I was thrilled when you mentioned “Malgudi Day.” I've not only read the three books you mentioned in this collection but also every book R.K. Narayan has written, multiple times. As an Indian, I deeply admire his ability to bring alive the humanity of characters and village life, as you mentioned. His portrayal of characters is remarkably kind and beautiful. Allow me to recommend a book that always stays by my bedside, “The Dark Room.” It delves into the plight of middle-class Indian women, offering profound insights. And then there's “The Guide,” which beautifully illustrates that there's neither absolute right nor wrong. It portrays the imperfection of humanity, yet highlights how we can tap into our innate goodness when someone believes in us. I'm confident you'll find these novels enjoyable." As for Naipaul’s "A House for Mr. Biswas," it resonates with India's post-colonial journey towards independence. There's a striking parallel between Mohan Biswas and India itself. Like Biswas, who eventually secures a home albeit in a dilapidated state, it speaks volumes about Naipaul’s nuanced depiction of India's struggles.
I had almost a heart attack when the video started and you mentioned Martín Rivas!!!! 🤯 I'm Chilean and never in a million years would I have expected to hear about this great novel on an anglophone TH-cam channel. By the way, Martín Rivas seems at first to be a romantic novel with class issues but it is also mostly a tale about politics, about our willingness to stand against social injustice. Kind of a Trollope's novel. I totally recommend it!!! Now, I teach Japanese Classical Literature (and have a channel about it but sadly in Spanish), so Botchan is not in my period, so to speak, but what I can tell you is that it's a "chuuhen shousetsu", a novella or a short novel. Regarding the pronunciation of Soseki, the rule with the Japanese Language is that the consonants are like in English and the vowels like in Spanish, so it is "SO (as in sauce) SE (as in senator) and KI (as in kitchen). Great video and wonderful the "outside the box" recommendations 😉
@@LarryKnipfing Exactly, but depending on the language that you speak you could pronounce it differently. For example, we in Spanish pronounce it fairly similarly, but someone who speaks in English could say it slightly differently. Besides, the 'so' in Soseki is an elongated vowel, it spells そう, so I thought that 'sauce' was a good example since it's pronounced 'saws' 😉
It’s fantastic to be introduced to non European classics. I currently live in Asia and I see so many “unknown” works. These are known to Asians but we unwittingly are locked into our culture. South Asia has a rich literary heritage. Many Booker Prize winners and well deserved.
Another wonderful video, as always! One that made me consider just how many massive blind spots I have in my reading. Africa, India, Latin America, East Asia, indigenous North America.. it makes me wonder how much beautiful literature I’ve been missing out on. But as per usual, you widen our lenses, Tristan :)
I feel to a significant extent that literature is a collective pursuit, that it is humanity trying to understand itself and the world it inhabits by exchanging ideas and forming them into stories that are built on the shoulders of one another. I almost feel dutybound to explore global literature and not be confined to the West, and I very much appreciate this video for its recommendations!
I've just recently discovered your channel and I've already listed a couple of books to read according to your recommendations. Thank you. I'm from Poland, not from Argentina, but I feel like in the nineties and the eighties in the last century Hopscotch was kind of a household name here. I read it in high school then (90') and when I went to the university almost everyone I met had read it and had an opinion on it. For me it is still one of the best of the books I ever encountered. It is still in print in Poland, I bought a new copy of Polish translation last year. For me it is a book less about story and different stories we may find and experience with different readings, but more about various games people play or choose to play while interacting with others. "Game" in this novel is a recurrent motive, in almost each and every little chapter it appears, sometimes as a wordplay, sometimes as a puzzle for a reader (like with the chapter when each odd line tells different story than the even one), sometimes as an inventive pastime entertainment for the characters. More often than not it is a game of rebellion, of challenging the rules of cold, dull and indifferent society, the way of the sixties hippie contestation challenging the society rules did. One cannot stop being in awe how this "game" leitmotive is carefully and intricately crafted and how well it works on many levels. Almost as if the whole world was a big game, with its wonders, surprises and magic. As I was skipping through my new copy of it, I also noticed that this book is very poetic in nature, maybe that's what's the main reason for its appeal - each chapter can be read as a poem with poetic imagery abound. Greetings from Poland and a happy new year, Tristan.
Tristan, I have just found your channel and am absolutely enthralled. Your book descriptions and obvious joy have fanned the flames of my already considerable love of reading. The suggestions are opening up a whole new world of literature that I can’t wait to discover. I’m not sure if you ever do Q&A, but I would love to know how many hours a day do you read (for pleasure) and how do you create the time to read? Happy New Year to you and yours.
A House for Mr Biswas is outstanding mate. Gets very boring at times, but thats sort of the point. You can also learn a lot in the book about the indian immigrant experience. We can be very small minded at times, in a state of limbo not being truly at-home anywhere, and reading mr biswas seemed to confirm a lot of that. Really great book
I have read about 40 Japanese books and The Makioka Sisters is my top favourite with The Sound of Waves by Mishima as my second. I have it as one of my goals to read more translated and non-European classics this year so I have added lots from this video!
Great video! I'm so happy you mentioned Brazilian literature! Machado de Assis is a genius!! If you haven't already, you should try reading other great authors like José de Alencar, Clarice Lispector and Jorge Amado.
@@anaori2173 Of course! Machado de Assis: Dom Casmurro, Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas (both he mentions in the video) José de Alencar: Senhora - Profile of a Woman Aluísio Azevedo: The Slum Jorge Amado: Captains of the Sand, Dona Flor and her Two Husbands, Gabriela Clove and Cinnamon Clarice Lispector: Near to the Wild Heart, Family Ties These are the ones that I’ve read and loved, my favorites being Posthumous Memoirs and Senhora 😉
@@karynafontes* missing Jose Geraldo Vieira. A true literary giant, unfortunately forgotten, since the Paulo Freire way of schooling went away from the true giants for more mundane and “revolutionary” lit
@@Dias_De_Noe No, i didn't forget about him. I just mentioned authors that are more well-known and whose books can be found in english, since this is an english channel. I know Jose Geraldo Vieira was a translator, but I don't think any of his works were published outside of Brazil. I could be wrong.
The Marioka Sisters has been waiting for me to get around to it for a while now. Maybe this year is the year! I read a lot of Japanese fiction. I can attest to the fact that they have a rich and still thriving literary tradition. My reading includes many of the post WWII classics to current writers. And though. I love and admire his work very much, there’s more to Japanese literature than just Haruki Murakami, kids! I humbly submit the list below. Most are shorter works, because I hope that some of you will give them a try and get hooked and pursue Japanese literature more deeply! Classic authors: Thousand Cranes by Yasunari Kawabata. A young man grapples with his father’s inheritance and, since this is post WWII, inheritance has broad implications. Beautiful, detailed prose! The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With the Sea by Yukio Mishima. The title is misleading as they couldn’t find an apt translation from the Japanese title. This novella is very tragic. The Woman in the Dunes by Kobo Abe. A man goes for a visit to the seaside and becomes imprisoned with the title character. Very Kafkaesque! The Setting Sun by Osamu Dazai. If Abe’s work recalls Kafka, then Dazai's works recall Dostoevsky. Not in style, but in the striving of his characters to achieve moral clarity. Heavy, but good. A Personal Matter by Kenzaburo Oe. This, like The Setting Sun is very existential in outlook, but more like Camus than Dostoevsky. A man grapples with how to proceed with his marriage and the birth of his son. Current Authors: The Diving Pool by Yoko Ogawa. A collection of her short stories. It gives you a good indication of just how great a writer she is, I love all her stuff! At the Edge of the Woods by Masatsugu Ono. A surreal Father/Son journey in to the unknown. Almost has a fairy tale atmosphere. Very well written. The Ten Loves of Nishino by Hiromi Kawakami. Lest I be accused of being a Debbie Downer, here’s some more light-hearted fare. It follows the exploits of Nishino, who loved not only all too often, but also all too well. Not as glib as it sounds since his former lovers provide the narrative. All the Lovers in the Night by Meiko Kawakami. This book goes into a fairly common theme of younger Japanese citizens - how to balance work with one’s personal life and not betray their culture of loyalty and obedience. Some very beautiful passages and it’s quite a journey for a short novel.
