Literature anyone?

[Blue Moon]

Great subject, and very interesting replies...

First, one more voice to Spike's words on Eddings' books. I was very pleased with the decalogy he wrote while I was in high school.

Second, my faves :

Mishima, Yukio : The best japanese author, and one of the best, depending on wich books of his that you read. The Golden Pavillion is awesome, for litterature fans and philosophy alike. I was profoundly disturbed by this work, maybe because of what I was living through at that moment, or maybe I could relate. Probably both, actually. For those who can : read it while listening to PERDITION CITY by ULVER. A mental trip indeed. Some will find this book boring, some will not be able to stop reading it.

Lautréamont : Les Chants de Maldoror. Not sure of the title in english, but it does exist. This book alone was the inspiration behind the Surrealist movement in visual arts, with the likes of Dali, Magritte and so on. Misanthropic, surrealist, ultra-violent, beautiful, deranged, excellent. For mature readers... and not all of them, even. Contains very graphic scenes.

Laclos : Dangerous Liaisons. Very long to read, but for the fans of romantic litterature, definitely worth the time. Makes you wish you were as bright as the two heroes/antagonists, and as the writer for that matter.

Quickly : Goethe, Poe, Rimbaud, King, Selby Jr., Lovecraft.

And so many more.

 

[manuelgv]

not studied enough???
100 years of solitude has been studied over and over and over again.Actually my teachers told us not to do our thesis on that novel because they had just read too many thesis about it.
It has to be one of the most read novels of 20th century;it was a selling phenomenon in latin america and Spain and quickly after it came out lots of studies appeared about it.

 

[Azogue]

Yeah it's definetely a really popular novel.

Anyway, I wish I could really devote more time to literature...it's been a while since I've done that for real. And I'm considering studying Philosophy and letters or whatever you call it, so I'll get back to this topic once I'm not such an ignorant ignoramus

 

[blueskytheory]

my favorite novel has always been wuthering heights...

but, lately ive read a lot of modern japanese literature from the turn-of-the-century era (meiji/taishou). I want to read the yukio mishima book golden pavillion, since I liked Confessions of a Mask (liked, but didnt love-- pavillion looks more interesting though...)

If anyone is interested in japanese literature, i suggest.. Kokoro by Natsume Soseki, or Norweigan Wood by Haruki Murakami. Japanese novels seem to always be about isolation and profound loneliness

 

[Toorop]

My favorite books (in no order)

"The LA Quatuor (The Black Dahlia/The Big Nowhere/LA Confidential/White Jazz)" James Ellroy
"Voyage au Bout de la Nuit" Louis-Ferdinand Céline
"American Psycho" Brett Easton Ellis
"Belle du Seigneur" Albert Cohen
"Sexus/Nexus/Plexus" Henry Miller
"Le Hotu" Albert Simonin
"Si Queue d'Ane M'était Contée" San-Antonio
"Mort à Crédit" L.-F. Céline
"Clockwork Orange" Anthony Burgess
"la Nouvelle Justine" D.A.F de Sade

 

[Beth]

not studied enough???
100 years of solitude has been studied over and over and over again.Actually my teachers told us not to do our thesis on that novel because they had just read too many thesis about it.
It has to be one of the most read novels of 20th century;it was a selling phenomenon in latin america and Spain and quickly after it came out lots of studies appeared about it.

heh I know that in Latin America it became quite popular immediately....I was speaking of a world-wide scale I guess. I mean it's not a title that is recognized all over the world--yet. Sorry

 

[Blue Moon]

blueskytheory : I definitely agree with you on the common themes of most japanese litterature. That and the conflict between traditional and post-war Japan ideologies.

I think you'll be in for a treat with Golden Pavillion. If you like your novels dark (but not cliché dark), of course. Hope you're not in a state of depression while you read it ; although it's maybe the best state of mind to grasp the essence of the book. Good read, and happy nevrosis.

 

[manuelgv]

actually Garcia Marquez has been translated to almost every language Beth
I think that's worldwide fame

 

[DE]

My favourite moment was the story with Tom Bombadil, and I was disappointed when I heard they didn't include it in the movie. For me Tom Bombadil and his hut were a large part of that "sense of wonder".

Definately. I loved that part.

 

[Beth]

actually Garcia Marquez has been translated to almost every language Beth
I think that's worldwide fame

Well of course we read the English one...what else is there?

 

[SculptedCold]

Strange, but I find a huge affinity between the images I recieve from reading the lyrics of Opeth and the images of Thomas Hardy's works. It must be the english countryside thing; what I picture reading Still Life is the exact same sort of thing I see when I read Tess of the d'Urbervilles or Far From the Madding Crowd.

For truly satanic or metaphorical/image-laden music/lyrics, you can't get better parallels than reading Salman Rushdie. That man is an absolute genius with the english language; i've never read more colourful, fantastical, or downright disturbing prose.

Who was it that said a taste for literature and poetry can really alter your view of music lyrics??? That is totally and utterly true beyond doubt. Mainly because afterwards you realise how utterly talentless, empty, and dire most lyrics are!!! Poetry.....I like John Donne, Andrew Marvell and Aemelia Lanyer at the moment. They wrote poems that also offer good image parallels to a lot of what Opeth write. I think it's just the Still-Life 'location' images I keep finding so enticing. The rolling, bleak countryside, the intimidating and shadowy English Gothic building, the haunting religious iconography. Tis all awesome.