1. Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa:
This rendition of the life of the legendary Japanese swordsman Miyamoto Musashi is one for the ages. The story begins with Musashi's life as the village outcast and follows his evolution from a delinquent to a martial philosopher. The characters from his love interest Otsu to the villain Sasaki Kojiro, all breathe life into the wonderful story. Further, the action in the book is simply breathtaking. The part in the novel when Musashi single-handedly battled an entire school of swordsmen is one of the most memorable scenes in any book I've read. In addition to the action, Musashi's reflections on a life dedicated to the martial arts touches on some very important topics. My life certainly changed when I finished the book and to this day, I am in awe of how meaningful it continues to be.
2. With Fire and Sword by Henryk Sienkewicz:
The first volume in Sienkewicz's famous "Trilogy", the story takes place during the Cossack rebellion against the Polish Commonwealth during the fifteenth century. Written to "uplift the hearts of his countrymen", Sienkewicz's tale deftly weaves history with fiction. Although the overarching story centers on saving the Polish Commonwealth from destruction, the independent stories of each character easily bests those of the Fellowship of the Ring. The main character, Pan Yan Shketuski and his band of merry men, the rogue Pan Zagloba, the morose Pan Podbipyenta, and the dapper Pan Michal, are charged by their king to launch an expedition to against the Cossack hordes. In the midst of the Cossack uprising, Shketuski's love interest gets kidnapped by a swordsman named Bohun and his own band of outlaws. Driven by their loyalty to each other and to their country, Shketuski fights the Cossacks while his friends rescue Yan's girl. The action is bloody, brutal, and breathtaking. Alliteration aside (lulz!), "With Fire and Sword" is about the greatness of duty and friendship. In describing the history of Poland, Sienkewicz crafted a tale filled with memorable characters and rollicking-good moments. Definitely read it.
3. Joseph & His Brothers by Thomas Mann
There are some books like War & Peace, Les Miserables, and LOTR that are so damn epic, they're deadly. But if these books are the Himalayas of literature, Thomas Mann's "Joseph" is the Everest. Totaling at 1500 pages, Mann's revision of the biblical saga of Joseph and his eleven brothers is a climb and a half. Seriously, if you read this book, be sure to get some climbing gear, hire a Sherpa guide, and bring a pack mule. You'll need it. Filled with dense prose and ideas, Mann reconstructs Joseph's odyssey through Judea and Egypt with all the nuances of the Ancient World described in exhaustive detail. What makes this book such a chore to read, is the sheer profundity of knowledge Mann puts into his story. While Mann touches upon the known episodes of Joseph's life - the story of Dinah, the coat, his dream-interpretation - expanding them with Freudian views and long-winded meditations on their character. Mann's prodigious knowledge is daunting, but rewarding for his characters, in spite of his erudition, come alive and are fully realized. The goals and inner truth of men like Abraham, the always-calm Mai-Sakhme, and even the eccentric Pharoah Akhenaten are explored in tremendous detail. After finishing this book, I believe Thomas Mann is the most intelligent writer in the world. If you can finish this rewarding marathon of a book, you sir /madam are a god.
4. And Quiet Flows the Don by Mikhail Sholokhov
When it comes to Russian literature, everybody rushes towards Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, or Solzhenitsyn and crushed underneath this deluge are some Russian authors whose stories are just as good. The books I'm talking about are the "Quiet Don" saga, a two-part series by the Soviet writer Mikhail Sholokhov about a family of Cossacks during the First World War and the Russian Civil War soon after. The best way to describe this story is that it is the Russian version of "One Hundred Years of Solitude". The story takes place along the Don region of Russia, among the largely insular Cossacks. The Buendias of the story is the Melekhov family made up of the the sons Piotra and Gregor, the daughter Dunia, and the patriarch of the family Pantaleimon. There is a mother around somewhere but I'm too lazy to remember her name (lulz). Anyway, the travails of the Melekhovs through the two wars act as a microcosm for the entire Cossack experience as the onset of war and revolution threatens to rupture the Cossack way of life. The first book, "And Quiet Flows the Don", follows Piotra and Gregor as they fight their way through the Eastern Front and later the Socialist Revolution. Thrust out of their pastoral life and into war, they confront the horrors and politics along with their own desire to return home. Sholokhov's poetic writing conjures up the vast expanses of the Steppe and the roaring warfare along the Eastern front. The writing is awesome. The story is awesome. After reading this one, check out its sequel, "The Don Flows Home to the Sea", which is even better but happens during the Russian Civil War. Definitely recommended.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Sunday, July 24, 2011
The World As I Found It by Bruce Duffy
Philosophy by itself tends to repel many people. The field is dry, dense, and filled with a dull preoccupation with ideas like irony and metaphysics. But however dry the realm of philosophy may be, the lives of the philosophers often are more interesting than the ideas and thoughts they write about. Such is the case with the book, "The World as I Found It", by Bruce Duffy, which centers on the personalities of three famous philosophers: Bertrand Russell, G.E. Moore, and Ludwig Wittgenstein
The novel, Bruce Duffy's literary debut, liberally speculates on the lives of these three philosophers and examines how the hands of fate and history shaped their own distinctive philosophies on life. Taking place in a variety of locations from the halls of Oxford and Cambridge, to the trenches of World War I, the three philosophers try to carve out a new life according to their own radical principles. In trying to establish a sort of utopian society, Russell, for instance writes about the need for universal equality and establishes a school literally governed by kids. The mercurial and dissolute Wittgenstein enlists in the Austrian infantry and after the war, establishes himself as a major figure by writing his landmark Tractatus. G.E. Moore though, settles into a life of domestic bliss while acting as a mediator between the Wittgenstein and Russell.
