Writers and Reading

[Boethius]

jone had quoted (rather cleverly) Chekhov in a post, but perhaps the subject matter did not give rise to a discussion of literature.  Nevertheless, let's try to discuss literature in general.
What types of books do you enjoy?  Who are your favourite writers?

My favourite Russian writer is Bulgakov, and then Dostoevesky.   I love the absurdity and satire of Bulgakov, and the compelling understanding of human psychology in Dostoevsky.

I also love Skovoroda, but most of his works are not well translated.

My favourite Canadian writer is Robertson Davies.  His works transcend small town life, but nevertheless, have descriptions of small town Ontario that are interesting, particularly if you have visited towns in that area.

I have many American writers I love to read, but one book that really stuck with me was A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole.  Reading about his life made me understand the work better.  I've never encountered a character like Ignatius J. Reilly, both absurd and sad.  It was a brilliant work.

So, who do you read, and what do you enjoy from those works?

[jone]

Well, if you're going for small town life, I'll hit you up with Thornton Wilder.  Loved his work.  Simplistic and homey.  My favorite:  The play 'Our Town'.

My favorite is Pushkin.  He demonstrates the best of Russian intent.   I've said it before, and I say it again, if you want to read the best of the Russian soul, read Pushkin.  My favorite of his poems was Ruslan and Ludmilla.  Ironically, Ruslan, in the end, must save Kyiv from the invaders to win his love.

I suppose if I bring up Gogol, as a Ukrainian born Russian writer, everyone will come down on him for one reason or another, but I loved his political satire and anti-corruption point of view.

Solzhenitsyn was a good commentator on what was bad in Soviet Russia, but he turned me off as a dramatist. 

And I hated the Brothers Karamazov as I could never understand why the lack of interest in someone's offspring as did the father with his two/three sons.  I also rebuke Dmitri as having someone as beautiful as Katya and spurning her for his own prurient pursuits.  Personally, I would have snuggled up to her every night.

So, my favorite books are the historical biographies.  Some of my favorites:  Taubman on Krushchev, McCullough on Truman (Truman, along with Reagan were two of my favorite presidents).  For fictional authors, I'm afraid I'm a bit of a sci fi fan.  Heinlein and Herbert.  Stranger in a Strange Land is one of the best books written in a generation.  I love any book or movie that pushes the boundaries of man's intellect.  My son and I debated Interstellar for three days.

These books are not lost on my woman.  We read books all of the time and exchange ideas.  In many ways, with an FSU upbringing, she is better versed in the classics than I am.  A tribute to the old Soviet style of upbringing (even though she was not educated in Soviet times).  Together we read periodicals and classics.  We are currently reading Jane Austen, Mansfield Park, as she is interested in life in Britain in the 19th century.  I have a feeling England is in the works once she is free to move about the world.  I will say that it is very easy to be romantic after reading some of her stuff.

Great idea, Bo, as I enjoy talking books.  And it is a great way to understand the underpinnings of the FSU, to read a couple of the classic Russian authors.  Nothing better in the world than to read your sweetheart some love poetry in her native tongue, even if you do butcher the pronunciation.

[lordtiberius]

Graham Greene
Shakespeare
Solzhenitsyn
Cicero
Plutarch
Churchill
Marco Polo
Bernal Diaz del Castillo
Andy Adams
Mark Twain
Allison Weir
Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard

David King Death in the City of Light: The Serial Killer of Nazi-Occupied Paris - underrated classic, if you liked the Night of the Generals, check out this one
Miranda Carter's George, Nicholas and Wilhem: Three Royal Cousins and the Road to World War I - surprisingly enjoyable and informative

Kirk Douglas's I am Spartacus - I love Hollywood stories
Rob Lowe's Love Life - see above
Herbert Romerstein and Eric Breindel's The Venona Secrets: Exposing Soviet Espionage and America's Traitors
Edward Lucas' Deception: The Untold Story of the East-West Espionage Today
M. Stanton Evans Blacklisted by History: The Untold Story of Senator Joe McCarthy and his Fight against America's Enemies
Julius Ceasar: Man, Soldier and Tyrant




Tides of War - maybe too arcane for me and I think it leaves out the gay parts.  The Greeks were pretty gay.
Whittaker Chambers - I don't know.  Ask me when I finish it and give me another 3 months to think about it
The Civil War: Volume I - long - I don't know who I hate more Lincoln or Jeff Davis
The Deserters: A hidden History of World War II - so what
Anne Applebaum's Gulag - painful
Robert M. Gates Duty - what a self serving bag of hammers

Books that are just OK

Operation Snow - an offensive work that attempts to exculpate the Japs
Havana Lunar - meh
Malcolm Gladwell's David and Goliath - overrated, though there are some unforgettable insights tucked deep with in.