Thank you for the list! Definitely going to check out some of these. Have you seen the movie adaptation of The Woman in the Dunes? It's a favorite of mine.
@@zoer8744 Oh, I'll definitely check out the film adaptation of The Woman in the Dunes. I didn't realize there was a film made. It will be interesting to see what they did with it.
Perfect timing! I just finished Crime and Punishment, and am currently reading Solzhenitsyn short stories. I’m ready to move beyond European and American writers. Thank you, Tristan!
Another comment about classical literature - I am very surprised that none of he book-tubers who love classics ever recommend or discuss anything by Robertson Davies. Known as a man with a prodigious intellect and a sharp insight into the human condition and character. I think his three trilogies are superb and should feature on everybody’s best of the classics lists. The Salterton Trilogy is my much-read favourite and I would heartily recommend it as a “ Davies starter”. It hilariously portrays village life in Salterton: The village drama society puts on an outdoor version of Twelfth Night (book 1) , a spate of poison pen letters causes ructions in the village (book 2) and a spiteful inheritance substantially and dramatically impacts the lives of some of the villagers (book 3).
Great choice! He is my favourite author and I have all his novels in hardcover, and Fifth Business is probably my favourite novel of all time! I also have many of his non-fiction and essays.
He's not my favourite author, or even my favourite non- British author, as that is Tolstoy, but Robertson Davies is a great and underrated currently writer. I have read all his books, and love his clever writing.
Robertson Davies is Canadian but with marked British influence on his writing - so I doubt he qualifies for this list. Great author that he is, more prosaic and imaginative Canadian authors abound; Gabrielle Roy, Emily Carr, Farley Mowat, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Mordecai Richler, Rohinton Minstry, Marie-Claire Blais, Pierre Berton (you haven't lived until you read The Secret World of Og) - to name but a scant few from decades ago... there was no need to mention our treasured Atwood, for surely you have at least already read Handmaid's Tale (which is nowhere near her best work... think classics like Cat's Eye, The Edible Woman... then there's her non-fiction...)🇨🇦
@@knitnkitten Hello, I've been reading for decades; many of the authors listed are excellent! I've read most of Atwood's fiction and just finished Year of the Flood; I own a copy of Berton's classic children's tale and love it and have all of the authors you mention - and own many of their works- with the exception of Blais who i have never read. Personally, while I think Atwood is the stellar writer, I think the only person who approaches Davies level of sophistication, is perhaps Berton (in the non-fiction realm). There is an author named Saul Bellow (technically 1/2 American 1/2 Canadian) who approaches Davies' fiction even more so than Richler. As an aside, outside of LM Montgomery, I'd say my favorite Canadian female writer is the other Margaret: Laurence. For simple writing, no one in Canada beats Leacock. Rohinton's a Fine Balance is one of my desert island books and I own a 1st ed. hard copy! Also, "prosaic" means dull or ordinary so perhaps that is not the word you mean to describe the authors you mentioned.
Thank you for this! It’s so nice to see books from other continents being featured. Nothing against European literature, I was raised on it, but I appreciate you highlighting great work from other continents because they are equally interesting and much less known and discussed.
Loved this so much! I am already overwhelmed by the breadth of literature in the western canon that I want to read that I rarely think beyond that. This seems be a manageable list of great reads I'd never have even looked for without some help. Thanks for sharing! Silence is definitely going on my 2024 list. I go to a non denominational church of Christ that has members from many different cultures and countries. We have a lot in common spiritually as we follow Jesus and the same Bible (and it's a local body that's very invested in developing our small group relationships outside of Sunday worship -- very loving people), but it's hard to crack the cultural barriers when there's so little time. This made me think -- what if I asked them for literary recommendations? Books written by authors from their own countries or cultures? It could lead to some good conversations. Some of these women I've known for 20 years, but I don't know much about their lives before coming to the U.S. It never crossed my mind until I watched this. ❤ I have a friend from Trinidad, another from Laos, and another from the Congo. Maybe I can start there.
Great list! Can't wait to read these works. I'd also include Achebe and Pamuk on the list. I'm sure there are a lot more, and it's great you made this list and did the research.
This is a great list - I remembering hearing about most of these, but have read none, and have ebooks of several. Flagging them for 2024 consideration. Thanks!
That was fascinating, thank you. I hope others comment who have read these novels as I confess I'm 0 for 12 although I've read a bit of world lit. I did locate Samskara and Hopskotch on my library ebook app. I'm particularly interested in those but the others sound intriguing. I will also add that in the US if your local library has only limited resources, there are major libraries that for a nominal fee you can have access to their catalog. That has been a huge gift to me.
O drar! I have Never heard of Dom Casmurro. Thank you for bringing to our attention. Ive known exactly where to find my House for Mr Biswas and The Makioka Sisters, no more. The plot hinges on the tradition that the oldest sister must marry before the youngest can consider a suitor. 3 or 4? sisters, so tell that to human nature. Years ago I took my 9yo daughter to the film. She loved it and went on to work in Japan for a year. A wonderful family film and the novel can only be that much more!
Thank you for adding that info on the Makioka sisters, Mary. Great to know there is a film too. How lovely that it had such an affect on your daughter.
Last year I read Los de Abajo by Mariano Azuela. Set in the Mexican Revolution, it tells the story of a small group of soldiers and the nation defining battles they face. As the novel progresses we become more and more detached from our soldiers as they slowly lose the sanctity of life. And become detached from why they are fighting. A sweeping epic, I devoured it in one sitting!
Hello, Tristan! I am very late with this comment, but just wanted to let you know that Silence was my favorite book of 2023. I hope you love it as much as I did!
Hi Tristan, I am from Japan, we read Botchen in Middle school. In high school we read Kokoro also by Soseki. I personally highly recommend Kokoro. It was shocking when I first read it. The style of story telling is revolutionary. It shows the potential and power of literature.
We wouldn't teach the entire books in class, but at lease the assignment was to read the entire book. I still remember Kokoro was our summer break assignment. I remember we only did short section of Botchen. The opening of the book is very famous, I believe many Japanese memorize it. But there are also some books we taught entire books in school, for example, Rashomon, Run, Melos!. Interestingly, we read a lot of Hermann Hesse as well.@@LarryKnipfing
Hi Tristan! The only one that I heard is The Makioka sisters but haven't read it yet. All books sound interesting. Thanks for sharing this video. Wish you a happy New Year 😊
Hello Tristan, Totally enjoy your channel, have been following you fairly recently. Your recommendation list is wonderful. I have done Silence, Botchan a while ago and hoping to go into A House for Mr Biswas in 2024. If I may, I would love to add in your list with Han Su Yin’s And the Rain My Drink, set against a backdrop of Malaya (now Malaysia) during British Colonial in the late 1940s and 1950s dealing the left-wing rebels. Also, Kamala Markandaya’s Nectar in a Sieve exploring poverty in the rural of India after gaining independence from Britain. I feel that these authors were not given enough publicity but really, these were the hidden treasures waiting to be re-discovered. Meanwhile, I wish all the book lovers and ardent readers - happy reading in 2024!
Hello Tristan! I am from Argentina and I highly recomend reading Hopscotch, or Rayuela in Spanish. Just like you mention, there are two ways of reading the book. Loved it! You may also try reading Ernesto Sábato or Jorge Luis Borges, from Argentina too.
I've read Silence and Makioka Sisters. I thought both were terrific; I think you will like them both. Both present plenty to think about and opportunities to exercise empathy. Those without any religious or philosophical inclinations might find Silence a bit exasperating at times (maybe not. I look forward to peoples' thoughts). Most anyone will find it grim. The movie adaptation of MS is excellent (and different enough to make it worthwhile viewing); I look forward to checking out Scorsese's Silence, once I'm in the mood... Even more excited to check out some of these books, including three I've never heard of. Get to rescue Beautyful Ones from library storage.
