Book Discussion What Are You Reading (Occult)

[Robert Ramsay]

I was looking into F. Paul Wilson's "Adversary Cycle," but can't recommend #1 "The Keep." Wilson sets a story in 1941 Romania without, it seems, checking out even a Wikipedia article about the land. He labors under the misapprehension that the populace is Slavic, that the language is written in Cyrillic alphabet, that the Iron Guard was in full flower immediately before the war with Russia (Antonescu had used the army to disband the Guard in January 1941.) We learn from Wilson, too, that Romanian nobles are called "boyars"---call Russia: they want their word back. He also has the notion that German troops were equipped with something called a "Schmeisser." The term was a Brit/Yank nickname for the MP-40 submachine gun and not used by the Germans themselves.

I know, I know. The story tries for a neo-Lovecraftian yarn. But it's distracting how Wilson is so damned lazy. At least Lovecraft could write with some reliability about the New England settings of his stories.

Probably better to watch the film then

Currently im reading man and his symbols, after 'the red book' is waiting for me.

I'm reading The Red Book at the moment, but I was so exhausted after the introduction and the translator's notes that I'm taking a little rest and re-reading one of my all-time favourite research books "The Fabric of Reality" by David Deutsch.

 

[Khoren_]

Taking a little break from Hermetic writings, I am gonna read Tao Te Ching now. Multiple translations are compiled into one pdf in this. Also The Only Way to Learn Astroloy. And a non-occult book.

Which are your favorite translations so far? I have like four texts with different translations and the subtleties between individual word choices are phenomenal!

 

[Xenophon]

Which are your favorite translations so far? I have like four texts with different translations and the subtleties between individual word choices are phenomenal!

James DeKorne has a website that includes 9 translations side-by-side. Personally I go for the Liu or Legge translations. (They are often very close.)

 

[Vandheer]

Which are your favorite translations so far? I have like four texts with different translations and the subtleties between individual word choices are phenomenal!

Dc Lau feels and reads very different from the other translations, giving me the vibe it was translated as more of guide for a politician of back then rather than a mystical text.