I just discovered your channel the other day, and you've quickly become one of my favorite booktube channels- I appreciate how thoughtful your dissections are of literary and international fiction. Here's to reading big books in 2024!
AMAZING collection, Sean! 😃 2024 will be a fantastic year. The only one I've read, other than the Donoso, is Palinuro de México. I think you will enjoy it immensely. I was recently thinking, "I should do a video on Palinuro," but I would need to reread it. I may do a video on it for my podcast in Spanish someday. We shall see. In any case, I can't wait to hear your thoughts on it, El obsceno pájaro de la noche, and all of these books. Thank you so much for another brilliant video and for the shoutout, my friend! Happy holidays!
Wow, this is a very inspiring reading list! I don’t know how I’ve never come across any of your videos before! I will go and watch many more now. For Palestinian literature, I’d also recommend Ibrahim Nasrallah, especially his Time of White Horses. Also Susan Abu Al-Hawa’s works.
The Case of Cem is the one I’m most interested in. One of my favorite novels is The Siege by Ismail Kadare, which takes place during the Ottoman conquest of Albania.
I need to read more Kadare! There's a novel by Mikhail Shishkin by the same name that should be published in English in the next few years that I'm excited for as well.
I recently finished Lies and Sorcery. I absolutely loved it! While the plot seems like a soap opera, the writing is intimate, and the emotional turmoil of the characters would hit home with anyone who reads it. Yes, it brought the backdrop of Sicily to life in my head. Happy reading in 2024!
Marshland and Lies of Sorcery were already on my want to read list but there were lots of other interesting big books here to investigate so thank you for highlighting them Sean . Tomorrow I’ll be starting Funeral Nights by Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih which is 1000 pages, there is something so exciting about starting a big book!
I really resonate with how you approach your reading list. It's so calm and intentional❤ also, I love the books you pick. Instead of diving into new releases, you give it some thought. Big fan, as you can see🎉
I hope you'll do a vid on great short books that you DO have to read! I have 2 recc's one classic, one modern. Faulkner's "As I Lay Dying" and "Peach" by Emma Glass.
People who pre-ordered Miss Macintosh from Dolkey, have you received the ebook version already, like the publisher said on Twitter? I've asked some people on Twitter who said they ordered, got no response...
Good question -- I'm not sure. As much as I love Dalkey Archive, the reissue of MMMD has been quite the debacle as it continually gets pushed back. I'm hoping that people are able to get it soon!
Have you resd other Andrei Platonov? Ive read all, Chevengur is good, but its his short stories, The Return,River Potudan,Soul,and other stories that attack you like slow comforting ghosts of aliens...yes,aloens because his language ,even in Russian is jarring, verbs as nouns,his granting awareness to inanimate objects,his odd descriptions of men,nature,man in natire, spoken like a man in hiding,speaking ro himself, for himself.. and ,in a sense,he was, living under stairs,stalin had forced him into poverty forbidding him to publish, Bukgakov,yes,that one helped him to find work, writing the state textbook, stories for chikdren. To this day, children are reading him in school.
Thanks for the video. I pre-ordered four of the books you mentioned in this video. Some of the books I had already pre-ordered or am currently reading. I also enjoy reading big books. I am currently reading 'The End' A Novel by Attila Bartis Translated From The Hungarian By Judith Sollosy. (also bought Bartis's older novel, 'Tranquility' to read in the future). I often check out Archipelago Books and that is how I came across Bartis's writings. I have enjoyed thus far 'The End' but find the writing somewhat flat. I wonder if it is because of the translation or just me. But I am finding the main narrative 'The End' interesting-I am on page 283 right now. I am also reading, 'Lies And Sorcery' A Novel by Elsa Morante Translated By Jenny McPhee-I am a huge fan of NYRB Classics! I had Morante's novel pre-ordered and I have found this novel a very enjoyable read-a classical type novel-on page 453 today. I have throughout the year been reading also 'Divine Days' A Novel by Leon Forrest-I am on page 599 another wonderful reading experience-I highly recommend this novel-absolute a gem! I am still plowing through other novels-too many mention. I tend to read mainly non-fiction, but have always enjoyed reading massive novels. Once again thank you for alerting me to some more massive novels to add to our library. Have a blessed Christmas. peace
Archipelago is one of my favorite publishers as well -- that's a shame that you're finding his writing a bit flat. I'll have to keep that in mind, but I look forward to hearing your thoughts on it when you finish. And it's great to hear that both the Morante and the Forrest are worth reading. I'm really looking forward to them. Merry Christmas!