A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole - Great book

"My son and I debated Interstellar for three days." - a revamped version of 2001: Space Odysessy

[Slumba]

Given the Russian/Western overlap on this site, I would suggest Theodore Dreiser, an American author that most FSUW will be likely to know.  I would say that at least half of the FSUW I communicated with, had read at least 1 book by Dreiser (and all of them under the age of 33).

Dreiser is notable for his excellent portraits of men and women who scheme at things, whether it be wealth, power, or social status - he worked as a newspaper reporter during the "robber baron" times in US history, in Chicago (already even then a city known for corrupt practices and backroom deals) and other cities.

from Wikipedia:

Other works include Trilogy of Desire, which was based on the life of Charles Tyson Yerkes, who became a Chicago streetcar tycoon. It is composed of The Financier (1912), The Titan (1914), and The Stoic. The last was published posthumously in 1947.

You can read most of his books for free, even load them on your Kindle - go here: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/130

[SANDRO43]

Page on my website listing the 1,754 books in my library: http://www.floriani.it/books-eng.htm .

Among my favourite genres are:
- Humour (http://www.floriani.it/BooksHumor-eng.htm)
- RN sailing ships at the time of wars with France: http://www.floriani.it/BooksRoyalNavy-eng.htm.
- History of Air Forces (http://www.floriani.it/BooksAF-eng.htm) and Navies (http://www.floriani.it/BooksNavy-eng.htm) in WWI, WWII and later.

[Boethius]

Well, if you're going for small town life, I'll hit you up with Thornton Wilder.  Loved his work.  Simplistic and homey.  My favorite:  The play 'Our Town'.

Never read Thornton Wilder.

My favorite is Pushkin.  He demonstrates the best of Russian intent.  I've said it before, and I say it again, if you want to read the best of the Russian soul, read Pushkin.  My favorite of his poems was Ruslan and Ludmilla.  Ironically, Ruslan, in the end, must save Kyiv from the invaders to win his love.

I'm ok with Pushkin, but my better half is not a fan.  Views his work as simplistic.  So, we don't discuss him at all.  I liked Eugene Onegin, but I also know the real story on which it is based.

I suppose if I bring up Gogol, as a Ukrainian born Russian writer, everyone will
come down on him for one reason or another, but I loved his political satire and
anti-corruption point of view.

I love Gogol's works as well.  I am just as interested in his personality.  He was a tortured soul, I believe, probably because of his sexuality, and it manifested itself in his drug addiction and eventually, religious fanatacism.

When I was in the USSR, a lot of people viewed "The Overcoat" as a comedy.  I always thought it was a very tragic story, albeit with comic twists.

Solzhenitsyn was a good commentator on what was bad in Soviet Russia, but he
turned me off as a dramatist.

I am not a fan.  His works are not well written.  The language is simple.  But, it's a good way to learn Russian.

And I hated the Brothers Karamazov as I could never understand why the lack
of interest in someone's offspring as did the father with his two/three sons.  I also rebuke Dmitri as having someone as beautiful as Katya and spurning her for his own prurient pursuits.  Personally, I would have snuggled up to her every night.

Loved Brothers Karamazov, but I think Dostoyevsky's masterpiece is The Idiot. 

So, my favorite books are the historical biographies.  Some of my
favorites:  Taubman on Krushchev, McCullough on Truman (Truman, along with
Reagan were two of my favorite presidents).  For fictional authors, I'm afraid I'm a bit of a sci fi fan.  Heinlein and Herbert.  Stranger in a Strange Land is one of the best books written in a generation.  I love any book or movie that pushes the boundaries of man's intellect.  My son and I debated Interstellar for three days.

