Literary gift suggestions. Something with amazing style and flavour...

[locut0s]

Hi guys!

I'm looking for some literature suggestions for a Christmas gift. My father is an avid reader and loves a wide variety of literature. Some of his favourite genres would be biography, history, magic realism, classic literature, and more. Some of his favourite contemporary authors include Richard Ford, Jonathan Franzen, Zadie Smith, Junot Día and many more.

Sadly while our tastes are very similar I haven't been reading enough recently to know what's out there. Both of us love style and flavour in our writing. Anything that can capture you and blow you away with its literary power, while not giving way to excess or purple passages.

I realize everyone has different tastes and I haven't given a lot to go on but don't worry we are both very open to all kinds of things and like I said my own tastes are similar enough to his that I will know when something looks interesting.

Thanks!

Merry Christmas everyone!

[kelby_lake]

The Master and Margarita is quite surreal.

[Gilliatt Gurgle]

You mentioned magic realsim.
We read Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdi earlier this year as part of the Forum book club.

I've always been "blown away" with Victor Hugo even with his "excess".

I'm hoping for John Keats as a Christmas gift, you might consider him.

[JBI]

The Master and Margarita is quite surreal.

I thought there was a general rule about book giving that you never give anything that has moved into the "classical" classification. For instance, you never give a scholarly book as a seasonal gift. It seems it is always a current novel, usually stamped with a Giller or Pulitzer on the cover.

Then again, giving books as gifts is a dying culture.

[mal4mac]

I thought there was a general rule about book giving that you never give anything that has moved into the "classical" classification.

Never heard of that one before, is it a Canadian thing?

I'd recommend Anne Bronte's "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall"... As he's so well read it might be difficult finding a classic he hasn't read, this might be one, and it's great! It should "capture you and blow you away with its literary power", it certainly is me. Although it is about the perils of excess, she avoids purple passages and "giving way" to excess.