The worst thing about big books is that when you’re half way in you can’t quit as you care for all the time you spent and you care for all the time you will lose .. this only happens when the book is mediocre .. for example 2666 half way is something I gave up on and also Moby dick which becomes a whale encyclopaedia somewhere in the middle.
I have Gate of the Sun too (as well as Broken Mirrors and Children of the Ghetto). I’ve been thinking about reading it in the coming year as well. I’ve read a lot of poetry from Darwish and I highly recommend all of his works. Especially The Butterfly’s Burden, that collection made me ugly cry for a solid 20 minutes, I’ve not recovered, especially as someone who spent time in Palestine as a child. But I found A River Dies of Thirst to be very profound as well, so I also recommend that one if you don’t feel like being *completely* devastated beyond repair for your first Darwish experience
Ok, I really need to order some of Darwish's novels/poetry. I was most interested in In the Presence of Absence (which I can't find a cheap used copy), but I may need to order The Butterfly's Burden asap. Thank you for the recommendations!
Thanks for the video! I am surprised that someone outside of Russia knows about Chevengur. translating such a book into a foreign language is a huge task, I hope the translators managed to cope with it at least partially. One of my favorite books (I read in the original). By the way, youre making great content, I am very glad that I came across this channel
I love Alexis Wright !! I remember distinctly thinking that you'd like Carpentaria so I'm glad you found your way to it anyway ! I would definitely recommend her non-fiction as well (I'm not sure that its very easy to find Grog War overseas but its more engrossing and subversive of the non-fiction format than its synopsis would suggest) Also, a Palestinian literature recommendation is Emile Habiby's "The Secret Life of Saeed: The Pessoptimist" which is this surrealist satire from the 70s, its short and really strange
I'm really interested in checking out Wright's non-fiction, though I'm not sure how much of it is available in the States. Good to know that it's worth looking for though. Thanks for the Palestinian lit recommendation -- that sounds really great!
Fantastic video Sean, what a selection! Makes me very happy to see two of my favorites on your list, Stones of Summer got my #1 spot for my best reads of 2021 and Obscene Bird of Night is a wild book that has shown me things I didn't know the novel was capable of as a medium. There's a couple of books I'm planning on reading on this list as well, and tho I had heard of City of Torment I had dismissed it but after hearing you talk about the book it's back on the menu, ordering a copy with my next Blackwells order. Thank you for the good content as always, happy holidays to you and your loved ones!
Ahh, it was you who spoke so highly of Stones of Summer! I thought it was, but I couldn't remember which video it was in. That bumps it up to the top of this list. And good to hear about The Obscene Bird of Night. I'm so excited for that one. Happy holidays, Echo! I'm looking forward to your best of 2023 video.
Miss Macintosh should be an interesting one. I’m curious to see how everyone reacts to The Obscene Bird of Night; it’s been mixed so far. Stones of Summer is slowly building an audience. Hope you enjoy whichever of these you make it to, Sean. Cheers, Jack
I'm interested in reading Children of the Dead, Marshland, and Gate of the Sun, which will add to my books-to-buy list. I have Divine Days in my stack, but don't know when I'll get around to reading it. So many books, so little time.
This is the first video of yours I've watched. I love the way you present the books and explain why you want to read them and what they are about. I hadn't heard of any of these novels before. How do you find which books you want to read?
Thanks for the kind words! One way that I find new books is simply by following interesting independent publishers: Dalkey Archives, Deep Vellum, Archipelago, Charco Press, NYRB, Graywolf Press, etc. From there I just pick books that pique my interest!
Platonov can be very good. Own Chevengur, but read just Sea of Youth, and that was great. Chevengur is considering his best. But I think I read some unexpectedly bad things from him No, I'm not from Russia. Read two books from Yelinek, and she is disturbing. Maybe very sick person. But it was my impression. There is a film and it is good by Haneke, also from Austria, Piano Teacher.
Love your shout out to small publishers! I follow indie presses pretty closely but only just recently came across Sandorf Passage (The Case of Cem publisher). They look like a fascinating press. I'm reading The Parisian by Isabella Hamad, a British-Palestinian author, and really enjoying it. It takes place in Paris during WWI and in Palestine before the Nakba of 1948. Thanks so much for sharing these plans! Sounds like you have a great year ahead.
Indie publishers are the way to go, especially for interesting and experimental literature in translation! Thanks for that recommendation -- I haven't heard of that one before. I'm looking forward to checking out your channel!
I've had a copy (used, 2 volume edition) of 'Miss MacIntosh' for a few years now and got about 30 pages into it initially before deciding I would leave it for another time - hopefully 2024 will be its year!
What a challenging and overwhelming list! Thank you for including so many Central/East European writers. But I am worried about your health. Do you ever sleep?