I've never been a fan of science fiction, not certain why.  I do read a great deal of non fiction, but usually history rather than biography, although I did read The Six Wives of Henry VIII.  It was well written, full of detail, and I learned a lot about the English court of the period.

These books are not lost on my woman.  We read books all of the time and
exchange ideas.  In many ways, with an FSU upbringing, she is better versed in the classics than I am.  A tribute to the old Soviet style of upbringing (even though she was not educated in Soviet times).  Together we read periodicals and classics.  We are currently reading Jane Austen, Mansfield Park, as she is interested in life in Britain in the 19th century.  I have a feeling England is in the works once she is free to move about the world.
 I will say that it is very easy to be romantic after reading some of her stuff.

I love Jane Austen, and think she is an underrated writer.  Pride and Prejudice is hilarious. 
I seem to gravitate to 19th century writers, although there certainly are many 20th and 21st century writers whose works I also enjoy.

It is good to find someone who shares your interest in reading.  My better half is better read than am I, and we often discuss books.  I used to send him a lot of books when we were living apart.

[RoboCop]

I only read non-fiction, seldom do I read that other genre, what's is it called again? Oh yeah, fiction.

Most profound book I read was "Nutrition and Physical Degeneration" by Dr Weston A. Price. He compares the diets of native populace of Indigenous people who consume their traditional food staple, and those consuming a Westernized diet consisting of a lot of white sugar and white flour, and the effects it has not only on their health but their children as well. The evidence is compelling, it's one of those books thay make you go "Wow!"

Another author I really like is Malcolm Gladwell, and especially his book "Outliers," explaining why talent is over-rated.

Because I'm a structural anatomy and weight-lifting geek, I also enjoy reading somewhat 'bland' books written by Mark Rippetoe and Mel Siff. It's just the way my mind works.

Apologies for not being a fictional literature buff, if I want to travel to places in my head, I just watch a movie...a fiction based one

[Slumba]

Most profound book I read was "Nutrition and Physical Degeneration" by Dr Weston A. Price. He compares the diets of native populace of Indigenous people who consume their traditional food staple, and those consuming a Westernized diet consisting of a lot of white sugar and white flour, and the effects it has not only on their health but their children as well. The evidence is compelling, it's one of those books thay make you go "Wow!"

I certainly second this book!

I have a friend whose wife recently gave birth, to a now very healthy and smart 15 month old.  It is clear this kid is pretty far advanced for her age in development.  The mom ate all kinds of different foods, including bone broths, meats including organ meats, etc. specifically in order to expose her body to as many different nutrients as possible.

I was surprised, when talking to a close friend and asking about his adopted daughter's pregnancy, if she had changed her diet, and he asked "what for?"

[mendeleyev]

font size issues

[mendeleyev]

In this post I will highlight not my favourite author or books, but the writer Jack London.

Many years ago we spent a weekend at the dacha of a then-prominent official of the Yeltsin and then Putin presidencies. It was a very nice dacha about a 90 minute electric train ride out of Moscow, on a private lake, next to a bountiful summer garden, and within a private block compound for security. It was a 2-storied private house that had been constructed sometime in the very early 1900s.
 
 Our host took us upstairs, first to show us our bedroom, and then across the hall to his personal library. As we entered his library, one could not escape the volumes of some of Russia's most loved authors. To my surprise there also was a small bookcase that filled with American westerns and short stories written by one Джек Лондон.
 
 
  Our host was shocked that an educated American was only familiar with London in the vaguest of terms. I learned later that our host had internally struggled with how an American journalist could be so "out of touch" and uneducated.
 
 As it turns out, while Jack London was indeed an American, he was more popular in socialist countries due to his personal political leanings. London wrote Western novels, but he was also a playwright, a poet, and authored many short stories. Most of his works have been translated into Russian and other languages, most notably languages of former Soviet block nations.
 
 He was known in the USA, and in fact was a journalist for the Hearst Newspaper Syndicate and covered the Russo-Japanese War. He was educated at Berkley and spent a lot of time in Nevada and Hawaii. His death is still a subject of debate as to whether it was a natural death or a suicide.
 
There is a lake in Russia named for him: Озеро Джека Лондона
 
 Jack London Square in Oakland bears his namesake, and in 1986 the US Postal Service awarded him a stamp (25 cents).

