REVIEW: Martin Esslin - "The Theatre of the Absurd"

3rd Ed.,Vintage, 2004. 480pp

I first stumbled on this book during my first semester - we had to write a term paper on any topic we wanted to - and I chose to write about Beckett's Waiting for Godot, which I had read back then for the first time. Reading Beckett for the first time was somewhat of a revelation for me, one of those moments that will shape you. Back then I read a few pages here and there, and was amazed how complex Esslin's analysis was. 

REVIEW: Tony Sandoval - "Doomboy"

Diamond Book Distributors, 2014. 136pp

Sometimes music is the only thing that helps you get through the day. For D, the longhaired metal kid from Tony Sandoval's Doomboy, music is the outlet to vent his emotions. All his anger and despair over the death of his girlfriend pours out from his guitar as the wind howls and the waves crash onto his sordid existence. Put on some Omega Massif and start reading. 

Introduction

My name is Sam. I am a 24-year-old student pursuing a teaching degree at the University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany. After my graduation, I will start teaching English and Fine Arts to students from year 5-13 at one of Germany's Gymnasien or Gesamtschulen. 

This blog is more or less a reminder for myself, serving as a place to collect my book reviews and other work I deem important. After a year abroad at the University of Chester, England, my English is at an all-time high, but I can feel it deteriorating every single day. This blog is supposed to be a mental exercise to keep up and possibly enlarge my English knowledge. 

My main interests include fiction of the 20th and 21st century, especially literature with a modern or postmodern label. I am in the process of research for my state examination thesis, which will be about postmodernism and magical realism in the US, and hopefully span a mixture of literature and art. 

This is not a necessarily reader-friendly blog. Bare with me if my reviews seem incongruous and farfetched, there is no harm meant. If people want to connect with me, I have profiles at several other sites. 

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/6214700-sam

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/synkopenleben