Obscene Bird of Night, Palinuro of Mexico and Stones of Summer all left lasting impressions on me. I suspect you'll love the first two, though Stones is its own kind of beast. Young's novel has been on my to-read list for, yeah, 30 years. Must read Alexis Wright.
Hah -- I love the ambiguity of calling Stones simply "its own kind of beast." I've read some really negative reactions to that one as well -- interested in it either way!
@@travelthroughstories The documentary is terrific, and doesn't really give anything away about the book. It's like McElroy's Women and Men - a singular reading experience but a personal one, and something you only recommend with the greatest of readerly consideration.
The Miss MacIntosh is well timed because the reprint by Dalkey Archive is finally coming out March 5th (hopefully, assuming it's not delayed again) Oh and hopefully the English translation of Schattenfroh finally comes out this year. I'm sure you'll be checking that out, right?
Amazing recommendations as always! I’ve discovered so many great books this year, thanks to your channel. (I’m also hoping to see another winter recommendations video 🤓) I’ll definitely get some of these books too. Happy holidays! Hope you have an amazing year!!
I've had The Stones of Summer on my bookshelf for the past 20 yrs and, like Mark at 1st, read could not get beyond page 20 pages. Maybe 2024 will be year I read it.
I'm currently reading Praiseworthy and it's an exhilarating journey. Thank you for your recommendation! I loved reading it aloud and savoring every word. It's my first Alexis Wright, and the prose is breathtaking.
Have you come across Invidicum by Michael Broadsky yet? It is a 1200 page Behemoth that would be in your wheelhouse. George Salis said he believes it’s the best book of the 21st Century so far. Chris Via did an episode on it on Leaf By Leaf I believe, but I would love to see yours as well.
Broadsky sent me a nice inscribed copy of it. I haven’t got to it yet either, but anticipate it being a great read. Happy reading when you do! Also, you have a fantastic channel. I have got a lot of great reads from you and Eastern Europe is now my favourite location for modern authors!
A great overview of books as always. I always look forward to these kinds of videos as they have some great suggestions for my own reading. If you are looking for more Palestinian authors, one that I haven't heard as many people talk about is Arabesques by Anton Shammas. A much shorter book, it was published in 1988 but NYRB just put out their version of it this year. It's a really great literary work from this part of the world. Shammas is a Palestinian Christian who was raised in a more integrated school. He wrote this book in Hebrew but details the ancestry of a Palestinian family. It has a very Borgesian style while describing the familial tale and the Nakba. It also has a lot of experimental elements more akin to John Barth. It's one of my favorites I read this year and one I think more people should read.
Wow, that sounds like a fascinating book -- I've never heard of it before, but I'll order that immediately. Thank you very much for the recommendation!
@@travelthroughstories I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I forgot when I wrote the initial comment but Elias Khoury wrote an afterward that I thought was pretty good for the NYRB edition.
Love that so many are books in translation! You've convinced me to pick up Lies and Sorcery. Glad you're back, and happy holidays to you :) Hope you have a great reading year!
Thanks for another great video! I've been wanting to read Carpentaria for a while, but it had somehow drifted out of mind for this year. Your rave put it bac on my agenda! I read Miss Macintosh, My Darling in early 2021 and it was indeed a fantastic experience. One comparison I'm wont to make is to minimalist music of the meditative, repetitive sort (Eliane Radigue, Pauline Oliveros). People who don't like such music often say something like: nothing is happening; it's so repetitive! And, people who don't like Young's novel often say similar things about it. It is indeed in a certain sense repetitive, often at great length (the Mr. Spitzer section seems to defeat a lot of readers). But it's repetitive in the way great minimalist music is. Young dwells within a vibe, repeating images swirling around - however, not brute repetitions, but rather repetitions with gradual shifts and changes that reward a meditative form of attentiveness. That, in fact, is the comparison I like best. In meditation, the extraordinarily subtle changes in sensation - changes of which we're largely unaware in the chattering distraction of ordinary consciousness - become a vivid world all their own for someone who takes the care to to attend to them. Young's prose works in this way. It's in many ways the polar opposite of the dense busyness of hysterical realism. Miss Macintosh, My Darling, in my experience, is one of those books that people go out of their way to champion or decry: there seems to be a handful of readers who not only review it badly online, but plead readers not to read because they think it's so bad. I suspect some of these readers are fans of hysterical realism who go in because they love tackling humongous works of hysterical realism, only to find its uncanny double, and they not only don't like it, they find it hateful. I'm curious what kind of reaction you will have! Please do a video if you read it!
So nice having you back, Sean! Haven't heard about more than half the stuff on your list, but you're usually adventurous in your reading so I'm not really surprised! Have a happy new year, and good reading!
