the question of bruno

currently reading: the question of bruno by aleksandar hemon
i'm half of the way finished with this book of short stories that i picked up this weekend at st.marks bookshop. what i've read is entertaining, to say the least. i read somewhere that mr. hemon writes in english, even though it is his second language. (which brings up comparisons to conrad, although i don't see it)
this is the only fault i have with this book...it is evident that he has a very dogeared, over used copy of the OED laying around his apartment. in one of my favorite stories so far, "a coin", (which involves letters written by a girl in sarajevo sent to a friend in america....a stomach turning story about how to escape sniper bullets while traveling from point A to point B and the absolute reality of horrific gore and misery when it surrounds you completely), mr.hemon replaces simple words that would have justly conveyed his point, with giant, unrealistic words, which seem almost annoying in the context of the story. (example: replacing "cowardly" with "pusillanimous"...it just isn't necessary).
but, otherwise, i really enjoy the picture he paints with the english language, even though many of them are gruesome and hard to swallow. he has a great grasp of how to make things seem vividly real under very unreal circumstances.

this book goes well with the heat.

i want to be a part of it....new york new york...

the handsome trio... 

thompson square park...on a lazy day sunday in nyc. 

in line for the swinging cars... 

. 

the wonderful wonder wheel 

the 'self proclaimed' 'real' king of the polar bears... 

punch drunk on the way home from coney island... 

redbones

playing with our new digital camera...my sugar sweet fiance, at our favorite place to eat large quantities of barbeque and drink wonderfully large amounts of mojitos. 

mermaids, carnys, and freaks...oh my!

what we must do is live our lives to the absolute fullest. that is what we must do. so i propose a trip. out of this miserable bostontown and into 'the real city', full of endless possibilities, both good and bad, great and tragic...to a party of the greatest possible proportions. full of freaks and ferris wheels, cotton candy and skee ball, bright beaches and carousels, tiny wine bottles and boardwalk beauties.
come one come all to the mermaid parade, at coney island, brooklyn, ny....june 25th.
it would be an absolute shame if you missed it.

Jason Irving Doeg, 1982-2005

'Down, down, down into the darkness of the grave
Gently they go, the beautiful, the tender, the kind;
Quietly they go, the intelligent, the witty, the brave.
I know. But I do not approve. And I am not resigned.'
-edna st. vincent millay-

we miss you j.