Book 2 Post 2
In the book Hav by Jan Morris, we follow the author's imagination to a foreign city called Hav. The city seems to be a mix of all civilizations, having Greek ruins in the city center, Russian domed-architecture, several common languages and a call to prayer throughout the day. It's difficult to access, which has helped preserve all of its history and seems like a one-of-a-kind city.
It's easy to get lost in the writing once you realize there is little plot development in Hav. Morris uses elaborate and colorful English to paint a picture of the lost city of Hav, which I found at times to be distracting while I was still trying to figure out the book's purpose. We follow the author as she meets many people throughout the city, like the members of the Athenaeum - an intellectual club that met to discuss any subject. Morris's words are so descriptive - hearing tales of the Russian politicians who visited, the Chinese influence, and the British Hav - and you get to know the city very well by the end of the first half of the book. It reminds me of somewhere like London or Rome, which have been the center of the world for so long, and still have been able to preserve their history well.
The second half of the book is about the author's return to Hav twenty years later. She describes a modern city with a 2,000 foot glass tower and sprawling skyline, a completely different city which reminded me of a theme park more than the cultural center Hav once was. The old Hav, which was terribly hard to get to and had little international recognition, is completely gone. New Hav is a city that built off of Old Hav's history and made it an inauthentic tourist destination.
I'm not completely finished with the book yet, but it brings up some good themes of the old versus new and reminds me of the many ways we destroy history when areas become trendy or gentrified. The New city of Hav is a stark reminder of how wealth controls the world and how tourism can ruin the charm of old cities.
Hey Baylor. This sounds like an interesting book. After reading your take on the book, it made me wonder how Morris's imagination of the old and new HAV looks look like. I made me realize how all of our older and classical buildings that characterizes our cities will eventually be torn down to make way for a new building. Thank you for your reflection.
ReplyDeleteHi Baylor! I want to read this book -- it sounds really interesting. I always find it unsettling when I go to cities with such rich history because it seems that these cities struggle with honoring this history while also keeping up with modern times. It's weird to see a historical building right next to a bunch of fast food restaurants or hotels.
ReplyDeleteHi Baylor - Your description of Hav is thought provoking and now I'm really interested in reading it. My family had a similar experience with an island off the coast of Mexico called Isla Mujeres (in the last 20 years it has become extremely touristy, like Cancun). Now I am curious what Morris has to say about gentrification and tourism. -- Maddie Pink
ReplyDeleteHi Baylor, interesting analysis of the book Hav. I liked how you mentioned you were getting a bit confused about where the plot was going because of the author's detailed descriptions of the environment. The balance of old and new in the environment was also intriguing. Thanks for your synopsis! - Ara Laterovian
ReplyDeleteHi Baylor! Love your revelation on the small amount of plot development, haha. As someone who travels a lot, I always never know how to feel when presented with the comforts of familiarity in new cities that have been gentrified. Topics of gentrification are always interesting as a USC student living in South Central LA too--really interesting takeaways, and perhaps I'll read this someday too!
ReplyDeleteHey Baylor! This book seems super thought provoking. I am in some urban design classes and we talk about Disney-fication and how commodifying cultural traditions often doesn't do justice to the people and their culture that is being sold. We also talk about the ways in which buildings can be contextualized to the built environment, but I think it is something that is super hard to do without just copy and pasting, and that does not leave much room for architects do express new design themes and intents. Just things that I have been thinking about recently!
ReplyDeleteHi Baylor!
ReplyDeleteI've always been fascinated by the merging of cultures. I remember taking AP World History and feeling like my world expanded. Whenever I travel I'm always looking for the sights and sound that remind me of how big the world really is. For that reason, I'm glad you introduced Hav to me. It sounds like a book I can sink my teeth into!
-Dylan Strode
Hi Baylor, I enjoyed reading this post. Your description of Hav is intriguing and for some reason it made me think of Dubai. Although Dubai is an emirate and not a city nor a place with a rich heritage its transformation from literally nothing but a desert into a global metropolis is remarkable. Dubai fuses so much culture into one small space without really having its own. Given your interest in real estate you might be interested to read about their $13 billion man made island project called the "World Islands" where they are making artificial islands which will look like the globe from above. These island will have homes, resorts, malls etc. I wonder what Morris has to say about Dubai
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