What a fantastic and enticing group of doorstoppers! 📚 I have a copy of Praiseworthy and I’m looking forward to making time for it. Looking forward to hearing more of your thoughts on these as you read them.
Miss MacIntosh My Darling is a tedious work, brilliant but excessively long and repetitive for my taste. After 500 pages it is not a pleasure.I will try to plow through just to be sure.
So full of inspiring suggestions, as always. Among these 15 titles, I knew only three: Morante, Nadas and Platonov. So, thank you very much again for all these discoveries. And Happy New Year 🎉
The algorithm gave me this video around when it came out and because of it I read Lies and Sorcery and I am currently 500 pages into Marshland. Neither of these books, or any of others I added to my tbr, would have been on my radar at all if not for your video , and so I have a deep sense of gratitude. Cheers, thanks for the reads!
I pre ordered the obscene bird of night it’s released here in Australia in early May at the moment I’m reading parallel stories but I have no idea what’s going on the next book I read might be praiseworthy I love your channel seasons greetings
Based on your video, I am calling this year my year of reading big books. I have preordered some, and I look forward to reading them and sharing my comments with your channel. I realize the reading is going to be challenging, but I am ready for it. I am especially looking forward to The Obscene Bird of Night. The Latin American writers are some of my favorite writers.
I just discovered your channel the other day, and you've quickly become one of my favorite booktube channels- I appreciate how thoughtful your dissections are of literary and international fiction. Here's to reading big books in 2024!
AMAZING collection, Sean! 😃 2024 will be a fantastic year. The only one I've read, other than the Donoso, is Palinuro de México. I think you will enjoy it immensely. I was recently thinking, "I should do a video on Palinuro," but I would need to reread it. I may do a video on it for my podcast in Spanish someday. We shall see. In any case, I can't wait to hear your thoughts on it, El obsceno pájaro de la noche, and all of these books. Thank you so much for another brilliant video and for the shoutout, my friend! Happy holidays!
I'd love to see a video on Fernando del Paso at some point!
Wow, this is a very inspiring reading list! I don’t know how I’ve never come across any of your videos before! I will go and watch many more now. For Palestinian literature, I’d also recommend Ibrahim Nasrallah, especially his Time of White Horses. Also Susan Abu Al-Hawa’s works.
Thank you for the recommendations!
The Case of Cem is the one I’m most interested in. One of my favorite novels is The Siege by Ismail Kadare, which takes place during the Ottoman conquest of Albania.
I need to read more Kadare! There's a novel by Mikhail Shishkin by the same name that should be published in English in the next few years that I'm excited for as well.
I recently finished Lies and Sorcery. I absolutely loved it! While the plot seems like a soap opera, the writing is intimate, and the emotional turmoil of the characters would hit home with anyone who reads it. Yes, it brought the backdrop of Sicily to life in my head. Happy reading in 2024!
That's great to hear! I'm really looking forward to it.
Love to see some international Wright readers :,3. I'm anticipating Miss MacIntosh in 2024, also. What a great find for you.
Marshland and Lies of Sorcery were already on my want to read list but there were lots of other interesting big books here to investigate so thank you for highlighting them Sean . Tomorrow I’ll be starting Funeral Nights by Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih which is 1000 pages, there is something so exciting about starting a big book!
Fifteen more for my TBR. You make them sound so good.
So excited for you to read Gate of the Sun ❤ one of my favorites
I really resonate with how you approach your reading list. It's so calm and intentional❤ also, I love the books you pick. Instead of diving into new releases, you give it some thought. Big fan, as you can see🎉
excellent and diverse recommendations as always, i added a few to my tbr but miss mcintosh sounds especially interesting. Thank you for the content!
The Obscene Bird of Night is fantastic, I hope you enjoy it when you get to it.
how did I know you would be in the comments here, the bird book genie
@@TraumaticTomes Call me J.A. Baker, I keep an eye out for any Bird book mention in these parts.
Nice list, going through the titles now.
Miss Macintosh My Darling was an interesting read.
I hope you'll do a vid on great short books that you DO have to read! I have 2 recc's one classic, one modern. Faulkner's "As I Lay Dying" and "Peach" by Emma Glass.
Oh, I didn't know Jelinek's The Children of the Dead was finally getting published! It's been years of waiting!
The best Soviet novel of the 20th century is " Two capitains" by V. Kaverin.
Is there going to be a video of best of 2023? I watched your best 2022 one and I quite enjoy it. Hope there's a best 2023 coming.
There will be sometime in early january!
“Massive Hungarian” was my nickname in college
wow....great books.......😊
Love your channel!
Yah, great book. A must for the library.
