New to literature.

[ezydriver]

I am new to literature. I read my first novel a couple of weeks ago and want to discover more. The novel I read was Nineteen Eighty Four, by George Orwell.

Since then I have read two more but neither gave me the utter thrill of Nineteen Eighty Four. I found it to be flawless, powerful, highly sophisticated and exactly what I wanted to read.

Can anybody recommend any other literature with the same degree of sophistication? I am new to literature and do not know where to start.

I do have a leaning toward sinister, philosophical, dark, clever, powerful and long work. I am very interested in the human condition, psychology, human interaction, theory and philosophy.

If anybody could drop a few titles I would be most grateful, thank you.

The others I have read are Animal Farm, Brave New World (which, I hate to say, I did not finish) and I am about to read the Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx.

As I have said, I am brand new to literature. I only wish I had discovered it years ago.

[NickAdams]

I feel like replying to myself as a youth. It was my first semester at college and my English professor lent me four books: 1984, One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Stranger and Brave New World. I read 1984 first and was blown away. I attempted to read Brave New World, but the effect of 1984 still shook me. I returned the books to my professor a changed man (I have now read The Stranger and One Flew over the Cuckoos: I found the former average and the latter horrible).

I continued with Animal Farm and had many attempts at various Stephen King novels. The next author to capture me was Hemingway and his collection of short fiction, so I recommend him.

"I do have a leaning toward sinister, philosophical, dark, clever, powerful and long work. I am very interested in the human condition, psychology, human interaction, theory and philosophy."

William Faulkner embodies it all. I think you will enjoy Light in August by Faulkner.

[ezydriver]

I attempted to read Brave New World, but the effect of 1984 still shook me.

Yes, I did it in that order too, and suffered the same apathy with regards to Brave New World. I only got one third of the way through and felt as if it was more of a chore than a pleasure. Sorry Audse, no offence.

Thank you for the recommendations.

[mayneverhave]

Faulkner is personally my favorite writer, and while his works are certainly critically lauded, the difficulty of his prose and uniqueness of his style my throw new readers off.

I'm not saying don't read Faulkner - obviously. All I say is that you should not approach Faulkner like you would Hemingway or Orwell (especially the former). If you do attempt Faulkner though, you should be pleasently suprised - his work certainly considers what one would call the human condition.

Try The Sound and the Fury or As I Lay Dying as good indications of his work.

EDIT:

Btw, NickAdams, The Stranger average? tsk tsk.

[stlukesguild]

I do have a leaning toward sinister, philosophical, dark, clever, powerful and long work. I am very interested in the human condition, psychology, human interaction, theory and philosophy.

OK... coming off 1984 and considering your self-proclaimed "newness" to literature I would suggest you avoid The Communist Manifesto at all costs: negligible worth in terms of literature, historically dated... although perhaps worth reading later if your really bored. About as fun as Mein Kampf. Some works I would suggest would include Hermann Hesse: either Steppenwolf or The Glass Bead Game, Franz Kafka's Trial or Collected Stories, Bulgakov's Master and Margarita, if you MUST read some manifestos, read Andre Breton's Manifestos of Surrealism, then try Baudelaire's Flowers of Evil, Rimbaud's Season in Hell, Lautreomont's Maldoror, Conrad's Heart of Darkness, Nikolai Gogol's Stories, tales by Hawthorne, Poe, Ambrose Bierce, and Theophile Gautier. I'd recommend J.L. Borges' Labyrinths or Ficciones... but Borges often writes toward an audience that like himself is very-well read. Nevertheless... a "must-read." Oh... and Gunter Grass' Tin Drum... a darkly comic masterwork.

Oh yes... I agree that Faulkner may be too difficult in style for someone new to literature... and I say this as a huge admirer as well. If you must: As I Lay Dying. Then if you're up for an incredibly dark near-contemporary work: Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian.

[Dori]

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

[Jozanny]

I'd suggest science fiction before the normative literary classics. Why? Good science fiction is dark. I will come back later with some names.

[kelby_lake]

I like the same sort of things that you've put here, it seems. If you want an example of human weakness, The Great Gatsby is a good book.
I liked Brave New World- you have to separate it from 1984. One shows the possibility of science to create a utopia which is built on false emotion and the other shows us the power of control.
In Camera, though a play, is very good. It's set in Hell and with only three characters there's a lot of interaction and philosophy.

