I could be wrong, but sometimes, I think, it’s the translation’s fault that a book doesn’t carry the same depth of the story as it does in its original language.
@mikereadstheworld37 минут бұрын
@@yassinghareeb4074 For sure. I have to reflect to that my whole project premise and process was bound to cause some fatigue and repetition at some point
@yassinghareeb40746 минут бұрын
@@mikereadstheworld make fun of me if you want.. but one of the main reasons why I’m learning multiple languages is to read certain books in its original text xD Takes over your life, but worth it!
@stevegreg7551Күн бұрын
Glad I found your channel! Not many people you can share thoughts with on some of these obscure literary works.
@mikereadstheworld18 сағат бұрын
@@stevegreg7551 true that!..that's most of the reason why I do this.
@haroldniver2 күн бұрын
Well done, sir.
@yassinghareeb40743 күн бұрын
I wonder if you’d consider a book recommendation from me, a stranger thousands of miles away. If you would, I highly recommend I Saw Ramallah by Mourid Barghouti. Excellent Palestinian literature, rich storytelling mixed with biography. And I've never liked biography.
@mikereadstheworld2 күн бұрын
@@yassinghareeb4074 Thank you, I will keep it in mind for future reading.
@yassinghareeb40743 күн бұрын
Thanks for sharing. Naguib Mahfouz surely is an icon in Egyptian literature. He was a modest too, he'd set in the same coffee shop continually, people would easily meet him and talk to him (before the incident).
@mikereadstheworld2 күн бұрын
@@yassinghareeb4074 My pleasure. This characteristic of Mahfouz was mentioned in one of the books I read recently, The Blinding Absence of Light, it mentions the very cafe he would go to! Great stuff, I must read more of him.
@yassinghareeb40742 күн бұрын
@@mikereadstheworld Just checked it on Goodreads, this novel went above my head somehow! Thanks for the recommendation Mike.
@DaltonStamps3 күн бұрын
The Bible Project did a good series in their podcast on the Wisdom Literature books of the Bible in 2016, including a 3 episode look at Job. If you're interested in a Christian perspective, I would suggest checking it out!
@theemptyatom3 күн бұрын
When is the next video coming on one of my favorite books by Mann.
@mikereadstheworld3 күн бұрын
@@theemptyatom If you mean the promised long analysis video on Magic Mountain...well, at this point I'm thinking after I've finished going through all my books for every country, which should only take another few months. Or maybe it will be a nice Christmas present for the channel this year 🤔
@theemptyatom3 күн бұрын
@@mikereadstheworld Nice. I can't wait to hear a fellow reader's profound thoughts on the novel. I am sure you must have watched Professor David Wellbery's lectures on Mann, particularly his Thoughts on Thomas Mann's Magic Mountain.
@theemptyatom4 күн бұрын
Nice review brother
@theemptyatom4 күн бұрын
I have that same 10 volume set, and it has been hanging out because I have not yet gathered the muster to read them all. I wonder if there are audio versions of those?
@mikereadstheworld3 күн бұрын
@@theemptyatom I believe there are but they must all be purchased individually which isn't worth it to me...but I will be using another abridged form of the Mahabharata in audio as a supplement.
@theemptyatom3 күн бұрын
@@mikereadstheworld I did give a look on Audible and they have all of them except the last volume. However, there is no way I could listen to the readers they chose for these as that particular accent would grate on me for that many hours.
@AnanyBasoya4 күн бұрын
Please do mahabharata next. By c rajagopalachari
@Idontwantaunsmh5 күн бұрын
Enjoyed your break down man! Really easy to follow your reasoning and i can really see you enjoyed the book
@johncope79206 күн бұрын
There are so many truly excellent commentaries and resources available for the book of Job, as there are I suppose for every biblical book but this one is one of my own specialized interests. I would highly recommend, for instance, David Clines' magisterial three volume commentary; it really is just second to none.
