Answering YOUR Questions to Celebrate 100,000 Subscribers (Thank You)

📚 Read the Great Books with Hardcore Literature: / about
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🎙️ open.spotify.com/show/70IZA24... (Subscribe to the Hardcore Literature Podcast on iTunes & Spotify)
🏫 hardcore-university.teachable... (Hardcore University, Exam Preparation Courses)
✍🏼 benjaminmcevoy.com My Personal Website
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Hardcore Literature Lecture Series
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📔Contents Page: cutt.ly/CmNhRY3
🎖️ War and Peace: cutt.ly/U3nzGma
🎭 Shakespeare Project: cutt.ly/B3nxHH7
🐳 Moby Dick: cutt.ly/K3nzVKf
☄️ Blood Meridian: cutt.ly/P3nz6Qp
🍂 Wuthering Heights: cutt.ly/N3nxxYt
🇮🇪 Ulysses: cutt.ly/x3nxQmN
🚂 Anna Karenina: cutt.ly/vmNhAWv
💀 Crime and Punishment: cutt.ly/rmNhFt5
⚓ Persuasion: cutt.ly/amNhX7b
☕ In Search of Lost Time: cutt.ly/5mNh8oD
⚔️ The Hero’s Journey: cutt.ly/UmNjrE3
🌸 Siddharta: cutt.ly/YmNjuzi
🎠 Don Quixote: cutt.ly/cmNjoK4
❤️Shakespeare’s Sonnets: cutt.ly/nmNlW7V
🇫🇷 Les Misérables: cutt.ly/J3YixoA
🕯️ The Turn of the Screw: cutt.ly/nToAQQ3
🖋️ Dickens Seasonal Read: cutt.ly/9ToAybt
📖 Middlemarch Serial Reading: tinyurl.com/45rv965c
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0:00 thank you for reading along
0:47 Shakespeare’s comedies or tragedies?
3:40 how approach syllabus for your future child?
7:38 how to read in a world of distractions?
10:45 your favourite of Shakespeare’s English histories?
13:32 advice for reading George Eliot’s Middlemarch?
17:31 know one book intimately or a hundred superficially?
19:57 fondest literature travel memory?
20:40 where in the world would you take a literature pilgrimage?
22:12 which work gave you the biggest book hangover?
23:20 have you read Brazilian literature/Clarice Lispector?
24:29 have you read literature from the Balkan region?
25:04 your ranking of the episodes of Joyce’s Ulysses?
27:51 your top three favourite authors? And their favourite works?
29:54 stories as thrilling as The Count of Monte Cristo?
30:55 any classics of hardcore literature you haven’t read?
32:18 what are your thoughts on the value of reading manga?
34:12 have you considered discussing DFW’s Infinite Jest?
36:48 how to encourage young readers in this digital world?
45:10 how did you first start reading?
46:13 how many books have you read so far?
46:20 your favourite quote from a book?
46:54 most valuable lesson from reading great books?
47:39 poetry recommendations for special needs education?
48:55 why take the dust jackets off your books?
49:41 your thoughts on Katz’s translation of Dostoyevsky?
49:58 what are your favourite candy reads?
50:37 your favourite contemporary writers at the moment?
50:55 what did you do when Cormac McCarthy died?
51:20 is it normal to cringe at your old marginalia?
52:11 have you felt the call of a book you haven’t read before?
53:00 which literary movement do you most identify with?
54:37 how much time do you spend on content vs reading?
56:25 how do you approach a book you’ve never heard about?
58:42 some of your favourite non-fiction books?
59:03 what is your research process like for content?
1:02:02 who are your favourite prose stylists?
1:02:21 your thoughts on FOMO with contemporary fiction?
1:05:43 would you prefer a story with style or substance?
1:06:52 what are the practicalities of your reading?
1:11:11 how to manage reading for fun vs university?
1:12:00 how to avoid burnout when studying literature?
1:14:29 what would you do differently at university?
1:17:00 when will the reading schedule for 2024 be announced?
1:17:48 a heartfelt thank you to you all

[@severianthefool7233]

I can think of none more deserving. You are a boon to literature lovers everywhere, and I’ve no doubt that you’ll be making a million-subscriber special before long!

