I read War and Peace and Anna K. I wish to read the rest of Tolstoy.
Other hopefuls: unabridged Count of Monte Cristo, Our Mutual Friend, Gravity’s Rainbow, and the Gormenghast Trilogy. I’m all over the place, but like really thick and layered works.
Other hopefuls: unabridged Count of Monte Cristo, Our Mutual Friend, Gravity’s Rainbow, and the Gormenghast Trilogy. I’m all over the place, but like really thick and layered works.
“Gravity’s Rainbow” is one of those books that is the equivalent of much of modern art. Highly praised by the cultured set, and Im convinced most of them never actually red it. After slogging thru about 100 pages I gave up. It was like William Faulkner on meth, and not in a good way.
I’m all over the place, but like really thick and layered works.
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I’ve been an avid reader for years, and gradually I began to realize that many books such as you describe were burdened with a great deal of unimportant verbiage before the author finally got to the point. Consequently, almost without being conscious of it, I gravitated away from such tomes and came to favor shorter works that I can read in a couple of evenings. Of course, I’m aware that many of the world’s greatest books are as you’ve described.
I’ve lost patience with novels and poetry. Working on DeTocqueville in English translation, and Aristophanes’ Lysistrata in original Greek with help of translation that tries to avoid accurately translating the dirty jokes, still trying to master Arabic against growing sense of hopelessness. And of course Hebrew and Aramaic books of Jewish theology and law.
Gave up on Rand midway through Fountainhead, but after reading We The Living (actually quite good), Anthem, and Atlas Shrugged. The Libertarians can keep her.
I’d rather listen to David Brubeck’s Quartet play. His music means something new every time I hear it.