@cassandrenadler7 күн бұрын
It was not unusual at the time to set one’s story in a foreign land/different time and the travelling hero had been the topic of a very famous French novel of the 17th century ‘The Adventures of Telemachus’. Plus the exotic setting was to the taste of the time, which was really interested in foreign cultures and civilisations. There is also another reason that has been used before and will be used at least until the 20th (Alamut) at least in Europe (I cannot speak for other continents), namely to avoid censorship and/or the ire of the monarch/leader if your critic was too strong. You could simply say: those scandalous behaviours or ideas are not mine nor from our countrymen, those are foreigners or it happened 300 years ago etc… I am glad you enjoyed a book from my country and I really enjoy your videos and find your reflexions very interesting. Greetings from France
@mikereadstheworld7 күн бұрын
@@cassandrenadler Thank you, and very interesting insights. Candide remains of my favorite books and is one I look forward most to rereading. Also, I'm planning to read the book Alamut by Bartol in the coming months, if that's the book you were referring to!
@cassandrenadler7 күн бұрын
@@mikereadstheworld yes it is the book! Then I am looking forward to your video!
@raptorchannel12678 күн бұрын
Nice video, definetly gonna read this book!!! (if Amazon doesn't keep denying my god damn order)
@mikereadstheworld7 күн бұрын
@@raptorchannel1267 I hope you can read it, from the books/authors you've mentioned in comments I think this is one you'll really like.
@AnanyBasoya8 күн бұрын
When are you reading something from India. Please read mahabharata by c rajagopalachari
@mikereadstheworld8 күн бұрын
@@AnanyBasoya I'm actually reading a novelized version of the Ramayana now, so a video will be coming for that soon. I have a 10 volume Mahabharata version translated by Bibek Debroy that I'll probably start on early next year.
@MarinaMacca-i2t8 күн бұрын
Awesome book, Awesome edition! I have read this edition too.
@JacklineNalukooya-q4d10 күн бұрын
❤😊
@raptorchannel126711 күн бұрын
Ehy Mike thanks for the updates through your reading journey as usual. If you want to pick up something written by Coetzee I highly suggest you to try his essays instead if his fictional works. I was very impressed by them (especually because they tend to be about literature). Can't wait for the I, The Supreme video!
@mikereadstheworld10 күн бұрын
@@raptorchannel1267 Thanks, I'll make a note of that. I plan to focus around a few specific favorite works in the future and work outward from those, like reading who influenced my favorites and critical work that mentions or references them. It will be interesting to see if Coetzee pops up somewhere in that. Great to hear from you as always!
@oel1d3..3712 күн бұрын
Ty for making a video to make a simple review and analysis of this book. I picked this novel to present for my school projects and u helped so much!
@bear481712 күн бұрын
just finished the door now definitely gonna pick up the true deceiver next thanks for the rec!!
@morbidswither305114 күн бұрын
With all due respect, please read South African authors. The nation is a treasure trove of great writing! I did not like, quite harshly, Cry the Beloved Country. Yawn! But the same author’s Too Late the Phalarope broke my heart and blew me away! You HAVE to read Coetzee. Waiting for the Barbarians is my rec. to you. Nadine Gordimer’s stories are sublime. Also consider Damon Galgut or Zoe Wicomb.
@mikereadstheworld14 күн бұрын
Thank you, I will consider it for the future, but unlikely to do a video on them. I do mention both Gordimer and Coetzee in the video and description so they are on my radar and hopefully anyone who watches this video can make a better choice.
@TheLinguistsLibrary15 күн бұрын
Machado wrote "The Looking Mirror" the year after he wrote Bras Cubas, it's one of his 'realist' short stories, I think you'll like it.
@mikereadstheworld15 күн бұрын
@@TheLinguistsLibrary I definitely need to get ahold of a collection of his short stories.
@noemicasesi554915 күн бұрын
I'm really glad I found your video. I'm going to read this book for my Master's Degree Thesis and you confimed what I've already imagined about it 😊
@mikereadstheworld15 күн бұрын
@@noemicasesi5549 Wonderful! It's such an overlooked classic of world lit, in my opinion.
@jennyhirschowitz199916 күн бұрын
“Philosopher or Dog” and “Epitaph of a Small Winner”…….. my well-worn often read treasures of Machado de Assis. Thank you Mike, as always. Miss Jenny
@mikereadstheworld16 күн бұрын
@@jennyhirschowitz1999 "Philosopher or Dog" 😄 What a great alternate title.
@kaponei17 күн бұрын
Try Dom Casmurro. It is my favorite Machado and I think you will like it as well.
