Book with character that has terrible social skills, but is strong in other aspects,

[lordkga]

I am looking for a book with a character that has terrible social skills, but not in the “looser” way. This person should be bad socially, but at the same time don’t care that match. A bit quiet, but not shy. Bad at relations with friend, but not necessary low self esteem. Social strange, but at the same time a strong person that is good at something else. Something similar to Lisbeth Salander int the gril with the dragon tato by Stig Larson wuld be perfect, but I am happy as long as this person fitt sonwhat to my previus description. Bad Socialy, but not a “looser”. In those few books I have read with this kind of person, other than those by Stig Larsson, has these persons with terrible social skills always been losers, I won’t have that. Anny recommendations?

[bazarov]

The Stranger by Camus and Notes from the Underground by Dostoevsky; especially the second one.

[Bitterfly]

I could be wrong, because I read these some time ago: Steppenwolf - social issues but not a loser!!! And Demian, but I remember the narrator of that one less well. I think he could be characterized as an introvert. Both by Hermann Hesse.

Edit: lots of German books correspond to what you're asking, in fact. The narrator of Zweig's Confusion of the Feelings is not very sociable, I think. So is young Torless (Musil), wonderful book.

[mayneverhave]

Stephen Dedalus of Joyce's Ulysses is highly abstruse and erudite - a man who tells jokes that no one understands outside of him. Yet the character is incredibly confident and egotistical - plays the highbrow to the fullest.

[Etienne]

Nabokov's Luzhin Defense is exactly what you are looking for.

[islandclimber]

The Stranger by Camus and Notes from the Underground by Dostoevsky; especially the second one.

Oh yes.. Notes From the Underground is perfect.. As is Dostoevsky's "the double".. Golyadkin is incredibly socially inept...

[Etienne]

Well Notes from the Underground has this guy with poor social skills, but he doesn't really have any other skills though. If anyone is interested, Louis René des Forêts has this book called in French "Le bavard" which is somewhat similar to Notes from the Underground. And it's a great book. I'm not sure if it's been translated (and if it's still available in translation) as it's already not very well known in the French literature world.

[JBI]

Well Notes from the Underground has this guy with poor social skills, but he doesn't really have any other skills though. If anyone is interested, Louis René des Forêts has this book called in French "Le bavard" which is somewhat similar to Notes from the Underground. And it's a great book. I'm not sure if it's been translated (and if it's still available in translation) as it's already not very well known in the French literature world.

I can't find anything besides Ostinato in translation here, I don't know if his other works have been, but I am almost unable to get a hold of any work of his in English.

[Pecksie]

Jane Eyre was a self-effacing, excruciatingly shy social cripple :)

[bazarov]

Well Notes from the Underground has this guy with poor social skills, but he doesn't really have any other skills though. If anyone is interested, Louis René des Forêts has this book called in French "Le bavard" which is somewhat similar to Notes from the Underground. And it's a great book. I'm not sure if it's been translated (and if it's still available in translation) as it's already not very well known in the French literature world.

I think Underground man was much much smarter then people around him, which he showed on poor Lisa.

Thanks for this tip, I'll look for it.

[johann cruyff]

Okay, this may sound a bit out of place in comparison to Hesse's or Dostoevsky's characters, but you may want to check out A Confederacy of Dunces as well.

[bazarov]

Okay, this may sound a bit out of place in comparison to Hesse's or Dostoevsky's characters, but you may want to check out A Confederacy of Dunces as well.

You recommend it? :D

[Inderjit Sanghe]

Nabokov's Luzhin Defense is exactly what you are looking for.


I think that Nabokov's 'Pnin' also fits the bill very well, though I am not sure if Pnin has 'terrible social skills': it's just that the society which surrounds him is 'terrible' (and cruel and ignorant), Pnin shines in certain Russian circles, which is no surprise given the fact that he is erudite, intelligent and kind.

'Steppenwolf' was a terrible book, gosh, what a waste of my time that was. Notes from te Underground was a little better, there are some very funny scenes in between continuous passages of banality. I liked 'The Stranger', though I prefer Camus's philosophical works, esp. 'The Rebel'. Also agree with 'A Confederacy of Dunces', a great book. Another good pick is Yukio Mishima's 'Spring Snow'-the protaganist, Kiyokai is beautiful, sensitive and somewhat immature, and lacks social skills, though has a great artistic sense.

Knut Hamsun's 'Hunger' is another novel in the mould of Hesse/Dostoevskii.

[johann cruyff]

'Steppenwolf' was a terrible book, gosh, what a waste of my time that was.

And once again, Inderjit Sanghe and I just can't seem to agree :D

[JBI]

Not a book, but The Love Song Of J. Alfred Prufrock.

[PabloQ]

It's been a while since I've read A Confederacy of Dunces (which is a truly funny read), but I believe the main character was in fact a loser, pretty much an idiot in every way.
The Magnificent Ambersons by Booth Tarkington might fit the requirement. Through arrogance, George Amberson does some socially inept and insensitive things, but he's not a "loser" by nature. That term is a little vague and typically the socially inept face some sort of downfall or pay some sort of price for it in most of the novels that I've read of late.