"Bartleby and Company" - not really work of art, rather something between a full-fledged novel, a diary, an article and a scientific work. This is a kind of study of the so-called “No direction,” writers who voluntarily abandoned their activities. From literature. The reasons are different, the talents are different, but the research of Enrique Vila-Matas is the same.
It is also necessary to note that before reading “Bartleby and Company” it makes sense to familiarize yourself with the original work, the name of the main character of which was borrowed by Vila-Matas - this is the story “Bartleby the Scribe” by Herman Melville, which is quite interesting in itself. It tells about a certain office worker whose life's motive was the word No. Remember how in the movie with Jim Carrey Always say yes. Something similar here, only in reverse.
About the book "Drinking Time" - Philippe Delerme
The novel "The Time Drinker" by Philippe Delerme is stream of consciousness literature. In other words, all events, as well as descriptions and actions, are subordinated to the flow mental activity author: what Philippe Delerme thinks about, he writes. Without thinking about what he writes, he writes further. And on and on. At first glance, everything is simple, but it’s not so.
Read similar literature incredibly difficult because it is almost completely devoid of plot. Or it is such that no meaning can be found in it. Suffice it to say that main character novel by Philippe Delerme - a man from a bubble from a painting by Folon. If this doesn't scare you, half the battle is over.
What
Perhaps the main bestseller of the decade is a psychological thriller in which unexpected turns there is more plot than even the most demanding reader could wish for.
Plot
On their fifth wedding anniversary, Nick Dunne's wife Amy goes missing under suspicious circumstances, leaving him the prime suspect in her possible murder.
Context
Critics have called Flynn's book a "novel of mirrors": nothing can be trusted here and on every page everything turns out to be not what it seems. It seems that the reader opens the book for this reason, so that he is thoroughly taken aback, but not only. Flynn writes, as it were, a fascinating read on the most favorite topic of a great novel - about family. She takes two absolutely glossy main characters, rips off all the covers from them, so what kind of marriage is there, it’s uncomfortable to stand next to such people, but at the same time it implies that this is such an impossible union unpleasant people and there is an ideal formula for a strong marriage.
Screen adaptation
Young, successful, beautiful and, most importantly, distinctly Hollywood protagonists are begging to be seen on the screen - it’s as if Flynn is writing a novel about the secret lives of American stars. In the novel, by the way, it is repeatedly emphasized how blonde they are - and it seems that the very choice of Ben Affleck for the main role hints that Fincher is up to something to spite the text. In any case, it will not be difficult for this film adaptation to become better than the original - there is nothing in the text except the plot, and Fincher is known for his ability to do beautiful things.
Tom McCarthy "When I Was Real"
What
An avant-garde novel, delightfully different from all other novels before and after it.
Plot
The main character, waking up in a hospital after an unnamed disaster, receives compensation of several million for damage and paranoid uncertainty about reality. today- and spends a fortune on recreating the “real” pictures that lie dormant in his mind. It all starts with the construction of a whole house, in which the team special people recreates the smell of fried liver, the sounds of music from a pianist above, cats walking on the roof. But it doesn’t end there - behind the house the scene of a street robbery is recreated, and then something worse.
Context
Tom McCarthy came to literature from contemporary art, and his novel is not about the state of modern society, but rather about the state of modern art. Like an attempt to find out how far the art of actionism can go in its pursuit of reality. That is, what is important here is not only the fantasies of the hero, who suffers from the inability to light a cigarette with the ease of De Niro in “Mean Streets,” but also the fact that it helps him fulfill any whim a whole army professionals: from casting to literally choosing wallpaper. This alienation of the process from the result is reminiscent of cinema - is it worth adding that it was this book that Charlie Kaufman was inspired by when writing “New York, New York”.
Screen adaptation
It is logical that the adaptation of the novel was also undertaken not by a director, but by an artist, and not the last one: video artist Omer Fast became famous precisely for his works that groped the line between art and reality - in “Spielberg’s List” (2003) he interviews the team of the film “Schindler’s List” On the site of a concentration camp built outside Krakow as a movie set, in "Casting" a soldier talking about serving in Iraq turns out to be an actor auditioning for the role of a soldier. The author of the book and the director wrote the script for the film together - and, it seems, understood each other: the movie, where Tom Sturridge, with the help of artistic reconstructions, tries to reach his own forgotten past, Fast describes as the story of an artist devoid of talent.
Laura Hillenbrand "Unbroken"
What
One of the main non-fiction bestsellers of the decade, the 2010 Time magazine book of the year is about a man who survived.