@mikereadstheworld16 күн бұрын
I have the John Gledson translation here which I'll be reading sometime next year. Looking forward to it.
@MarinaMacca-i2t17 күн бұрын
Hi mike! I've been wanting to read quincas borba for a long time. would you recommend it? Memoirs of bras Cuba has been a life-changing reading for me. Thanks. Have a Nice day. 
@mikereadstheworld17 күн бұрын
Yes I absolutely 100% recommend it, it is different but in some ways even more genius than Bras Cubas.
@MarinaMacca-i2t17 күн бұрын
@@mikereadstheworld here we go! Thanks!
@nikkivenable7321 күн бұрын
Is this your favorite from your "reading the world" challenge? And, yes, i love books that explore faith and esp those books that focus on pain and suffering and how faith figures in. Absolutely fascinating stuff!
@mikereadstheworld20 күн бұрын
@@nikkivenable73 I wouldn't say it is my top favorite, there are so many (everything on my channel is part of that challenge), but it is definitely up there among them.
@nikkivenable7321 күн бұрын
I have been curious about this book for literally years now. And, btw, i feel exactly as you do about books written after 2000! I have never heard another person say that and i always thought of myself as a book snob bc of this but you have made me feel less alone!😅 This review was so amazing that I finally placed an order!
@mikereadstheworld20 күн бұрын
@@nikkivenable73 That's great! Thanks for sharing that and I hope you enjoy. There are just so many great books out there and so much being published now, it gets harder to find what is meaningful.
@Orpheuslament22 күн бұрын
Very cool - thanks for sharing. Oddly fitting the connection of nourishment relating to books.
@mikereadstheworld21 күн бұрын
@@Orpheuslament Of course! I thought so too.
@nicholasmanila23 күн бұрын
Interesting video! I hope you can find a good book for Nepal! Also I noticed you haven't read anything for Estonia! Do you have any idea which book you will read? "The man who spoke snakish" is one I heard is amazing from many Estonians in Estonia. It's post-2000s, but to me it seems really interesting!
@mikereadstheworld23 күн бұрын
@@nicholasmanila Hey! I have a 1926 novel called Vargamae by AH Tamsaare. It's book one of a whole series but I believe it's the only translated into English. So that will be coming in the next months. Thanks for the recommendation, regardless.
@milfredcummings71728 күн бұрын
I am currently reading Palace Walk, an excellent portrait of Egyptian Arab culture and Islam. Do you work at Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary?
@mikereadstheworld28 күн бұрын
@@milfredcummings717 Nice, I have the Cairo trilogy on the shelf. And no I do not, but it is a nice place to visit.
@milfredcummings717Ай бұрын
Postmodernism began with Laurence Sterne, and you should care, because Tristram Shandy is the best novel ever written. And of course, the periodization of literature is more or less nonsense. Have you played the Total War video games?
@mikereadstheworld29 күн бұрын
Back in the day I played Medieval and Medieval 2 TW.
@milfredcummings71729 күн бұрын
@@mikereadstheworld Classic game! Graphics are outdated. But still, along with Shogun 2, it was one of the best TW games. We are still waiting for Med 3.Have you played the Stainless Steel mod?
@milfredcummings717Ай бұрын
If you are going to read "Solenoid", read first "White Noise" by Don DeLillo, and maybe "Lanark" by Alasdair Gray. The last third of "White Noise" is full of references to "Solenoid" (actually vice versa). "Lanark" is using a similar concept as "Solenoid", and I would say that it probably influenced Cărtărescu. Likewise, Hyperspace by Michio Kaku probably most influenced "Solenoid". If you like Thomas Pynchon you will probably also like "Solenoid".
@BooksYouHaventReadАй бұрын
I think a lot of these books being so similar reflects just a broader trend of English language publishing's approach to translating authors. The fact that so many of them are emigrants is probably connected to how they get translated in the first place. You can probably make more opportunities and meet translators if you're traveling or living abroad. Grey Bees is all right but not a piece of art I think you're missing out on. The writing style is definitely simple and understated, but I do think that matches who the character is fwiw
@mikereadstheworldАй бұрын
@@BooksYouHaventRead I completely agree with your thoughts there on modern publishing and availability of opportunities. It's odd for me to say this doing a project like this but I think the main issue for me is the emphasis put on the author's nationality as a way of marketing a book is not very helpful or interesting. I say let casual youtubers like me do things like that, but as a publisher don't make out authors to be token representatives of their country. (So many say on the back "first x author to be translated in English). Thanks for the input on Grey Bees, that was one I struggled more with putting away.