[NickAdams]

Btw, NickAdams, The Stranger average? tsk tsk.

I found it average on my second read; you don't want to know what my first impression was.;) I found the strongest sections to be the the walk with the coffin, the blah, blah, blah of the Arab and the portion with the priest.



Faulkner is personally my favorite writer, and while his works are certainly critically lauded, the difficulty of his prose and uniqueness of his style my throw new readers off.

I'm not saying don't read Faulkner - obviously. All I say is that you should not approach Faulkner like you would Hemingway or Orwell (especially the former). If you do attempt Faulkner though, you should be pleasently suprised - his work certainly considers what one would call the human condition.

Try The Sound and the Fury or As I Lay Dying as good indications of his work.


[COLOR="DarkRed"]
Oh yes... I agree that Faulkner may be too difficult in style for someone new to literature... and I say this as a huge admirer as well. If you must: As I Lay Dying.

I find Sanctuary and Light and August to be accessible to the common reader. I read very little before I tackled them and didn't have and difficulty.

I admit I read a few of his short stories and a number of book about fiction, but I think Faulkner works on an human level and the narrative of the two books I mentioned shouldn't obstruct ones enjoyment.

[NickAdams]

In Camera, though a play, is very good. It's set in Hell and with only three characters there's a lot of interaction and philosophy.

Most available translations are titled No Exit; that's if you're refering to Sartre.

[kelby_lake]

Yep. I have a copy called In Camera/No Exit, but I prefer to use the first name as it's a better translation of huis clos. And it just sounds nicer. There is an exit but they can't open it or something.

[blackbird_9]

I think you'll love Anthony Burgess. Try reading The Wanting Seed and even A Clockwork Orange

[Jozanny]

I feel like replying to myself as a youth. It was my first semester at college and my English professor lent me four books: 1984, One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Stranger and Brave New World. I read 1984 first and was blown away. I attempted to read Brave New World, but the effect of 1984 still shook me. I returned the books to my professor a changed man (I have now read The Stranger and One Flew over the Cuckoos: I found the former average and the latter horrible).

Aw Nick, I rather like Camus. He *gets at* Kafka without being as insufferable as Kafka, in a way. It is all there, the alienation, guilt. I read The Stranger in upper track, a couple of years before university, but The Plague makes a better metaphor, and the movie with William Hurt was an adaptation faithful to the spirit of the novel.

But since I can't stand Huxley we will call it even.:crash:

[patrickbeverley]

I wholeheartedly second the suggestions put forward by stlukesguild, particularly the Hermann Hesse and The Tin Drum.

Joseph Heller's Catch-22 has a cynical wit that is rather appealing. You might also enjoy Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, which ticks a lot of your boxes.

[Chester]

OK... coming off 1984 and considering your self-proclaimed "newness" to literature I would suggest you avoid The Communist Manifesto at all costs: negligible worth in terms of literature, historically dated... although perhaps worth reading later if your really bored. About as fun as Mein Kampf.
Excellent advice.

[Niamh]

How about the third policeman by Flann O' Brien? Its a bit...odd.

[Leabhar]

Can anybody recommend any other literature with the same degree of sophistication? I am new to literature and do not know where to start.

I do have a leaning toward sinister, philosophical, dark, clever, powerful and long work. I am very interested in the human condition, psychology, human interaction, theory and philosophy.

Three words: Crime and Punishment.

[Jozanny]

I still think, if you are new to the literary genre, and just learning how to interpret it, and you were moved by 1984, that you should come in through science fiction. Someone already mentioned Bradbury, which is an excellent choice.

Theodore Sturgeon is darker than Bradbury, and under rated, knows his science.

Kurt Vonnegut is very accessible, and Phillip K Dick is as well, and if you want dark, Dick is your man.

I feel remiss not recommending Asimov, but he is not so dark.

Jack London tells adventure tales, but again, for a new reader, he holds one's attention with The Call of the Wild and White Fang.

As a teenager I was heavily immersed in science fiction, and the genre paved the way for me to learn the literary genre later. Why you would want to read Marx right off puzzles me, unless you are looking to be indoctrinated. Marx isn't necessarily literary, but a political and economic theorist who has some valid critiques against capitalism, especially the *fundo-capitalism* of today's American neo-conservatives, but Marx's theories are also failures in terms of governance--he isn't really someone to treat oneself to in initial exploration of the canon.