Plot
The incredible biography of Louis Zamperini, a street boy who was raised to be an Olympic runner and sent to the Games in Berlin. Then he became a pilot during World War II, survived a plane crash, drifted on a raft in the ocean for a month - all to be captured by the Japanese.
Context
Incredible and absolutely true story, which was found by Laura Hillenbrand; our time needs heroes and, not finding them in the present, finds them in the recent past.
Screen adaptation
The script for Angelina Jolie's film, which we will see at the end of the year, was written by the Coen brothers, her joint photograph with the main character, taken shortly before his death, went around the Internet, but it may turn out that the desire to make socially responsible films will play a bad joke on her: this It’s easy to kill an already pathetic story with brutal seriousness.
Jeannette Walls "The Glass Castle"
What
A wonderful book about a difficult childhood in a strange family.
Plot
Dad drinks, mom draws pictures, no one works, there is often no food at home and never money, the children don’t go to school, but dad can tell them the best fairy tale in the world, and mom can teach them to play the piano - and everyone is happy.
Context
In fact, “The Glass Castle” is almost the best thing that happened to young adults literature this decade: instead of the fictional suffering of teenagers from dystopias, here is a real complex childhood, where the bohemian life of parents is not always a joy for their four children.
Screen adaptation
The main name of the upcoming film adaptation is already known - this is Jennifer Lawrence, for whom this book will be a chance to finally get out of the swamp of The Hunger Games somewhere closer to the arthouse. With all the love for Lawrence, a lot depends on her in this film adaptation: the whole book is built on very subtle details, and this should turn out well as “Tideland,” and not just another teenage thriller.
Colm Toibin "Brooklyn"
What
Irishman Colm Toibin, one of the most serious modern authors, tragically (for us) not translated into Russian, and his novel, which received the Costa Prize in 2009.
Plot
A young Irish woman leaves her native village for America better life- and although things are already difficult for her in Brooklyn, everything becomes even more difficult when tragic events at home they force her to return home.
Context
Colm Tóibín is one of the few authors who can write long, slow, leisurely texts and follow his characters with close attention and exceptional compassion, which have been forgotten by world literature for more than a hundred years. His novel, however, can be read more simply - as a novel about emigrants in reverse, where America becomes a place from which it is necessary to leave.
Screen adaptation
Saoirse Ronan, the apprentice pastry chef from The Grand Budapest Hotel, will play the lead role in the upcoming - very Irish - film adaptation by John Crowley: it seems that the heroine's inability to take life into her own hands will be the main plot here.
Kevin Powers "The Yellow Birds"
What
A novel about returning from war, written by an Iraq war veteran, became for Americans something like “On Western Front without change” in the 21st century.
Plot
Private John Bartle went to Iraq with his school friend Murph. At the beginning of the war, they swear to each other not to die - but the hero returns alone. Surviving is only half the battle: adapting back to peaceful life It turns out to be completely impossible.
Context
Kevin Powers' novel filled the empty niche of the Great Novel about Iraq; here, for the first time in literature, all soldiers’ injuries are fully described - both in the fields and after the fields: why they leave, what they experience and how they return.
Screen adaptation
Benedict Cumberbatch, who has been cast in the lead role in David Lowery's upcoming film, says too much about the upcoming film adaptation: he doesn't look much like an Iraqi mercenary, which means that in a text that is half poetry and the other half the call of blood, it has been decided only poetry was left.
Sebastian Barry "Tables of Fate"
What
A century of Irish history in notes from a madhouse.
Plot
A hundred-year-old woman, sitting in a madhouse, keeps a diary in which her tragedy own life inseparable from tragic story Ireland, - and her attending physician sits around the corner and also keeps a diary, a little simpler. Sooner or later they meet.
Context
The 2008 Costa Prize, the Man Booker Prize shortlist and a host of other awards prove, if not the importance, then the literary excellence of the text, authored by one of the best living Irish writers and playwrights.
Screen adaptation
It’s a rare case when already at the stage of preparation of the film it is clear that it will pay tribute to the original: Jim Sheridan in the directors, in the roles of the patient and her doctor Vanessa Redgrave and Eric Bana - and a whole sea of famous names in flashbacks.
Elizabeth Strout "Olivia Kitteridge"
What
A collection of stories from the life of the American province, in which the main character manages to remain a minor character almost to the end.
Plot
13 stories from a small town in New England, from which the image of the main character gradually emerges - inconvenient, domineering, aging school teacher mathematics. We meet Olivia Kitteridge as a middle-aged woman, and see her off as an old one - in general, this is a story, if not about aging, then about the loneliness that inevitably accompanies it.
