Category Archives: Commentary and Critiques
Our Lady of the Artichokes by Sarah Moi-Thuk-Shung
Katherine Vaz made a brave leap by including her religion in her writing, since many people are skeptical about discussing any religion. However, Vaz went about writing these short stories with such grace and life that it is hard to focus on anything other than her realness as well as her great imagination. The use of imagery and constant strings of emotions captures readers from the beginning of this collection of short stories until the very end.
While reading through the first short story, “Taking a Stitch in a Dead Man’s Arm,” I found myself relating to a lot of what Vaz wrote. From dealing with loss to being afraid of the dark. The part about removing the stitch from a dead man’s arm to get rid of fear of darkness was interesting to me because I have heard many superstitions, but I have never heard about that one. The phrase, “Do not wait. Fear nothing.” really stuck with me because fear in itself can be enough to hold one back from pursuing what they need to accomplish in life. It is a powerful statement and a reminder that no one should ever let fear rule their life.
I noticed that much of Vaz’s writing has to do with death and tragedy and I am very much interested to find out the reason why. I am eager to question her when she comes to talk to the class on Thursday. After seeing Katherine at the reading today I see that she looks like a happy and lively person. The mood of her short stories does not seem to match her personality or appearance and that is why I believe she has a great imagination.
Katherine Vaz
By: Teresa Roca
Katherine Vaz’s “Our Lady of the Artichokes” is a collection of intriguing and complex short stories. In each story, Vaz is able to capture the emotions of each main character, allowing readers to understand and learn all aspects of each character’s life throughout the years.
I found it interesting how most of the characters experience tragedy, such as death, poverty or divorce. Each character carries with them the pain many of us go through in our lives. This aspect is my favorite part of the collection, the fact that we all suffer through hardships in life, allowing each and every one of us to relate to these strong characters. What is remarkable is how many of them still believe in their religion, using this belief as a way to get through their struggles. In a world where religion is becoming less and less practiced, it is nice to see this collection of people continue to believe in faith despite their hardships.
I enjoyed “My Bones Here Are Waiting for Yours” the most. I thought Vaz did a good job of incorporating mystery into this story. Towards the end of the novel, I became so attached to both Delilah and Mary that I kept hoping we would finally discover why Delilah was found dead, and if Mary moved on. I found the symbols of the charms a beautiful touch. This evokes the mother’s emotions even more, as she hopes to find the final pieces of her daughter. I enjoyed the flashbacks, and how Vaz turned this story into one where we learn about both characters and their relationship, as opposed to just hearing of the mother’s thoughts 17 years after her daughter’s death.
Another story I enjoyed was “All Riptides Roar with Sand from Opposing Shores.” I enjoyed reading Lara’s letters and watching her mature through each one. In these letters, we learn of her childhood, the death of her father, the abandonment of her mother, her divorce and more. Through all of this, she continues to write to Lucia, even though she never receives a letter back. I thought having the story written in the form of letters was a successful way for the reader to learn about this character’s life, while seeing her belief in faith.
All in all, I enjoyed this collection of short stories. The writing allowed me to feel the emotions of each character throughout the story and after. I have not went through the hardships many of these characters faced. However, I am able to understand the experiences and emotions of each character through Vaz’s impactful and memorable writing.
Protected: Katherine Vaz’s Our Lady of the Artichokes
Response: Katherine Vaz’s Our Lady of the Artichokes
Katherine Vaz’s Our Lady of the Artichokes contains very well-written stories. Vaz’s stories are very intriguing to me because of her writing style. The way she strings together words to create a vibrant picture of her surroundings is an important skill to have in writing.
For example, in “Taking a Stitch in a Dead Man’s Arms,” Vaz writes “His wound was violet, and blood pulsed through. I never looked away from it. I swallowed my vomit when it struck the back of my clenched teeth; I was ready to swallow my insides as often as necessary — it was important to gaze at his flesh exactly as it was because I would not have it with me for much longer.”
In three sentences, Vaz is able to accomplish more than many other writers could ever do. She not only describes what her father’s wound looks like; she also describes how she is feeling and she does it in a very descriptive manner. When she says “I swallowed my vomit,” I could feel what she was talking about. I was able to understand what she was feeling and I wanted to read more.
Shortly afterwards, Vaz writes “A brain lesion gave him double vision. Everything wore a register of itself, a crown of haze.” Such descriptive language immediately drew me in from the beginning. I love how she described the brain lesion as a “crown of haze” because it is easily imaginable.
Our Lady of the Artichokes is a beautifully written book. Readers can feel Vaz’s words and I think that is important in any piece of writing.
Liebling Commentary
A.J Liebling is brutally honest, yet not malicious. He exposes the silliness of humans without laughing, the dirt without comment, and their aura without distortion. I find his writing refreshing. There is so much repressed judgement in journalism today, and as much as some writers believe they can successfully mask their opinions, many cannot. With Liebling’s writing, I cannot detect suppression. Instead, Liebling allows the people in his stories to reveal their own character through speech and description.
My favorite story was “Getting By.” Liebling’s description of the professional faster and the professional eater were brilliant. Here you can see how Liebling reveals their character, merely by quoting them and through seemingly objective statements, with just enough sarcasm in the undertone. For example, on page 102 Liebling includes a short description of Mr. Di Laurentis (the professional eater) followed by quote on how he bent dimes with his teeth:
“Mr. Di Laurentis was square shouldered and blocky, but not overly fat. He stood five feet eight inches, weighed 180 pounds, and was thirty-seven years old. His black hair was pomaded and he wore a wrist watch on a gold link bracelet. His jaw was broad at the base and he bent dimes with his teeth. “Don’t tell anybody I do this,” he said, as he demonstrated on Billy the Oysterman’s favorite ten-cent piece, a family heirloom.” It seems somebody had once told Mr. Di Laurentis it was against the law.”
At no point does Liebling comment on Di Laurentis’ blatant stupidity. And yet, the reader cannot help but pick up on it. That’s good journalism.
Chanelle Perrin; A.J. Liebling response
I definitely enjoyed certain parts of the A. J. Liebling pieces. I found the excerpt on Hymie Katz to be the most entertaining. His character reminds me of a present day New yorker. An individual with the hunger for the next dollar. I felt that this ‘tummler’ was a foreshadowing for the future new York. That the people with the business sense and drive would be the future of the city.
I also enjoyed Liebling’s description of 142nd and 143rd street in Harlem. He tells this portion of the story through a series of lists, something reminiscent of E.B. White’s “Here Is New York”. Liebling begins to describe the living conditions of the poor and of the well off. It’s ironic how close in proximity each social class is to the other, but yet how vastly different their lives are. The poor sleep stacked on top of one another, versus the well off population that could afford the additional space.
Liebling made Harlem come to life from his words, he did a great job of creating the environment in my mind. He carved out the environment then worked his way to the the significant individuals in his neighborhood. For instance Miss Ira who gives the neighborhood its touch of fashion, or Pearl Hankinson an activist in the area. Hankinson is wealthy enough to leave the area, but has found comfort in it, she is one of the residents who has actually watched the neighborhood change over the years, and according to her it gets worse and worse. Initially, I wondered why she she chose to stay, but it’s clear that she has become attached to the neighborhood and It’s children.
Overall Liebling’s pieces I feel are good templates for a profile and backgrounder. He works his way from the general grand scale information, to a more specific detailed account of the neighborhood.