Thursday 13 November 2008

Notes from District VII

Hello there. To paraphrase a famous scene from Queer as Folk, we've done it, we've really done it, and I'm currently sitting in my new flat on Kazinscy Utca in Budapest's Erzebetvaros (apologies for a lack of diacritical marks here, by the way: I'll teach myself how to add them soon). We're about two minutes walk from the central synagogue which is absolutely enormous, and our street is the hub of the city's orthodox Jewish population. Rather different from Rupert Street, then.

I'll post properly soon - right now I'm trying to assimilate the experience of living in a city where two cups of coffee, a salami sandwich and two enormous pastries can only cost £3.10.

2 comments:

Attic Fantasist said...

Hello there

I'm looking forward to reading your reports from Budapest. Have you taken up residency to write?

I looked up the Great Synagogue. It's incredible. I love synagogue architecture. (There's a beautiful Moorish revival synagogue in Liverpool, not to forget the Art Deco one which had its final service at the beginning of this year.) Did you know that the restoration of the Great Synagogue you now live by was funded in part by Tony Curtis?

Take care over there,
Chris ;-)

Joe said...

Thanks for the well-wishing, Chris. I'm planning a trip round the synagogue asap, though I haven't done my research yet (if I had I'd have known about Tony Curtis!) As you say, it's a beautiful building - I'm almost daunted by it.

The plan is to write here. I've just received a tax rebate which should see me through a few months here (didn't claim for three years). With any luck, this should allow me to do any thesis correcting that needs doing as well as digging bits out for articles and setting about some work that (hooray!) has nothing to do with Henry Green.

How's your Sebald work coming along? It'll sound predictable, but he's been at the forefront of my mind since we arrived, and certainly since we took up the flat. I'll post a picture of the courtyard and you'll see what I mean.

Hope you're well,

Joe x