Absolutely enjoyed this video!!! I love the way you speak about the books. I love reading classics, and I'm always looking for more recommandations from around the world. Suggestion : you could do a whole serie of video like this, focussing on lesser known literature : India, China, Arabic, Caribbean, etc. Love your videos!
I loved A House for Mr. Biswas, and have read it twice. It’s quite funny in a bitter sort of way, but the underlying themes are sad. I’m longing for a reread, but other books are calling. I have Dom Casmurro here and am hoping to get to it next year. And thanks for reminding me about The Makioka Sisters. I’d highly recommend Things Fall Apart if you haven’t read it. Very moving depiction of how one culture can overtake another.
I saw the movie Silence with Liam Neeson which was brutal based on the book you're reading. A House for Mr Biswas and the Promised Land intrigues me. I added The River Between by Ngugi wa Thiongo to 2024 TBR- I have the 5oth Anniversary edition.
Thank you so much for this video. I’m getting 4 of the books from the recommendations for now, and put a few more on my wishlist for later (including some from the comments). I’m definitely excited about reading books from around the world.
Excellent! Always worthwhile reading about how people from other cultures see the world. If you haven't already done it, how about doing the same for eastern European authors?
A great selection of books! Thanks for recommending Machado de Assis. I read both Bras Cubas and Dom Casmurro about 20 years ago (in German translation though), and to be honest, I don't remember anything about Dom Casmurro, whereas Bras Cubas is still very present in my memory. An extremely entertaining book! So maybe it's high time to give a 2nd read to Dom Casmurro in 2024! It's a pity I still haven't learned sufficient Portuguese to enjoy the original. Maybe that's another project for 2024 (or 2025)... 😉
I read A Grain of Wheat 4 or 5 years ago for a Global Modernism class. I don't remember specifics about the story, but it was a fairly easy read, and I loved it. I have another novel of Ngugi's waiting to be read, Petals of Blood. Anyone familiar with African colonial/postcolonial literature is familiar with Achebe's Things Fall Apart, I'm sure, but that one and Tayeb Salih's Season of Migration to the North are also incredible. The Makioka Sisters, Narayan's The English Teacher (part of the omnibus), and A House for Mr. Biswas are also on my TBR list, but I hadn't heard of the others--great suggestions!
Thank you for the list, Tristan! It will be interesting to get to know with some new authors, literature... Wish you Happy New 2024. year with a lot of reading and much health. Greetings from Croatia!😊
Hello Tristan! A new subscriber here from India. Since you seem to read a lot of non-Western books, you should check out Chowringhee by Shanker. It is a modern Bengali language Indian classic set in late 50s' Kolkata. It is set in a luxurious hotel with a myriad of characters whose lives have been beautifully portrayed.
Thank you for creating this video. I've read Ngugi Wa Thiong'o's nonfiction work, Decolonising the Mind. I purchased his book, The River Return, and intend to read his other fiction works. There's another book by the author Camara Laye titled The Radiance of the King. I love reading globally and lesser known writers that we haven't given our focus.
This video was such a delight, Tristan! A House for Mr. Biswas sounds highly intriguing, but it's the structure of Hopscotch that truly intrigues me. I find myself drawn to books that break the rules of writing or play with structure. Thank you for sharing these fascinating classics with us. ☺
I have just started The Beautyful Ones by Kwei Armah. I saw it on a doc still on iplayer about Africa writers. The Ngugi book, Ben Okri and Emcheta were also in it.
I haven’t read any of these yet! A house for Mr. Biswas is on my TBR shelf. Silence was made into a movie with Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver and it was so disturbing that I struggled to reconcile it in my brain for ages.
What a fantastic list! I try to read very widely, and I still only had heard of about half of those books! They are now *all* on my TBR! I have not actually read any of them, in spite of the fact that I own a copy of Hopscotch that has been staring at me from my bookshelves for years... The Makioka Sisters has been near the top of my 'get-to-soon' pile for quite a while, but last year I got sucked in by Genji, so I was a bit saturated by Japanese lit already! This year, I hope!
Two authors on my list are Aharon Appelfeld and Amos Oz. I realize Israeli authors are not very popular at the moment but they are great writers and should be read.
Thank you for the recommendations. I don't think current events should have any bearing on judging authors. It's not like international conflict is their fault. They are individuals with unique life experience and unique voices. That is all that matters to me.😀❤️
Another fabulous and thoughtful list of recs- definitely wrote a few down. Two on my own shelves are Many Lives by Kukrit Pramoj translated from the Thai, and as well the South African classic ‘Mhudi’ by Sol T Plaatje
Thanks for another thought provoking video. I’d love to read all of your recommendations but would have to drop something else. I would like to read A House for Mr Biswas first but will probably go with whichever books I can get hold of first.
I'm a great fan of Machado de Assis and have read almost all of his works that have been translated into English - EPITAPH FOR A SMALL WINNER and PHILOSOPHER OR DOG? are also excellent introductions to his work. Also a great fan of Narayan and have also read almost everything in English, including his travel diary, which is a hoot. As for the rest of the list, I've read HOPSCOTCH, HOUSE FOR MR BISWAS (I agree with another commentator that it's a bit dull at times), SILENCE, and THE BEAUTIFUL ONES. I'd also recommend from Africa Chinua Achebe, Emecheta, and Andre Brink; and from Australia, Bryce Courtenay (most well-known for his novel THE POWER OF ONE). And although the novels are not classics (yet), read some by Argentina's Cesar Aira and Mexico's Juan Pablo Villalobos.
Hullo Tristan sintata? Sounds wonderful. I've just finished Emile Zola germinal. Fantastic book. Not for the feint hearted though. Happy new year to you all
Great video… I’ve read silence a few years ago and it was a great read -the novel become a movie Directed by Martin Scorsese in 2016… I’ll also recommend : The Harafish by Naguib Mahfouz or his other novels like : Children of Gebelawi & Palace Walk . I also love and Highly recommend Osamu Dazai: No Longer Human and The Setting Sun .
One of my favorite writers from Africa is Kenyan Meja Mwangi who was recommended to me by a Kenyan friend. Try "Going Down River Road" and "The Cockroach Dance" and "Kill Me Quick".
Thanks for the list. A house to Mr. Biswas is in my TBR (in my shelf). Dom Casmurro ís a fabulous book and I quite happy to see that more and more people are discovering Machado de Assis. It is true that the question if Capitu cheated is a common question about the readers (and non readers - but knowing the question) of Machado de Assis.The other books goes to my Amazon list.
Great list, 🙏 thank you. I’ll definitely try to read some of them. Any recommendations from Arabic, Persian and Chinese authors? The only one I know is Kahlil Gibran (the Prophet) Happy New Year✨ everyone
Interesting list! I have a recommendation of my own to offer. The Peasants by Polish author Władysław Reymont is now available in a new English translation. It's on my "must read" list.
I have yet to hear you mention Paulo Coelho. Personally,I've read seven of his books and wonder if any of our friends here have read any of his novels ?
@tristantheclassics, After the "The Alchemist" I would add: " Veronika Decided to Die"; "Pilgrimage". However, to be honest I love all seven books I've read and intend to buy the remaining four. Sorry: "The Zahir" is great,too 🙂
PS: Remaining four of the ones I have list ,making eleven altogether. I think he wrote over 30 novels. So sorry about UT, it is really getting on my nerves.
Hi, thank you for this list! One small comment: is the David Mitchell holding The Makioka Sisters in such high esteem perhaps the novelist, and not the comedian? (It doesn’t lessen the point one bit, perhaps the opposite.) - Anna P
Re: Narayan, his stories are set in South India (it's been speculated it's heavily based on the city of Mysore) not North India. His story collection, Malgudi Days, is fantastic. His writing is very direct and deceptively simple. Malgudi Days was turned into a tv series for Indian tv and is available on TH-cam with subtitles. As an Indian, I'm always disappointed that so little of Indian literature never makes it out of India. Publishers tend to favor Indian writers in English, rather than make an effort to bring books from authors writing in one of the many Indian languages. There are plenty of publishers in India (especially the big name publishers such as Penguin and Harper Collins) translating regional fiction into English but almost none of that gets over to the West. So I was glad to see the Tamil writer Perumal Murugan get published and praised in the last few years. Having read his work since the mid-2000s, it's encouraging to see him, hopefully, get out to a wider audience.