Context
2009 Pulitzer Prize - and a whole bunch of other awards: Elizabeth Strout managed not only to find a new hero, but also to complete the more difficult task of telling the story of an inconvenient heroine with empathy.
Screen adaptation
Frances McDormand, performer leading role in the HBO miniseries, which will be released this fall, Kitteridge is not very suitable for the role: in the novel we are repeatedly pointed out what a large, physically awkward body she has. By making the heroine miniature, television cut off the novel itself, turning it into a story about what happens to a marriage after children grow up - a line that turns out to be far from the main one in the novel.
Jojo Moyes "Me Before You"
What
Sad story impossible love, which sells very well.
Plot
A girl at a crossroads loses her job and gets a job as a nurse for a smart, handsome man who is completely paralyzed after an accident.
Context
The social rom-com genre, which Jojo Moyes invented with this novel and has since exploited with might and main, is an undoubted success. Here, in general, it’s the same Jane Austen plus the problems of the first world in the 21st century. That is, the poor beautiful girls have nothing to pay for loans, Mr. Darcy also cries, in between - there are many details of the hard life of the working class, laughter through tears, but still more tears. This is not required reading, just a good girl's novel, but it proves that literature can be in in a good way left, even without being too smart.
Screen adaptation
Estimated release - August 2015. Sentimental prose of this kind, as a rule, in film adaptations becomes something moderately marginal: it reaches its strong hundred million (three times the budget), after which everyone tries to forget it, like annoying misunderstanding. Without counting on anything in particular, the studio gave itself the freedom to play a little: it invited Thea Sharrock, who is known more for her theatrical work, to the director’s chair (this will be her debut in a feature film, but she, as they say, is widely known on Broadway, in particular to her we owe it to Daniel Radcliffe naked with a horse), and Emilia Clarke aka Khaleesi was called to play the main female role. And Sharrock seems determined not to knock tears out of the audience, but to show them the injustice of the British class system.
The most best books- a relative concept. good printed edition V at the moment- this is a work that brings a person comfort, advice, knowledge, wisdom, vivid impressions. Thus, the determining factor is whether the book satisfies the needs of a particular reader.
For some people, only specialized literature is valuable: documentary, scientific, technical, medical, industrial. But this is rather food for thought. However, most readers are still interested in fiction books. They are the ones who contribute to the formation of a spiritual image. They will be discussed in this article.
A fiction book is a unique invention. A galaxy of thinkers from different times and eras trusted paper with their hopes, observations, understanding of truth, life, and humanity. It’s wonderful when the vivid images created by these authors, together with deep and unique quotes(sometimes decades ago, and sometimes centuries) illuminate the lives of our contemporaries!
The role of the Russian Book of the Year competition
The current literary process in Russia is unusually fruitful and has characteristic features inherent in decadence:
Directing it in a constructive direction, avoiding erosion of the national and stimulating truly talented beginnings in it is an extremely important task of modern Russian culture. An indicator of the success of the books written by our contemporaries are the annual national competitions of the “Book of the Year” type. They are organized with the aim of stimulating both writers and publishing houses.
For example, in the Russian competition in 2014, traditionally held in mid-September, 150 publishing houses participated, submitting more than half a thousand books to the competition. Winners were announced in 8 categories:
- prose works - the novel “The Abode” (Zakhar Prilepin);
- poetic work - translation of Shakespeare's "King Lear" (Gigory Kruzhkov);
- fiction for children - the story “Where is the cock's horse galloping?” (Svetlana Lavava);
- art book - “Kargopol Journey” (prepared by the local architectural and art museum);
- Humanitas nomination - artistic and documentary album “Lermontov” (State Archive of Arts and Literature);
- e-book - media project “Yasnaya Polyana” and “Yaroslavl Temples” (project bureau “Sputnik”);
- nomination “Printed in Russia” - album “Vetka. Book culture";
- the main prize of the “Book of the Year 2014” competition is the three-volume “Russia in World War I” (a team of 190 researchers from universities, museums, and archives).
To summarize: the objectives of the above-mentioned competition are to increase the status of the book in current public life; stimulation best authors and publishing houses. Over the sixteen years of its existence, this event has proven in practice its motivating role in the development of Russian literature.
At least they were nominated Russian writers who can rightfully be called classics:
- 2004, nomination “Prose” - “Sincerely yours, Shurik” (Lyudmila Ulitskaya); nomination “Bestseller” - “ Night watch"(Sergey Lukyanenko);
- 2005, nomination “Prose” - “Voltairians and Voltairians” (Vasily Aksenov);
- 2011, nomination “Prose” - “My Lieutenant” (Daniil Ganin).