I have one I want to read over the next few years: the Buddhist Suttras. Of course I have lighter reading in between.
concerning Palestinian literature I recommend '' I Saw Ramallah '' by Mourid Barghouti ..
People who pre-ordered Miss Macintosh from Dolkey, have you received the ebook version already, like the publisher said on Twitter? I've asked some people on Twitter who said they ordered, got no response...
Good question -- I'm not sure. As much as I love Dalkey Archive, the reissue of MMMD has been quite the debacle as it continually gets pushed back. I'm hoping that people are able to get it soon!
Sharp sweater. Looks cozy
Have you resd other Andrei Platonov? Ive read all, Chevengur is good, but its his short stories, The Return,River Potudan,Soul,and other stories that attack you like slow comforting ghosts of aliens...yes,aloens because his language ,even in Russian is jarring, verbs as nouns,his granting awareness to inanimate objects,his odd descriptions of men,nature,man in natire, spoken like a man in hiding,speaking ro himself, for himself..
and ,in a sense,he was, living under stairs,stalin had forced him into poverty forbidding him to publish, Bukgakov,yes,that one helped him to find work, writing the state textbook, stories for chikdren. To this day, children are reading him in school.
You’re by far my favorite book person on yt thank you for putting out content, ive gotten outta of a reading slump because of your channel
Appreciate the Palestinian rec!
Heads up: City of Torment is the second volume in a trilogy
Really? I thought this English edition was a full translation of her trilogy (that is, her first 3 novels).
hi, MOOD READER!
hello from Russia, the correct is Andrey PlatOnov
The beard looks amazing 🤤
Thanks for the video. I pre-ordered four of the books you mentioned in this video. Some of the books I had already pre-ordered or am currently reading. I also enjoy reading big books. I am currently reading 'The End' A Novel by Attila Bartis Translated From The Hungarian By Judith Sollosy. (also bought Bartis's older novel, 'Tranquility' to read in the future). I often check out Archipelago Books and that is how I came across Bartis's writings. I have enjoyed thus far 'The End' but find the writing somewhat flat. I wonder if it is because of the translation or just me. But I am finding the main narrative 'The End' interesting-I am on page 283 right now. I am also reading, 'Lies And Sorcery' A Novel by Elsa Morante Translated By Jenny McPhee-I am a huge fan of NYRB Classics! I had Morante's novel pre-ordered and I have found this novel a very enjoyable read-a classical type novel-on page 453 today. I have throughout the year been reading also 'Divine Days' A Novel by Leon Forrest-I am on page 599 another wonderful reading experience-I highly recommend this novel-absolute a gem! I am still plowing through other novels-too many mention. I tend to read mainly non-fiction, but have always enjoyed reading massive novels. Once again thank you for alerting me to some more massive novels to add to our library. Have a blessed Christmas. peace
Archipelago is one of my favorite publishers as well -- that's a shame that you're finding his writing a bit flat. I'll have to keep that in mind, but I look forward to hearing your thoughts on it when you finish. And it's great to hear that both the Morante and the Forrest are worth reading. I'm really looking forward to them. Merry Christmas!
The worst thing about big books is that when you’re half way in you can’t quit as you care for all the time you spent and you care for all the time you will lose .. this only happens when the book is mediocre .. for example 2666 half way is something I gave up on and also Moby dick which becomes a whale encyclopaedia somewhere in the middle.
I love Moby-Dick, but I kind of agree with 2666 -- I didn't love that one as much as I expected to. That is definitely an issue with big books though.
Your favorite read of 2023 ?
I should have a video on this in early jan!
Thanks Sean for sharing ur love of reading and infecting us with the desire to explore / journey forth toward greater self awareness
I have Gate of the Sun too (as well as Broken Mirrors and Children of the Ghetto). I’ve been thinking about reading it in the coming year as well.
I’ve read a lot of poetry from Darwish and I highly recommend all of his works. Especially The Butterfly’s Burden, that collection made me ugly cry for a solid 20 minutes, I’ve not recovered, especially as someone who spent time in Palestine as a child. But I found A River Dies of Thirst to be very profound as well, so I also recommend that one if you don’t feel like being *completely* devastated beyond repair for your first Darwish experience
Ok, I really need to order some of Darwish's novels/poetry. I was most interested in In the Presence of Absence (which I can't find a cheap used copy), but I may need to order The Butterfly's Burden asap. Thank you for the recommendations!
Thanks for the video! I am surprised that someone outside of Russia knows about Chevengur. translating such a book into a foreign language is a huge task, I hope the translators managed to cope with it at least partially. One of my favorite books (I read in the original). By the way, youre making great content, I am very glad that I came across this channel
I'm glad to see someone speaking so highly of it! I'm going to try to start it in the next couple of days. Thanks for watching!
