Hey fellow book lovers! I want to read books/classics from all over the world. Please recommend me favorites from your home-country, something you would want others to know/to read. Already looking forward to your suggestions!
- Joseph Conrad - Hearth of darkness
- Stanisław Lem - Solaris / Return from the stars
- Andrzej Sapkowski - The Witcher
- WWII related books (many good ones, not easy to read)
It’s hard to pick one, depends on your preferences.
Thee recommendations from the Netherlands:
Casanova kept extensive memoirs and only briefly mentions Lucia, his first love. He names her as one of the few women he wronged, but offers no explanation. In Lucia’s eyes by Arthur Japin tells the (fictional) story of Lucia and offers a story that fits into the gap that Casanova left in his memoires. It’s one of my favorites to recommend as an introduction into literature. The Dutch title is Een schitterend gebrek.
A true Dutch classic is The Assault by Harry Mulisch. It covers 35 years in the life of the lone survivor of a night in Haarlem during World War II when the Nazi occupation forces, finding a Dutch collaborator murdered, retaliate by killing most of the family in front of whose home the body was found.
And if you really feel like sinking your teeth in some literature you would have to read The Discovery of Heaven, the magnum opus of Harry Mulisch. I can’t really manage to give a summary, I think it would be best if you just start reading without any spoilers about the story. Maybe read the other books first and then decide if you trust me ;)
If you end up reading one of those, I would love to hear your thoughts!
Thank you for all the suggestions and descriptions! Already very curious on getting to experience some dutch writing. Will definetly come back to you with my thoughts on them!
If you don’t mind a somewhat bleak post apocalyptic book, I really liked Metro 2033 by Dmitri Glukhovsky.
There’s a game series based on it too, but you asked for books and I haven’t played the games
Thank you for the suggestion. Always wondered whether the games are based on the book. Am really curious about it!
Late to the party but 2033 (game & book) follow the same basic plot with different events. Metro 2034 (2nd book) is it’s own thing. Metro Last Light (2nd game) inspired Metro 2035 (3rd book) which inturn inspired Metro Exodus (3rd game).
There are two different canons but generally overlap. The differences are largely based on adapting the books to work as games.
Ah, thanks a lot for clarifying! Super interesting how they inspired each other.
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Thank you, I have not read anything from Brazil yet - seems really interesting.
As a non-Brazilian, I’d like to add Os Sertões (Rebellion in the baclands) by Euclides da Cunha. That one messed me up for weeks.
The Name of the Rose from Italy
Hearth of a Dog from Russia
Thanks for your suggestions! I added both to my list
The Egyptian by Mika Waltari
The Year of the Hare by Arto Paasilinna
Purge by Sofi Oksanen
They sound great, thank you! Am excited to read them!
Blindness by José Saramago
But don’t read it at face value it’s really an allegory.
Sounds really interesting. While reading about the story on Wikipedia, I saw that there is a second part called Seeing. Definetly want to see what everything means.
The second one isn’t as good though.
The first one is amazing although a bit hard to read, both due to its writing style and content.
Azazeel by Youssef Ziedan.
Its events take place in the fifth century AD between Upper Egypt, Alexandria and northern Syria, following the adoption of Christianity by the Roman Empire, and the ensuing internal sectarian conflict between the church fathers on the one hand, and the new believers on the other hand, declining paganism.
Gone With The Wind from the Southern USA.
I’ve seen the movie last year, so reading it would be nice also. Thank you!
It’s a very long read, but it was fantastic.
Two books from Germany:
Fall-Out by Gudrun Pausewang
Fabian: The Story of a Moralist by Erich Kästner
Thanks! I’ve heard of both authors but somehow never came to picking one of their books up. Both sound very interesting!
I’m from the UK and someone has already given some good suggestions. So instead I’ll recommend some French authors that I really love:
Alexander Dumas - if you want a great adventure. I can’t recommend the The Count of Monte Cristo enough. It’s an epic tale of revenge. Victor Hugo - for something that will make you question your morals. Les Misérables is a classic and has some incredible moral dilemmas. Jules Verne - Fun stories of early science fiction. 20 thousand leagues under the sea is an enjoyable journey with a surprising amount of science.
From Australia:
Cloudstreet by Tim Winton. Two very different families leave the country for the bright lights of Perth
Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton. A story about growing up in Brisbane on the rough side of town.
For the Term of his Natural Life by Marcus Clarke. Very readable novel about Australia’s convict history. I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did.
From the UK
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
London Fields by Martin Amis
Alice in Wonderland & Through The Looking Glass by Lewis CarrollAll I think are really good reads and also bear rereading!
I just finished reading The Golden Spruce by John Vaillant.
Non-fiction story based in British Columbia, Canada, I thought it was fantastic!
Thank you for sharing your recent read! The story really seems fascinating. Will be added on the list!
