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Answering the cry for help!

Irene Wilde

Irene Wilde

New Member
In other threads, it has been mentioned that there are two kinds of people in this world -- those who enjoy reading Dan Brown and those who would rather have their eyes burned out with white-hot pointy sticks. However, some Dan Brown readers have asked for help, alternatives, suggestions for Dan Brown-free reading.

And so, I offer to these people my humble assistance. Below is a list of authors who write with beauty, style, and originality. Feel free to partake.

Italo Calvino
Thomas Pynchon
James Joyce
William Faulkner
Felipe Alfau
Dylan Thomas
Vladimir Nabokov
Henry Miller
Jack Kerouac
John Steinbeck

In keeping with the "Don't tell until asked" guidelines set out in other threads, I will not tell you why I like these writers of thought-provoking prose, poignant characterizations, and involving structure. I will wait for someone to ask.
 
Great suggestions Irene. You've named some amazing authors who have written fantastic works of literary fiction.

I would also like to point out that if you've read Dan Brown and liked it for the elements of pace or if you just like mystery stories, you might want to visit the Mysteries Subforum for more suggestions. You'll get suggestions for a range of works from pioneer authors like Poe and Conan Doyle to classic authors like Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler and also more contemporary writers like Jeffrey Deaver and Sue Grafton.
 
Ummm...you ask about them all at once instead of allowing me to elaborate on each individually. So I will give you only one piece of the answer now.

Most of these writers do not tell a linear story (that's "beginning at the beginning, proceeding to the middle, and wrapping up at the end" for you folks playing along at home). Instead their tales are woven in unconventional methods. The authors use a variety of techniques in their story-telling far beyond "he said, she said" and challenge their readers to follow along. Many of these writers have been said to have "redefined" what a novel is and what the "rules" are for writing one. The language they use is vivid, dynamic, and engaging, if not always "PG-13." Their books are a sumptuous feast for the mind, feeding the reader's imagination with new ways of looking at the world and the reader's place in it.

And that's all you get for now. :D
 
Of course it's all subjective. Those are great authors in "your opinion."

Of course if you like and enjoy such authors as Dan Brown and like to read just for pure entertainment then there is nothing wrong with that at all.
 
You're getting a bit oversensitive to this topic, Wabbit - this are just some recommendations, nothing more.

Anyway, I do have a question. While I'm familiar with most of the authors, I never heard about Felipe Alfau. So, what makes him worthy to be featured on your list?
 
Nope, just making sure people understand it's safe to talk about non-intellectual books since it was an issue that has been raised as a concern here. Just doing my job... nothing to see :)
 
hey irene this could develope in a nice trhead

what books by joyce other than ulises would you recomend to read

also would be great to chance the title to something more descriptive so peeps who are not aware of the forums cries for help, could take advantage of your advises :)
 
Wabbit said:
Of course it's all subjective. Those are great authors in "your opinion."

Of course if you like and enjoy such authors as Dan Brown and like to read just for pure entertainment then there is nothing wrong with that at all.
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Don't worry, Wabbit. I expect to be gone again in a few days. Be patient. :) :) :) :) :) :)
 
Rigana said:
You're getting a bit oversensitive to this topic, Wabbit - this are just some recommendations, nothing more.

Anyway, I do have a question. While I'm familiar with most of the authors, I never heard about Felipe Alfau. So, what makes him worthy to be featured on your list?
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Ah! Felipe Alfau! I had not heard of him either until a friend recommended him to me. As far as I can discern, the gentleman wrote only one full novel and it is "Locos." And that one novel is enough for me to have added him to my Top 10 all-time favorite writers ever. Like Calvino's "If On a Winter's Night a Traveler", and apparently (no, I haven't read it yet) David Mitchell's "Clouds of Atlas," Alfau experimented, not only with structure, but the concept of character. In his novel, characters make their own demands about who they are and what they should do. "Locos" is a series of episodic tales, utilizing a "repertory" cast of characters, ever changing, yet ever the same. The book can be read from the beginning, or started at any story along the way. However, it's only that once all the tales have been told that clearer pictures of who each member of the "cast" is begin to emerge.

Beyond the experimental nature of the book however, is marvelous story telling. The author's somewhat reluctant voice is charming and engaging throughout and his tell is timeless. Reading it, I found his voice very contemporary, though the book was published in 1936. Some of the episodes are by turns funny, a little harrowing, yet always thought-provoking. While the whole book, by it's nature, is touched by surrealism, the "characters" retain their humanity.

And that is why Alfau is on the list. :)
 
mr_michel said:
hey irene this could develope in a nice trhead

what books by joyce other than ulises would you recomend to read

also would be great to chance the title to something more descriptive so peeps who are not aware of the forums cries for help, could take advantage of your advises :)
Click to expand...

Why thank you! glad you like it.

I'd recommend any by Joyce, but for those just being introduced to him basics like "The Dubliners" or "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" would be best. I never recommend anyone launch into "Ulysses" unless they have the time to commit to it...but it is, IMHO (did you hear that Wabbit?) the finest novel ever. That said, I must I admit that I've made three attempts to get through "Finnegan's Wake" and I've failed each time, however, if I ever do scale that Mt. Everest of writing, it may replace "Ulysses" at the top of the list.

I'm sorry you don't like the title of the thread, but I was responding to those people who were, in other threads, asking for recommendations.
 
Locos sounds a little like 'Characters in search of an author', although that is play, not a novel. Are there any connections between them?
 