Thank you for the correction on the location of the stories. An even bigger thank you for highlighting authors who write in the native languages. It is more powerful, I believe, to have something written in one's mother tongue and have it translated than to write in English to start with. Our mother tongue is the language of the heart and expresses emotions like no other can.😀🙏
As an addendum to my Read-Around-the-World project, I want to also read a book from each state/union territory in India, bonus if they're not originally written in English (though then I need to find translations!) . Where do you think I should sort Narayan's books? He was born in Tamil Nadu, but it sounds like maybe I should put them farther west in Bengaluru, where Mysore is located? Or am I thinking about this way too hard? 😂
I agree completely. If I can, I spend a month or two in India every year. I try to spend a lot of time browsing in book shops, and I’ve found it very rewarding.
As an American who wants to read more Indian literature, I wish more was available internationally, as well! I've read quite a bit of Tagore, Kalidasa's Sakuntala, and Satyajit Roy's Feluda stories. In English, Rohinton Mistry's A Fine Balance, Ghosh's The Hungry Tide, Roy's The God of Small Things, and Swarup's Q & A. I also have Vikram Seth's A Suitable Boy and some of R.K. Narayan's work waiting to be read. But beyond that, I'm pretty stumped on where to go. Do you have recommendations for other novels that I might find in English translation? I'll add Perumal Murugan to my list. When it comes to South India, I know next to nothing, just that Tamil has a rich classical literary tradition.
Rather amazing that this list does not contain "The Tale of Genji", generally considered to be the first novel ever written, and a great story to boot. Then there is "The One Thousand and One Nights", which contains stories from Arabic, Persian, and Indian culture that thoroughly worked their way into the Western imagination.
I have read Silence. Just know that it will stay with you on a deep level, forcing thoughts of morality and ethics in the setting of theology and religion that are difficult at best. What do we do when we call out to God and the answer is ... silence. Amazing book.
I'm always glad when Brazilian literature is mentioned! I would highly recommend trying out João Guimarães Rosa, in my opinion the greatest Brazilian writer ever. The only problem is that he is really really hard to translate. Translating his masterpiece "The Devil to Pay in the Backlands" ("Grande Sertão: Veredas" in the original) to English is as difficult a task as translating James Joyce's "Ulysses" to Portuguese. But in any case I would give it a try. I heard some translations are not really that bad, so if you speak other languages, check if there is some translation of his work. Guimarães Rosa himself was fluent in a bunch of languages and he gave his personal approval to both the German and the Italian translations made in his lifetime (I believe he liked the German one more, though). But honestly if you speak any romance language, I would try that. In any case, read João Guimarães Rosa, in any shape and form. He deserves all the attention in the world.
Latin America is America, too. But my main objection to this list is that they are almost all too recent for me to consider them classics. I think the only one I’ve read is Hopscotch, which I thought was excellent. I would have picked One Hundred Years of Solitude by Marquez, Ficcionnes by Borges, and Pedro Paramo by Juan Rulfo. The last is much less known, and it’s a shame because it’s wonderful.
You keep me on my toes, Duffy.😅❤️. Of course you are right, Latin America is America too. I was using the British colloquial for the United States of ... But I know you know that.😀 I have Paramo on my book wishlist. Now you have mentioned it also I shall have to get around to purchasing it. The only reason for leaving out Marquez and Borges was because of how well known they already are. My criteria for classics is pre 1980. Not completely arbitrary but not the most stringent of qualifications either. 😀👍❤️
@@tristanandtheclassics6538 I basically put the cutoff at 1959, my birth year. Anything that’s been done in my lifetime is more or less contemporary. Oh, and I assume Canada is also a part of your idea of America. Otherwise, Robertson Davies or Margaret Atwood might get a mention?
it was a truly diverse set of books, i feel when you try to read literary fiction now days, there are too much american fiction out there. This is good for the change.
I'm currently reading Noli Me Tangere (Touch me Not) by Jose Rizal that's a classic from the Philippines. On my mother's I'm Filipino and I'm trying to reading books about the Philippines. The author is a hero of the Philippines and this book got him in trouble. It's during the Colonization of the Philippines by the Spanish.
Ah, just found this great place! 😄 Here's a shout out for the hybrid Nagasaki born/British writer Kazuo Ishiguro, whose 'A Pale View of Hills', 'The Artist of the Floating World' and other works evoke Japan's post WWII world without need of risky translation. ('The Unconsoled' adds even more literary fusion haha!)
Several of these are on my tbr, but the only two I've read are Silence and Botchan. While not a riveting read, Silence had interesting historical elements and spiritual themes. Botchan really wasn't for me in the same way The Catcher in the Rye wasn't. 😅
I liked Botchan; the main character reminded me for some reason of Bertie Wooster only not quite as likable but still funny. Natsume Soseki is also the author of "I Am a Cat" written from the point of view of a snarky cat who comments on its observations of human behavior.
🎉Enjoyed The Posthumous Memoirs of Bras Cubas and the V.S. Naipaul A House for Mr. Bibas sounds interesting. Japanese authors, read 1Q84 by Murakari (or close), which was not short and interesting and have had A Man by Hirano in the stack for a long time. I'm sure I've read others that I did not keep on the shelf, thank you.🎉
No Bolaño? I'd consider 2666 or The Savage Detectives. Also would consider something by Gurnah and Namwali Serpell's The Old Drift. It's very new but Karunatilaka's The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida (Sri Lanka) is quite unique. Back to Chile, there's also Zambra, though admittedly I've only read one of his novels. Lastly, you HAVE TO have Clarice Lispector--something from her. I insist.
I've read "Dom Casmurro" as a teen, for school, and I hated it with every fiber or my being. 😄 I know I should reread it as an adult, but... not today. I have "Hopscotch" on my shelves, but still haven't read it - wanna read some more Borges before I try, since he's been an influence to Cortázar.
I was thrilled when you mentioned “Malgudi Day.” I've not only read the three books you mentioned in this collection but also every book R.K. Narayan has written, multiple times. As an Indian, I deeply admire his ability to bring alive the humanity of characters and village life, as you mentioned. His portrayal of characters is remarkably kind and beautiful. Allow me to recommend a book that always stays by my bedside, “The Dark Room.” It delves into the plight of middle-class Indian women, offering profound insights. And then there's “The Guide,” which beautifully illustrates that there's neither absolute right nor wrong. It portrays the imperfection of humanity, yet highlights how we can tap into our innate goodness when someone believes in us. I'm confident you'll find these novels enjoyable."
As for Naipaul’s "A House for Mr. Biswas," it resonates with India's post-colonial journey towards independence. There's a striking parallel between Mohan Biswas and India itself. Like Biswas, who eventually secures a home albeit in a dilapidated state, it speaks volumes about Naipaul’s nuanced depiction of India's struggles.
I had almost a heart attack when the video started and you mentioned Martín Rivas!!!! 🤯 I'm Chilean and never in a million years would I have expected to hear about this great novel on an anglophone TH-cam channel. By the way, Martín Rivas seems at first to be a romantic novel with class issues but it is also mostly a tale about politics, about our willingness to stand against social injustice. Kind of a Trollope's novel. I totally recommend it!!! Now, I teach Japanese Classical Literature (and have a channel about it but sadly in Spanish), so Botchan is not in my period, so to speak, but what I can tell you is that it's a "chuuhen shousetsu", a novella or a short novel. Regarding the pronunciation of Soseki, the rule with the Japanese Language is that the consonants are like in English and the vowels like in Spanish, so it is "SO (as in sauce) SE (as in senator) and KI (as in kitchen). Great video and wonderful the "outside the box" recommendations 😉
So is pronounced so in Japanese!