International book ratings
As we have already mentioned, the best, most popular books, thanks to the thoughts crystallized in them, become real friends, advisers, and joy for their readers. And the authors who wrote them are called classics.
The best books created by talent are studied in schools and universities. educational institutions, they are widely quoted in everyday life.
At the very least, browsing the Internet reveals dozens of variations of the “Top 100 Books.”
Lists like these have some value. Thanks to them, it becomes much easier for a novice reader to find the truly best books to read among tens and hundreds of thousands of works. If a person feels his gaps in knowledge of world culture (an integral part of which is domestic and foreign literature), then such a rating can become a route map.
What direction should you choose for such a landmark? If you are really interested in world literature, then we would recommend using one of the ratings by version:
- English Broadcasting Company (BBC);
- The Observer;
- Union of Writers of Russia;
- French newspaper Le Monde;
- American publishing house Modern Library;
- Norwegian book club.
Of course, the news agency of each country, listing the best books, tries to give leading places in the compiled lists to fellow countrymen authors. And this is justified. After all, the talents of the recognized classics, who created their masterpieces from the times of the ancient world to the present day, are in fact incomparable. Each of them finds a path to the hearts of readers in their own way.
A phenomenon that has come down to us thousands of years later: the literature of the ancient world
The list of books that have come to us through millennia and inherited from other eras is quite limited. However, they also appear in modern ratings. That's why we write about them. Unfortunately, history has not preserved ancient libraries: Gentiles fought with books as well as with enemies. For example, the richest Library of Alexandria, numbering up to 700,000 papyrus scrolls.
Which books of our classical ancestors should be mentioned first when talking about ancient world? Of course, Publius Virgil Maro, the author of the Aeneid, deserves fame in Latin, and Homer, the author of the Odyssey and Iliad, deserves fame in ancient Greek. Guided by the theory of Virgil, the Russian scientist and poet Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov developed a syllabic-tonic system of versification, which served launching pad For further development Russian poetry.
However, not only Virgil and Homer are considered ancient classics. Horace, Cicero, and Caesar also wrote in Latin, and Aristotle, Plato, and Aristophanes wrote in ancient Greek. However, it is precisely the two names mentioned earlier that best represent the literature of the ancient world.
Books from Europe during the emergence of capitalism
Foreign literature, of course, is represented by a much richer list of authors than Greece and Ancient Rome. This was facilitated by the rapid development of European states.
France its Great Revolution awakened to life romantic human aspirations for freedom, equality, and fraternity. In the literature of Germany, which began to create its statehood, in unison with the French, romanticism also prevailed.
In contrast, industrialized, urbanized and politically stable Britain - ruler of the seas - exhibited the most powerful and mature literary process, leaning towards realism.
It is generally accepted that the most famous writers who worked on French at that time, it was Victor Hugo (“Les Miserables”, “Cathedral Notre Dame of Paris") and George Sand ("Consuelo").
However, speaking about the French contribution to world literature, the names of Alexandre Dumas the father should be mentioned (“ Iron mask", "The Three Musketeers", "The Count of Monte Cristo"), Voltaire (the poem "Agathocles"), Charles Baudelaire (collections of poems "The Parisian Spleen", "Flowers of Evil"), Moliere ("Tartuffe", "The Bourgeois in the Nobility" , “The Miser”), Stendhal (“The Perm Monastery”, “Red and Black”), Balzac (“Gobsek”, “Eugene Gande”, “Godis-Sar”), Prosper Merimee (“Chronicles of the Times of Charles IX”, “Tamango” ").
Let us continue the list of romantic books characteristic of early bourgeois Europe by mentioning the works of the Spaniards and Germans. A brilliant representative of the Spanish classical literature is Cervantes (" Cunning Hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha"). Among the German classics, the most famous were Johann Wolfgang Goethe (“Faust”, “Wild Rose”), Heinrich Heine (“Journey to the Harz”), Friedrich Schiller (“The Fiesco Conspiracy in Genoa”, “The Robbers”), Franz Kafka (“The Missing Man”) ", "Process").
Romantic adventure books discarded the entourage of real life; their plot was based on the actions of exceptional heroes in unusual conditions.
The Rise of British Literature
In the 19th century, the trendsetters of the “book fashion” European continent British writers were rightfully considered. French authors, initiated by the Great Revolution, were less favored after the collapse of Napoleon Bonaparte.
