Monthly Literature Challenge

[Misfit]

Nope, I have a book from the library I need to read.  With my brother coming for a visit, I’m not sure I’ll have time for reading.  
 

For those who have read this author, do you recommend reading his books?

[TSherbs]

5 hours ago, essayfaire said:

So, do the quotes inspire a trip to the library?

I read the first page of the story, and I thought it sounded crazy. I had no idea what the narrator was saying. So, no, for me. 

[essayfaire]

I do recommend reading, but I would space out the books.

[InesF]

On 1/10/2023 at 3:03 AM, Misfit said:

Nope, no clue. Looked at the hidden information to see. I have not read anything from this author, but I’ve heard of him.  

Hi @Misfit, you participated, that's what counts!

Good luck next time.

But, you can still read the short novel. It's available for free here.

[inkstainedruth]

My brother used to read a lot of Lovecraft's stuff (he was always a much bigger fan of horror stories and horror movies than I am).  

Although I was really amused by this: http://bactra.org/cthulhu-hymnal/lair-of-great-cthulhu.html 

Sadly I was NOT able to find a video of it being sung....  Or it would be added to the file of "songs to play at phone spammers"...).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[InesF]

12 hours ago, inkstainedruth said:

Although I was really amused by this: http://bactra.org/cthulhu-hymnal/lair-of-great-cthulhu.html 

Sadly I was NOT able to find a video of it being sung....  

Ha ha, a good read. Thank you, @inkstainedruth!

I guess, that would make a good rap? 🎤

[inkstainedruth]

Huh.  Wouldn't have thought about that, but I suppose it's possible.... 

It's an SF filk [see here: https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=filk] using the music of the old song "Chattanooga Choo-Choo".  

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[InesF]

February Literature Challenge is ready.

 

Inks and fountain pens for February are the following:

Sailor Ink Studio 935 – in Montblanc Egyptomania EF

Colorverse Sunspot – in Waterman Perspective F

Rohrer & Klingner Verdigris – in Lamy Studio F

Platinum Citrus Black – in TWSBI Vac mini OF

 

I have a biased view on this set: I like it a lot!

The four inks combine extremely well and especially the Citrus Black harmonizes with the other three inks.

 

The TWSBI Vac mini OF nib is also special as it was originally a F nib I bought as an addition to the EF which I use for drawing only. But the EF turned out to be almost the same fine but scratchy and next to unusable for writing. So I reworked it into a F-stub but accidentally held the grinding disc a bit off from the right angel resulting in an oblique shape. Suddenly the nib wrote perfect and has a subtle but remarkable line variation. A true win for the collection, adding one pen to it, resulting in a new size of 31 pens.

 

Here is the literature writing sample (I guess, this time it‘s easy …), the paper is an off-white calligraphy paper (noname, from the big river), almost of cream colour with some strange behaviour: the Platinum Citrus Black ink stood pale yellow for more than four hours and darkened only overnight in a similar way as it requires not more than fife minutes on other paper. This calligraphy paper feels a bit „plasticy“, maybe it has some hydrophobic surface coating. However, the writing, the ink lines and colours of all the other inks were inconspicuous.

 

And here are ink swatches and writing samples of the four inks and pens (on white paper).

 

 

The author is

Spoiler

Edgar Allen Poe

As in most cases of authors of the 18th, 19th and early 20th century, E.A. Poe wrote preferably with black and dark blue inks (like Sunspot and Verdigris).

There is no other direct connection with pens and inks except for the overall dark and gloomy mood. No ink has bright colours and a lot of grey or black is in them.

 

 

The book is

Spoiler

again not a book. It is the poem „The Raven“

For this literature challenge I used only black fountain pens and one black ink to connect to the theme.

 

 

Dear readers and members of FPN, I encourage you to participate in the literature challenge and continue the interrupted writing with the next paragraph (maybe including the first line, which is already displayed). I‘m sure, you will manage to find a fitting ink!

Good luck,

see you in March!

[txomsy]

The raven, by Edgar Allan Poe?

 

[txomsy]

I have his complete Poetry (and novels), and it has a most interesting disgression on the process of composition of this very poem by no other than Poe himself.  Most amusing. Sorry my computer is overloaded and I can hardly type.

[TSherbs]

@InesF That's nicely done!!

[inkstainedruth]

@InesF-- Great artwork!  

@txomsy-- Yep, that's what it is.  

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Misfit]

I love that you used a raven shape to show this poem. 
 

I also have a book of Poe’s poems. I really like The Bells.  Speaking of Lenore, please some day check out a different Lenore in Beethoven’s Leonore overture No. 3. I’m including a link to this glorious, searing music.  
 

https://archive.org/details/LeonoreNo.3walter1941

[InesF]

17 hours ago, txomsy said:

The raven, by Edgar Allan Poe?

 

Bulls eye! 🎯 It was too easy, I guess.

Be prepared, March will be a riddle that - hopefully - will keep you busy the whole month ... or so. 😎

 

 

Thank you @TSherbs , @inkstainedruth and @Misfit, you are always welcome!

 

 

11 hours ago, Misfit said:

Speaking of Lenore, please some day check out a different Lenore in Beethoven’s Leonore overture No. 3. I’m including a link to this glorious, searing music.  
 

https://archive.org/details/LeonoreNo.3walter1941

 

Thank you for this hint - I'm loving it!

Indeed, I had the pleasure to hear and see Fidelio in the Vienna Opera in 1988. As most of them, also this opera was outstandingly played. At that time I got a place with students discount for around 1,50 € (ca. 5-6 € of todays value). You can imagine, I visited the opera quite frequently at that time ... 🎼

[LizEF]

21 hours ago, InesF said:

Love this!  And how funny that you would post this and I recommend one of these inks on the same day!  (Sorry, didn't have time to play yesterday or I would have gone to look up the follow-on text.)  Looking forward to March's riddle.

[essayfaire]

@InesFI was late to see this; it is a beautiful challenge.  It looks like a collage.

 

Inks: Bleu Nuit et Gris Orage; I thought they were apt.

 

[Misfit]

@InesF how cool you got to go to the opera, and with a nice discount. Your reference to next month being a harder riddle makes me want to quote from Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar “Beware the Ides of March”.

[InesF]

17 hours ago, LizEF said:

Love this!  And how funny that you would post this and I recommend one of these inks on the same day!  (Sorry, didn't have time to play yesterday or I would have gone to look up the follow-on text.)  Looking forward to March's riddle.

Thank you @LizEF, you are always welcome!

Yes, I thought the same about Verdigris when you recommended it in your recent EFNIR Colorverse review. Verdigris is a mystery in itself, has a blue hue with transmitted light, appears to be green in reflected light and shows both while a wet line dries on the paper. What an ink! 😎

 

Yes, prepare for March! 👀  

[InesF]

9 hours ago, essayfaire said:

Inks: Bleu Nuit et Gris Orage; I thought they were apt.

You are welcome, @essayfaire - well done! I'm loving it!

Thank you so much for your CRV! 👏 

 

[InesF]

8 hours ago, Misfit said:

Your reference to next month being a harder riddle makes me want to quote from Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar “Beware the Ides of March”.

It is, it is, @Misfit - beware!

I promised to myself to erase every direct hint from the March citation ... the Monthly Literature Challenge is like carrot and stick.