Mission - to read ALL of Conrad. After that, who?

[spotty]

What author would you recommend once I finish all of Joseph Conrad's works?

I love Conrad not necessarily because of his themes, but instead because of his language, and 'atmosphere'.

Who would you recommend that is similar in terms of period, language, and 'feel'?

[ladderandbucket]

William Faulkner reminds me of Conrad in terms of language and narrative technique. If you liked Nostromo and Lord Jim you should try Absalom! Absalom!

Herman Melville touches on many of the same themes as Conrad, although his style is often more discursive and humorous. I think Benito Cereno and Billy Budd are his most Conradian stories.

Although in many ways he is the anti-Conrad, Dostoevsky had similar psychological insight and a deep scepticism regarding human progress and the merits of the enlightenment.

I am also working my way through Conrad's major works. He is a great writer but I am not sure if I want to read everything. Some of his later books don't sound so good. Are you reading his collabarations with Ford Madox Ford?

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

I've never really understood someone reading all of an author's works. There're so many authors to read, and since pretty much any author has written at least some mediocre-to-bad stuff, why spend the time?

[Drkshadow03]

I've never really understood someone reading all of an author's works. There're so many authors to read, and since pretty much any author has written at least some mediocre-to-bad stuff, why spend the time?

I think it makes sense if you really like a particular author.

[dfloyd]

from the London-based Folio society. They were all published in a similar format and well illustrated. I read Lord Jim, Nostromo, Nigger of the Narcissus, Heart of Darkness, The Secret Sharer, The Secret Agent, and Victory. I haven't touched a Conrad in years, although I did read Lord Jim again. Anybody want to buy Conrad's collected works?

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

I think it makes sense if you really like a particular author.
I guess. But, hey, if it brings you enjoyment, who am I to judge? Go for it.

[Emmy Castrol]

Just curious, if you loved an author's work, wouldn't you want to cherish it in little bits over a long period of time, just so you could delight in the thought that there's still one of their works that you could read for the first time?

[mal4mac]

I've never really understood someone reading all of an author's works. There're so many authors to read, and since pretty much any author has written at least some mediocre-to-bad stuff, why spend the time?

If you *really* like a novelist then why wouldn't you read all his works?

Reading literature isn't a competition where the aim is to read as many authors as possible.

The problem with experimenting with a new novelist is that you might be greatly disappointed! (In my case this happened with Proust, Henry James, Ishiguro, Franzen... and several others...)

By tackling another novel by someone you have already read, there's a greater chance of finding something you might actually like.

I've found that reading another Hardy, Dickens or Tolstoy ... or Conrad... is a great way to recover after a failed experiment! I've found the mature novels of these authors to be consistently great, having read most by Dickens and Tolstoy, and several by Hardy and Conrad.

I'm assuming that the OP meant Conrad's novels when he said 'everything', and not his diaries or shopping list...

[mal4mac]

Just curious, if you loved an author's work, wouldn't you want to cherish it in little bits over a long period of time, just so you could delight in the thought that there's still one of their works that you could read for the first time?

You might get knocked over by a bus tomorrow. Why put it off?

Having put off many too great novels for too long a time, I find myself asking 'why didn't I read this sooner?!' more than saying, 'I'm glad I put this off'.

[spotty]

...
I am also working my way through Conrad's major works. He is a great writer but I am not sure if I want to read everything. Some of his later books don't sound so good. Are you reading his collabarations with Ford Madox Ford?
Haven't got that far yet. I'm close to the 50% mark though.
And definitely like some better than others.

The secret agent affected me pretty strongly. First time I cried reading a book.
Reading Under Western Eyes right now, not my fave, and very demaning.
HOD still my fave. Liked Almayers Folly a lot too- very realistic and disturbing villians.

[spotty]

Just curious, if you loved an author's work, wouldn't you want to cherish it in little bits over a long period of time, just so you could delight in the thought that there's still one of their works that you could read for the first time?


Well, I do take breaks from him, because at times he's so viciously bleak that I need to come up for air.

[spotty]

....I'm assuming that the OP meant Conrad's novels when he said 'everything', and not his diaries or shopping list...
Aye! Novels and short stories. Maybe a bit of his nonfiction personal accounts - we'll see.

[Drkshadow03]

Just curious, if you loved an author's work, wouldn't you want to cherish it in little bits over a long period of time, just so you could delight in the thought that there's still one of their works that you could read for the first time?

That's like Desmond Hume on Lost who waits on reading Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens because he wants it to be the last thing he reads before he dies since he's such a hardcore Dickens fan.


I guess. But, hey, if it brings you enjoyment, who am I to judge? Go for it.

I think Mal4mac has a decent point for a change. If you know you like an author, why not stick with it over trying something new? Pretty straight forward and simple.

On the other hand, to elaborate on your point on the vast variety of goodness available, I think you're also correct in that another great approach is to read as widely as possible rather than reading deeply into a single author's oeuvre (since there are so many great works out there, including contemporary underground ones that never make an appearance alongside the usual suspects on the "You Must Read This To Be Smart, Educated, Snobbish, and Cultured Because I Said So" Lists). Of course, you could still do both. Once you've read a large variety of the major works of "good" literature and hopefully beyond that, you could always pick some authors that you really enjoyed and read more deeply into their oeuvre. I know people when they really like an author who then want to read not only all their completed novels, poems, short stories, and letters, but every last piece of marginalia.

[IceM]

I'd consider reading Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart expressly after Heart of Darkness. Achebe accused Conrad of being a racist and used his novel to defend and exalt his misrepresented culture (Achebe is Nigerian) against European condemnation.

I'd second Faulkner.

[Syd A]

I've never really understood someone reading all of an author's works. There're so many authors to read, and since pretty much any author has written at least some mediocre-to-bad stuff, why spend the time?

Because in literature, as in music and other arts, an author's most famous works are usually not his best. If you read only that which is famous, you usually miss that which is good. You're basically following the crowd and its mediocre tastes. So, when you find someone with potential, you must keep digging until you find his best works.

Examples: most people have read, or at least heard of, Orwell's 1984 and Animal Farm. However, you must read Keep the Aspidistra Flying to get a true appreciation of Orwell's genius. For Thoreau, everybody seem to worship the fairly mediocre Walden (partly because it makes people feel like they love nature), but Thoreau's genius is best expressed in Civil Disobedience, Slavery in Massachusetts, and Life Without Principle.

[Floraj15]

Hello all. First time here. What are we all talking about?

[Floraj15]

The majority always wrong. Not sure who said that but I like it.