Recommendations

[WICKES]

I want to sharpen my appreciation of good prose. I'd be grateful for a recommendation: a relatively short novel or short story that was written in the 20th century in English (not a translation). Something that you'd consider superbly written (the themes, characters etc are not important, what I want is exquisite prose).

[jgweed]

Lawrence Durrell's Alexandria Quartet.

[John Goodman]

Diamond as Big as the Ritz

[Proust71]

Naturally, I must side with Ernest Hemingway's novella, The Old Man and the Sea.

[johann cruyff]

If it's half as good in English as it was in translation,The Turn of the Screw by Henry James. I really liked the writing style.

[Inderjit Sanghe]

Some people have a strange concept of "short story" and "good prose"-if the Alexandria Quartet qualifies as a novella, then I would hate to see what a novel looks like. My favourite English language short story writer is Katherine Mansfield. Also, look at J.D Salinger's 'Nine Stories'. I have not read any of Nabokov's short stories, but he was the best English prose stylist of the 20th century, Joyce aside. You may also want to read 'Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man', or 'Dubliners'.

[EAP]

Exquisite Prose:

China Mieville's 'Perdido Street Station'.
Richard Adams' 'Watership Down'.
Ian R. MacLeod's 'The Light Ages,' and 'The House of Storms'.

annnnd,

Mark Helprin's 'Winter's Tale'.

[tasha33333]

maybe Woolf's To the Lighthouse!
(i love Lolita but that's translation)

[tusciaflat]

Yes, I agree. Also letters and diaries are superb. There's an interesting remake of her life called Katherine's Wish ---beautifully written too

[Terror Firmer]

We Have Always Lived In The Castle - Shirley Jackson (wow, READ THIS ONE)

The Haunting of Hill House - Shirley Jackson

Something Wicked This Way Comes - Ray Bradbury

[JBI]

Mrs. Dalloway - Virginia Woolf.

[promtbr]

Some people have a strange concept of "short story" and "good prose"-if the Alexandria Quartet qualifies as a novella, then I would hate to see what a novel looks like. My favourite English language short story writer is Katherine Mansfield. Also, look at J.D Salinger's 'Nine Stories'. I have not read any of Nabokov's short stories, but he was the best English prose stylist of the 20th century, Joyce aside. You may also want to read 'Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man', or 'Dubliners'.

a BIG second to what Inderjit said! (Including that the Alexandria Quartet, while containing excellent prose, is a large (4 duh) volume novel)

Kate Mansfield was a consumate prose stylist and wrote some great great short fiction. The other suggestions you got (IMHO) were all good as well..James, Nabakov, Hemingway, you can't go wrong there. Woolf also is a GREAT recomendation for your request, To the Lighthouse is not a short novel, but it is one of finest examples of "superbly written.. and equisite prose" I personally have read.

I recently read a story by WH Gass (American author, critic sometime Philosophe) whose prose was as good as anything I had read in a LONG LONG time: The Pederson Kid from his short story collection: In the Heart of the Heart of the Country

Cheers..

[JBI]

Hmm, strange interpretation of the Alexandria Quartet, do you mean to suppose we read it as one long novel, one long, I guess, national bildungsroman, or perhaps I misunderstand you, and you are keeping the distance between the four works?

As for interesting short novels, The Double Hook by Sheila Watson is interesting, and only around 120 pages. As is Hubert Aquin's Next Episode (though that is a translation from the French I'm afraid, but just felt I'd throw it out there), which as it looks like now, perhaps will be the book club discussion book for next month.

In terms of short stories, Flannery O'Connor is always interesting, as are Alice Munro's short stories, and Faulkner's, not to mention Hemmingway's.

[prendrelemick]

Another vote for Katherine Mansfield here, I think her prose always appears effortless.

[_Shannon_]

If you want exquisite prose, where the words are simply stunning- Winnie-the-Pooh and Peter Pan are the best examples of which I know

[_Shannon_]

maybe Woolf's To the Lighthouse!
(i love Lolita but that's translation)

Nope- Lolita was originally written in English, eventually translated into Russian by Nabakov. :)

[promtbr]

Hmm, strange interpretation of the Alexandria Quartet, do you mean to suppose we read it as one long novel, one long, I guess, national bildungsroman, or perhaps I misunderstand you, and you are keeping the distance between the four works?


My bad. I should not as refered to it as a four volume novel. But (having read and studied it), it's structured as one work with four POV of the same events over the same time frame. Its an interesting read, but I would not recomend one of the four to be read a single novel. (I have purposely not said that Durrell intended it to be treated as a single work, as JBI would tell me, he along with all author's are dead...:sick:)

Trying to steer the thread back to the OP...

The Flannery O'Connor recomendation is spot on, pick any of her short stories, or her gem of a shorter novel, Wise Blood

Also to re-second Joyce's Dubliners....

The recommendations from all posters on this thread would represent some of the finest prose in English.

Makes me want to re-read most of them right now... (to be sure, there is PLENTY of amazing works not yet mentioned here, but its pretty good representation!)

[Nighteyes5678]

You know, I don't think I've actually read Winnie-the-Pooh or Peter Pan...

[Pecksie]

Some wonderful (modern) short novels/novellas:

The End of the Affair, by Graham Greene
To the North, by Elizabeth Bowen
The Aspern Papers, by Henry James
Angels & Insects, by A. S. Byatt

And I will doubtless come up with more... ;)

[_Shannon_]

Wise Blood?? Really?? Blech. It's up there in the top five worst books I've ever read.

End of the Affair is a great (if not depressing and definitely butt kicking) novel, but I don't think I'd think of it as exquisite prose, per se.

I loathe her, I hate all of the characters and plots--but I don't think there are many technically more proficient English language authors than Jane Austen.

And ohh, Nighteyes...if you haven't read Pooh and Peter Pan--it's just, just wonderful, and quick, and I honestly can't see anyone not falling inlove with those books..

I think perhaps it might be easier to recommend things for you, too, if you explain more what you mean by "exquisite prose". To me there are different sorts of catgories-- one where the words are just sublime (like Pooh), one where the construction is brilliant (like Austen or even Lord of The Rings), one where the story is told powerfully (like To Kill a Mockingbird).

[_Shannon_]

OOh~ ooh! I thought of another recommendation- Truman Capote. Anything really- stories or novels, even In Cold Blood.(which is quasi fiction). Again though, that's based on the words, and not so much the construction.

[miyagisan]

When I think of my favorite short 20th century writing, the first thing that comes to mind is Steinbeck's Cannery Row.

[LitNetIsGreat]

If it's half as good in English as it was in translation,The Turn of the Screw by Henry James. I really liked the writing style.

That is the first thing that came into my head too. Read this s-l-o-w-l-y or not at all though.

[Tallon]

When I think of my favorite short 20th century writing, the first thing that comes to mind is Steinbeck's Cannery Row.

Tortilla Flat is good too, and of course Of Mice and Men.