The British had their own literary tradition. Back in the 14th century, the whole world recognized the genius of William Shakespeare and the innovative social ideas of Thomas More. Developing their literature in the conditions of a stable industrial society, British authors already in the 18th century began an evolutionary transition from the classic chivalric romance (romanticism) to social and psychological works.
They tried to answer more pragmatically than the French philosophical question: “What is Man and what is Society?” Such new thinkers were Daniel Defoe (“Robinson Crusoe”) and Jonathan Swift (“Gulliver”). However, at the same time, Britain marked a new direction of romanticism, as demonstrated by George Gordon Byron, author of the works “Don Juan” and “Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage.”
The literary tradition of realism in the first half of the 19th century was powerfully developed by the following famous writers:
Brilliantly talented (whom F. M. Dostoevsky later called his teacher);
Intellectual to the point of uniqueness, stoically enduring hunger and poverty, Charlotte Bronte, known for the novel “Jane Eyre”;
The creator of the world famous Sherlock Holmes is Arthur Conan Doyle;
Kneeling and persecuted by the corrupt press (“Tess of the Dabervilles”).
Russian golden literature of the 19th century. The biggest names
The classics of Russian literature are associated in the world primarily with the names of Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy, Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky, Anton Pavlovich Chekhov. Although in general in the 19th century (which is generally recognized), Russian literature turned into the most striking cultural phenomenon on a global level.
Let us illustrate the above. Tolstoy's style of writing novels has become an undisputed classic. Thus, the American writer Margaret Mitchell wrote her famous epic “Gone with the Wind”, imitating the style of Lev Nikolaevich.
The piercing psychologism was also generally recognized in the world highest quality inherent in Dostoevsky's work. In particular, the famous scientist Freud claimed that no one in the world could tell him anything new about inner world person, no one except Fyodor Mikhailovich.
And Chekhov’s innovation inspired authors to begin writing works based on the world of human feelings. In particular, the venerable British playwright Bernard Shaw recognized himself as his student. Thus, foreign literature in the 19th century received both powerful ideological support and a new vector of development from Russian literature.
A note about literary ratings
The fact remains: among hundreds of the best works, a significant part is occupied by books written in the 19th century. It is these writers that are usually studied in schools, for which inertial and unreasonably stable educational programs have been developed.
Is this fair? Not at all. It is more expedient to change the curriculum, taking into account the tastes of the real advanced reading audience. In our opinion, no less than a share works of the XIX centuries, the curriculum should include the works of writers of the 20th and 21st centuries.
The classics of Russian literature today are not only the works of Pushkin, Gogol, Turgenev, but also the books of Mikhail Bulgakov, Victor Pelevin. We deliberately express the idea figuratively, mentioning only individual names famous poets and writers.
Raising the topic: “Which books are the best?”, it is reasonable to talk in more detail about the works of the classics of the present and past centuries.
Best book according to the BBC. Critical view
According to the BBC, the first place is occupied by John Ronald Tolkien's novel-trilogy "The Lord of the Rings". Let's pay special attention in this article this work of fantasy. Books with such depth of plot development, based on ancient legends, are very rare.
What motivated the rating experts to give such a high rating? Indeed, the Oxford University professor served Britain with his most fascinating work great service. He, having deeply and comprehensively studied folklore Foggy Albion(hitherto scattered and fragmented), figuratively speaking, he unraveled it by thread and wove it into a single concept of the struggle between Good and Evil. It’s not enough to say that he did it with talent. An interesting fact testifies to the uniqueness of the trilogy. One day, an angry scientist colleague came to the author of “The Lord of the Rings” after his lecture and accused the writer of plagiarism.
Modern fiction, perhaps, has never had such associations before. The writer’s opponent turned out to be demonstrative; he brought to the confused author of “The Ring” copies of drawings from ancient British chronicles, unknown to the latter, which seemed to illustrate Tolkien’s work.
It happens! One person managed the impossible - to unite, systematize and, most importantly, presentably present the ancient folklore of his homeland. It is not for nothing that Queen Elizabeth II awarded the writer the honorary title of Knight of Britain.
Some other BBC rated books
- Children's fantasy trilogy " His Dark Materials"(Philip Pullman).
- To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee).
- "1984" (George Orwell).
- "Rebecca" (Daphne Du Maurier).
- "The Catcher in the Rye" (Jerome Salinger).
- "The Great Gatsby" (Francis Fitzgerald).
Opinion of Russian readers
What assessment is given to the fairness of the British rating on Russian book lovers forums? The short answer is: ambiguous.
