Classic lit

[Andrew_Culture]

Has anyone read much Somerset Maugham? I picked up a short stories collection and what I've read so far is quite dark but morally interesting. Whereas I think I wouldn't get on with Waugh Mauham seems like he was politically quite anarcho-liberal.

 

[simon the viking]

How about the best science fiction book ever written "Day of the Triffids" - John Wyndham

 

[Andrew_Culture]

How about the best science fiction book ever written "Day of the Triffids" - John Wyndham

I'd be interested to know what it is about this book that impresses you? I'm not being argumentative, just interested.

I love sci fi that's not overly reliant on pew pew lasers and wondered if Day of the Triffids appeals to you for similar reasons.

 

[Yellow Fang]

A few more that spring to mind...

Diary Of A Nobody - short, easy to read, hilarious.
Dubliners - the easier end of the Joyce spectrum but still exquisite writing.
A Room With A View - if you're done with 19th century romance and moving on to Edwardian romance, this is definitely a must-read.
A Dance To The Music Of Time - Anthony Powell's semi-autobiographical 12-volume series spanning most of the major events of the 20th century up to the 1970s, bit of a homage to Proust but much funnier, although a bit patchy.
Vile Bodies, Decline And Fall, Scoop, A Handful Of Dust, The Loved One, Brideshead Revisited - surprised no one has mentioned Evelyn Waugh in this thread before now. Not a nice man but arguably the greatest English writer of the 20th century (though I'll grant that Greene and Orwell have a case for that title too).

I have read A Dance to the Music of Time - very good. It was rather autobiographical. Sometimes he'd write a scene it and it would seem to be a real person and a real event he was describing. He was very good at characters and dialogue, all decidedly upper-middle class.

I have read two Evelyn Waugh books, Scoop and Black Mischief. Scoop was very funny, but Black Mischief was not so good and somewhat racist.

Joyce's reputation as being difficult to read has always put me off attempting him.

 

[simon the viking]

I'd be interested to know what it is about this book that impresses you? I'm not being argumentative, just interested.

I love sci fi that's not overly reliant on pew pew lasers and wondered if Day of the Triffids appeals to you for similar reasons.

I have never liked different planet/universe sci fi but like near future plausible sci fi (1984, D of the T etc) that is set normally set on earth. Day of the triffids was written in the 50's and predicted Reagan's Star-wars concept and Genetically modified crops and hasn't really dated much apart from references to news reels and no one has a mobile phone (but they wouldnt have worked anyway) "The Kraken wakes" is also a good read (Crysalids is pants) but another prophetic, often overlooked Wyndham is "Trouble with lichen" which is about true anti ageing/life lengthening drugs which is in the news every few months.

You mentioned Mark Twain earlier in the thread (Huckleberry Finn I think) I also like Twains "A Connecticut Yankee in the court of King Arthur" an early novel in the time slip genre... Oh and I cant get on with Dickens but love his (almost) contempoary Verne

Hope I wasnt too long winded but you did ask about my favourite author....

 

[threebikesmcginty]

Has anyone read much Somerset Maugham? I picked up a short stories collection and what I've read so far is quite dark but morally interesting.

I've read 4 books of short stories of his and although I enjoyed most of them I didn't seek out any of his other writing. Don't know it that says anything about his writing or just shows me up for being really lazy.

 

[Andrew_Culture]

I have never liked different planet/universe sci fi but like near future plausible sci fi (1984, D of the T etc) that is set normally set on earth. Day of the triffids was written in the 50's and predicted Reagan's Star-wars concept and Genetically modified crops and hasn't really dated much apart from references to news reels and no one has a mobile phone (but they wouldnt have worked anyway) "The Kraken wakes" is also a good read (Crysalids is pants) but another prophetic, often overlooked Wyndham is "Trouble with lichen" which is about true anti ageing/life lengthening drugs which is in the news every few months.

You mentioned Mark Twain earlier in the thread (Huckleberry Finn I think) I also like Twains "A Connecticut Yankee in the court of King Arthur" an early novel in the time slip genre... Oh and I cant get on with Dickens but love his (almost) contempoary Verne

Hope I wasnt too long winded but you did ask about my favourite author....

Thank you for,the answer! I adore intelligent sci fi, I've just finished the epic Hyperion cantos series by Dan Simmons, it's all very plausible sounding stuff.

'Conneticut Yankee' has been on my list fr a long time, it might be a nice change after reading so much sci fi.

For a while now I've been buying up every Twain and Wodehouse I find in second hand book shops. I have quite a few now

 

[Andrew_Culture]

I've read 4 books of short stories of his and although I enjoyed most of them I didn't seek out any of his other writing. Don't know it that says anything about his writing or just shows me up for being really lazy.

