I notice that I tend to read good literary books only when they are recommended to me; otherwise I’ve ended up reading a lot of pulp fantasy novels which are more often than not quite bad (but it is my favorite of the genres, so I can tolerate bad writing in it).
Right now, I am looking for a nice literary book that will engage me on a deeper level, and I want to read an author I’ve never read before.
To give you a sample of what I like: I love John Irving, esp. The Hotel New Hampshire and The World According to Garp. I loved Catch-22 ** by Joseph Heller. I liked Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe, ** The Satanic Verses by Rushdie, and ** The Invisible Man** by Ellison, and ** The Brothers Karamazov** by Doestevsky. I loved ** The Catcher in the Rye, Freefall (by William Golding), and Lord of the Flies (also by Golding)**. Borges’ Labyrinths was a great collection.
I was not a huge fan of The Metamorphosis, though it was interesting. ** The Grapes of Wrath** did not do it for me, either. Heh, can’t think of too many literary novels that I really disliked. Perhaps Kitchen by some Japanese-American author. Was ambivalent about Heart of Darkness, though it would probably be on the positive side for me. A Passage to India was good up to a certain point…
Heh, what a messy post. So, any recommendations on a previously unread author that I would like? If I have by chance read the author you mention, I’ll shout out
I have a suggestion that is a radical departure from your usual reading genre. Since you say that you like fantasy, I suggest you try “Orlando Furioso” by Lodovico Ariosto.
The book is available in prose translation, and it really is good fantasy. Magic, monsters, medieval combat and other fantasy themes are what this book is all about, but so much more too. In it you’ll find a lot of very humourous stories, richness of expression, and depth of emotion.
William Golding: You’ve already mentioned him and he’s a favourite of mine. If you haven’t read them yet, try The Inheritors, Pincher Martin and Rites of Passage
Graham Greene: Brighton Rock, The Power and the Glory
Kazuo Ishiguro: The Remains of the Day, The Unconsoled
Peter Carey: The Tax Inspector, Jack Maggs
Mervyn Peake: The Gormenghast Trilogy
Your taste in fiction sounds very similar to mine. Here are some books you didn’t mention that I totally love:
Haruki Murakami - The Wind-up Bird Chronicle Salman Rushdie - The Satanic Verses Vikram Seth - A Suitable Boy (if you have a few months) Sebastian Faulks - Birdsong John Irving - A Prayer for Owen Meany* (you may have read this, but IMO it’s his best)
You might want to read Arundhati Roy’s, The God of Small Things. It would be a bit different from what you have read and liked. Yet there are some similarities.
I, too, am a HUGE Haruki Murakami fan - I strongly recommend his book Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World
I also strongly recommend Ann Patchett - she is a new author, with 4 books to her credit. I have read her last two, The Magician’s Assistant and Bel Canto and both were wonderful. I would describe her prose as subtle, character driven, Anne Tyler-like in the depiction of people and relationships but without the “bit of whimsy” - Patchett writes great, interesting lit about people we care about in familiar situations (okay, “Bel Canto” is set in a Latin American Vice President’s mansion which has been occupied by terrorists, but the people and relationships are familiar)
Harold Frederic: The Damnation of Theron Ware. An overlooked classic.
You already mentioned Joseph Conrad, but I will suggest my favorite of his novels: Victory.
If you enjoyed The Brothers Karamazov, then you have to read Crime and Punishment. A lot of Dostoyevsky’s novels are great, but those two are essential reading.
For that matter, how about War and Peace by Tolstoy and Dead Souls by Gogol?
Going with the Russian motif, Darkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler is a great novel too.
if you’re looking for more modern classics (like Catch-22 and Catcher in the Rye), i’d suggest Robert Stone (Damascus Gate and Outerbridge Reach) or Don Delillo (Underworld).
a couple of younger authors that you might like are Jhumpa Lahiri (Interpreter of Maladies), and Michael Chabon (Wonderboys). they’re not as deep as Lord of the Flies or The Catcher in the Rye, but they’re good, modern books.
and have you tried any William Faulkner or John Steinbeck?
Darned if I can remember his name, but “A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius” was great! He’s a young guy, and it is mostly a true story. Addictive!
Or, if you like the playfulness of Irving – try Tom Robbins. (I’m not sure how “literary” he is, but he’s definitely a lot of fun.) Try his earlier stuff, like Another Roadside Attraction or Even Cowgirls Get the Blues.
Also – I like a good 19th-century novel – I always go through this mental change of having to physically remind myself to slow the hell down – I race through so much of what I read. Try Dickens (maybe Nicholas Nickleby) or Trollope. Mary Elizabeth Braddon’s Lady Audley’s Secret is a personal fave. I like the experience of inhabiting a parallel universe for the week or two (or three) it takes to read something like that long and complex.
Another big, big fave of classic lit is Edith Wharton, if you can get into the whole “society” thing. Try Custom of the Country, which I think a lot of people would agree is her best novel.
“Heartbreaking Work” is by Dave Eggers – my socks were definitely on when I finished it, I found it overhyped, though I know a lot of people who liked it.
Heh, I may just go with The Wind-up Bird Chronicle just for the title
Thanks for all the responses folks! I’ll see if my local bookstore has any of these. I suspect that it won’t have very many, which should make the decision easier…