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you so much, my friend! That is so incredibly kind of you ☺🙏

[@LizziebelleXOX]

Me too I second that. You deserve it Benjamin 🎉🎉I love your channel keep up the fab work 🎉📚📖📙

[@ellenjo283]

Ben…you’re going to be an amazing dad. Much joy to you and your future kids.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Aw, thank you so much, Ellen. You have warmed my heart with this!! ☺️🙏

[@kevindavis3234]

Right? I'm a little envious of Ben's future kids. Ben has a voice made for storytelling.

[@AlexisQuednau]

Loved hearing about the teacher who did all the voices in Great Expectations! What a gift.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

He was so amazing :) I'm actually thinking of reaching out to record a conversation with him at some point!

[@Sherlika_Gregori]

I’m an expatriate Brazilian, and Rennan is right (and he’s my friend). Machado de Assis is our Shakespeare. I highly recommend Dom Casmurro. And his short stories as well. He, like George Eliot, had elements of philosophy in his writings. I’m sure you’ll enjoy. Guimarães Rosa ( although his masterpiece is not translated to English, only to German. The title is Grande Sertão Veredas) is a phenomenal, an experimental writer such as Joyce , or maybe in a more linguistic direction such as Burgess and Tolkien. And Erico Veríssimo who wrote a fantastic family saga better than Gabriel Garcia Marquez in One Hundred Years of Solitude. Alas, I don’t think he’s been translated either. But if you ever learn Portuguese , do read O Tempo e o Vento.

[@ivatorres4515]

Thank YOU, Benjamin and congratulations. This video is a gem. I learnt so much: As a reader, as a teacher, as a mother and grandmother, who began reading to her children and grandchildren at bedtime. Sorry to say that my "success" with my children was more rewarding than my success with my students, whom I haven't been able to exert any influence on the benefits of reading. Cannot compete with social media, consequently I heard your suggestions very attentively. Thank you for everything. Happy to hear that we will continue to enjoy your presence in 2024. One of my grandchildren often share your videos and comment on them and we call you "our friend Benjamin".

[@dggjr1759]

If it wasn’t for your Hardcore Literature bookclub I would have never attempted to read War and Peace. After finishing it along the lecture series earlier this year I can honestly say it’s the greatest book I’ve read. Congrats on reaching 100K 🙌

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

That makes me so happy to hear :) Thank you so much for taking that incredible journey with us! War and Peace truly is an absolute masterpiece, isn't it? I'm already longing to return to Tolstoy's world all over again!

[@shayna2830]

I have wanted to experience War and Peace for years, always just avoided digging in because I had so many books on my shelf that I felt guilty about not reading yet, and I could finish 3 or 4 in the time it would take to finish W&P. I have read Anna Karenina years ago, I've read every single piece of published Dostoevsky and Gogol and a handful of other Russian authors, I absolutely love them. Late 1800, early 1900 Russian Lit and Victorian fiction are my favorite genres. I have a deep hunger for W&P, so I will devour it at some point, sooner than later. I actually read 150 pages of it, 2 weeks ago, just decided to dig in one night and read into the wee hours of dawn. But I stopped because a girl from work brought me a copy of a book she had high praise for, so I couldn't help but start it. It's actually fuckin g great. A Shadow in the Wind, it's called. A nice mystery novel. Couldn't believe how good it was lol

[@delciagarcia8287]

Congratulations!!!! So well deserved! Thank you for sharing your exquisite intellect with us. I’m a senior citizen lady who has learned much from you. Keep up the good work dear Ben. Respectfully. 🕊️🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🙏

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you so much, Delcia!! I'm so grateful to have you here! ☺️🙏

[@111butterscotch]

WOW! You are the best literature teacher I've ever had! Thank you, Benjamin! Love your joy!! I am so looking to the readings of 2024! Happy Fatherhood!