I love Alexis Wright !! I remember distinctly thinking that you'd like Carpentaria so I'm glad you found your way to it anyway ! I would definitely recommend her non-fiction as well (I'm not sure that its very easy to find Grog War overseas but its more engrossing and subversive of the non-fiction format than its synopsis would suggest) Also, a Palestinian literature recommendation is Emile Habiby's "The Secret Life of Saeed: The Pessoptimist" which is this surrealist satire from the 70s, its short and really strange
I'm really interested in checking out Wright's non-fiction, though I'm not sure how much of it is available in the States. Good to know that it's worth looking for though. Thanks for the Palestinian lit recommendation -- that sounds really great!
I can vouch for the novels by Fernando del Paso and Marguerite Young--both are magnificent.
Many of these are new to me. But I too have been looking forward to Chevengur. Happy New Year!
Fantastic video Sean, what a selection! Makes me very happy to see two of my favorites on your list, Stones of Summer got my #1 spot for my best reads of 2021 and Obscene Bird of Night is a wild book that has shown me things I didn't know the novel was capable of as a medium. There's a couple of books I'm planning on reading on this list as well, and tho I had heard of City of Torment I had dismissed it but after hearing you talk about the book it's back on the menu, ordering a copy with my next Blackwells order. Thank you for the good content as always, happy holidays to you and your loved ones!
Ahh, it was you who spoke so highly of Stones of Summer! I thought it was, but I couldn't remember which video it was in. That bumps it up to the top of this list. And good to hear about The Obscene Bird of Night. I'm so excited for that one. Happy holidays, Echo! I'm looking forward to your best of 2023 video.
I love your recommendations! They always sound so different and fascinating. I am looking forward to more of your videos😊
The end it is translate into Spanish ❤❤❤❤❤ when book combine my hobbies
It’s very amazing
I plan on trying to read one massive novel per month this year. Probably older books and not new releases for 2024.
The Obscene Bird of the Night may just become my pick for a Chilean author as I work my way through reading one book from every country.
That sounds like a good idea, and a very neat project!
Finally you comeback!
Miss Macintosh should be an interesting one. I’m curious to see how everyone reacts to The Obscene Bird of Night; it’s been mixed so far. Stones of Summer is slowly building an audience. Hope you enjoy whichever of these you make it to, Sean.
Cheers, Jack
Thanks, Jack! I hope you have a nice holiday season.
I’m waiting for Miss MacIntosh , My Darling to come out on kindle cuz it’s a huge block to lug around.
I'm interested in reading Children of the Dead, Marshland, and Gate of the Sun, which will add to my books-to-buy list. I have Divine Days in my stack, but don't know when I'll get around to reading it. So many books, so little time.
This is the first video of yours I've watched. I love the way you present the books and explain why you want to read them and what they are about. I hadn't heard of any of these novels before. How do you find which books you want to read?
Thanks for the kind words! One way that I find new books is simply by following interesting independent publishers: Dalkey Archives, Deep Vellum, Archipelago, Charco Press, NYRB, Graywolf Press, etc. From there I just pick books that pique my interest!
Platonov can be very good. Own Chevengur, but read just Sea of Youth, and that was great. Chevengur is considering his best. But I think I read some unexpectedly bad things from him
No, I'm not from Russia.
Read two books from Yelinek, and she is disturbing. Maybe very sick person. But it was my impression. There is a film and it is good by Haneke, also from Austria, Piano Teacher.
Love your shout out to small publishers! I follow indie presses pretty closely but only just recently came across Sandorf Passage (The Case of Cem publisher). They look like a fascinating press. I'm reading The Parisian by Isabella Hamad, a British-Palestinian author, and really enjoying it. It takes place in Paris during WWI and in Palestine before the Nakba of 1948. Thanks so much for sharing these plans! Sounds like you have a great year ahead.
Indie publishers are the way to go, especially for interesting and experimental literature in translation! Thanks for that recommendation -- I haven't heard of that one before. I'm looking forward to checking out your channel!
I've had a copy (used, 2 volume edition) of 'Miss MacIntosh' for a few years now and got about 30 pages into it initially before deciding I would leave it for another time - hopefully 2024 will be its year!
What a challenging and overwhelming list! Thank you for including so many Central/East European writers. But I am worried about your health. Do you ever sleep?
I'm definitely getting less these days, hah
Obscene Bird of Night, Palinuro of Mexico and Stones of Summer all left lasting impressions on me. I suspect you'll love the first two, though Stones is its own kind of beast. Young's novel has been on my to-read list for, yeah, 30 years. Must read Alexis Wright.
