![]() There he encounters the master librarian who expounds on the library’s riches: His grip on my shoulder tightened. The first is when Severian, the series’ protagonist, is sent on an errand by his guild master and finds himself lost in a massive, tomb-like library. Here are some of my favorite passages so far. (Which made sense given the books’ conceit that they were actually translations from pre-existing manuscripts, and Wolfe had to fill in the gaps where no accurate translations existed.)īut it can also be incredibly beautiful, and beautifully strange. Wolfe’s writing is full of words like “fuligin,” “chatelaine,” “hipparch,” “lochage,” “optimate,” and “carnifex” - words that aren’t made up, but rather, culled from ancient languages and given a unique spin. It can be incredible obtuse and arcane at times. And one thing that’s become quickly apparent while doing so is the man’s gorgeous, florid writing style. ![]() Following Gene Wolfe’s death last month, I’ve been re-reading his most famous series, The Book of the New Sun, trying to get in a couple of chapters every night and paying closer attention to the story’s intricate details and references. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |