکر می کنم، مثل لنی و خرگوش هاش
یادم می مونه که فکر کردم من مثل جورج خیلی جاها می تونستم و می تونم لنی های زندگیم رو رها کنم، ولی خودم نخواستم
که مثل لنی همیشه میگم که می تونم توی غار زندگی کنم و اصلا هم کچاپ نخورم ولی خودم می دونم نمی تونم
که مثل جورج آرزوی زمینم رو انقدر برای خودم بزرگ کردم که می دونم بهش نمی رسم
که من چقدر وقت ها بوده که مثل لنی نخواستم آزاری برسونم ولی به موقع رها نکردم، چون وحشت کرده بودم
که مثل جورج، هرچقدر هم تلاش کنم نمی تونم لنی رو از خودش نجات بدم
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هرگز یادم نمیره که من خودم هم لنی هستم و هم جورج
و خودمم که کار خودم رو می سازم
n
پینوشت: واضحه که همیشه خواندن کتاب به زبان اصلیش بهتر از ترجمه ست. ولی در مورد این کتاب فکر می کنم هیچ ترجمه ای "نمی تونه" حق مطلب رو ادا کنه

98.11.21

The best laid plans of men and mice often go awry.

Such a short book, only 112 pages, but its powerful.

Not an awful lot happens, the pace is slow, your strolling. Your meet George, Lennie, spend two days together and finish where you started but I'm sure you wont feel the same.

I didnt expect much from this novella, total credit to Steinback, he has created a lot in very few words. In fact I've read much longer books that will prove to be less memorable.

This is a definite cigarettes and whiskey kind of book and well worth reading.

خیلی کتاب تلخی بود.
و موخره ی آخر کتاب به قلم آقای سروش حبیبی فوق العاده بود.

“Maybe ever’body in the whole damn world is scared of each other.”

Sometimes, there is nothing to say because the author said it for you.

i hated this book.
steinbeck is crap.
children should not be forced to read it.

ok, i really just don't like steinbeck's aesthetic. i dislike the killing of innocent animals, the dehumanization of the mentally retarded--and don't try to tell me that lenny isn't marginalized here. the book is depressing and directionless, and not in the ironic waiting-for-godot sort of way. the descriptions are flat, emotionless, and dessicated.

however, curly's wife is awesome. she's just so bizarre and pathetic, so out of place. i love her.

|| 4.0 stars ||

I AM IN TEARS!!

They all deserved so much better…! They all lived with so much sadness, so much hopelessness, so much loneliness, so much unfairness…

But oh, especially Lennie…My heart really broke for the big guy. He didn’t understand a thing that was going on, and he really just wanted to play with the mice, and the rabbits, and the puppies… That’s the only thing he ever wanted. He didn’t need anything else.
He had the purest of hearts, but he simply didn’t know his own strength and for some reason people couldn’t just leave him be… He was genuinely just scared and confused when he did what he did, and he really didn’t deserve what happened afterwards…
But I also understand why George had to do what he had to do. Nobody could have really helped Lennie back then and he would have been too much of a danger to others…
It’s so tragic, though. God. I’m still upset by it.


n  John Steinbeck books:n
Of Mice and Men - 4.0 stars
The Pearl - 2.0 stars

چه فضای دل‌نشین و قابل تصوری داشت!
از رمان‌هایی که خوندنش خیلی لذت‌بخشه و توی ذهن آدم می‌مونه.
ماجرای دوتا دوسته، یکی معمولی و یک کمی کندذهن و بزرگ‌قامت و قوی. که اینا می‌رن یه مزرعه‌ای کار کنن و و حالا ماجراهایی پیش میاد.

رمان قوی‌ای هم بود. مثلا اتفاق‌هایی می‌افتاد و می‌تونستی اون اتفاق رو تمثیلی برای اتفاق اصلی کتاب در نظر بگیری. ینی می‌فهمیدی که همه چیزش چفت و بست خوبی داره.
حین خوندنش با خودم گفتم چقدر شبیه نمایشنامه هم هست. انگار می‌تونه یک نمایش بشه. ولی وقتی کتاب تموم شد مقدمه رو که خوندم دیدم اصن قضیه همینه. اشتاین‌بک می‌خواسته تست کنه ببینه می‌شه رمانی رو طوری نوشت که بشه نمایش‌نامه‌ش کرد؟

توصیفات خیلی زیبایی داشت و گذر زمان هر صحنه رو خیلی زیبا با گذر آفتاب مشخص کرده بود. شخصیت‌ها جذاب بودن و ماجرا جذاب پیش می‌رفت و در کل یه بسته‌ی جذاب و خوندنی بود!
به همه پیشنهاد مي‌کنم!
گول اسم قدیمی‌شو نخورین. اصلا حوصله‌سر بر نبود.

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مرور مفصل‌تری بر این کتاب در سایت آوانگارد نوشته‌ام که در اینجا قابل مشاهده است!

اینجا

If you want to feel real sad, absorb Steinbeck's pitch perfect prose right to your dome. A worthwhile bummer of a great book.

When I was in college taking teaching courses I graded a lot of homework about this book. It was pretty magical, interacting with a novel I had loved when I read it in school and seeing it again through the opinions of young students. I’ve always found I like a novel more when I can dig into it and being able to be on the teaching side really opened it up further, especially because I was reading key passages over and over again. So this book holds a really special place in my heart.

"Now what the hell ya suppose is eatin' them two guys?"

Wow. What a compelling and impactful read. Goodreads, I had planned a review of some sort, but nope, no can do on this one. I would have a field day in a discussion group with this book. There are just so many avenues your thoughts can venture down. My mind was all over the place! Good lawd, trying to narrow it down to highlight something that resonated or stirred me the most eventually led to discovering myself knee-deep in Buddhism research. I would explain how I got there, alas, I cannot. My fear is once I begin talking about it, I won’t be able to stop, I’ll remain entangled in a web of thought!

Note: Study Guide tidbit: The novel's title is inspired by a fragment from the Scottish poet Robert Burns (1757-1796) poem "To a Mouse": "The best laid schemes o’ Mice an' Men, Gang aft agley". It stated: The title suggests that humans and animals are fundamentally similar (an impression which is strengthened by the alliteration of "mice" and "men", which symbolically unites the two species) and that, despite our pretensions, we are still all animals deep down.

Published in 1937 this classic Of Mice and Men about two migrant workers during the Great Depression. George is the leader of the pack. While Lennie is a simple minded man that allows George to show him the ways through life on the road looking for work.
I very much enjoyed this classic. Two men trying to survive and make their dreams come true.

★★★★★

"

Can't believe some teachers make teenagers read this in school.

Don't get me wrong, this was good but it's so... miserable. Everyone's live is so awful.
I need to continue reading more by the author!

Edit: I know the misery is the point. Doesn't mean I enjoyed reading it. It was fine just not a favorite.