Hah -- I love the ambiguity of calling Stones simply "its own kind of beast." I've read some really negative reactions to that one as well -- interested in it either way!
@@travelthroughstories The documentary is terrific, and doesn't really give anything away about the book. It's like McElroy's Women and Men - a singular reading experience but a personal one, and something you only recommend with the greatest of readerly consideration.
The Miss MacIntosh is well timed because the reprint by Dalkey Archive is finally coming out March 5th (hopefully, assuming it's not delayed again)
Oh and hopefully the English translation of Schattenfroh finally comes out this year. I'm sure you'll be checking that out, right?
Yes, I'm very much looking forward to Shattenfroh, though I can't it imagine it comes out sooner than 2025 at the earliest. We'll see though!
I picked up “The End” a few weeks ago. Also on my list for 2024. Was glad to see you posted - Cheers!
Excellent list, thanks a lot for expanding my reading. just wow. Happy reading 2024!!
I think he's been poking around Binnacle Books in Beacon, NY, full of well-curated used books.
Not a bad guess! It was actually at a place whose name I forget just outside of Lake George, NY. Binnacle is great though.
Amazing recommendations as always! I’ve discovered so many great books this year, thanks to your channel. (I’m also hoping to see another winter recommendations video 🤓) I’ll definitely get some of these books too. Happy holidays! Hope you have an amazing year!!
Thank you very much! That's not a bad idea to do another "winter books" recommendation video... Happy holidays!
I've had The Stones of Summer on my bookshelf for the past 20 yrs and, like Mark at 1st, read could not get beyond page 20 pages. Maybe 2024 will be year I read it.
I'm currently reading Praiseworthy and it's an exhilarating journey. Thank you for your recommendation! I loved reading it aloud and savoring every word. It's my first Alexis Wright, and the prose is breathtaking.
Have you come across Invidicum by Michael Broadsky yet? It is a 1200 page Behemoth that would be in your wheelhouse. George Salis said he believes it’s the best book of the 21st Century so far. Chris Via did an episode on it on Leaf By Leaf I believe, but I would love to see yours as well.
I have! It's actually on a shelf just off screen. It looks great, though I'm not sure if I'll actually get to it any time soon.
Broadsky sent me a nice inscribed copy of it. I haven’t got to it yet either, but anticipate it being a great read. Happy reading when you do! Also, you have a fantastic channel. I have got a lot of great reads from you and Eastern Europe is now my favourite location for modern authors!
A great overview of books as always. I always look forward to these kinds of videos as they have some great suggestions for my own reading. If you are looking for more Palestinian authors, one that I haven't heard as many people talk about is Arabesques by Anton Shammas. A much shorter book, it was published in 1988 but NYRB just put out their version of it this year. It's a really great literary work from this part of the world. Shammas is a Palestinian Christian who was raised in a more integrated school. He wrote this book in Hebrew but details the ancestry of a Palestinian family. It has a very Borgesian style while describing the familial tale and the Nakba. It also has a lot of experimental elements more akin to John Barth. It's one of my favorites I read this year and one I think more people should read.
Wow, that sounds like a fascinating book -- I've never heard of it before, but I'll order that immediately. Thank you very much for the recommendation!
@@travelthroughstories I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I forgot when I wrote the initial comment but Elias Khoury wrote an afterward that I thought was pretty good for the NYRB edition.
The Case of Cem and The Children of the Dead both sound intriguing.
Love that so many are books in translation! You've convinced me to pick up Lies and Sorcery. Glad you're back, and happy holidays to you :) Hope you have a great reading year!
Thanks for the kind words. Happy holidays!
That's crazy about donoso trimming his translation to english, read it in Spanish and wouldnt delete a sentence, amazing novel, fucked up
egads that is a stack. very interesting. thanks!
Thanks for another great video! I've been wanting to read Carpentaria for a while, but it had somehow drifted out of mind for this year. Your rave put it bac on my agenda!
I read Miss Macintosh, My Darling in early 2021 and it was indeed a fantastic experience. One comparison I'm wont to make is to minimalist music of the meditative, repetitive sort (Eliane Radigue, Pauline Oliveros). People who don't like such music often say something like: nothing is happening; it's so repetitive! And, people who don't like Young's novel often say similar things about it. It is indeed in a certain sense repetitive, often at great length (the Mr. Spitzer section seems to defeat a lot of readers). But it's repetitive in the way great minimalist music is. Young dwells within a vibe, repeating images swirling around - however, not brute repetitions, but rather repetitions with gradual shifts and changes that reward a meditative form of attentiveness. That, in fact, is the comparison I like best. In meditation, the extraordinarily subtle changes in sensation - changes of which we're largely unaware in the chattering distraction of ordinary consciousness - become a vivid world all their own for someone who takes the care to to attend to them.