[Boethius]

Graham Greene
Shakespeare
Solzhenitsyn
Cicero
Plutarch
Churchill
Marco Polo
Bernal Diaz del Castillo
Andy Adams
Mark Twain
Allison Weir
Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard

Love G. Greene.  I sent hubby many of his works to hone his English.  He really enjoyed England Made Me.  Love Shakespeare, in all forms, and Cicero.  Haven't read much Plutarch.  I love Twain, too.  Not familiar with Weir.  Care to expand.  Will pass on O'Reilly.

David King Death in the City of Light: The Serial Killer of Nazi-Occupied Paris - underrated classic, if you liked the Night of the Generals, check out this one
Miranda Carter's George, Nicholas and Wilhem: Three Royal Cousins and the Road to World War I - surprisingly enjoyable and informative

I suggest The Rites of Spring, by Eksteins.

Kirk Douglas's I am Spartacus - I love Hollywood stories
Rob Lowe's Love Life - see above
Herbert Romerstein and Eric Breindel's The Venona Secrets: Exposing Soviet Espionage and America's Traitors
Edward Lucas' Deception: The Untold Story of the East-West Espionage Today
M. Stanton Evans Blacklisted by History: The Untold Story of Senator Joe McCarthy and his Fight against America's Enemies
Julius Ceasar: Man, Soldier and Tyrant

May check out the Caesar book. 

[lordtiberius]

You have already read Alison Weir: The Six Wives of Henry VIII.  Check out her other books.  They are all very good.

I would suggest the O'Reilly books one more time.  O'Reilly's influence over the books I do not know but I think they are mostly written by Duggard and there is always something new I learn in them.

What is your favorite book from Greeneland?

[Boethius]

The Six Wives I read was by David Starkey.

http://www.amazon.ca/Six-Wives-Queens-Henry-VIII/dp/0060005505

Re Greene - The Comedians.
 
 

[lordtiberius]

JCF Fuller's book has found lots of critics who see it has a re-hash of Caesar's books.  I recommend Ceasar's books written by his own hand (presumably) before the Fuller book.  To this day I do not know what to make of him.  If Steve Jobs was a totalitarian, that's who I think Caesar was. 

Alison Weir:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Six-Wives-Henry-VIII/dp/0802136834

Mine: Stamboul Train

[Boethius]

Given the Russian/Western overlap on this site, I would suggest Theodore Dreiser, an American author that most FSUW will be likely to know.  I would say that at least half of the FSUW I communicated with, had read at least 1 book by Dreiser (and all of them under the age of 33).

Dreiser is notable for his excellent portraits of men and women who scheme at things, whether it be wealth, power, or social status - he worked as a newspaper reporter during the "robber baron" times in US history, in Chicago (already even then a city known for corrupt practices and backroom deals) and other cities.

from Wikipedia:

Other works include Trilogy of Desire, which was based on the life of Charles Tyson Yerkes, who became a Chicago streetcar tycoon. It is composed of The Financier (1912), The Titan (1914), and The Stoic. The last was published posthumously in 1947.

You can read most of his books for free, even load them on your Kindle - go here: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/130

Dreiser was very popular in the USSR.  I haven't read much Dreiser, other than Sister Carrie. 

[SANDRO43]

Apropos of loving books, and buying them, has anyone read/watched:

   

Once in Charing Cross Road (London W1) there were many shops selling second-hand books: MANY years later, I used to have an account at a more modern establishment (originally founded in 1903):

[lordtiberius]

I am not a fan.  His works are not well written.

I don't know how you can say that about the man.  I find the Gulag Archipelago to be a masterpiece.  The escape of Georgi Tenno, the Hungarian, the Kenigir revolt, there is an anthology of stories about the secret history of the Soviet Union that I find fascinating.  I have read works independent of Solzhenitsyn: the Soviet submarine program , the space program, the rise of the Oligarchs - the scale of man's inhumanity to man is galactic in scope.  Just when you think it couldn't get any worse, the facts through you left turns come out of no where and no one writes about this stuff not like Solzhenitsyn - he is the best - not just about Russia but about the humane race sans mysticism.