Good luck with your choices.

[Trystan]

OK... coming off 1984 and considering your self-proclaimed "newness" to literature I would suggest you avoid [COLOR="DarkRed"]The Communist Manifesto at all costs: negligible worth in terms of literature, historically dated... although perhaps worth reading later if your really bored. About as fun as Mein Kampf.

Utter nonsense. Mein Kampf? Please, there's no comparison. The Manifesto is one of the great works of 19th Century German philosophy. Not to mention hugely influential.

[stlukesguild]

negligible worth in terms of literature

There's a great deal of influential philosophy out there that is largely unreadable as literature. On the other hand there are a good many philosophers that are also excellent writers. Marx, unfortunately, does not fall into the second category... regardless of the merits or failures of his ideas. By the way... in case you didn't notice, the philosophies of the author of Mein Kampf had more than their share of influence for better or worse.

[Trystan]

negligible worth in terms of literature

There's a great deal of influential philosophy out there that is larger unreadable as literature. On the other hand there are a good many philosophers that are also excellent writers. Marx, unfortunately, does not fall into the second category. By the way... in case you didn't notice, the philosophies of the author of Mein Kampf had more than their share of influence for better or worse.

Only on populist politics. Nowhere else.

[stlukesguild]

And Marx' influence? Oh yes... economic theories applied by Western academics to the studies of art and literature.

[Trystan]

And Marx' influence?

Philosophy, politics, sociology, psychoanalysis, literature, art (e.g. socialist realism) . . .

[Leabhar]

Utter nonsense. Mein Kampf? Please, there's no comparison. The Manifesto is one of the great works of 19th Century German philosophy. Not to mention hugely influential.

Mein Kampf was funner to read though.

[stlukesguild]

Philosophy, politics, sociology, psychoanalysis, literature, art (e.g. socialist realism)

But then again... I can apply a Feminist cant, a Socialist cant, a Freudian cant, a Christian Fundamentalist cant, an Islamic Fundementalist cant... pretty much any philosophy/religion/idea can be applied to analysis of another discipline.

[stlukesguild]

Mein Kampf was funner to read though.
Uh... yeah.:sick:

[blazeofglory]

To many novels today you will be stocked with, endlessly. Just visit a book shop you will come across tens of thousands of novels to choose from. If I really have to suggest / recommend no books can beat Tolstoy's novels. He was such a great artist he conflated both philosophy and literature into fiction.

What I like most about him is his abilities to conglomerate assorted disciplines to present something really unique and at one end a style which is matchless and a philosophy which is new. I am really moved by this writer.

When I read him, all I feel kind of humility. He was a great soul. Such a soul does not come to this world very often and we can see once in a blue moon out of mutation.

Read his resurrection if you have not read any of his novels and respond the feeling you will gather after the reading.

He is invincible considering the magnanimity one can come across a piece of literature.

He lived by his ideals. His life is also a great book that can interest all. He was a great humanitarian. He advocated for the poor and he even sacrificed all he had to the poor.

He had to struggle in his family for his ideals clashed with his wife's and he kept to it despite the hurdles he had to live with. He never abstained from the philosophy he valued in life despite many threats that stood as threats in the way.

[Dori]

To many novels today you will be stocked with, endlessly. Just visit a book shop you will come across tens of thousands of novels to choose from. If I really have to suggest / recommend no books can beat Tolstoy's novels. He was such a great artist he conflated both philosophy and literature into fiction.

What I like most about him is his abilities to conglomerate assorted disciplines to present something really unique and at one end a style which is matchless and a philosophy which is new. I am really moved by this writer.

When I read him, all I feel kind of humility. He was a great soul. Such a soul does not come to this world very often and we can see once in a blue moon out of mutation.

Read his resurrection if you have not read any of his novels and respond the feeling you will gather after the reading.

He is invincible considering the magnanimity one can come across a piece of literature.

He lived by his ideals. His life is also a great book that can interest all. He was a great humanitarian. He advocated for the poor and he even sacrificed all he had to the poor.

He had to struggle in his family for his ideals clashed with his wife's and he kept to it despite the hurdles he had to live with. He never abstained from the philosophy he valued in life despite many threats that stood as threats in the way.

I wouldn't recommend anything more than his short fiction ("The Kreutzer Sonata" and "Hadji Murad" are both good). His longer works can be daunting to literature n00bs.

