What REAL literature are you reading now?

[rexmundi]

The Lost City of Monkey God. such a fun read about exploration, akin to Indiana Jones style.

 

[colemanerickson]

A series of plays by Anton Chekhov. Still reading the forward but will start with Ivanov. Been reading too much non-fiction psychology lately and need some distraction.

 

[kohelemon]

So last year I rounded things off with being more or less forced to listen to the audiobook of the sword of truth...
I am both disturbed deeply, and disappointed in fantasy.
But, I've started new year, with the classic refreshers! The Hobbit for one, since I bought the new edition from last year this year! And next will be the Lord of the Rings!

 

[TestAddress]

the name alone kinda deters me from reading it already lmao. Celcius masterrace. Why not Celcius 232?

I believe that is a code name by INTERNAL Spies ( yes Federal Spies ) in US when they bombed World Trade Center. Like which floor to put the F-grade explosives. Thus Fahrenheit 451.

 

[TestAddress]

I am now reading Dante's Inferno after having a bad aftertaste with the Inferno movie.

 

[PRXSometimes]

Concise dictionary of quotations. Although not exactly what you can directly qualify as literature, there are way too many useful quotes from many literature writers to be neglected. For example, the first quote that I still memorize is Oderint dum metuant, meaning Let them hate so long as they fear by... um

Ah well, time to reread the book again I suppose

 

[Undorian]

Revolutionary spring; Fighting for a new world 1848-49 by Christopher Clark. I may soon take a break to finish Solaris by Stanislaw Lem, though.

 

[ZodiacWitch]

Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. It was horrible sh!te like the "Emergence" of Shindo L.

Those are torture n poen both.

yeah I read it when I was in college. it's still one of the few books that I will never forget.

The book i'm reading atm is ''12 rules for life''. Although I haven't been continuing it since the beginning of my exams.

 

[Robinisback]

Crime and Punishment, it's one of the best works I've read. This is the first work of Fyodor Dostoevsky that I'm reading, I can see why he is so loved. Rodion Romanovitch is such a well written character and the way he is written baffles me. Though, I'm not going to give any strong opinion on the book until I finish reading the book.

 

[mei.nichi]

I'm about halfway through Hummingbird Salamander by deJeff Vandermeer, and it's one hell of a wild, entertaining ride. Can't recommend it enough, especially if ecology and climate change are themes you like in fiction.

Before that, the last books I read (which I can remember off of the top of head without checking my Goodreads) were:

Yoko Ogawa - The Memory Police
Fyodor Dostoyevsky - Crime and Punishment (took me about a year, off and on)
Kenzaburo Ōe - The Changeling
Yasunari Kawabata - The Old Capital
Junichiro Tanizaki - The Key
Yukio Mishima - The Sea of Fertility (Omnibus)
Yukio Mishima - The Mask
Kazuo Ishiguro - Never Let Me Go
Kazuo Ishiguro - The Remains Of The Day

I can't recommend these enough, though Crime and Punishment is heavy as hell, so steel your heart if you plan on taking that one on.

I read a lot of sci-fi too, in between traditional lit (as a palate cleanser) so I'll drop some of that here in case anybody's interested:

Alastair Reynolds - Revelation Space Tetralogy
Arkady Martine - Imperial Radch Series
Yoon Ha Lee - Ninefox Gambit
Jeff Vandermeer - Southern Reach Trilogy

Lastly, next up on my queue for literature to read is:

Natsuo Kirino - Real World
Haruki Murakami - IQ84
Kafu Nagai - American Stories
Haruki Murakami - Underground

Please note that all Japanese authors listed here have had their names presented Western-style, with their given names first, and family names second.

If anyone has questions or recommendations for books (sci-fi or trad literature) or authors they think I should check out next, please don't hesitate to message me or reply to this! You can get ahold of me on Discord, too.

Sorry for the super long comment, feel free to tlr this.

 

[mei.nichi]

Crime and Punishment, it's one of the best works I've read. This is the first work of Fyodor Dostoevsky that I'm reading, I can see why he is so loved. Rodion Romanovitch is such a well written character and the way he is written baffles me. Though, I'm not going to give any strong opinion on the book until I finish reading the book.

Dang, I totally missed your comment on my first skim of this thread!

I read The Brothers Karamazov in my first of uni, and it completely blew my mind. The richness and painstaking complexity packed into everything from the setting to the characters stunned me, and as the story developed, those things were just layered upon themselves in an almost effortless way. Before that, I largely had no interest in Western literature, but it couldn't have paid bare how shallow my pretentions were in a more humbling way.

For the next work by Dostoyevsky you read, I can't recommend it enough, and it at any point you worry it'll be too similar to Crime and Punishment, it will lay your doubts to rest by the end of the first chapter. (It's what I thought, just swapping the order of reading.)

Anyway, I mostly meant to talk about Crime and Punishment here, but for me, it's literally so good of a book, it's hard to discuss. How many superlative positive things can you even say about a novel before it just sounds trite and superficial, y'know? That said, I couldn't agree with what you wrote more, and I think you'll find that towards the end of the novel, as events begin to overtake Rodion and grow in almost comical proportion to the personal nature of his violent transgression, that you could never have predicted where things end up. I certainly did!