Enough high marks given to the work of the writer George Orwell. For many readers, their favorite book was an exciting novel with an unpredictable plot - “Rebecca”. For children to read, we can recommend the story of the journey of the girl Lyra Belacqua from Oxford through fantastic worlds from Philip Pullman.
However, there are also quite motivated comments. For example, for the domestic sophisticated reader who loves such books-novels as Bulgakov’s realistic-mystical novel “The Master and Margarita”, the work “Doctor Zhivago” from Boris Pasternak, as well as “Picnic by the Road” and “The Doomed City” from the Strugatsky brothers, To put it mildly, the BBC's rating priority criterion is not entirely clear.
Please understand correctly: we are by no means trying to reduce artistic value a number of talented novels like “Catch 22”, “The Great Gatsby”, “The Catcher in the Rye”, when we state the fact: their genre is an ideological novel. Can they, objectively speaking, compete with the voluminous and multi-problem work “The Master and Margarita”?
Such novel books, which consistently reveal only one idea of the author, should be rated lower! After all, their depth of meaning is initially limited by design, devoid of volume, multidimensionality. Therefore, in the opinion of our readers, the dubious positioning of novels-ideas in the list of books in positions higher in rating than “War and Peace” or “The Master and Margarita” is completely absurd.
Modern postmodern books
Postmodernist books today are perhaps at the peak of their popularity, since they represent an ideological antithesis to the stagnating society of mass consumption. Contemporary postmodern writers dissect the consumer lifestyle around them, filled with soulless advertising and primitive glossy glamor.
There are such ideological authors even in well-fed America. Recognized in his homeland as a true expert on the problems of consumer society, the writer of Italian origin Don DeLillo (novels Underworld, “ White noise"). Another Italian scientist, professor of semiotics at the University of Bologna, Umberto Eco, immerses the reader in such an intellectually rich outline of his work (“Foucault’s Pendulum,” “The Name of the Rose”) that his creations are in demand by an intellectual audience.
Another author demonstrates a softer postmodern. One of the representatives of Russian modern literature of this movement is Boris Akunin. The books of this modern classic (“The Adventures of Erast Fandorin”, “Azazel”, “The Adventures of Sister Pelageya”) are in demand among mass readers and have even been filmed. Many note the strength of the author’s talent, his masterful style, and ability to create fascinating stories. In his reasoning, he demonstrates a special personal philosophy of an eastern character.
The latter is especially noticeable in his “Jade Rosary” and “Diamond Chariot”.
It is noteworthy that, captivating the reader with detective stories taking place in the general outline historical events Russia, does not avoid the problems of poverty, corruption and theft modern classic Akunin. His books, however, are not kept within the strict framework of a historical plot. In the West, this genre of prose is called folk-history.
The chronological point that defines the start of the concept of “modern Russian literature" is 1991. Since that time, hitherto closed works by sixties authors have become available to the general public:
- “Sandro from Chegem” by Fazil Iskander.
- “Island of Crimea” by Vasily Aksenov.
- “Live and Remember” by Valentin Rasputin.
Following them, modern writers came into literature, whose worldview was initiated by perestroika. In addition to the above-mentioned Boris Akunin, other Russian literary stars of the first magnitude shone brightly: Viktor Pelevin (“Numbers”, “The Life of Insects”, “Chapaev and Emptiness”, “T”, “Empire V”) and Lyudmila Ulitskaya (“The Case of Kukotsky ", "Sincerely yours, Shurik", "Medea and her children").
Modern fantasy books
Perhaps a sign of the era of decadence was the remake of the romantic genre, revived in the form of fantasy. Just look at the phenomenon of popularity of the series of novels about Harry Potter by JK Rowling! This is really so: everything is returning to normal, romanticism is regaining lost ground from realism!
No matter how much they say that realism once (in the 30s of the 20th century) crushed romanticism to death, no matter how much its crisis is hidden, but it is again on horseback! It's hard not to notice. Let us remember just one of classical definitions of this literary style: “Exceptional heroes act in unusual situations.” Isn't that last statement in keeping with the spirit of fantasy?! What else can I add...
- "Night Watch", " Day watch"(Sergei Lukyanenko).
- “Forbidden Reality”, “Gospel of the Beast”, “Catharsis” (Vasily Golovachev).
- The cycle of novels “The Secret City”, the cycle “Enclaves” (Vadim Panov).
Let us also recall the popularity of the fantasy series “The Witcher” in Russia. Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski. In a word, adventure books are now again in favor with readers.
Looking through the forums of domestic readers, we discovered that among the outstanding writers of the 20th century, non-European and non-American books are much less often mentioned. However, among them there are some very bright and talented works:
- “One Hundred Years of Solitude” (Colombian Marquez).