For a story about philosophers, the amount of philosophy in the book is hardly apparent. Rather, the characters and interactions of the three men take the stage and this is where the book really shines. I know this sounds cliche, but Duffy's writing, a mix of Graves and Garcia Marquez, makes these characters come to life and to the point where I began to really feel for these people. Wittgenstein, who most will end up rooting for, enters philosophy shouldering a ton of emotional baggage ranging from the harsh discipline of his aristocratic father to his inability to reconcile his beliefs with the real world. Although there are some villains that do pop up in the story, the chief villain is Bertrand Russell who comes across as a hypocritical and demeaning person as the story goes on. The referee caught in the middle of these two conflicting icons is G.E. Moore who attempts to understand the enigmatic Wittgenstein by acting as a scribe for his philosophy. Moore, though, turns out to be the only normal character simply because he is a man at peace with himself and serves as an anchor of sorts in trying to make sense out of Wittgenstein and Russell's violent camaraderie. It is the relationship between these three men through two world wars that forms the plot for the entire book.
To put it bluntly, Duffy's novel is extraordinary. The story, although complex, is simply told and made all the more awesome by Duffy's lively writing. Never a dull moment in the story, it hits its high point during Wittgenstein's stint as a sergeant on the Austrian front during World War I. The visceral experience of trench fighting and the oppressive hierarchy of the military command is captured brilliantly in Duffy's writing. If there is any reason to read this book, definitely read it for this part. But then again, the entire book is awesome. Heck, just thinking about it makes me want to read it again!
All in all, I think it is a crime that a book this good is not more widely known. I came across it during a closeout sale at a local bookstore. I simply bought the book on a lark because I recognized Bertrand Russell's name and the fact that the back said "World War I", meaning that I would be in for action sprinkled with some philosophy. Call me shallow, but I think it was one of the best decisions I ever made. If you do choose to read the book, you will find a book that is extremely well written and conceived. In short, read this book now!
The novel, Bruce Duffy's literary debut, liberally speculates on the lives of these three philosophers and examines how the hands of fate and history shaped their own distinctive philosophies on life. Taking place in a variety of locations from the halls of Oxford and Cambridge, to the trenches of World War I, the three philosophers try to carve out a new life according to their own radical principles. In trying to establish a sort of utopian society, Russell, for instance writes about the need for universal equality and establishes a school literally governed by kids. The mercurial and dissolute Wittgenstein enlists in the Austrian infantry and after the war, establishes himself as a major figure by writing his landmark Tractatus. G.E. Moore though, settles into a life of domestic bliss while acting as a mediator between the Wittgenstein and Russell.
For a story about philosophers, the amount of philosophy in the book is hardly apparent. Rather, the characters and interactions of the three men take the stage and this is where the book really shines. I know this sounds cliche, but Duffy's writing, a mix of Graves and Garcia Marquez, makes these characters come to life and to the point where I began to really feel for these people. Wittgenstein, who most will end up rooting for, enters philosophy shouldering a ton of emotional baggage ranging from the harsh discipline of his aristocratic father to his inability to reconcile his beliefs with the real world. Although there are some villains that do pop up in the story, the chief villain is Bertrand Russell who comes across as a hypocritical and demeaning person as the story goes on. The referee caught in the middle of these two conflicting icons is G.E. Moore who attempts to understand the enigmatic Wittgenstein by acting as a scribe for his philosophy. Moore, though, turns out to be the only normal character simply because he is a man at peace with himself and serves as an anchor of sorts in trying to make sense out of Wittgenstein and Russell's violent camaraderie. It is the relationship between these three men through two world wars that forms the plot for the entire book.
