First snow in Belgrade

I woke up at 5.30 this morning, with a sore throat and a head manically producing lists of things that need to be dealt with over the weekend.

The cat is ill again and needs to be taken to the vet, pronto; my students' test books and homework are waiting on the desk and need to be marked by Monday morning; it's grandpa's birthday on Sunday - I need to think of something more creative for a present than yet another pair of socks; a dear childhood friend from my hometown in Croatia found me on Facebook and emailed me last weekend, and I haven't had any time to write her back; I've got two hours of Latin & Greek to teach from 2 pm, and I haven't prepared anything in advance.

The cacophony went on and on like that for what seemed like half an hour, but it turned out to be no longer than a minute or two. Time seems to run at a different pace when you're in that semi-awake state in the wee hours of morning.

All of a sudden the mental clatter disappeared as I realised that the trees outside were covered with a thick layer of snow. Instantly I felt like a child with no worries on his mind, none whatsoever. Hey, it's snowing! What could possibly be more relevant or important than that?

Peanuts

Who would've thought that there's a connection between Peanuts and Mormonism. Admittedly, not an obvious one.

There's been a debate over a recently published biography of Charles M. Schulz (Schulz and Peanuts: A Biography), in which he was apparently portrayed as a cold, depressed and melancholy person. Contrary to otherwise positive reviews the book got, Charles' son Monte called it "stupid" while referring to its author, David Michaelis, as "an idiot".

But it was Schulz' daughter Amy's recent post that I found most interesting. In it she describes how her father, a Bible-believing Church of God member, responded to her conversion to Mormonism. It's a different take on Schulz' personality and character, one too intimate and first-hand to be found in any of the biographies.

In any case, it's an interesting piece of trivia for any Charles M. Schulz fans out there.

Belgrade Book Fair

This is the cultural event in Belgrade that I love to hate, generating more pet peeves for me than any other.

It never fails to turn into an ordeal. First off, it's too crowded and there are way too many stalls. Naturally, you don't want to miss anything, because it's such a huge and important event and all, so you elbow your way to literary delights until you're dehydrated, dizzy, with a massive headache and too many bags to carry around. About as hectic as like last-minute Christmas shopping.

On the other hand, I love it because I always find great stuff there. This year I went with a list of desiderata with Iain Banks and Margaret Atwood among the top five (thanks for the tip, Dragana!). Not that they're difficult to find in local bookshops, but the discounts were really amazing. I got home with a supply of books that is bound to last until spring.

One thing I was really sorry about was not saying hello to one of my favourite authors, Croatian novelist Miljenko Jergovic. I kept bumping into him all the time (I hope he didn't think I was stalking him!). It was only days after I finished reading his Mama Leone. The book really touched me; excellent piece of writing. I'm certain to blog about it in the next instalment of my book reviews some time in December. I hope he'll be at the Fair next year.

There was one notable change that I feel I should mention: the removal of most of the fast food kiosks from the grounds. No as much smoke from all the kebabs and burgers... Although I'm left wondering whether it's a case of a new cultural policy or perhaps of giving monopoly on feeding the starved masses of Serbian bookworms to that one lone strategically positioned burger joint.

P.S. And the Zen award goes to the British Council for their quite unusual presence. They went minimalist this year, with nothing but a tiny information desk in the middle of a large and totally empty space. Go figure.