@@LarryKnipfing Exactly, but depending on the language that you speak you could pronounce it differently. For example, we in Spanish pronounce it fairly similarly, but someone who speaks in English could say it slightly differently. Besides, the 'so' in Soseki is an elongated vowel, it spells そう, so I thought that 'sauce' was a good example since it's pronounced 'saws' 😉
It’s fantastic to be introduced to non European classics. I currently live in Asia and I see so many “unknown” works. These are known to Asians but we unwittingly are locked into our culture. South Asia has a rich literary heritage. Many Booker Prize winners and well deserved.
Another wonderful video, as always! One that made me consider just how many massive blind spots I have in my reading. Africa, India, Latin America, East Asia, indigenous North America.. it makes me wonder how much beautiful literature I’ve been missing out on.
But as per usual, you widen our lenses, Tristan :)
How much beauty is out there indeed. It makes one wish it possible to read 100,000 words per minute.😀👍
I feel to a significant extent that literature is a collective pursuit, that it is humanity trying to understand itself and the world it inhabits by exchanging ideas and forming them into stories that are built on the shoulders of one another. I almost feel dutybound to explore global literature and not be confined to the West, and I very much appreciate this video for its recommendations!
I've just recently discovered your channel and I've already listed a couple of books to read according to your recommendations. Thank you. I'm from Poland, not from Argentina, but I feel like in the nineties and the eighties in the last century Hopscotch was kind of a household name here. I read it in high school then (90') and when I went to the university almost everyone I met had read it and had an opinion on it. For me it is still one of the best of the books I ever encountered. It is still in print in Poland, I bought a new copy of Polish translation last year.
For me it is a book less about story and different stories we may find and experience with different readings, but more about various games people play or choose to play while interacting with others. "Game" in this novel is a recurrent motive, in almost each and every little chapter it appears, sometimes as a wordplay, sometimes as a puzzle for a reader (like with the chapter when each odd line tells different story than the even one), sometimes as an inventive pastime entertainment for the characters. More often than not it is a game of rebellion, of challenging the rules of cold, dull and indifferent society, the way of the sixties hippie contestation challenging the society rules did. One cannot stop being in awe how this "game" leitmotive is carefully and intricately crafted and how well it works on many levels. Almost as if the whole world was a big game, with its wonders, surprises and magic.
As I was skipping through my new copy of it, I also noticed that this book is very poetic in nature, maybe that's what's the main reason for its appeal - each chapter can be read as a poem with poetic imagery abound.
Greetings from Poland and a happy new year, Tristan.
Tristan, I have just found your channel and am absolutely enthralled. Your book descriptions and obvious joy have fanned the flames of my already considerable love of reading. The suggestions are opening up a whole new world of literature that I can’t wait to discover. I’m not sure if you ever do Q&A, but I would love to know how many hours a day do you read (for pleasure) and how do you create the time to read? Happy New Year to you and yours.
A House for Mr Biswas is outstanding mate. Gets very boring at times, but thats sort of the point. You can also learn a lot in the book about the indian immigrant experience. We can be very small minded at times, in a state of limbo not being truly at-home anywhere, and reading mr biswas seemed to confirm a lot of that. Really great book
I have read about 40 Japanese books and The Makioka Sisters is my top favourite with The Sound of Waves by Mishima as my second. I have it as one of my goals to read more translated and non-European classics this year so I have added lots from this video!
An other great list of classics! Thanks for your recommendations.
Great video! I'm so happy you mentioned Brazilian literature! Machado de Assis is a genius!! If you haven't already, you should try reading other great authors like José de Alencar, Clarice Lispector and Jorge Amado.
Hi 😊, can you recommend some titles pls from these 🇧🇷 authors?
@@anaori2173 Of course!
Machado de Assis: Dom Casmurro, Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas (both he mentions in the video)
José de Alencar: Senhora - Profile of a Woman
Aluísio Azevedo: The Slum
Jorge Amado: Captains of the Sand, Dona Flor and her Two Husbands, Gabriela Clove and Cinnamon
Clarice Lispector: Near to the Wild Heart, Family Ties
These are the ones that I’ve read and loved, my favorites being Posthumous Memoirs and Senhora 😉
@@karynafontes* missing Jose Geraldo Vieira.
A true literary giant, unfortunately forgotten, since the Paulo Freire way of schooling went away from the true giants for more mundane and “revolutionary” lit
@@Dias_De_Noe No, i didn't forget about him. I just mentioned authors that are more well-known and whose books can be found in english, since this is an english channel. I know Jose Geraldo Vieira was a translator, but I don't think any of his works were published outside of Brazil. I could be wrong.
The Marioka Sisters has been waiting for me to get around to it for a while now. Maybe this year is the year! I read a lot of Japanese fiction. I can attest to the fact that they have a rich and still thriving literary tradition. My reading includes many of the post WWII classics to current writers. And though. I love and admire his work very much, there’s more to Japanese literature than just Haruki Murakami, kids! I humbly submit the list below. Most are shorter works, because I hope that some of you will give them a try and get hooked and pursue Japanese literature more deeply!
Classic authors:
Thousand Cranes by Yasunari Kawabata. A young man grapples with his father’s inheritance and, since this is post WWII, inheritance has broad implications. Beautiful, detailed prose!
The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With the Sea by Yukio Mishima. The title is misleading as they couldn’t find an apt translation from the Japanese title. This novella is very tragic.
The Woman in the Dunes by Kobo Abe. A man goes for a visit to the seaside and becomes imprisoned with the title character. Very Kafkaesque!
The Setting Sun by Osamu Dazai. If Abe’s work recalls Kafka, then Dazai's works recall Dostoevsky. Not in style, but in the striving of his characters to achieve moral clarity. Heavy, but good.
A Personal Matter by Kenzaburo Oe. This, like The Setting Sun is very existential in outlook, but more like Camus than Dostoevsky. A man grapples with how to proceed with his marriage and the birth of his son.
Current Authors:
The Diving Pool by Yoko Ogawa. A collection of her short stories. It gives you a good indication of just how great a writer she is, I love all her stuff!
At the Edge of the Woods by Masatsugu Ono. A surreal Father/Son journey in to the unknown. Almost has a fairy tale atmosphere. Very well written.
The Ten Loves of Nishino by Hiromi Kawakami. Lest I be accused of being a Debbie Downer, here’s some more light-hearted fare. It follows the exploits of Nishino, who loved not only all too often, but also all too well. Not as glib as it sounds since his former lovers provide the narrative.
All the Lovers in the Night by Meiko Kawakami. This book goes into a fairly common theme of younger Japanese citizens - how to balance work with one’s personal life and not betray their culture of loyalty and obedience. Some very beautiful passages and it’s quite a journey for a short novel.
Thank you for the list! Definitely going to check out some of these. Have you seen the movie adaptation of The Woman in the Dunes? It's a favorite of mine.
@@zoer8744 Oh, I'll definitely check out the film adaptation of The Woman in the Dunes. I didn't realize there was a film made. It will be interesting to see what they did with it.
Like your description of Kenzaburo Oe's 'A Personal Matter'. It's on my multiple reread shelf.
much love from Brazil 💚💛💙
Great list! I also loved Snow Country by Yasunari Kavabata
Perfect timing! I just finished Crime and Punishment, and am currently reading Solzhenitsyn short stories. I’m ready to move beyond European and American writers. Thank you, Tristan!
I recommend Sasha Sokolov 'A School for Fools'!!
Another comment about classical literature - I am very surprised that none of he book-tubers who love classics ever recommend or discuss anything by Robertson Davies. Known as a man with a prodigious intellect and a sharp insight into the human condition and character. I think his three trilogies are superb and should feature on everybody’s best of the classics lists. The Salterton Trilogy is my much-read favourite and I would heartily recommend it as a “ Davies starter”. It hilariously portrays village life in Salterton: The village drama society puts on an outdoor version of Twelfth Night (book 1) , a spate of poison pen letters causes ructions in the village (book 2) and a spiteful inheritance substantially and dramatically impacts the lives of some of the villagers (book 3).
Thank you for the recommendation 😊
Great choice! He is my favourite author and I have all his novels in hardcover, and Fifth Business is probably my favourite novel of all time! I also have many of his non-fiction and essays.