Yup, that's the set I have. I think 'Cakes and Ale' is famous book.

I haven't read all the short stories as for some reason I found them a bit depressing. All great but just a bit too gently miserable for my tastes.

 

[Andrew_Culture]

My shelf of Wodehouse & Twain is developing nicely. 58 Wodehouse, but only 14 twain so far.

This is just the temporary home

 

[simon the viking]

My shelf of Wodehouse & Twain is developing nicely. 58 Wodehouse, but only 14 twain so far.

View attachment 19511

This is just the temporary home

I have got a book case like that but use a kindle now as I was finding it hard to get some books i wanted. I once asked in waterstones for Vernes "mysterious island" and they wanted 15 quid for a paperback that was out of copywrite, got 30 books by verne for 3 quid on kindle (but before all the Luddites complain about demise of real books I will agree that real books are somehow better to read but kindles are more convienent)

 

[ASC1951]

I've never read Huxley but you've piqued my interest. What would be a good starting point?

I would start with Chrome Yellow or Antic Hay to give the social setting; then These Barren Leaves or Point Counterpoint; then After Many a Summer; finally Island. Point Counterpoint is a major work, IME, and there is a wonderful final scene featuring Bach's Double Violin Concerto - Huxley was a very keen musician, perhaps because of his appalling eyesight. [Bear in mind that I read these as an impressionable teenager and Island in particular may have dated!]
Interesting to contrast Everard Webley, the fascist leader in Point Counterpoint, with P G Wodehouse's treatment of Oswald Moseley in his character Roderick Spode. Huxley is right there with the intellectual arguments and you can see some of the charisma that Moseley must have had, but Wodehouse goes straight for ridicule - "The Black Shorts". Both are spot on, but Wodehouse may be more effective.
Bit of trivia - Huxley taught George Orwell at Eton.

 

[Andrew_Culture]

I have got a book case like that but use a kindle now as I was finding it hard to get some books i wanted. I once asked in waterstones for Vernes "mysterious island" and they wanted 15 quid for a paperback that was out of copywrite, got 30 books by verne for 3 quid on kindle (but before all the Luddites complain about demise of real books I will agree that real books are somehow better to read but kindles are more convienent)

I've had a kindle since they first became available, I love it because I can read it without my glasses on!

 

[ASC1951]

How about the best science fiction book ever written "Day of the Triffids" - John Wyndham

That's like calling Ringo the best drummer in the Beatles. "Day of the Triffids" isn't as good* as The Midwich Cuckoos or The Trouble with Lichen and JW's best novel is The Chrysalids. There again, his short stories are every bit as good, especially the Seeds of Time collection and the eponymous Jizzle.
Best science fiction book ever written? My shortlist:-
- The City and the Stars - Arthur C Clarke
- Sirius - Olaf Stapledon
- The Martian Chronicles - Ray Bradbury
- Childhood's End - Arthur C Clarke

.. actually it would be quite a long list. But no pew pew lasers for me either, so no US authors except Ray Bradbury.

*in my opinion. But that's the whole point of books, isn't it?

 

[ASC1951]

Joyce's reputation as being difficult to read has always put me off attempting him.

I had to take Finnegan's Wake on holiday three times before I could even start it.
Ulysses is well worth the trouble and IME not particularly hard going, although no-one would call it a page turner. Portrait of the Artist and Dubliners TBH I found a bit dated and that was <cough> 45 years ago.

 

[simon the viking]

That's like calling Ringo the best drummer in the Beatles. "Day of the Triffids" isn't as good* as The Midwich Cuckoos or The Trouble with Lichen and JW's best novel is The Chrysalids. There again, his short stories are every bit as good, especially the Seeds of Time collection and the eponymous Jizzle.
Best science fiction book ever written? My shortlist:-
- The City and the Stars - Arthur C Clarke
- Sirius - Olaf Stapledon
- The Martian Chronicles - Ray Bradbury
- Childhood's End - Arthur C Clarke

.. actually it would be quite a long list. But no pew pew lasers for me either, so no US authors except Ray Bradbury.

*in my opinion. But that's the whole point of books, isn't it?

A debate about Sci fi on a cycling forum - lifes good

I've read most John Wyndham including his early Lucas Parkes stuff, his short stories are masterful "Odd" and "Chronoclasm" being my favourites. I will agree that Trouble with lichen is very good but is often overlooked, Midwich cuckoos a true classic... But Crysalids better than Triffids? Never!!! (as you say "in my opinion") have you read Web? very strange indeed and rejected by his publishers whilst he was alive.

I've read Bradburys "Martian Chronicles" ages ago but "Fahrenhiet 451" (forgive spelling) is in my top ten books