[Anotherkiwi]

Apropos of loving books, and buying them, has anyone read/watched:

   

Once in Charing Cross Road (London W1) there were many shops selling second-hand books: MANY years later, I used to have an account at a more modern establishment (originally founded in 1903):

Yes, I visited Foyles when I was in London, as well as Hamleys (the greatest toyshop in the world)  (and other, less interesting, places such as museums and theatres). 

[Boethius]

Page on my website listing the 1,754 books in my library: http://www.floriani.it/books-eng.htm .

Among my favourite genres are:
- Humour (http://www.floriani.it/BooksHumor-eng.htm)
- RN sailing ships at the time of wars with France: http://www.floriani.it/BooksRoyalNavy-eng.htm.
- History of Air Forces (http://www.floriani.it/BooksAF-eng.htm) and Navies (http://www.floriani.it/BooksNavy-eng.htm) in WWI, WWII and later.

I find your humour list interesting, Sandro.  I am not too taken with books of history on ships and the air force, so won't comment on those.

[Boethius]

I only read non-fiction, seldom do I read that other genre, what's is it called again? Oh yeah, fiction.

Most profound book I read was "Nutrition and Physical Degeneration" by Dr Weston A. Price. He compares the diets of native populace of Indigenous people who consume their traditional food staple, and those consuming a Westernized diet consisting of a lot of white sugar and white flour, and the effects it has not only on their health but their children as well. The evidence is compelling, it's one of those books thay make you go "Wow!"

Another author I really like is Malcolm Gladwell, and especially his book "Outliers," explaining why talent is over-rated.

Because I'm a structural anatomy and weight-lifting geek, I also enjoy reading somewhat 'bland' books written by Mark Rippetoe and Mel Siff. It's just the way my mind works.

Apologies for not being a fictional literature buff, if I want to travel to places in my head, I just watch a movie...a fiction based one

A lot of people prefer non fiction. 

[Boethius]

In this post I will highlight not my favourite author or books, but the writer Jack London.

Many years ago we spent a weekend at the dacha of a then-prominent official of the Yeltsin and then Putin presidencies. It was a very nice dacha about a 90 minute electric train ride out of Moscow, on a private lake, next to a bountiful summer garden, and within a private block compound for security. It was a 2-storied private house that had been constructed sometime in the very early 1900s.
 
 Our host took us upstairs, first to show us our bedroom, and then across the hall to his personal library. As we entered his library, one could not escape the volumes of some of Russia's most loved authors. To my surprise there also was a small bookcase that filled with American westerns and short stories written by one Джек Лондон.
 
 
  Our host was shocked that an educated American was only familiar with London in the vaguest of terms. I learned later that our host had internally struggled with how an American journalist could be so "out of touch" and uneducated.
 
 As it turns out, while Jack London was indeed an American, he was more popular in socialist countries due to his personal political leanings. London wrote Western novels, but he was also a playwright, a poet, and authored many short stories. Most of his works have been translated into Russian and other languages, most notably languages of former Soviet block nations.
 
 He was known in the USA, and in fact was a journalist for the Hearst Newspaper Syndicate and covered the Russo-Japanese War. He was educated at Berkley and spent a lot of time in Nevada and Hawaii. His death is still a subject of debate as to whether it was a natural death or a suicide.
 
There is a lake in Russia named for him: Озеро Джека Лондона
 
 Jack London Square in Oakland bears his namesake, and in 1986 the US Postal Service awarded him a stamp (25 cents).

Thanks for the interesting story, Mendy.  My better half was very familiar with Jack London's works.  For that reason, I sent him Farley Mowat's Never Cry Wolf.  He enjoyed it, as the book is both educational and humourous.  He also read it to his nephew, who was then a child, by translating as he read.

[Boethius]

Another book I read years ago, which I recommend - The Dictionary of the Khazars, by Milorad Pavic.  I bought two copies, the male and female versions of the book (identical but for one passage), and sent the male version to the better half.  When he emigrated, he brought the book and we compared the versions to find the differing passage.  Of course now, that can be done with a google search.

[jone]

I could never make any sense of the (damn) book!

[Boethius]

 Dictionary of the Khazars?  I suspect having some knowledge of the Khazars would help.

[lordtiberius]

Philippa Gregory's books are great too.