[Leabhar]

I wouldn't recommend anything more than his short fiction ("The Kreutzer Sonata" and "Hadji Murad" are both good). His longer works can be daunting to literature n00bs.

Or he could read War and Peace as his second book. :D

[Nostalgie]

Can anybody recommend any other literature with the same degree of sophistication? I am new to literature and do not know where to start.

I do have a leaning toward sinister, philosophical, dark, clever, powerful and long work. I am very interested in the human condition, psychology, human interaction, theory and philosophy.


If you like dark, sinister, and clever, you should definitely try Vladimir Nabokov's "Lolita". Its main character is a pedophile named Humbert Humbert, whose sexual obsession with a young girl is the defining force that drives his life, and ironically is also the source of his self-loathing and eventual fate.

It's a very interesting look into the dark psyche of a person with an unrelenting, perverse obsession.

[Niamh]

:lol: leabhar dont you think thats a tad bit too much for their fourth book?:p
they are better off with Dracula or something like that, although i must admit i agree with the sci fi fantasy...
Magician by Raymond E Fiest. :nod: Amazing

[ezydriver]

Thank you all so much. What is more daunting than anything is the choice I have, and not knowing what to choose, hence my question at the start of this thread.

I have decided on three of the titles and now have copies.

They are, The sound and the Fury, by William Faulkner, The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemmingway, and Lolita, by Vladimir Nabokov. The last one does sound sinister, and deep.

There will be several more I will choose later on. Your responses are magnificent and a fantastic point of reference, thank you.

[NickAdams]

Aw Nick, I rather like Camus. He *gets at* Kafka without being as insufferable as Kafka, in a way. It is all there, the alienation, guilt. I read The Stranger in upper track, a couple of years before university, but The Plague makes a better metaphor, and the movie with William Hurt was an adaptation faithful to the spirit of the novel.

But since I can't stand Huxley we will call it even.:crash:

I hope you're not implying that I'm a fan of Huxley.:lol: I never finished Brave New World, and haven't had an interest to do so, but I made through Stranger twice. The Stranger might work as hilosophy, but I didn't enjoy it as a novel. I read a few pages of The Plague and placed it on my 'to read' list; Meursault makes me sleepy.

[kelby_lake]

Thank you all so much. What is more daunting than anything is the choice I have, and not knowing what to choose, hence my question at the start of this thread.

I have decided on three of the titles and now have copies.

They are, The sound and the Fury, by William Faulkner, The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemmingway, and Lolita, by Vladimir Nabokov. The last one does sound sinister, and deep.

There will be several more I will choose later on. Your responses are magnificent and a fantastic point of reference, thank you.


Lolita is very good and fascinating for language and psychology.

[Jozanny]

If you like dark, sinister, and clever, you should definitely try Vladimir Nabokov's "Lolita". Its main character is a pedophile named Humbert Humbert, whose sexual obsession with a young girl is the defining force that drives his life, and ironically is also the source of his self-loathing and eventual fate.

It's a very interesting look into the dark psyche of a person with an unrelenting, perverse obsession.

Nabokov is such an extraordinary novelist. I cannot imagine any contemporary author of today, say, one as talented as Mitchell, could get anything close to a pedophilic character like Humbert published today, not in the U.S. anyway. A line in the sand seems to have been drawn over sexualizing children.

Not that I think child pornography has any redeeming merit whatsoever, but Lolita does.

[PeterL]

I have decided on three of the titles and now have copies.

They are, The sound and the Fury, by William Faulkner, The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemmingway, and Lolita, by Vladimir Nabokov. The last one does sound sinister, and deep.


You might want to start with Hemingway; that is a simple story that was clearly written. Then read Lolita, which is not especially deep or sinister, nor is it actually about sexual obsession, but it may take a while before you really figure it out, and remember that the author's afterword is also part of the fiction. At that point you can start The Sound and the Fury, but you may never finish; that shouldn't bother you, because the whole quotation from Shakespeare that was used for the title is:
To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.
Macbeth Act 5, scene 5, 19–28
That says something about the novel.

[Leabhar]

Suggesting War and Peace was a joke. Seriously, though, I've read all three books you are going to read, they are great and everything, but if you're looking for deeper, darker, more psychological books, Crime and Punishment is your novel. Get the new translation if you decide on it. It sounds like a good stepping stone away from 1984 to me.