- “Woman in the Sands” (Japanese Abe Kobo).
- “Waiting for the Barbarians” (South African John Coetzee).
Conclusion
The bottomless fiction of its authors (meaning the best) the average person, unfortunately, a priori will not be able to read throughout his entire life. Therefore, navigation in the boundless book “sea” is extremely important. “Why do you need to read this purposefully?” - an uninitiated person will ask...
We will answer: “Yes, to decorate your life, to make real friends! After all, books are advisers, inspirers, and comforters.
In conclusion, we note that if in the future you are lucky enough to find at least a dozen books, each of which, like a tuning fork, is ideal for you, your soul in a certain life situation, then we will consider that it was not in vain that we worked on this article. Happy reading!
If you suffer from insomnia, or you simply don’t know what to do in the evening before bed, then start reading! But be careful, because some books are so interesting that you won't even notice the morning comes!
Photo: goodfon.ru
So, the list fascinating books, which will interest both “avid readers” and novice “book lovers”:
“The One Who Has Come in Large Numbers”, Narine Abgaryan
This is a tragicomedy about a young and ambitious girl who, at the beginning of the difficult 90s, decided to leave her native small mountainous republic and conquer the capital. And she immediately realized that each visitor, whom the author calls “who came in large numbers,” has his own Moscow. Some people see it in the millions of people scurrying through the streets, while others get the opportunity to get close to such people. And some of them protect, protect, care, help, support and simply love. The author of the book talks about his small piece of that very “common” life of a newcomer, which many indigenous people talk about big cities They have no idea. And there is room for exploits, the most important of which is to decide to emigrate and accept a new place as it is, and to sincerely love it. And then Moscow will certainly reciprocate.
"The Collector" John Fowles
This is the author’s debut story, and for many it almost chills the blood, because this is a real psychological thriller that excites the mind. The plot is the destinies of two people connected with each other. He is a butterfly collector. There is an emptiness in his soul that he strives to fill with beauty. And one day Ferdinand finds himself a beautiful victim - the girl Miranda. It’s as if she was created to create and enjoy freedom. And he understands that he will give everything to have her. And so, Miranda becomes Ferdinand's prisoner. But can he keep it within the castle walls? real life, Beauty, Freedom and all the most beautiful things that can be in the human soul?
The story is built on the delicate relationship between the victim and the villain and allows you to rethink many of the stories of world classics that seemed to have long been worn out.
Forrest Gump, Winston Groom
This is the story of a mentally retarded guy, which he himself outlined on the pages of what became legendary book, which formed the basis of the film of the same name. The plot can be called practically the embodiment of the myth about that very “American Dream” that disturbed the minds of millions of young people who lived in the second half of the last century. But at the same time, this is a sharp and even slightly cruel satirical parody of the society of that time, which was not ready to accept people who were somehow different from the mainstream. Forrest Gump was different and therefore became an object of ridicule. But this boy is not crazy at all. He is different, and he has access to what others cannot see and feel. He's special.
Amsterdam, Ian McEwan
The author of the book is one of the representatives of the “elite” of modern British prose. And for the work, which became a real world bestseller, he received the Booker Prize. Viktor Golyshev, who translated this creation into Russian, also received the award. It would seem that the story is simple and very relevant. But how many nuances there are in it, how many thoughts, how many doubts! The main characters are two friends. One of them is a successful editor of a popular newspaper. The second is a brilliant composer of our time who is writing the “Millennium Symphony”. And they enter into an agreement on euthanasia, under the terms of which, if one falls into a state of unconsciousness and ceases to understand what he is doing, then the other will take his life.
"Amendment 22" by Joseph Heller
Although more than half a century has passed since the release of the first book, this work still remains legendary and one of the most popular, and many publications included it in the list of the best novels.
It's not really ordinary story about US Air Force pilots who took part in World War II. They all find themselves in absurd situations, encounter absurd people and rash actions, and commit incomprehensible acts themselves. And all this is connected with a certain amendment No. 22, which actually does not exist on paper, but states that every military man who does not want to carry out a combat mission is completely normal and therefore fit for service. But in fact, in this story one can see not so much an anti-war novel, but a deep and global mockery of modern everyday life, of society and current laws.