He's not my favourite author, or even my favourite non- British author, as that is Tolstoy, but Robertson Davies is a great and underrated currently writer. I have read all his books, and love his clever writing.
Robertson Davies is Canadian but with marked British influence on his writing - so I doubt he qualifies for this list. Great author that he is, more prosaic and imaginative Canadian authors abound; Gabrielle Roy, Emily Carr, Farley Mowat, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Mordecai Richler, Rohinton Minstry, Marie-Claire Blais, Pierre Berton (you haven't lived until you read The Secret World of Og) - to name but a scant few from decades ago... there was no need to mention our treasured Atwood, for surely you have at least already read Handmaid's Tale (which is nowhere near her best work... think classics like Cat's Eye, The Edible Woman... then there's her non-fiction...)🇨🇦
@@knitnkitten Hello, I've been reading for decades; many of the authors listed are excellent! I've read most of Atwood's fiction and just finished Year of the Flood; I own a copy of Berton's classic children's tale and love it and have all of the authors you mention - and own many of their works- with the exception of Blais who i have never read. Personally, while I think Atwood is the stellar writer, I think the only person who approaches Davies level of sophistication, is perhaps Berton (in the non-fiction realm). There is an author named Saul Bellow (technically 1/2 American 1/2 Canadian) who approaches Davies' fiction even more so than Richler. As an aside, outside of LM Montgomery, I'd say my favorite Canadian female writer is the other Margaret: Laurence. For simple writing, no one in Canada beats Leacock. Rohinton's a Fine Balance is one of my desert island books and I own a 1st ed. hard copy! Also, "prosaic" means dull or ordinary so perhaps that is not the word you mean to describe the authors you mentioned.
Thank you for this! It’s so nice to see books from other continents being featured. Nothing against European literature, I was raised on it, but I appreciate you highlighting great work from other continents because they are equally interesting and much less known and discussed.
Great timing! Tristan, you never disappoint! Thank you so much for the variety (more than one rec from the same region).
A couple of very enticing titles here that I am adding to my 2024 TBR list - thanks Tristan
Can’t wait to start The Makioka Sisters. Great video!
Loved this so much! I am already overwhelmed by the breadth of literature in the western canon that I want to read that I rarely think beyond that. This seems be a manageable list of great reads I'd never have even looked for without some help. Thanks for sharing! Silence is definitely going on my 2024 list.
I go to a non denominational church of Christ that has members from many different cultures and countries. We have a lot in common spiritually as we follow Jesus and the same Bible (and it's a local body that's very invested in developing our small group relationships outside of Sunday worship -- very loving people), but it's hard to crack the cultural barriers when there's so little time. This made me think -- what if I asked them for literary recommendations? Books written by authors from their own countries or cultures? It could lead to some good conversations. Some of these women I've known for 20 years, but I don't know much about their lives before coming to the U.S. It never crossed my mind until I watched this. ❤ I have a friend from Trinidad, another from Laos, and another from the Congo. Maybe I can start there.
Great list! Can't wait to read these works. I'd also include Achebe and Pamuk on the list. I'm sure there are a lot more, and it's great you made this list and did the research.
I'm on my 6th year of reading a book set in every country - minimum goal of 1 per continent a year - but I haven't read these yet.
Intriguing list.
This is a great list - I remembering hearing about most of these, but have read none, and have ebooks of several. Flagging them for 2024 consideration. Thanks!
That was fascinating, thank you. I hope others comment who have read these novels as I confess I'm 0 for 12 although I've read a bit of world lit. I did locate Samskara and Hopskotch on my library ebook app. I'm particularly interested in those but the others sound intriguing. I will also add that in the US if your local library has only limited resources, there are major libraries that for a nominal fee you can have access to their catalog. That has been a huge gift to me.
O drar! I have Never heard of Dom Casmurro. Thank you for bringing to our attention. Ive known exactly where to find my House for Mr Biswas and The Makioka Sisters, no more. The plot hinges on the tradition that the oldest sister must marry before the youngest can consider a suitor. 3 or 4? sisters, so tell that to human nature. Years ago I took my 9yo daughter to the film. She loved it and went on to work in Japan for a year. A wonderful family film and the novel can only be that much more!
Thank you for adding that info on the Makioka sisters, Mary. Great to know there is a film too. How lovely that it had such an affect on your daughter.
Really outstanding content-thanks!!!!!!!
Last year I read Los de Abajo by Mariano Azuela. Set in the Mexican Revolution, it tells the story of a small group of soldiers and the nation defining battles they face. As the novel progresses we become more and more detached from our soldiers as they slowly lose the sanctity of life. And become detached from why they are fighting. A sweeping epic, I devoured it in one sitting!
Hello, Tristan! I am very late with this comment, but just wanted to let you know that Silence was my favorite book of 2023. I hope you love it as much as I did!
The Makioka Sisters is on my 2024 possibilities list. Your discussion just makes me look forward to it even more! Thank you.
Actually, yI just put them. back on my tbr-pile. Started it some years ago, but gave up, but now I do wqnt to read it.
Hi Tristan, I am from Japan, we read Botchen in Middle school. In high school we read Kokoro also by Soseki. I personally highly recommend Kokoro. It was shocking when I first read it. The style of story telling is revolutionary. It shows the potential and power of literature.
Do the students in Japan read the entire books, or just short sections?
We wouldn't teach the entire books in class, but at lease the assignment was to read the entire book. I still remember Kokoro was our summer break assignment. I remember we only did short section of Botchen. The opening of the book is very famous, I believe many Japanese memorize it. But there are also some books we taught entire books in school, for example, Rashomon, Run, Melos!. Interestingly, we read a lot of Hermann Hesse as well.@@LarryKnipfing
As a school teacher myself, Bochan cracked me up.
Hi Tristan! The only one that I heard is The Makioka sisters but haven't read it yet. All books sound interesting. Thanks for sharing this video.
Wish you a happy New Year 😊
Hello Tristan,
Totally enjoy your channel, have been following you fairly recently. Your recommendation list is wonderful. I have done Silence, Botchan a while ago and hoping to go into A House for Mr Biswas in 2024.
If I may, I would love to add in your list with Han Su Yin’s And the Rain My Drink, set against a backdrop of Malaya (now Malaysia) during British Colonial in the late 1940s and 1950s dealing the left-wing rebels. Also, Kamala Markandaya’s Nectar in a Sieve exploring poverty in the rural of India after gaining independence from Britain. I feel that these authors were not given enough publicity but really, these were the hidden treasures waiting to be re-discovered.
Meanwhile, I wish all the book lovers and ardent readers - happy reading in 2024!
Great list.I am looking forward to read A House for Mr.Biswas, since I have read A Bend in the River and it was a experience.
Thank you Tristan. My best wishes for a wonderful 2024!
Another amazing video! Thank you for all the work you put into finding very interesting literature!
Hello Tristan! I am from Argentina and I highly recomend reading Hopscotch, or Rayuela in Spanish. Just like you mention, there are two ways of reading the book. Loved it! You may also try reading Ernesto Sábato or Jorge Luis Borges, from Argentina too.
I've read Silence and Makioka Sisters. I thought both were terrific; I think you will like them both. Both present plenty to think about and opportunities to exercise empathy. Those without any religious or philosophical inclinations might find Silence a bit exasperating at times (maybe not. I look forward to peoples' thoughts). Most anyone will find it grim. The movie adaptation of MS is excellent (and different enough to make it worthwhile viewing); I look forward to checking out Scorsese's Silence, once I'm in the mood... Even more excited to check out some of these books, including three I've never heard of. Get to rescue Beautyful Ones from library storage.
Very interesting, happy new year !!
Absolutely enjoyed this video!!! I love the way you speak about the books. I love reading classics, and I'm always looking for more recommandations from around the world. Suggestion : you could do a whole serie of video like this, focussing on lesser known literature : India, China, Arabic, Caribbean, etc. Love your videos!
Happy New Year everyone! Some of this books I read, some of them own and will read and the rest will try to find. Love this video, thanks Tristan!