[kelby_lake]

how about kafka? that is weird :)

[Dori]

Or he could read War and Peace as his second book. :D

Indeed. :lol:

[kelby_lake]

i love cookie monster! :)

[patrickbeverley]

Yeah, approach The Sound and the Fury with caution, ezydriver. I didn't have the stamina to finish it, and while that certainly doesn't mean you won't, I want to join PeterL in recommending you hit The Old Man and the Sea first out of those three.

[wessexgirl]

:D Kelby. Let's facilitate Mario out of the door, with a boot up his backside next. (Oops, Health and Safety and all that...), swiftly followed by the weasel, aka Luke, screaming "Oh no Rebecca", as she's thrown out naked, and unceremoniously through the diary room.

Sorry. I'm not hijacking the thread, I just thought I'd recognised a fellow traveller. :blush:

[Loike]

if you're looking for deeper, darker, more psychological books, Crime and Punishment is your novel.

Hurrah! As soon as I read the first post of this thread, I was, like, somebody mention Crime and Punishment! It has been done. :D. I'd say Crime and Punishment every time. It's fantastic, and really does fit what you're looking for. And it's not too heavy for someone new to literature, either.

xx

[kelby_lake]

Although the Russian names did confuse me :/

[Benvolio]

I recommend the following novels. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card, and The Giver by Lois Lowry. All of these novels have some of the qualities you seem to be looking for in a good book.

[Joyeuse]

Hmm... I would definitely second the Fahrenheit 451 suggestion. Not only is it an awesome book; it's not too long and is similar to most of the other books you've read. I agree with The Giver suggestion too; another good, short, dystopic read. Crime and Punishment I also might second (even though it's Russian and looks long, it's surprisingly easy) if you're looking for something different. Also, though the Communist Manifesto might not be the most aesthetically pleasing work, I think it's another good read: it has some interesting ideas in it (I was at the edge of my seat at certain points. I kept on thinking, "What's he gonna say? No Way! Wow! Can't believe so many people agreed with him!") Besides, if you turn out not liking it, it's not that long of a read; you won't lose much time on it. Somewhere else I'm just going to point you in the direction of would be Thomas More's Utopia: I haven't actually read it so I shouldn't even be suggesting it, but I do know that it was the first Utopian work, so you might want to just look at it to see if you'll like it for something different than your normal reading.
Edit: Sorry. Feel like I just want to add that I really enjoy history so that probably makes me more inclined to like Marx

[wessexgirl]

:D Kelby. Let's facilitate Mario out of the door, with a boot up his backside next. (Oops, Health and Safety and all that...), swiftly followed by the weasel, aka Luke, screaming "Oh no Rebecca", as she's thrown out naked, and unceremoniously through the diary room.

Sorry. I'm not hijacking the thread, I just thought I'd recognised a fellow traveller. :blush:


:blush: :blush: :blush: :blush: I do apologise Kelby. I misconstrued your reference to the Cookie monster. I am in the UK and we have a contestant on Big Brother at the moment, who is obsessed with Cookies. Please don't judge me folks, for watching BB. :blush: I have got some intelligence, really.....

[zenskeptical]

Get through Brave New World, It is an important book that is only growing in accuracy as time progresses.

Crime and Punishment is right up your alley.

Avoid Faulker until you have more experience.
If you feel the need to read Hemmingway, only read For Whom The Bell Tolls, I find the rest of his works a waste of time.

John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men is a great story.

You might be interested in reading various Kafka, I reccomend The Trial.

Hope this helped.

Again, read Crime and Punishment-it's one of the best novels ever written.

[kelby_lake]

:blush: :blush: :blush: :blush: I do apologise Kelby. I misconstrued your reference to the Cookie monster. I am in the UK and we have a contestant on Big Brother at the moment, who is obsessed with Cookies. Please don't judge me folks, for watching BB. :blush: I have got some intelligence, really.....

I'm in the UK too :) and I know the contestant you're referring to. Don't much like BB but my sis likes it. I like the Seasame Street Cookie Monster:
'C is for Cookie...' All together now...

[ezydriver]

Get through Brave New World, It is an important book that is only growing in accuracy as time progresses.

Crime and Punishment is right up your alley.

Avoid Faulker until you have more experience.
If you feel the need to read Hemmingway, only read For Whom The Bell Tolls, I find the rest of his works a waste of time.

John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men is a great story.