[@MassielZ]

Congratulations! You are an inspiration to me to become a better reader. I am a high school teacher in the Dominican Republic and some of the highest joys of my life have been seeing students become readers and enjoy great literature. I have much to learn still and your channel is an instrument to that. Where did people submit the questions for this Q & A?

[@marianapgar4409]

I love your channel so much. It gives me hope that this many people can see how great it truly is. Congratulations, Ben!

[@boscarinoma2305]

Woohoo! Congratulations! You have earned it! I love your channel and I love this community! I belong to a book club, but I consider your channel my true book club! I have learned sooooo much from your channel. My mother who died of COVID in 2020 was a HUGE Shakespeare reader. I’d like to think she would be proud of me today! Thank you!!!

[@jdfromparis6230]

Jorge Amado comes to mind when it comes to Brazilian literature. Truly a stellar writer. And Pessoa for Portuguese poetry of course.

[@gommine]

Dona Flor and her two Husbands is a really brilliantly book!

[@jdfromparis6230]

@@gommine I haven't read that one. The first one I read is Red Field, then I've read Cacau and Sweat. I might have read another, but it was over 30 years ago and in the French translations. I should go back to reading Amado.

[@jamiewalkerdine3705]

Speaking of Clarice Lispector I actually begin with her short stories, even her earliest short stories are incredibly underrated even by the standards of Brazilian literature. They're a wonderful example of the ecriture feminine

[@drdem00]

How wonderful ... A reader of the "Classics", without pretension ... A cool breeze instead of a dry wind ... Please continue with your easy, natural style ... An American, here; loving all this great literature ... Perhaps it's time for even me, to re-attack "the bard", myself ... Congratulations on your 10,000 ... Loved Swiss Family Robinson & several others, then went to Harper Lee, Mitchner, Capote, Eudora Welty & Willa Cather ... & even the forever sarcastic Salinger ... I will continue to follow you ... Did like "Mill on the Floss", so there's that ...

[@readlikeaman]

been waiting my whole life for this video!! 😂 congrats bro, you deserve this more than anyone else i know on KZbin!

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you so much, Paige! I really appreciate that, my friend 😃🙏

[@hanvour]

This is an incredible achievement. In the modern day, most people are often distracted by the pursuit of quick satisfaction. However, a channel dedicated to literature managing to attract such a large number of followers is truly remarkable. It represents a significant glimpse of hope for humanity.

[@josipkomesarovic8319]

If you're interested in delving into Balkan literature, I highly recommend starting with "The Bridge on the Drina" by Ivo Andric, the Nobel Prize-winning writer from Former Yugoslavia. This historical novel is a captivating introduction to the literary treasures of the Balkan region.

[@habitshare]

So well deserved. I appreciate your chunnel so much. With all the noise out there your voice is clear and clean and very engaging. My 12 years old aspiring author son is a new fan of yours. He says you are very captivating and he just want to read it all. Thanks again and keep going.

[@chrissy1510]

Congratulations, dear Ben, on this magnificent achievement! You, your channel, and your bookclub have touched so many lives, not least mine. You continue to amaze and inspire me, and I wish you all the joy that life can bring. Much love 🧡

[@testcardII]

I’ve been watching your channel since the beginning 💗 congratulations! 🎉

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you so much! I'm so grateful for you being here all this time 🙏❤️

[@Will-nr5ow]

Always love your channel...your brilliance shines.

[@NjIceTea]

Congratulations! No one does classics like you :) You are so incredibly knowledgeable and eloquent - your love for the classics is palpable and highly contagious!

[@sonitagovan]

Congratulations Ben. Your channel makes me really happy. Thank you for all the hard work you do to bring us these videos. ❤

[@tamaragrottker7677]

Fabulous@. Congratulations. I referenced you to the parents and children at our literacy night, with respect to really getting into books and having the characters becoming your friends and going back to re-read stories. I appreciate your wisdom. Congratulations to 100K!