To put it bluntly, Duffy's novel is extraordinary. The story, although complex, is simply told and made all the more awesome by Duffy's lively writing. Never a dull moment in the story, it hits its high point during Wittgenstein's stint as a sergeant on the Austrian front during World War I. The visceral experience of trench fighting and the oppressive hierarchy of the military command is captured brilliantly in Duffy's writing. If there is any reason to read this book, definitely read it for this part. But then again, the entire book is awesome. Heck, just thinking about it makes me want to read it again!
All in all, I think it is a crime that a book this good is not more widely known. I came across it during a closeout sale at a local bookstore. I simply bought the book on a lark because I recognized Bertrand Russell's name and the fact that the back said "World War I", meaning that I would be in for action sprinkled with some philosophy. Call me shallow, but I think it was one of the best decisions I ever made. If you do choose to read the book, you will find a book that is extremely well written and conceived. In short, read this book now!
Sunday, June 19, 2011
I've Read Some Books ...
To kick off this fledgling project, I think it'd be a good idea to set up a working list of some good books I've read over the years. Hopefully the list will introduce some truly great books that have regrettably been lost or overshadowed by other great works of literature. The main point of the list is to break away from the conventional "best of" lists I've encountered and also to keep track of great books.
Now in every good list, "War & Peace" is a staple. It's big, it's profound, and it's boring. Chalk it up to the terrible translation courtesy of Constance Garnett or the sloooow pacing, but it was just a herculean effort to get through the 1000+ pages of the darn book. Don't get me started on the court scenes.
Anyway, the books are numbered in no particular order so there are no rankings. In the near future, I also hope to review a few of these books in-depth. For the most part I'm a superficial reader, prone to books with rip-roaring stories, but occasionally I like to step out of my comfort zone.
1. Les Miserables - Victor Hugo
2. And Quiet Flows the Don (Quiet Don Pt. 1) - Mikhail Sholokhov
3. The Don Flows Home to the Sea ( Quiet Don Pt. 2) - Mikhail Sholokhov
4. Musashi - Eiji Yoshikawa
5. The In-Between World of Vikram Lall - M. G. Vassanji
6. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoevsky
7. The Executioner's Song - Norman Mailer
8. With Fire and Sword - Henryk Sienkewicz
9. Monsoon - Wilbur Smith
10. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
11. Love in the Time of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
12. War of the End of the World - Mario Vargas Llosa
13. Legionnaire - Simon Murray
14. Truth, Love, and a Little Malice - Khushwant Singh
15. The Peloponnesian War - Thucydides
16. The Histories - Herodotus
17. Freedom or Death -Nikos Kazantzakis
18. The Last Temptation of Christ - Nikos Kazantzakis
19. When the Lion Feeds - Wilbur Smith
20. The Three Musketeers - Alex Dumas
21. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
22. The Agony and the Ecstasy - Irving Stone
23. 2666 - Roberto Bolanos
24. The Making of a Legionnaire - Bill Parris
25. The Covenant - James Michener
26. East of Eden - John Steinbeck
27. Schindler's List - Thomas Keneally
28. Roots - Alex Haley
Now in every good list, "War & Peace" is a staple. It's big, it's profound, and it's boring. Chalk it up to the terrible translation courtesy of Constance Garnett or the sloooow pacing, but it was just a herculean effort to get through the 1000+ pages of the darn book. Don't get me started on the court scenes.
Anyway, the books are numbered in no particular order so there are no rankings. In the near future, I also hope to review a few of these books in-depth. For the most part I'm a superficial reader, prone to books with rip-roaring stories, but occasionally I like to step out of my comfort zone.
1. Les Miserables - Victor Hugo
2. And Quiet Flows the Don (Quiet Don Pt. 1) - Mikhail Sholokhov
3. The Don Flows Home to the Sea ( Quiet Don Pt. 2) - Mikhail Sholokhov
4. Musashi - Eiji Yoshikawa
5. The In-Between World of Vikram Lall - M. G. Vassanji
6. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoevsky
7. The Executioner's Song - Norman Mailer
8. With Fire and Sword - Henryk Sienkewicz
9. Monsoon - Wilbur Smith
10. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
11. Love in the Time of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
12. War of the End of the World - Mario Vargas Llosa
13. Legionnaire - Simon Murray
14. Truth, Love, and a Little Malice - Khushwant Singh
15. The Peloponnesian War - Thucydides
16. The Histories - Herodotus
17. Freedom or Death -Nikos Kazantzakis
18. The Last Temptation of Christ - Nikos Kazantzakis
19. When the Lion Feeds - Wilbur Smith
20. The Three Musketeers - Alex Dumas
21. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
22. The Agony and the Ecstasy - Irving Stone
23. 2666 - Roberto Bolanos
24. The Making of a Legionnaire - Bill Parris
25. The Covenant - James Michener
26. East of Eden - John Steinbeck
27. Schindler's List - Thomas Keneally
28. Roots - Alex Haley
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