I've already said way, way too much, so feel free to ignore this completely, I promise I'll understand. But if you want to discuss the book more here or on Discord, please don't hesitate to hit me up!

And regardless of anything else, I truly hope you enjoy this novel of towering intellect and emotional honesty. It's not an easy read, but still a profoundly rewarding one, nonetheless.

 

[blackLuna]

I was on a Pynchon bent for a while but had to take a break. Been going through William Faulkner book-by-book now -- almost finished Absalom, Absalom after having read The Sound and the Fury and As I Lay Dying. All books are beautiful in their own rights; I don't know what I'd recommend for a "first text" of his.

Easy: "A Rose for Emily"

 

[Devourer]

just finished "Family Style" which is about a veitnamese immigrant boy coming to america and the struggles that come with it

 

[WJ_PK]

I've read like 50 pages of The Three Musketeers by Alexander Dumas. It's been pretty enjoyable so far but I doubt I'll get too far.

 

[Cubicle255]

Recently read "Man, The Unknown" by Alexis Carrel, I think that's real literature. Can't say I've read a book I agree with more my entire life. I only have some gripes against his conclusions, and even that I mostly agree with

 

[TestAddress]

Now you can read Fahrenheit 451!

I watched the TV documentary.

I am also reading now an heirloom, Gulag Archipelago. Which is actually how 16-min cities work in the future, considering the wages go lower and lower.

 

[TestAddress]

Re read The Dip and realized the author thinks of others as goyim.

 

[Robinisback]

I finished reading The Romance of the Three Kingdoms a few days ago and wanted to talk about it but couldn’t find this thread for some reason, lol.

It’s easily one of the most insightful pieces of classical literature I’ve read in a long time. While the novel is lengthy, it is indeed a worthwhile endeavor. The characters are written brilliantly, each characters brings up profound questions about virtue and pragmatism.

I was particularly fascinated by the character of Cao Cao. A brilliant strategist and ambitious leader but he is deeply flawed, if summed up in one word: ruthless. He prioritizes efficiency above all else, often at the expense of morality and virtue. In contrast, Liu Bei serves as the literal personification of the Confucian ideal, he is virtuous, benevolent, and upright. The interplays and interaction between the two is compelling, as each serves as the other’s shadow. Cao Cao’s pragmatism highlights the flaws and limitations of a government rooted solely in Confucian values, while Liu Bei’s idealism shows the dangers of unbridled ambition. This dynamic makes both characters stand out as a perfect contrast to one another without necessarily invalidating either perspective and It's done so beautifully, also, It’s fascinating to see how Liu Bei’s virtues he preached often falter in the face of harsh political realities, while Cao Cao’s ruthlessness is tempered by moments of brilliance and foresight.

It's worthwhile to note that the novel’s depiction of the impermanence of dynasties and the cyclical nature of power is another aspect I deeply appreciated while reading it. Despite the relentless efforts of warlords to establish lasting empires, their achievements ultimately crumbled. The narrative is a gut-punch that no matter how brilliant the strategies or how resolute the ambitions, they could never hope to prevail against the tides of history. This sense of inevitability is both humbling and thought provoking, which offers a great lesson on the fragility of human endeavors....

I personally found Zhuge Liang to be an pretty intriguing character, though almost mythically perfect in his wisdom and loyalty, he is a Chinese manly Yamato Nadeshiko. His genius strategies, such as the Empty Fort Strategy, showcased the novel’s intellectual resourcefulness Really well. However, his near perfection feel doesn't feel human at all, more like an ideal whom you can strive to be than a relatable figure. Meanwhile, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei bring more to the story by embodying loyalty and martial prowess. Their bond with Liu Bei adds emotional depth more emotional depth to the story, while keeping their personal flaws, such as Guan Yu’s arrogance and Zhang Fei’s temper, which make them much more human and compelling than Zhuge Liang.

The novel’s themes of loyalty and betrayal resonates deeply to the readers very well. Loyalty is central theme to the narrative, whether it’s Zhuge Liang’s devotion to Liu Bei or the brotherly bond forged in the Peach Garden. At the same time, betrayal is an ever-present reality, reminding everyone of the brutal pragmatism required to survive in such times.

The Romance of the Three Kingdoms is a complex novel which explores a lot of themes and it delves very deep into it. So, if guys have time, you guys should give it a read, it's long but once you start it, it will suck you in. For me the journey took almost 2 months but it was extremely worthwhile. I hope it's for you too. Sorry, if this message became way too long, but I needed to talk it out because how much of an impression this novel left on me.

 

[Painasbread]

I finished reading The Romance of the Three Kingdoms a few days ago and wanted to talk about it

You bought the book or read it some other way? Did you read it in english?

 

[Robinisback]

You bought the book or read it some other way? Did you read it in english?

Yes, I read it in English and I read the Moss Roberts' translation. Also, I read it digitally.