I loved A House for Mr. Biswas, and have read it twice. It’s quite funny in a bitter sort of way, but the underlying themes are sad. I’m longing for a reread, but other books are calling. I have Dom Casmurro here and am hoping to get to it next year. And thanks for reminding me about The Makioka Sisters. I’d highly recommend Things Fall Apart if you haven’t read it. Very moving depiction of how one culture can overtake another.
I saw the movie Silence with Liam Neeson which was brutal based on the book you're reading. A House for Mr Biswas and the Promised Land intrigues me. I added The River Between by Ngugi wa Thiongo to 2024 TBR- I have the 5oth Anniversary edition.
Absolutely stellar selection! 3 I haven't read, but this video is a reminder to get around to them. Thanks.
You should also add Soseki's "Kokoro" on your list as well. Fantastic (and dark) novel.
Thank you so much for this video. I’m getting 4 of the books from the recommendations for now, and put a few more on my wishlist for later (including some from the comments). I’m definitely excited about reading books from around the world.
Excellent! Always worthwhile reading about how people from other cultures see the world. If you haven't already done it, how about doing the same for eastern European authors?
A great selection of books! Thanks for recommending Machado de Assis. I read both Bras Cubas and Dom Casmurro about 20 years ago (in German translation though), and to be honest, I don't remember anything about Dom Casmurro, whereas Bras Cubas is still very present in my memory. An extremely entertaining book! So maybe it's high time to give a 2nd read to Dom Casmurro in 2024! It's a pity I still haven't learned sufficient Portuguese to enjoy the original. Maybe that's another project for 2024 (or 2025)... 😉
Malgudi days is a classic from India. I will also recommend 'White Tiger' by Aravind Adiga. Won him the Booker.
Yes!! White Tiger, read and reread.. and reread!
I read A Grain of Wheat 4 or 5 years ago for a Global Modernism class. I don't remember specifics about the story, but it was a fairly easy read, and I loved it. I have another novel of Ngugi's waiting to be read, Petals of Blood. Anyone familiar with African colonial/postcolonial literature is familiar with Achebe's Things Fall Apart, I'm sure, but that one and Tayeb Salih's Season of Migration to the North are also incredible.
The Makioka Sisters, Narayan's The English Teacher (part of the omnibus), and A House for Mr. Biswas are also on my TBR list, but I hadn't heard of the others--great suggestions!
Thank you for the list, Tristan! It will be interesting to get to know with some new authors, literature...
Wish you Happy New 2024. year with a lot of reading and much health. Greetings from Croatia!😊
What a wonderful video! Happy new year from Brazil!
Hello Tristan! A new subscriber here from India. Since you seem to read a lot of non-Western books, you should check out Chowringhee by Shanker. It is a modern Bengali language Indian classic set in late 50s' Kolkata. It is set in a luxurious hotel with a myriad of characters whose lives have been beautifully portrayed.
Thank you for creating this video. I've read Ngugi Wa Thiong'o's nonfiction work, Decolonising the Mind. I purchased his book, The River Return, and intend to read his other fiction works. There's another book by the author Camara Laye titled The Radiance of the King. I love reading globally and lesser known writers that we haven't given our focus.
This video was such a delight, Tristan! A House for Mr. Biswas sounds highly intriguing, but it's the structure of Hopscotch that truly intrigues me. I find myself drawn to books that break the rules of writing or play with structure. Thank you for sharing these fascinating classics with us. ☺
I have just started The Beautyful Ones by Kwei Armah. I saw it on a doc still on iplayer about Africa writers. The Ngugi book, Ben Okri and Emcheta were also in it.
What a great video idea, thanks for this!
Thank you, I'm pleased you enjoyed it 😀
Thank you so much for doing this. I would love to read Samskara, and A Grain of Wheat.
Great list! I’ve heard of some of the titles from my Indian studies, but I’m curious about the rest too. My TBR has just grown!
I haven’t read any of these yet! A house for Mr. Biswas is on my TBR shelf. Silence was made into a movie with Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver and it was so disturbing that I struggled to reconcile it in my brain for ages.
What a fantastic list! I try to read very widely, and I still only had heard of about half of those books! They are now *all* on my TBR! I have not actually read any of them, in spite of the fact that I own a copy of Hopscotch that has been staring at me from my bookshelves for years... The Makioka Sisters has been near the top of my 'get-to-soon' pile for quite a while, but last year I got sucked in by Genji, so I was a bit saturated by Japanese lit already! This year, I hope!
Brilliant video, thank you. So many to add to my tbr 😊
Two authors on my list are Aharon Appelfeld and Amos Oz. I realize Israeli authors are not very popular at the moment but they are great writers and should be read.
Thank you for the recommendations. I don't think current events should have any bearing on judging authors. It's not like international conflict is their fault. They are individuals with unique life experience and unique voices. That is all that matters to me.😀❤️
Amos Oz is brilliant writer, one of my favorite
Another fabulous and thoughtful list of recs- definitely wrote a few down. Two on my own shelves are Many Lives by Kukrit Pramoj translated from the Thai, and as well the South African classic ‘Mhudi’ by Sol T Plaatje
Thanks for another thought provoking video. I’d love to read all of your recommendations but would have to drop something else. I would like to read A House for Mr Biswas first but will probably go with whichever books I can get hold of first.
Yes, yes, yes to a house for Mr. Biswas. I haven’t even finished this video but YES you must read this book. I have it on my to reread list.
Things fall apart by Chinua Achebe is another great one
The works of Orhan Pamuk.
I'm a great fan of Machado de Assis and have read almost all of his works that have been translated into English - EPITAPH FOR A SMALL WINNER and PHILOSOPHER OR DOG? are also excellent introductions to his work. Also a great fan of Narayan and have also read almost everything in English, including his travel diary, which is a hoot. As for the rest of the list, I've read HOPSCOTCH, HOUSE FOR MR BISWAS (I agree with another commentator that it's a bit dull at times), SILENCE, and THE BEAUTIFUL ONES. I'd also recommend from Africa Chinua Achebe, Emecheta, and Andre Brink; and from Australia, Bryce Courtenay (most well-known for his novel THE POWER OF ONE). And although the novels are not classics (yet), read some by Argentina's Cesar Aira and Mexico's Juan Pablo Villalobos.
Hullo Tristan sintata? Sounds wonderful. I've just finished Emile Zola germinal. Fantastic book. Not for the feint hearted though. Happy new year to you all
Great video… I’ve read silence a few years ago and it was a great read -the novel become a movie Directed by Martin Scorsese in 2016… I’ll also recommend : The Harafish by Naguib Mahfouz or his other novels like : Children of Gebelawi & Palace Walk . I also love and Highly recommend Osamu Dazai: No Longer Human and The Setting Sun .
One of my favorite writers from Africa is Kenyan Meja Mwangi who was recommended to me by a Kenyan friend. Try "Going Down River Road" and "The Cockroach Dance" and "Kill Me Quick".
Thanks for the list. A house to Mr. Biswas is in my TBR (in my shelf). Dom Casmurro ís a fabulous book and I quite happy to see that more and more people are discovering Machado de Assis. It is true that the question if Capitu cheated is a common question about the readers (and non readers - but knowing the question) of Machado de Assis.The other books goes to my Amazon list.
I love Machado de Assis! ❤🇧🇷
17:58 that cover tho ❤
Great list, 🙏 thank you. I’ll definitely try to read some of them. Any recommendations from Arabic, Persian and Chinese authors? The only one I know is Kahlil Gibran (the Prophet)
Happy New Year✨ everyone
I have read A Grain of Wheat and thought itwas excellent.
Have you read or heard of East Meets West by Younglin Kang? It has been on my radar but no one talks about it?
Interesting list! I have a recommendation of my own to offer. The Peasants by Polish author Władysław Reymont is now available in a new English translation. It's on my "must read" list.
I have yet to hear you mention Paulo Coelho.
Personally,I've read seven of his books and wonder if any of our friends here have read any of his novels ?
I have only read The Alchemist, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Which others would you recommend?
