Better Than Friday - 82 (Patreon)

Good evening everyone, hope this finds you well, thanks very much for the support. 

1. Book on the list - The Birds by Tarjei Vesaas 

Recommended by the Goodreads user Synthemesc who said that “Knausgård calls this "the greatest Norwegian novel ever written", and he's right.” 

Looks like Archipelago put out a nice edition as well. 

With spare simplicity, Vesaas' novel tells the tale of Mattis, a mentally disabled man cared for by his lonely older sister, Hege. Their routine, isolated existence is interrupted when a lumberjack arrives at their lakeside cottage and falls in love with Hege, leaving Mattis fearful that he will lose his sister. The careful translation from the Norwegian underscores Vesaas's rare sensitivity in recording Mattis's often insightful view of his world. With a limited understanding of the unpredictable power of nature, Mattis nonetheless turns to the elements to discover the answers—with unsettling results.

2. A Great new Podcast from a friend and patron 

Collin's got an awesome thing going, I highly suggest you check out the first episode on Camus.

3. A great Poem recently sent to me

Epistle to Be Left in the Earth - Archibald MacLeish

...It is colder now,

   there are many stars,

  we are drifting

North by the Great Bear,

the leaves are falling,

THe water is stone in the scooped rocks,

to southward

Red sun grey air:

the crows are

Slow on their crooked wings,

  the jays have left us:

Long since we passed the flares of Orion.

Each man believes in his heart he will die.

Many have written last thoughts and last letters.

None know if our deaths are now or forever:

None know if this wandering earth will be found.

We lie down and the snow covers our garments.

I pray you,

 you (if any open this writing)

Make in your mouths the words that were our names.

I will tell you all we have learned,

I will tell you everything:

The earth is round,

  there are springs under the orchards,

The loam cuts with a blunt knife,

beware of 

Elms in thunder,

the lights in the sky are stars——

We think they do not see,

we think also

The trees do not know nor the leaves of the grasses hear us:

The birds too are ignorant.

  Do not listen.

Do not stand at dark in the open windows.

We before you have heard this:

they are voices:

They are not words at all but the wind rising.

Also none among us has seen God.

(...We have thought often

The flaws of sun in the late and driving weather

Pointed to one tree but it was not so.)

As for the nights I warn you the nights are dangerous:

The wind changes at night and the dreams come.

It is very cold,

there are strange stars near Arcturus,

Voices are crying an unknown name in the sky.

4. Sinnerman 

Coming off of Hellfire by Tosches and reading Dante's Inferno and remembered this cover of Nina Simone by the brilliant Southern Gothic outfit 16 Horsepower. 

5. The Full Crispin Glover Experience 

The masterpiece that is Clowny-Clown-Clown.

Epic like-ratio record. Dying to know who thumbs downed.