@MikePerry-bt9yvАй бұрын
I found it recently in a thrift store and I had heard about it, so I decided to pick it up. Truly loved it. Plenty of little moments that will sit with me. Like when Peter is talking to the local chemist in a casual way about basically how he might not be there when his wife may have to euthanize baby Jennifer.
@mikereadstheworldАй бұрын
@@MikePerry-bt9yv It is really powerful. I often ask myself if I can ever bear to read it again, though.
@AnonymousAnonposterАй бұрын
This is one of those essential books that I've been thinking about reading for years, but always end up buying and reading others instead. I hope to change this in 2025.
@TheLinguistsLibraryАй бұрын
Big fan of his Latin--other than his stories of course.
@milfredcummings717Ай бұрын
I would definitely take Danilo Kiš for Serbia. Do you know that Andrić was born as a Croat, in a Catholic family. But considering the language in which he wrote, and the fact that he later declared himself a Serb/Yugoslav, I think you attributed him correctly.
@milfredcummings717Ай бұрын
What did you feel when you read Agua Viva?
@mikereadstheworldАй бұрын
@@milfredcummings717 I haven't read it yet, but I look forward to it as well as Breath of Life!
@milfredcummings717Ай бұрын
@@mikereadstheworld I was afraid you hadn't read the book yet. Now I feel like a doctor who has to tell you sad news. Good luck anyway.
@mikereadstheworldАй бұрын
@@milfredcummings717 Not a fan? That was one of the books that looking at it scared me away from her work at first but now I'm more open minded to it, having enjoyed some of her other novels.
@milfredcummings717Ай бұрын
@@mikereadstheworld A fan? I don't know. I have her photo on my desktop. 😁You probably misunderstood me. Read the book and it will be clearer to you what I meant. It's really short, you can read it in a couple of hours. I wish there were more "writers" like her. Maybe the comparison is stupid, but she reminds me the most of Kafka. Not by her writing style, but more by her attitude towards writing and the effect she achieves with some of her stories and novels. There are many writers I like, but I have a rather cynical attitude towards professional writers. Sometimes I could say I despise them. I'm not saying she's a perfect writer, nor could I be objective about her writing. But there is something about her writing that I love. I don't know how to define it, maybe honesty. She tries to say things that cannot be described in words. This novel is particularly disturbing, especially the ending.
@mikereadstheworld29 күн бұрын
@@milfredcummings717 Ah yes, I misunderstood your meaning. It sounds really great but I don't like to binge author's bibliographies, but rather give some space between reading each work to let them each sink in and be distinct. I do know what you mean about no other writer is like her, at least for me no book is like GH
@milfredcummings717Ай бұрын
Do you know why Canetti won the Nobel Prize? Well, he was a great writer. But how he won the Nobel Prize. Well, that's a fun story. Auto-da-Fe is one of the books that most influenced Umberto Eco when he was writing his novel The Name of the Rose. Members of the Nobel Committee noticed this, and guess what, Canetti won the Nobel Prize the following year. So if you haven't read The Name of the Rose, I recommend that you read it. You'll have fun, trust me. There is also another excellent novel inspired by Auto-da-Fe. It is The Elegance of the Hedgehog (L'Élégance du hérisson) by Muriel Barbery. It is an optimistic reinterpretation of Canetti's novel. Of course, I'm not the first to notice this, but it's like a secret only for those familiar with literature, and no one openly talks about it. For example, in the novel Angosta by the Colombian writer Héctor Abad Faciolince, you can find an allusion to the connection between those two novels.
@mikereadstheworldАй бұрын
@@milfredcummings717 Thanks for sharing. I have a huge tbr at the moment but will keep those works in mind. I've been pleasantly surprised by all the things I've learned in the comments here, and all the behind the scenes influence Canetti and this book have had in the literary world.
