Beers & Books LXXXIII – Raymond Carver

Woke up this morning with a terrific urge
to lie in bed all day and read.

Raymond Carver (25 May 1938 – 2 August 1988)

Beers & Books LXXXII – William Trevor

I read hungrily and delightedly,
and have realized since
that you can’t write unless you read.

William Trevor (24 May 1928 – 20 November 2016)

Beers & Books LXXXI – Wolfgang Borchert

I've got a deep dark suspicion
that pretty soon we should start looking around
for another planet for ourselves.

Wolfgang Borchert (20 May 1921 – 20 November 1947)
 

Beers & Books LXXX – Honoré de Balzac

Equality may perhaps be a right,
but no power on earth
can ever turn it into a fact.

Honoré de Balzac (20 May 1799 – 18 August 1850)
 

Beers & Books LXXIX – Mikhail Bulgakov

"In order to be in control,
you have to have a definite plan
for at least a reasonable period of time.
So how, may I ask, can man be in control
if he can't even draw up a plan
for a ridiculously short period of time,
say, a thousand years, and is, moreover,
unable to ensure his own safety
for even the next day?"

Mikhail Bulgakov (15 May 1891 – 10 März 1940)
 

Beers & Books LXXVIII – Joris Karl Huysmans

A rebours.
*
“There's no doubt about it -
gardeners are the only true artists
these days.”*

Joris Karl Huysmans (5 February 1848 – 12 May 1907)

* Alright, two more:

"Art and prayer are the only decent ejaculations of the soul."

"Only the chaste are truly obscene."

Beers & Books LXXVII – Camilo José Cela

The Hive
*
Ideas?
My head is full of them, one after the other,
but they serve no purpose there.
They must be put down on paper,
one after the other.

Camilo José Cela (11 May 1916 – 17 January 2002)

New Quests on Route 66

And good luck
for your quests
on Route 66

Vamos!

Beers & Books LXXVI – José Ortega y Gasset

The Revolt of the Masses
*
"Better beware of
notions like genius and inspiration;
they are a sort of magic wand
and should be used sparingly by anybody
who wants to see things clearly."

José Ortega y Gasset (9 May 1883 – 18 October 1955)

Saturday Night Music – Adriana Varela

Adriana Varela * 9 May 1952

Beers & Books LXXV – Thomas Pynchon

V.,
The Crying of Lot 49,
Against the Day*,
*
"If they can get you asking the wrong questions,
they don't have to worry about the answers.

* List of Episodes in Against the Day

* Pynchon Wiki: Against the Day

 Thomas Pynchon *8 May 1937

Beers & Books LXXIX – Egon Erwin Kisch

...

Egon Erwin Kisch (29 April 1885 – 31 March 1948)

 

Beers & Books LXXVIII – Ian Rankin

"I don't have many friends.
It's not because I'm a misanthrope.
It's because I'm reserved. I'm self-contained.
I get all my adventures in my head
when I'm writing my books."

Ian Rankin *28 April 1960