The Doogster
New Member
Hi folks
I'd be interested if anyone has any recommendations for unknown literary masterpieces. Here's a short list of my favourites:
1) "When the tree sings" by Stratis Haviaras (1979). Hands down, this is my favourite unknown book. It is apparently out of print, which astounds me. It is set in Greece in WWII, but it is in no way a war novel. It's a coming of age story set to the backdrop of turbulent times. It has a wonderful, naive feeling to it, combined with a lyrical style. Sumptuous.
2) "Le Grand Meaulnes" by Alain-Fourier - trans by Frank Davison (1913). This is a dreamy novel about the transition to adulthood. It is romantic without being a romance novel (yech!). It magically captures that difficult period in all our lives where we struggle to find where we fit into the world.
3) "The Blind Owl" by Sadegh Hedayat- trans by D. Costello (1957). Hedayat was friend of Satre which should give you some idea of what this novel is about. It's like an opium-induced hallucination (not that I have any experience of such). If you liked Hermann Hesse's "Sidharta" you will like this novel.
4) "The Asiatics" by Frederic Prokosch (1935). An exotic, moody and sensual tale of the wanderings of a young American traveller throughout Asia in the early part of the twentieth century.
5) "Greenvoe" by George Mackay Brown (1972). From the pen of the Orkneys' greatest writer, this novel is a paean to the lives of the inhabitants of a small fishing island. It has an understated pastoral quality to its style.
I guarantee that anyone who loves good writing will not be disappointed by the above books.
I'd love to hear of anyone else's unknown masterpieces.
Regards
The Doogster
I'd be interested if anyone has any recommendations for unknown literary masterpieces. Here's a short list of my favourites:
1) "When the tree sings" by Stratis Haviaras (1979). Hands down, this is my favourite unknown book. It is apparently out of print, which astounds me. It is set in Greece in WWII, but it is in no way a war novel. It's a coming of age story set to the backdrop of turbulent times. It has a wonderful, naive feeling to it, combined with a lyrical style. Sumptuous.
2) "Le Grand Meaulnes" by Alain-Fourier - trans by Frank Davison (1913). This is a dreamy novel about the transition to adulthood. It is romantic without being a romance novel (yech!). It magically captures that difficult period in all our lives where we struggle to find where we fit into the world.
3) "The Blind Owl" by Sadegh Hedayat- trans by D. Costello (1957). Hedayat was friend of Satre which should give you some idea of what this novel is about. It's like an opium-induced hallucination (not that I have any experience of such). If you liked Hermann Hesse's "Sidharta" you will like this novel.
4) "The Asiatics" by Frederic Prokosch (1935). An exotic, moody and sensual tale of the wanderings of a young American traveller throughout Asia in the early part of the twentieth century.
5) "Greenvoe" by George Mackay Brown (1972). From the pen of the Orkneys' greatest writer, this novel is a paean to the lives of the inhabitants of a small fishing island. It has an understated pastoral quality to its style.
I guarantee that anyone who loves good writing will not be disappointed by the above books.
I'd love to hear of anyone else's unknown masterpieces.
Regards
The Doogster
Also, your contributions were new to us. Thanks for them!