@danthompson152Ай бұрын
kincaid is okay- dont know the other stuff but trust your gut on the specific works not grabbing you- at the same time i would urge you not to neglect a whole national literature based on one book, and i know you wont- i know in particular some great georgian literature (knight and panther skill, etc) and bet it would be easy to get good recommendations for ecuador, etc. In particular there beyond fatigue there are regions we get tempted to lump - but while anglophone african lit seems less diverse to me than francophone, that's because i studied french and livedin west africa - so like lesser antilles, kric krac is worlds away from oumos - or arabic lit gibran versus mahfouz saves me from lumping it too much but i admit i don't know the diversity of middle easter lit for example...
@mikereadstheworldАй бұрын
@@danthompson152 I hear you, I actually do have another book ready for Ecuador. Some of these books were just first attempts and I was able to find something better. I'm not ruling out reading works from any of these countries in the future, it's more accurate to say I just don't plan to make videos on them as part of this self contained youtube series, but yeah things could change. I have to say most of my favorite african literature has been translated from French, older as well as contemporary. Please let me know if you have recommendations to consider for Georgia or anywhere else.
@carolinekovtun2463Ай бұрын
This book sounds amazing!
@oldmanandthereadАй бұрын
Fantastic! Definitely going on my TBR.
@haroldniverАй бұрын
This sounds terrific. I look forward to reading it. Thanks for sharing.
@TheChannelofaDisappointedManАй бұрын
Out of interest, had many/all of these rejected books won prizes? Re Georgia, perhaps take a look at Jim's Books Reading and Stuff, he's based in Georgia and covers its fiction.
@mikereadstheworldАй бұрын
@@TheChannelofaDisappointedMan 2 man booker international winners in there, an english pen, and a couple NY times bestsellers. A few are just unknowns. Thanks for the pointer on Georgia!
@FormandformlessnessАй бұрын
Ha! I applaud your decision and your candor here. I run into the same thing with world reading; so many times it feels like “checking off a box,” and I absolutely hate reading books like that, because there ARE so many books out there that are very much worth reading.
@mikereadstheworldАй бұрын
@@Formandformlessness Thanks. It's a such a nice feeling to let go any feeling of obligation to have to read any certain book. I think that goes for the classics as well - for example I've created something of a block for myself with Homer's Odyssey - I already know the story but I just can't bring myself to be engaged in reading it and have felt bad that I can't appreciate or enjoy it.
@theemptyatomАй бұрын
agree. Most modern stuff is just copy cat themes etc. Eastern bloc countries are a million books on WWII or tangentially related to it over and over again ad nausem. I feel for them people because they are bombarded with book after book of that stuff. And like you said other countries with the non stop copying the magical realism style way too much. Very difficult to find good quality writing and story telling these days without the in your face woke, political theme nonsense. Classics are the way to go, less likely to be disappointed.
@mikereadstheworldАй бұрын
@@theemptyatom Almost all of the books left on my shelf for this project are pre-2000 with one or two exceptions. As many classics as possible in there. Also plan to continue reading more by the 20th century authors I've enjoyed from around the world.
@crozbocrozboАй бұрын
I had thoughts to do the same challenge. But don't wanna force myself in "torture reading". So, I go flexible, my approach is to mix "random" country books in my regular reading. Over time I will cover many countries. For me it's just a way to diversify my reading, to go outside my "reading bubble".
@mikereadstheworldАй бұрын
@@crozbocrozbo That is a sensible approach as well! Still, I will say this has been a great project to give me focus and I have been able to read a lot of classics and discover hidden gems, as well as reread favorites and share them on this channel. And many more to come. It has been more flexible in that way than many people might imagine.
@jennyhirschowitz1999Ай бұрын
Abdulrazak’s works are masterful……. Thank you for that episode. He teaches in the English department, University of Kent…… excellent channel. I would have chucked the same books as you did.
@jennyhirschowitz1999Ай бұрын
Good afternoon Mike, inspiring lecture. Thank you. I’m determined to do likewise …….. it’s high-time in my teeny apartment, for the sake of simplifying the pleasures of my reading life in my waning years. Miss Jenny
@mikereadstheworldАй бұрын
@@jennyhirschowitz1999 Thanks Miss Jenny, I'm happy to hear your thoughts and thank you once again for your kind words. You will feel great after condensing your library!