[@arijayari1076]

It's been a while since I've been in touch with your channel and KZbin in general, and I am glad to find out how much growth this beautiful projects made, you helped me enjoy reading more and it was a joy to share my passion for books with you and others in this community

[@dorotheafinan2419]

What a great job you do for reading with your videos and patient enthusiasm. Congratulations on your 100k so well deserved. Very generous advice today. I do hope you come to Dublin to walk in Joyce’s footsteps. And Beckett’s of course…. As I live alone I am free to read while eating which means that at least twice each day i can have a long read. But I generally have a lightweight book on the go as well. And I read a poem each morning and a few essays in between major books. At present the essayist is Elizabeth Hardwicke and her essays lead to other wonderful lesser known books. Happy Reading!

[@signdigger]

Congratulations on the 100k Ben, and hope you continue to fight the good fight to keep the Great Books alive. I think it's wonderful that your reading Cao Xueqin's Story of the Stone. I read an abridged edition, but have just recently acquired the 5 volume set by Penguin. If you enjoy it you might want to check out the haiku of Matsuo Basho. He is very vivid, and powerful with words. Looking forward to the next reading schedule for next year!

[@ikemeitz5287]

Personally, I'd like to see you talk about David Foster Wallace because I love him so much. I've read Infinite Jest and many of his shorter essays, and I'd love to have someone delight in them along with me!

[@gommine]

The essay on the cruise ship is the best.

[@ThaiEcka555]

Agreed... very funny. @@gommine

[@thehoneyreads]

Congratulations again Ben! 🎉 Everyone gave such amazing questions. I really enjoyed hearing readers thoughts as well as yours! Cannot wait to see what we’re reading next year 😊

[@nedmerrill5705]

Hi Benjamin: Congratulations on 100K. You have a great channel and your success is well deserved. Your discussion on "how to read in a world of distractions" reminds me of the world of computer operating systems (as I'm a computer scientist by training). The notion of "context switching" due to an interruption; saving your train of thought, switching to another activity, then the effort needed to remember where you were before the interruption is the overhead required of a context switch. A computer bogged down by too many interruptions and context switches is said to be "thrashing". This just came to my mind during your discussion... Yes, I plan out at the end of every year 12 books I will read during the coming year, one book a month, those books that called out to me during the year whose titles I jotted down. I check off one book to read from the list as each month goes by. I fill in the remaining time by reading other books that come to my attention during the year.

[@pleasebekind9115]

Benjamin what a joy to have discovered your channel in this time of attack on the humanities! Congratulations on your well-deserved subscriber milestone. I just stumbled across your post from four years ago on the seven poems that haunt you and had to add “Lullaby” by W.H. Auden and Hart Crane’s “The Bridge”. Thank you for all you do and for being an inspiration to serious readers everywhere!

[@tompribyl2884]

Ben, I am so glad that I found your videos. I have become a deep reader. I have been slowly and deeply reading books that you have profiled. I just finished Don Quixote and loved it. Congratulations and thank you.

[@peskylisa]

Congratulations, Benjamin. This is a wonderful channel, and I wish it and you had existed when I was in school. You've put a good amount of work into these videos and helping me to re kindle my own love of literature. Literature really hits a visceral part of us (in a good way) and can re-connect us with our own humanity. My question: Where can you go online or off to purchase older books which are no longer in print?

[@WeSLifechronicles]

"Congratulations Benjamin! on reaching 100k subscribers! Your platform is truly transformative, reshaping how we perceive literature and enriching our lives. Thanks to your influence, I've embraced classic literature, something I once found intimidating. I've embarked on the beautiful journey of reading 'Anna Karenina,' savoring every moment. Thank you for your inspiration!"

[@smalltown2223]

Well done! You put a lot of work into your channel. You’ve been very instrumental in widening my reading. I still read thrillers, science fiction etc. But I’ve read quite a few classics now, on your recommendation. I’m about a third of the way through Anna Karenina. I find myself thinking it could be the best thing I’ve ever read.

[@vanessawei3533]

Big congrats! English is not my first language, but you inspired me into English literature since I first watched your videos. Thank you ❤❤

[@thelordofillusions]

Congratulations! And greetings from Los Angeles! Your channel has been such a joy and an inspiration. Keep it up!

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you so much! I really appreciate that :) Happy reading over in sunny LA!!

