Stream of consciousness rising from the east...

Hello everyone,

I stumbled across this site and wonder if you'll be able to help me find some new reading material. I got back into reading, after a baron spell during university, because of Murakami. I chanced upon Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World one day and really enjoyed it, I then read another 7/8 or his books, my favourites being Norwegian Wood and The Wind-up Bird Chronical. From there I moved on to some of the classic Japanese authors, Soseki's Botchan and in particular Sanshiro really standing out for me. I then read The Thousand Autumns of Jacob deZoet, which again I really enjoyed. One of my favourite books of all time is Catcher in the Rye, while on a more challenging and rewarding level The Steppenwolf comes close behind.

Although my recent book-list has focused around the far east, I think it is the writing style that really appeals to me. The stream of consciousness flow of ideas usually based around a sole character trying to find his way in the world. The easy melody of Murakami's words and their soporific nature kept me hooked for a while, but like anyone who reads a few of his books, I find the themes are all pretty much the same: cats, strangle women, music references...

So does anyone have any suggestions for books that will blow my mind? I saw The Story of the Stone mentioned in the top 100 books list, but don't know much about it. I was thinking of giving that a try but am open to all opinions.

Thanks

T

If you like stream of consciousness, James Joyce should be right up your alley. Ulysses and, to a lesser degree, Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man feature Joyce's ventures into some of the first examples of stream of consciousness writing in Western literature. Also, if you have interest in American writers, Faulkner, Hemingway, and Gertrude Stein would be good examples.

Dorothy Richardson - "Pointed Roofs"

If you aren't tired of Japanese authors yet, you might want to try The Tale of Genji, translated by Tyler. It's one of the great classics of world literature, and certainly one of the best books I have ever read.

Hubert Selby Jr. If Selby's novel, The Room, won't blow your head off, I don't know what else will. There in that story, the protagonist held two cops hostage avenging the torture and rape of an imaginary woman! And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Like most of Selby's novels, it is written in a stream of consciousness technique. You can try Requiem for a Dream or The Last Exit to Brooklyn for a start. Then gradually move to The Room or Waiting Period.