Young's prose works in this way. It's in many ways the polar opposite of the dense busyness of hysterical realism. Miss Macintosh, My Darling, in my experience, is one of those books that people go out of their way to champion or decry: there seems to be a handful of readers who not only review it badly online, but plead readers not to read because they think it's so bad. I suspect some of these readers are fans of hysterical realism who go in because they love tackling humongous works of hysterical realism, only to find its uncanny double, and they not only don't like it, they find it hateful.
I'm curious what kind of reaction you will have! Please do a video if you read it!
That's a really interesting perspective of MMMD! Thank you for all of this -- you've made me even more excited to read it.
P.S. it's been delayed twice by Dalkey - over a year and a half - so I hope they're really really coming out with it in March! @@travelthroughstories
So nice having you back, Sean!
Haven't heard about more than half the stuff on your list, but you're usually adventurous in your reading so I'm not really surprised! Have a happy new year, and good reading!
Thank you, Tonny! I'm *very* inconsistent on uploads these days, but I am hoping to post more regularly in 2024. We'll see though. Happy new year!
He is back! Love it.
Thank you for the suggestions! Gate of The sun, The End and City of Torment really piqued my interest.
What a fantastic and enticing group of doorstoppers! 📚 I have a copy of Praiseworthy and I’m looking forward to making time for it. Looking forward to hearing more of your thoughts on these as you read them.
Thank you, Eric! There are so many great books coming out in 2024!
They Call Her Sofia by Doris Ladino is a great book! Enjoy!
🎉🎉 அழகான பதிவு வாழ்த்துக்கள் இந்தியாவில் இருந்து தமிழ் நாட்டு தோழி 🎉🎉
Have just started The Eighth Life so have a long long way to go. But so far it’s quite engaging.
Love that book!
you read the weirdest books i've never heard of. I love it man!
Miss MacIntosh My Darling is a tedious work, brilliant but excessively long and repetitive for my taste. After 500 pages it is not a pleasure.I will try to plow through just to be sure.
The aboriginal story of Australia has been greatly embellished. At my old age I lived through most of this time in the bush.
Thank you so much! I hadn’t heard of many of these, and I’m excited to add many of the newly translated and re-released books to my tbr.
Stalin was a voracious reader. He was known to make lists of his "favorite" authors.
damn good selection of books, hope you enjoy them
All the books on this list sound great. There is one more I think you should consider which is The Round-Dance of Water by Sergey Kuznetsov .
Wow, I haven't heard of that on, but just I looked it up and it sounds wonderful! Thanks for the recommendation!
So full of inspiring suggestions, as always. Among these 15 titles, I knew only three: Morante, Nadas and Platonov. So, thank you very much again for all these discoveries. And Happy New Year 🎉
Glad to be of service! Happy New Year!
Dang you got a stack that's taller than you! :O
The algorithm gave me this video around when it came out and because of it I read Lies and Sorcery and I am currently 500 pages into Marshland. Neither of these books, or any of others I added to my tbr, would have been on my radar at all if not for your video , and so I have a deep sense of gratitude. Cheers, thanks for the reads!
Wow, that's so great to hear! Thanks for letting me know. I just picked up a copy of Marshland a few weeks ago -- I'm glad to hear that it's good!
What a list! Good luck attacking it. Hopefully we will get some updates as your progress through them. You’ve definitely put a couple on my TBR.
This is an excellent list! Thank you for this!
Best wishes with your reading and to your channel in 2024.
I pre ordered the obscene bird of night it’s released here in Australia in early May at the moment I’m reading parallel stories but I have no idea what’s going on the next book I read might be praiseworthy I love your channel seasons greetings
Incredible list, they all sound interesting. Thank you for bringing some of these books to light. I will try to give some of them a go.
Not heard of ANY of the Authors mentioned, The Italian book looks interesting.
Your list is inspiring! I am reading Dodsworth, by Sinclair Lewis.
Just found your channel, and funny how 3 of the books mentioned were on my PTR for next year
interesting person.when do you have time for other things likr wife .i dont .i m your type
This is such a wonderful list! Thank you!
oh geez so glad i found u finally.....😊
Based on your video, I am calling this year my year of reading big books. I have preordered some, and I look forward to reading them and sharing my comments with your channel. I realize the reading is going to be challenging, but I am ready for it. I am especially looking forward to The Obscene Bird of Night. The Latin American writers are some of my favorite writers.
Excellent! I hope you enjoy them!!
Welcome back!