[@anitas5817]

Congratulations!!!🎈🍾🎊 Well deserved. All of your videos are worth the wait. I’m going to go make a nice cup of tea and settle in for a pleasurable hour!

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Aw, thank you so much! That is so lovely of you to say. I'm going to join you there and make myself a nice cup of tea too ☕☺️

[@alexandracharles8894]

This channel fills me with such joy. I've recently developed an increased passion for classic literature and this channel continues to fuel that interest and love so thankyou so much!

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you so much, Alexandra!! I appreciate you being here and sharing your love of these great books with me ☺️

[@MirandaKHayes]

Congrats 🎉 was just thinking yesterday how much I was eagerly anticipating a new video! Looking forward to revisiting Jane Eyre soon alongside your JE video. Thank you for all you do! ❤

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you so much, Miranda! I really appreciate that! I'm so happy that you'll be revising Charlotte Brontë's masterful story ☺️❤️

[@marnasorensen988]

Congratulations! Well done and well earned.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you, Marna! I really appreciate that :)

[@mplcreative]

Congratulations on 100k followers! I’ve been following for almost two years and loving it.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you so much! I'm so grateful that you've been here all this time ☺️🙏

[@georgeglaros349]

Ben, this is a wonderful achievement! Congratulations to you; this is so well deserved. I love books and have loved them for decades, to the point that I can actually say they not only enriched my love but have on occasions during my youth saved it. I read Nikos Kazantzakis epic long poem, The Odyssey: A Modern Sequel, in the Kimon Friar translation from the original modern demotic and multi-colored idiomatic Greek to English. This book hit me with all its forces in a way that changed me like a tidal wave- for the better. I wonder if you are familiar with it?

[@elliemcevoy6233]

Congratulations & well done, very well deserved !

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you so much!! ❤️☺️

[@LilaCerullos]

You deserve it! And much more, i hope much people find your channel because is a gem of literature! Congratulations 🎉❤

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you so much!! I really appreciate that 🙏❤️

[@Nurse_Kathy]

Congratulations, Benjamin!! This year I’m most thankful for you and the Hardcore Lit Book Club. The experience has enriched my life in many ways. 💛

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you so much, Kathleen! That makes me so happy to hear. I'm incredibly grateful for you reading these great books with so much love with us! 🙏 ☺️

[@rodneyadderton1077]

Congratulations Benjamin. Hello from Tennessee. I love your channel.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you so much, Rodney. I really appreciate that! Happy reading over in beautiful Tennessee :)

[@spacemanspif2]

congrats my man, I am really happy for you and you deserve this so much. Amazing job.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you so much, my friend. I really appreciate that!! :)

[@Ricky-es9vg]

Congratulations Ben! The way you articulate yourself with these great pieces of literature is truly a warm thing to see. Much deserved. Also, I am currently reading Bleak House and I absolutely am loving it! Does this title fall among one of your favorite Dickens works?

[@jsmi601]

So exciting, congratulations!! Well deserved.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you so much, Jessica!! ☺️

[@QuirkyGirl10]

I always enjoy listening to you answer questions from your viewers. It always feels like an intimate chat in cozy surroundings. Again, congratulations on hitting this great 100K milestone. Your channel is really about quality over quantity, and I appreciate all the thought and time you put into each video, no matter the length. BTW, would love for you to sit down and chat with some of the influential people in your life who nurtured your love of literature. That would be a lovely addition to your channel. I think it would allow us another peek inside who you are from another perspective😊

[@patriciadattoma4479]

Congratulations, Ben! I found your channel a few months ago, loved it so much I joined the Hardcore Literature Book Club last week…best decision!! I am thoroughly enjoying it!! Thank you for all you do, bringing so much book joy to our lives!

