on the lines of the previous thread by someone…great post btw.
Has anybody ever read the classics?
iliad, odyssey, don quixiote, the republic, decline of the roman empire, the inferno?
i love to read. mostly history and biographies. but i feel that no matter how many books i’ve read, as long as i haven’t read the ‘classics’, i’m still not well read.
what constitutes being ‘well-read’
i wanna be a snob. help me out. if i were to read:
1 biography
1 epic
1 historical account
which 3 books should i read? ideally i’d love to hear from people who has actually read the books.
currently i’m working through 3 but am close to completing them
1 biography - winston churchill
1 epic - romance of the three kingdoms
1 historical account - the neanderthal enigma
why 3 at time? just like flipping channels. there aer dry spots in every book. small break only serves to revive interest.
My favorite biography is from the 1700’s. It’s Giacomo Casanova’s autobiography “History of My Life” It comes in 12 parts in 6 volumes. I’ve also seen a one volume edition with just the highlights. You learn Casanova was more than just a ladies’ man, although he was that too. It is an interesting slice of 18th century Europe. Casanova was upper class, but he wasn’t afraid to travel in the lower classes either. Very notable was his escape from “the Leads,” the Alcatraz of his day.
There’s a group called Great Books. I think most libraries can direct you to a group in your area. They have a set of classic books that you buy and read and then discuss. I joined many moons ago, but the group I was in was insufferable. I only lasted a couple weeks. I’d like to pick it up again some time.
I’m currently re-reading Dante’s Divine Comedy. If you do read it, I suggest reading his “La Vita Nuova” first since it gives you some important background. Also an edition was good footnotes/endnotes is essential. VERY good footnotes/endnotes.
Other than that, it’s all dogs playing poker and porno for me.
