I wish I had written that...

Here's a nice chunk of writing:

"The other residents must have gone down to the basement shelters (unless they too were to weak from hunger, or too old to care), leaving behind this stray genius to play in the darkness, impudent and precise, showing off with thundering fortissimos immediately followed by fragile little pianissimos, as if he were having an argument with himself, the bullying husband and the meek wife all at once.

Music was an important part of my childhood, on the radio and in concert halls. My parents were fanatic in their passion; we were a family with no talent for playing but great pride in our listening. I could identify any of Chopin's 27 etudes after hearing a few bars; I knew all of Mahler...But the music we heard that night I have never heard before and have never heard since. The notes were muffled by window glass and distance and the unending wind, but the power came through. It was music for wartime.

We stood on the sidewalk, beneath a powerless streetlamp cobwebbed with hoarfrost, the great guns firing to the south, the moon veiled by muslin clouds, listening until the final note. When it ended, something seemed wrong: the performance was too good to go unacknowledged, the performer too skilled to accept no applause. Finally, when it seemed respectful to move again, we resumed our march."

That is freaking dense with images and feelings. You don't even have to know the context. This author can humble me...

OK, so my mind sees a person (man, woman?) standing outside on a street corner, on the sidewalk in an empty city. It's dark, cold and windy. The person is not alone out there. The city is suffering a bombardment in some kind of war. Starvation is fairly common.

Somewhere in the surrounding buildings, an accomplished pianist is playing a powerful composition. The musical theme fits the wartime setting, and it is compelling. The person and associates listen raptly, out there in the cold. The music reminds the character of his parents and childhood, and their strong interest in music.

The music stops, and the group outside moves hesitantly along to...

I wish I had written that...

It will probably be awhile before Roman Polansky visits America.

The city is Leningrad, the wind is blowing off the cold, dark Baltic, the time is during the siege by the Wehrmacht. The city has been completely cut off from any supplies for long months of frigid winter. Two young men are out there on the street listening to the music.

I wish I had written that...

Hi, ron. The two young guys from the story have been living for days by eating "library candy". It's the glue from book bindings melted out of the books and formed into bars (like candy bars). They are on a secret mission.

I sailed across the Baltic and visited Leningrad a while back, before it was re-named St. Petersburg. Fortunately, it was summertime.

neilp Reputation: 99 Level: Superstar Since: Jan 12, 2007	Posted on: January 9, 2009 11:55 am Score: 96 I wish I had written that... It is all too easy to aspire to greatness, but to actually climb that mountain and succeed is an achievement very few will ever experience! [ Reply to Comment ]
Ammirr Reputation: 93 Level: All-Star Since: Mar 21, 2007	Posted on: January 9, 2009 12:38 pm Score: 90 I wish I had written that... A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in Linoleum Blownapart. [ Reply to Comment ]
broncofan46 Reputation: 94 Level: All-Star Since: Feb 9, 2007	Posted on: January 9, 2009 12:52 pm Score: 91 I wish I had written that... Golly Amirr, I thought they had hard wood floors in kitchens in France. . . . [ Reply to Comment ]
Fear & Loathing Reputation: 94 Level: All-Star Since: Sep 23, 2008	Posted on: January 9, 2009 1:13 pm Score: 92 I wish I had written that... OK, so my mind sees a person (man, woman?) standing outside on a street corner, on the sidewalk in an empty city. It's dark, cold and windy. The person is not alone out there. The city is suffering a bombardment in some kind of war. Starvation is fairly common. Somewhere in the surrounding buildings, an accomplished pianist is playing a powerful composition. The musical theme fits the wartime setting, and it is compelling. The person and associates listen raptly, out there in the cold. The music reminds the character of his parents and childhood, and their strong interest in music. The music stops, and the group outside moves hesitantly along to... [ Reply to Comment ]
broncofan46 Reputation: 94 Level: All-Star Since: Feb 9, 2007	Posted on: January 9, 2009 1:52 pm Score: 91 I wish I had written that... JD, Sounds kind of like a scene from The Pianist, by Roman Polanski. . . [ Reply to Comment ]
Fear & Loathing Reputation: 94 Level: All-Star Since: Sep 23, 2008	Posted on: January 9, 2009 2:22 pm Score: 92 I wish I had written that... It will probably be awhile before Roman Polansky visits America. The city is Leningrad, the wind is blowing off the cold, dark Baltic, the time is during the siege by the Wehrmacht. The city has been completely cut off from any supplies for long months of frigid winter. Two young men are out there on the street listening to the music. [ Reply to Comment ]
ronskidog Reputation: 98 Level: Superstar Since: Sep 14, 2006	Posted on: January 9, 2009 2:39 pm Score: 95 I wish I had written that... A welcome break from the technical drivel I have been reading and writing for work. Thanks for sharing! [ Reply to Comment ]
Fear & Loathing Reputation: 94 Level: All-Star Since: Sep 23, 2008	Posted on: January 9, 2009 3:02 pm Score: 92 I wish I had written that... Hi, ron. The two young guys from the story have been living for days by eating "library candy". It's the glue from book bindings melted out of the books and formed into bars (like candy bars). They are on a secret mission. I sailed across the Baltic and visited Leningrad a while back, before it was re-named St. Petersburg. Fortunately, it was summertime. [ Reply to Comment ]
Fear & Loathing Reputation: 94 Level: All-Star Since: Sep 23, 2008	Posted on: January 9, 2009 3:09 pm Score: 92 I wish I had written that... I almost wish that the author had written the novel about the "stray genius" pianist sitting alone at the keyboard inside his frozen apartment trying to drown out the sounds of the bombardment with his wild music. could've, should've. Maybe I'll write that novel. [ Reply to Comment ]
Fear & Loathing Reputation: 94 Level: All-Star Since: Sep 23, 2008	Posted on: January 12, 2009 9:05 am Score: 93 I wish I had written that... The noveI I have been discussing above is City of Thieves by David Benioff. Great read with plenty of dark humor. [ Reply to Comment ]

Fear & Loathing

The father of the mother of all blogs