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you so much, Patricia! That is so kind of you to say! I'm incredibly grateful that you're reading these great works with so much love and joy with us!! ☺️🙏

[@hazelsun8493]

Congratulations Ben! We are very lucky to have your channel and the Hardcore Literature Book Club! Sometimes I worry that you’ll decide you’ve had enough and need a break. But for the time being, I am thankful for you guiding us through great literature, being a continuous presence here and on Patreon, and for the kindness that comes through everything you do. 100K ain’t no joke 😉

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you so much, Hazel! Your kind words have made my heart heavy with gratitude! I really hope to keep discussing these great books with you all for as long as possible! 😊

[@MahaFreja]

Hi, I just want to thank you for reminding me how I love reading. And how to read better. I wish I had a teacher like you in high school (a long time ago). Thank you!

[@3primenumber]

So happy for you, wishing you exponential growth going forward!

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you so much! :)

[@graceyao2838]

Congratulations, i am inspired so much by you, and like a lot of your thoughts

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you so much, Grace! :)

[@kevindavis3234]

'Musashi' was great! I stumbled across that by accident maybe ten years ago. That got me in Miyamoto Musashi's 'The Book of Five Rings', which I can also highly recommend. This was a great video! So many thought-provoking questions. I do hope you decide to film a second part.

[@arijitbanerjee9008]

My friend Ben, you are simply awesome. :) I learnt and am still learning a lot about literature from your videos. Keep up the great work, I wish you all the very best!

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you so much, Arijit! I appreciate you, my friend 🙏😊

[@rhoclouds]

you are one of the best literature content creators anywhere. congrats on the milestone👏🥂

[@JuneTurner-dt4fb]

Congratulations Ben. Well deserved. So great to watch someone talk passionately about the classics. I would love to see videos on any of the following writers/books: Geoffrey Hill, Aldous Huxley (not just Brave New World), Anthony Burgess, Willa Cather, Joseph Campbell, P. G. Wodehouse, Martin Amis, Robert Graves (specifically 'The White Goddess'), Ted Hughes, Philip Larkin, Joseph Conrad, Ian McEwan, Henry Fielding (especially Tom Jones), William Blake, Nietzsche, Schopenhauer, Virginia Woolf, Thomas Hardy, Evelyn Waugh, Primo Levi, Kurt Vonnegut.

[@ceciliabustos9979]

Hi Ben, I am addicted to your videos. English is not my first language but I am hooked. I am reading classics and just love it. Thanks Benjamin❤

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you so much, Cecilia! I'm so grateful that you are here enjoying these great books with me ☺️❤️

[@Brontephile]

Congratulations, well deserved 👏👏👏👏👏

[@glezaranda]

Congrats 🎊🎈

[@user-wk9pl8yg3d]

Wow, a nice informal chat with you and past teachers of yours who've influenced and inspired you would be phenomenal - don't sleep on this!

[@jakeballinger6033]

Keep us updated on Dream of the Red Chamber! The great seven novels of China (Dream of the Red Chamber/Story of the Stone, Investiture of the Gods, Water Margin/Outlaws of the Swamp, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Journey to the West, The Scholars, and The Plum in the Golden Vase) are all books I'd love to read. When I do a focus on China, maybe.

[@ninamargaritacook]

Yay!!! Been looking forward to this! :)

[@pablogamberomasson-qg2px]

You actually anwered my question! I can't believe it. Awesome video, as always. You've changed my life and many others for the better. Thank you ❤

[@godsbuckets]

Great advice on coming up with booklists to read with the kids. We have hosted book club in our home throughout the years. One for ages 6-8, and then 9-12, and a “fogey” book club for us mature folk. Your kids are going to be blessed with a dad like you. Congratulations on the 100k. Well deserved!

[@drdem00]

How wonderful ... A reader of the "Classics", without pretension ... A cool breeze instead of a dry wind ... Please continue with your " Eezee style ... An American, here; loving all this great literature ... Perhaps it's time to re-attack "the bard", myself ... Congratulations on your 10,000 ...

[@454mike5]

bless you my dude, i found alot great classic book by your recommendation

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you, my friend, and bless you too! :)

[@shabirmagami146]

Amazing as always ....you are a gift to all the readers.... I just finished reading The Woman in the Dunes ....brilliant book and great translation .... thank you for that.... about this video ...I was waiting for it and it is finally here ....congratulations!!! You deserve more and more audience.... brilliant content but I disagree with you on Blake ....I think he is one of the greatest writers in English ...one of the great geniuses....in both style and content...especially in his longers works/ prophetic books ....thank you again, Benjamin ... love and respect

[@thelaurels13]

Love this. Thank you, Ben and many congratulations on the 100k - much deserved. 👏

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you so much!! ☺️🙏

[@exildoc]

Congratulations, dear Benjamin! What an amazing achievement, and well deserved!