You might be interested in reading various Kafka, I reccomend The Trial.

Hope this helped.

Again, read Crime and Punishment-it's one of the best novels ever written.


I have Crime and Punishment waiting for me. It looks as if it is a good long read too. Seeing as everybody vehemently recommends it, I shall read it.

I Tried Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea. I may sound as if I am a philistine, but, I almost found it excruciating in its simplicity and therefore did not finish it. Despite its modest twenty seven thousand words.

I read Lolita. I enjoyed reading it and also enjoyed the style of self narration from the mind of Humbert Humbert. I enjoyed having an account of his agendas and the way in which he thought and felt about people. I especially relished his poetic slant on everything and admired his level of passion. Even though it was for a twelve year old girl.

Currently I am about two thirds of the way through a book by Douglas Adams called The Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul. It is light hearted and easy to read and is a nice interlude between two heavier works.

I have decided to leave The Sound and the Fury until a later date, based on the strength of feeling and advice from everyone here.

Thank you.

[ctalerico]

I haven't read this entire thread so excuse me if I'm suggesting titles others have mentioned.

First, congratulations and welcome to the incredible magical world of literature! I envy you in that you are just beginning your exploratory journey and will marvel at the new worlds and ideas that will open to you through literature.

Since you liked 1984, I suggest Animal Farm also by George Orwell and then Lord of the Flies by William Golding and then The Pearl by John Steinbeck. They are all allegorical stories.

A must-read is The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger and also his collection entitled Nine Stories.

A Death in Venice by Thomas Mann.

The Double and The Idiot, both by Fyodor Dostoevsky.

An author of note in contemporary philosophy is Ayn Rand, an author disliked by many. I read most of her work in my early teens but out-grew before I completed college. Still, she writes good stories of heroic idealism. Start with The Fountainhead, then Atlas Shrugged, then We The Living.

Walden Two by B. F. Skinner and Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman are utopian novels, as is Island by Aldous Huxley. Be sure to read the short story, "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman too.

Lost Horizon by James Hilton is a fine novel as is Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a noteworthy novel too.

In the philosophical realm of existentialism you might consider The Stranger and The Plague both by Albert Camus and The Age of Reason by Jean-Paul Sartre.

The short stories of Guy de Maupassant and most of the works of Franz Kafka are worthy of your attention, as are the works of Edgar Alan Poe if you like Gothic tales and stories of the wierd and supernatural. If you do like those topics add to the list M. R. James--probably the best writer of ghost stories.

The most frightening book I have ever read is Dracula by Bram Stoker. A few of the most enjoyable novels I've read over the years include: Boys and Girls Together by William Goldman and All My Friends Are Going to Be STrangers by Larry McMurtry.

You'll want to read some of Joyce Carol Oates and A. S. Bryatt.

These are just some titles and authors who immediately come to mind and they represent a broad and diverse range of themes. At some point you'll certainly want to turn to the "classics" and whatever authors from your own culture.

Reading literature is a life-long personal journey. You are in for some great thrills and moments of incredible beauty and sensitive reflection! What exciting reading adventures await you! Here's wishing you joyful, blissful reading!

[ctalerico]

Sorry but I failed to mention one of my all-time favorite authors, John Fowles. Start with The Magus.

I see many have suggested Faulkner's The Sound and the Furry. It's difficult but not War and Peace difficult and you will want to avail yourself sooner or later to some stream-of-consciousness. Be prepared for sentences that go on for pages! I'd actually recommend a back door approach to Faulkner via some of his short stories or easier novels first.

Be sure to try some Southern Gothic writers. Truman Capote (In Cold Blood and Other Voices, Other Rooms) Eudora Welty, and Carson McCullers come to mind; but my all-time favorite for grotesque is Flannery O'Connor--her short stories are great! And along those lines, though she's not a southern writer, is Shirley Jackson (who attended my alma mater, Syracuse University). Last, be sure to read some Henry James and if you like spooky stories start with his The Turn of the Screw.

[wessexgirl]

I'm in the UK too :) and I know the contestant you're referring to. Don't much like BB but my sis likes it. I like the Seasame Street Cookie Monster:
'C is for Cookie...' All together now...

:D That's a relief. It wasn't until after I posted that I realised I had misinterpreted, and you would think I was a bit odd. Glad you know what I meant, and the real Cookie Monster is great. :thumbs_up