If I understand correctly, the basic reason for this thread is that some readers of mainly well known writers have asked for recommendations for ‘more off the beaten path’ authors. If so then I’ll add my own list of writers I think deserve a wider readership. Obviously this selection is just my opinion and I would be amazed if everyone liked the full list.
In each case I’ve included a link to the authors’ wikipedia page so you can read a little about them, and if interested use the links you find there to other more detailed fan sites. I’ve also included a link to the Amazon page for the one of their works; not necessarily their best, or my favourite, but one I think will be a good starting point. I choose amazon.com as it tends to have the largest number of reviews, so hopefully you get a few peoples impression of the author not just mine.
If anyone wants further recommendations from these authors or my impressions on them, to help you decide if you want to take the plunge, then feel free to ask.

Anyway, if you’re interested, here are twenty authors I think are worth searching out:

Jorge Luis Borges - Labyrinths

Mikhail Bulgakov - Heart Of A Dog

Karel Capek - Apocryphal Tales

John Fante - Ask The Dust

Nikolai Gogol - Dead Souls

Graham Greene - Our Man In Havana

Knut Hamsun - Hunger

Jaroslav Hasek - The Good Soldier Svejk

Bohumil Hrabal - I Served The King Of England

Ismail Kadare - Broken April

Franz Kafka - The Complete Short Stories

Halldor Laxness - The Fish Can Sing

Stanislaw Lem - Solaris

Primo Levi - The Drowned And The Saved

Yukio Mishima - The Sound Of Waves

Haruki Murakami - South Of The Border, West Of The Sea

Kenzaburo Oe - Nip The Buds, Shoot The Kids

Victor Pelevin - Omon Ra

Georges Perec - Life: A Users Manual

Vladimir Voinovich - The Adventures Of Private Ivan Chonkin
 
Stellar list, Irene. Stellar...

May add some in-put of my own? I'll take that as a 'yes'...

'Dubliners' is a great read. Anyone can appreciate the stories of everyday life. However, if you wish to peer further down rabbit's hole, then you will indeed find nuggets of gold and Brown...Maybe even Gordon Brown, who knows such things?

I would also like to nominate Joseph Conrad's 'Heart Of Darkness' and 'Lord Jim'; both excellent reads.

Finally, this idea that it's ok to read and enjoy something like 'The Da Vinci Code is...
 
Kenny Shovel said:
If I understand correctly, the basic reason for this thread is that some readers of mainly well known writers have asked for recommendations for ‘more off the beaten path’ authors. If so then I’ll add my own list of writers I think deserve a wider readership. Obviously this selection is just my opinion and I would be amazed if everyone liked the full list.
In each case I’ve included a link to the authors’ wikipedia page so you can read a little about them, and if interested use the links you find there to other more detailed fan sites. I’ve also included a link to the Amazon page for the one of their works; not necessarily their best, or my favourite, but one I think will be a good starting point. I choose amazon.com as it tends to have the largest number of reviews, so hopefully you get a few peoples impression of the author not just mine.
If anyone wants further recommendations from these authors or my impressions on them, to help you decide if you want to take the plunge, then feel free to ask.
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Well done, Mr. Shovel!
 
Ya Krunk'd Floo said:
Stellar list, Irene. Stellar...

May add some in-put of my own? I'll take that as a 'yes'...

'Dubliners' is a great read. Anyone can appreciate the stories of everyday life. However, if you wish to peer further down rabbit's hole, then you will indeed find nuggets of gold and Brown...Maybe even Gordon Brown, who knows such things?

I would also like to nominate Joseph Conrad's 'Heart Of Darkness' and 'Lord Jim'; both excellent reads.
Click to expand...

Can I add Conrad's "The Secret Agent" to your recommendation of "Heart of Darkness"? Thanks.
 
IMO, 'umble as it is, readers of Mr. Brown aren't likely to slide into Joyce, Steinbeck or most of the others you mentioned. This isn't to say anyone is stupid, or anything along that tangent. but it's like saying if you like Jerry Bruckheimer movies you would like Atom Egoyan's films. Doesn't compute. One can like both but making the connection is tough for me to do. Maybe I just lack imagination.
 
ions said:
IMO, 'umble as it is, readers of Mr. Brown aren't likely to slide into Joyce, Steinbeck or most of the others you mentioned. This isn't to say anyone is stupid, or anything along that tangent. but it's like saying if you like Jerry Bruckheimer movies you would like Atom Egoyan's films. Doesn't compute. One can like both but making the connection is tough for me to do. Maybe I just lack imagination.
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As someone who can get a harmless giggle out of Bruckheimer film and still appreciate Atom Egoyan (or Jim Jarmusch or the Coen Brothers or Akira Kurosawa), I guess I have to, very humbly, disagree with you. This thread was started for people who were asking for alternatives and not one of them has said (yet), "I don't get it" or "I don't like these writers." The only options I could offer were the authors that I've read and liked, and others have added to that list.
 
ions said:
IMO, 'umble as it is, readers of Mr. Brown aren't likely to slide into Joyce, Steinbeck or most of the others you mentioned. This isn't to say anyone is stupid, or anything along that tangent. but it's like saying if you like Jerry Bruckheimer movies you would like Atom Egoyan's films. Doesn't compute. One can like both but making the connection is tough for me to do. Maybe I just lack imagination.
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i hope you are not sticking to that
otherwise you are missing a lot of good stuff
remember variety gives flavor to life
its like movies, you can love the clasics like gone with the wind or casablanca, but still every then and now be in the mood for a really bad horror movie, or and stupid comedy with lots of toilet humor
 
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