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you so much, Florian!! 🙏 ❤️

[@cantonlittle]

Great video, Ben! Congratulations!

[@pattorelli3451]

Congratulations, Ben! So well deserved.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you so much, Pat!

[@toddbelanger1923]

YAHOOOOOOOO So happy for you..I've been a huge fan for almost the beginning... Congratulations brother Dudely Dude.. BRAIN SHAKING AWESOMENESS

[@katrinziegler6545]

Thank you so much for this video and especially the advice for teachers to have a book open in front of them. I am a teacher. I love literature. Why have I never thought of the obvious?

[@JonStallings]

Congratulations Benjamin. I always enjoy hearing your passion for literature

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you so much, Jon!! :)

[@jerrysacct]

Congrats to you. Greatly appreciated.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you very much, Jerry!

[@shaanparwani]

eca de Querioz too read Dom Casmurro The Posthumous Memiors of Bras Cubas for eca I found The Maias. Congrats on 100 subscribers.

[@goldmourn]

Congratulations on your milestone! I have been enjoying the Hardcore Literature Book Club. 'Invisible Man' by Ralph Ellison was my first read with you and I enjoyed your insightful lectures immensely.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you so much! That makes me so happy to hear :) Invisible Man really was extraordinary, wasn't it? Ralph Ellison's prose gets right into one's soul!

[@nicholasbrooke9455]

This was great! Bring on part 2. Super excited to see the 2024 book club list.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you, Nicholas! I'm definitely down for a part two :) There were so many thought provoking questions that I'd still love to get into!

[@salamander_automatic2491]

Hey Ben, congrats on 100k! You earned by being the best channel on booktube. I was just wondering where abouts you and hardcore literature are in Proust? I've just finished Part Two: Chapter One of The Guermantes Way, and I'm absolutely devastated.

[@GoGoGirl22100]

congratulations benjamin!! you deserve it 🎉

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you so much, Jocey!! ☺️

[@JonathasGoncalvesSilva]

Hi from Brazil! Love your channel! ❤🇧🇷

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you for watching in beautiful Brazil, Jonathas! 🇧🇷 ❤️

[@shrineshpatel2642]

Always a good day when Ben drops a video

[@FrancisGo.]

Congratulations, Benjamin! You have one of the best channels on KZbin, with over 3,000 years of classical, literary wisdom shining through your friendly personality--like an actual Time Lord. Newly regenerated. ❤

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you so much, Francisco! You have made my day! I appreciate you, my friend ❤️🙏

[@reaganwiles_art]

Congratulations! Well-deserved. Everyone on booktube thinks very highly of you, you are without a doubt one of the best. I'm excited about a book which doesn't often happen; it is called Riddley Walker by Russell Hoban, published in 1980 I believe, in London by an American. 2000 years after Armageddon, invents a reimagined "English" language reminiscent of A Clockwork Orange and Cormac McCarthy, only more Chaucerian [sic]? One of the most profound things I've read, inclusive of holy writ, and I'm on but ch.4. Maybe it'll disappoint but my faith is large having read these 20-odd pages

[@shaggyherur]

You would thoroughly enjoy Susan Sontag's foreword in the FSG edition of Epitaph of a Small Winner! Pointing this out because I noticed you purchased the Penguin edition of The Posthumous Memoirs of Bras Cubas instead. Congrats on the milestone - I love your videos!