@tristantheclassics,
After the "The Alchemist" I would add: " Veronika Decided to Die"; "Pilgrimage".
However, to be honest I love all seven books I've read and intend to buy the remaining four.
Sorry: "The Zahir" is great,too 🙂
PS: Remaining four of the ones I have list ,making eleven altogether.
I think he wrote over 30 novels.
So sorry about UT, it is really getting on my nerves.
@apollonia6656 thanks for those recommendations. I will look for them.😀❤️
Hi, thank you for this list! One small comment: is the David Mitchell holding The Makioka Sisters in such high esteem perhaps the novelist, and not the comedian? (It doesn’t lessen the point one bit, perhaps the opposite.) - Anna P
Was thinking the same, not just for this video, but in general it is easy to mix the 2 up lol
A good classical South African book is "The Path of Thunder".
Re: Narayan, his stories are set in South India (it's been speculated it's heavily based on the city of Mysore) not North India. His story collection, Malgudi Days, is fantastic. His writing is very direct and deceptively simple. Malgudi Days was turned into a tv series for Indian tv and is available on TH-cam with subtitles.
As an Indian, I'm always disappointed that so little of Indian literature never makes it out of India. Publishers tend to favor Indian writers in English, rather than make an effort to bring books from authors writing in one of the many Indian languages. There are plenty of publishers in India (especially the big name publishers such as Penguin and Harper Collins) translating regional fiction into English but almost none of that gets over to the West.
So I was glad to see the Tamil writer Perumal Murugan get published and praised in the last few years. Having read his work since the mid-2000s, it's encouraging to see him, hopefully, get out to a wider audience.
Thank you for the correction on the location of the stories. An even bigger thank you for highlighting authors who write in the native languages. It is more powerful, I believe, to have something written in one's mother tongue and have it translated than to write in English to start with. Our mother tongue is the language of the heart and expresses emotions like no other can.😀🙏
Read these many years ago in a college course in modern Indian literature--among the many very good things we read in that course.
As an addendum to my Read-Around-the-World project, I want to also read a book from each state/union territory in India, bonus if they're not originally written in English (though then I need to find translations!) . Where do you think I should sort Narayan's books? He was born in Tamil Nadu, but it sounds like maybe I should put them farther west in Bengaluru, where Mysore is located? Or am I thinking about this way too hard? 😂
I agree completely. If I can, I spend a month or two in India every year. I try to spend a lot of time browsing in book shops, and I’ve found it very rewarding.
As an American who wants to read more Indian literature, I wish more was available internationally, as well! I've read quite a bit of Tagore, Kalidasa's Sakuntala, and Satyajit Roy's Feluda stories. In English, Rohinton Mistry's A Fine Balance, Ghosh's The Hungry Tide, Roy's The God of Small Things, and Swarup's Q & A. I also have Vikram Seth's A Suitable Boy and some of R.K. Narayan's work waiting to be read. But beyond that, I'm pretty stumped on where to go. Do you have recommendations for other novels that I might find in English translation? I'll add Perumal Murugan to my list. When it comes to South India, I know next to nothing, just that Tamil has a rich classical literary tradition.
Rather amazing that this list does not contain "The Tale of Genji", generally considered to be the first novel ever written, and a great story to boot. Then there is "The One Thousand and One Nights", which contains stories from Arabic, Persian, and Indian culture that thoroughly worked their way into the Western imagination.
Also surprised does not include Love in the Time of Cholera
I have read Silence. Just know that it will stay with you on a deep level, forcing thoughts of morality and ethics in the setting of theology and religion that are difficult at best. What do we do when we call out to God and the answer is ... silence. Amazing book.
I'm always glad when Brazilian literature is mentioned! I would highly recommend trying out João Guimarães Rosa, in my opinion the greatest Brazilian writer ever.
The only problem is that he is really really hard to translate. Translating his masterpiece "The Devil to Pay in the Backlands" ("Grande Sertão: Veredas" in the original) to English is as difficult a task as translating James Joyce's "Ulysses" to Portuguese. But in any case I would give it a try.
I heard some translations are not really that bad, so if you speak other languages, check if there is some translation of his work. Guimarães Rosa himself was fluent in a bunch of languages and he gave his personal approval to both the German and the Italian translations made in his lifetime (I believe he liked the German one more, though). But honestly if you speak any romance language, I would try that.
In any case, read João Guimarães Rosa, in any shape and form. He deserves all the attention in the world.
Latin America is America, too. But my main objection to this list is that they are almost all too recent for me to consider them classics. I think the only one I’ve read is Hopscotch, which I thought was excellent. I would have picked One Hundred Years of Solitude by Marquez, Ficcionnes by Borges, and Pedro Paramo by Juan Rulfo. The last is much less known, and it’s a shame because it’s wonderful.
You keep me on my toes, Duffy.😅❤️. Of course you are right, Latin America is America too. I was using the British colloquial for the United States of ... But I know you know that.😀
I have Paramo on my book wishlist. Now you have mentioned it also I shall have to get around to purchasing it.
The only reason for leaving out Marquez and Borges was because of how well known they already are. My criteria for classics is pre 1980. Not completely arbitrary but not the most stringent of qualifications either. 😀👍❤️
@@tristanandtheclassics6538 But there's only one true Murica ! 😉
@@tristanandtheclassics6538 I basically put the cutoff at 1959, my birth year. Anything that’s been done in my lifetime is more or less contemporary.
Oh, and I assume Canada is also a part of your idea of America. Otherwise, Robertson Davies or Margaret Atwood might get a mention?
it was a truly diverse set of books, i feel when you try to read literary fiction now days, there are too much american fiction out there. This is good for the change.
I'm currently reading Noli Me Tangere (Touch me Not) by Jose Rizal that's a classic from the Philippines. On my mother's I'm Filipino and I'm trying to reading books about the Philippines. The author is a hero of the Philippines and this book got him in trouble. It's during the Colonization of the Philippines by the Spanish.
Ah, just found this great place! 😄 Here's a shout out for the hybrid Nagasaki born/British writer Kazuo Ishiguro, whose 'A Pale View of Hills', 'The Artist of the Floating World' and other works evoke Japan's post WWII world without need of risky translation. ('The Unconsoled' adds even more literary fusion haha!)
I really want to read more of Ishiguro. Thanks for this.
Several of these are on my tbr, but the only two I've read are Silence and Botchan. While not a riveting read, Silence had interesting historical elements and spiritual themes. Botchan really wasn't for me in the same way The Catcher in the Rye wasn't. 😅
I liked Botchan; the main character reminded me for some reason of Bertie Wooster only not quite as likable but still funny. Natsume Soseki is also the author of "I Am a Cat" written from the point of view of a snarky cat who comments on its observations of human behavior.
🎉Enjoyed The Posthumous Memoirs of Bras Cubas and the V.S. Naipaul A House for Mr. Bibas sounds interesting. Japanese authors, read 1Q84 by Murakari (or close), which was not short and interesting and have had A Man by Hirano in the stack for a long time. I'm sure I've read others that I did not keep on the shelf, thank you.🎉
If you’re a teacher, definitely read Bochan. You’ll be snickering throughout, but don’t put it in the staff lounge.
Your cat is adorable
He is. But he's grumpy too. A care home asked if we'd adopt him when they closed.
No Bolaño? I'd consider 2666 or The Savage Detectives. Also would consider something by Gurnah and Namwali Serpell's The Old Drift. It's very new but Karunatilaka's The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida (Sri Lanka) is quite unique. Back to Chile, there's also Zambra, though admittedly I've only read one of his novels. Lastly, you HAVE TO have Clarice Lispector--something from her. I insist.
I want to read all of these, lol.
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
I found this really boring, simple and irrelevant, what did I miss?
@@NCRaiquaza Maybe there was nothing in it for you. If it doesn't work for you, find something else that does. The world is full of books.
I've read "Dom Casmurro" as a teen, for school, and I hated it with every fiber or my being. 😄 I know I should reread it as an adult, but... not today. I have "Hopscotch" on my shelves, but still haven't read it - wanna read some more Borges before I try, since he's been an influence to Cortázar.