[@m.c.3541]

Congratulations Ben, being part of the Hardcore Literature Book Club, has really enhanced my life. Looking forward to many years of great reading. Best of all Maria

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you so much, Maria! I'm so incredibly happy to hear that. That means the absolute world to me! 🙏☺️

[@CurtRowlett]

Congratulations on 100K subscribers for the best literature channel on KZbin. You've certainly earned it. Thank you for all that you do.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you so much!! That is so lovely of you! I really appreciate that ☺️

[@KindleAndCoffeeCups]

Great video Ben. I can only imagine we'll be here when it's 200K in no time :) I've been a viewer since around 4.5K subs. My daughter has special needs and she is also a subscriber. She has used your videos to learn about the great works - she doesn't let me go on and on about them lol. I've decided to let go of that dreaded FOMO. Sure, it can seem silly to read and re-read the same novels year after year, but I enjoy extracting every ounce of wisdome to be found. This year alone I've read Jane Eyre twice. Every year I read (in full) Anna Karenina and always always always an Austen. Hardy appears every few months, and Proust is a constant companion on long winter nights. Also, I HIGHLY recommend The Book of Disquiet by Fernando Pessoa. If you enjoy Proust (and I know you do), you'll love this work. Happy reading. 📕

[@nourished3496]

Congratulations Ben!! So happy for you, and so happy to learn and get so excited about literature with your videos! I am beyond happy to learn you are reading Clarisse Lispector and that you will read Machado de Assis. I think you will like Machado a lot, he was very inspired in Shakeaspeare and the book you are reading was influenced by Laurence Sterne and Chateaubriand. It’s a shame that many great Brazilian authors are not translated, but if you can find Erico Veríssimo (O Tempo e o Vento) narrates the birth of the south of Brazil through a family story… hints of philosophy, politics, and loads of history and depth of characters. We have a tradition with short stories, you may wish to read the ones from Clarisse and Machado, but equally Lygia Fagundes Telles, Guimarães Rosa and Graciliano Ramos. Thank you for reading our literature, so curious to hear your thoughts on it. Aaaaand dreaming about a group read of the Magic Mountain, maybe on next year? Congratulations for your work, I’m a big fan!!!

[@ilikekiwis3521]

Nice comment!

[@emmas7045]

Congratulations Ben 🎉!!

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you so much, Emma! :)

[@daveg4036]

Congratulations! Well earned

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you so much, my friend 😀

[@ancabanca4228]

Congratulations, you deserve it🎉

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you so much!! :)

[@michaelkfoury9467]

I loved your answers Benjamin. Thank you for everything and for answering my question. For a book as thrilling as The Count of Monte Cristo, I would recommend The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper. Although his writing style is more archaic, Cooper's book is an historical epic/ adventure just as a action packed and emotionally deep as The Count, and is sometimes considered the first Great American Novel.

[@yasiakbari3535]

Thank you for all your efforts that you put into your channel, can't wait for the 2024 bookclub reading schedule ❤

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you so much!! I'm so happy you're excited for the schedule :) I can't wait to hear what you make of it!

[@gommine]

I’ve Infinite Jest and some other of DFW’s work. Back then I used a guide that I found online from the group reading project “Infinite Summer” (which had happened a year or two prior). It was invaluable help. I would love to re-read IJ, it’s one of my favourite books of all time time and I think I would get so much more out of it now.

[@qiqisun543]

My first language is Chinese, but it wasn't until I explored Western classic literature with the help of BookTubers like you that I felt a deep desire to read "红楼梦" (Dream of the Red Chamber). It's one of the most challenging novels to read, even for native Chinese speakers. Like "Ulysses," it's full of hidden meanings and references to ancient Chinese philosophies and literature. My Chinese copy is now marked from the first to the last page. Thank you for sharing your enthusiasm and knowledge about books. You are inspiring people to read truly good literature regardless of culture and language. Congratulations on the success of your channel and Patreon book club! 🎉 I've learned so much from you. ❤

[@BlairCarlyle]

Amazing video as always Ben, I’m on the board of directors of the Jack Kerouac House of St. Petersburg, it’s the final house Jack lived in and is still furnished with a lot of his belongings. If you’re ever in Florida you’re welcome to stay at the house, maybe we could even put together a reading or event, I’d love to talk about Jack with you sitting in his living room or his favorite chair. Thanks again for spreading the love of literature and hope to hear from you!