"A Conspiracy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
The author of this book, who, by the way, lived to see the award Pulitzer Prize for this creation, he was able to create a literary hero, unlike any described in satirical literature. Ignatius J. Riley is a creative, imaginative and eccentric personality. He fancies himself an intellectual, but in reality he is a glutton, a spendthrift and a quitter. He is like a modern Don Quixote or Gargantua, who despises society for its lack of geometry and theology. He is reminiscent of Thomas Aquinas, who began his own hopeless war against everything and everyone: representatives of non-traditional sexual orientation, the excesses of the century and even intercity buses. And this image is so interesting, unusual and, unfortunately, relevant that everyone can see a part of themselves in it.
“Monday begins on Saturday”, Strugatsky Brothers
This book is a real masterpiece of Russian science fiction, a kind of embodiment of the utopia of the Soviet era, a kind of artistic fulfillment of the dream of possibilities modern man learn, create, explore and solve the mysteries of the Universe.
The main characters of the book are employees of NIICHAVO (Research Institute of Witchcraft and Wizardry). They are masters and magicians, real pioneers. And they will encounter many amazing events and phenomena: a time machine, a hut on chicken legs, a genie and even an artificially grown man!
"The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins
This book became a real bestseller. It's mysterious and fascinating story girls Rachel, who from the window of the train watches, as it seems to her, ideal spouses. She even gave them names: Jason and Jess. Every day she sees the cottage of a man and a woman and understands that they probably have everything: prosperity, happiness, wealth and love. And Rachel had all this, but not so long ago she lost it all. But one day, approaching a cottage she already knows well, the girl realizes that something is going wrong. She sees frightening, mysterious and disturbing events. And then the perfect wife Jess disappears. And Rachel understands that it is she who must reveal this secret and find the woman. But will the police take her seriously? And, in general, is it worth interfering in someone else’s life? This is for the readers to find out.
"The Book of Life: Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom
IN recent months Throughout his life, the old professor managed to make several important discoveries.
He realized that death is not the end at all. This is the beginning. And, therefore, dying is the same as preparing for something unknown and new. And this is not scary at all, but even interesting.
Before leaving for another world, the old man passed on such knowledge to everyone who was with him in last minutes his earthly life. What will happen next? Will we find out?
"The Trial", Franz Kafka
The author is one of the most beloved, mysterious, readable and popular writers last century. He managed to create a unique artistic Universe, in which everything is completely different from real life. She is sad, dreary and almost absurd, but incredible and bewitchingly beautiful. Her characters constantly become participants in strange adventures, they search for the meaning of life and try to get answers to questions that have long tormented them. The novel “The Trial” is the work that will allow us to most clearly understand the mysterious nature of Franz Kafka’s work.
Lord of the Flies, William Golding
This book can be called strange, scary and incredibly attractive.
According to the plot, raised in best traditions the boys find themselves on desert island. The author told readers a philosophical parable about how fragile the world is and what can happen to people who forget about kindness, love and mercy. This is a dystopia with some symbolic overtones, which explores the behavior of children caught in wartime on a desert island. Will they be able to maintain their humanity or will they submit to natural instincts?
"Rita Hayworth or the Shawshank Redemption" by Stephen King
The plot of this book is the story of a man whose terrible dream suddenly became a reality. He, innocent of anything, was thrown into prison, into a real hell in which he would spend the rest of his life. And no one has ever managed to escape from this terrible place. But the main character does not intend to give up and put up with what was destined for him by fate. He took a desperate step. But will he be able to not only escape, but also get used to freedom and the new world, and survive in it? By the way, this work by the real king of fantasy Stephen King served as the basis for the film of the same name, which starred Morgan Freeman and Tim Robinson.
The events take place in England in 1960. Jennifer Sterling wakes up after a terrible car accident and realizes that she cannot remember who she is or what happened to her. She doesn’t remember her husband either. She would have continued to live in ignorance if she had not completely accidentally found letters addressed to her and signed with the letter “B”. Their author confessed his love to Jennifer and persuaded her to leave her husband. Next, the author takes readers to the 21st century. Young reporter Ellie finds one of the letters written by the mysterious “B” in the newspaper archives. She hopes that by taking up the investigation, she will be able to unravel the mystery of the author and recipient of the messages, restore her reputation, and even understand her own personal life.
"A Lady with Glasses with a Gun in a Car" by Sebastien Japrisot
Main character books - blonde. She is beautiful, sentimental, sincere, deceitful, restless, stubborn and clueless. This lady, who has never seen the sea, gets into a car and tries to escape from the police. At the same time, she constantly repeats to herself that she is not crazy.
But those around me do not agree with this. The heroine behaves more than strangely and constantly finds herself in ridiculous situations. She believes that wherever she goes, she can be harmed. But if she runs away, she will be able to be alone with herself and free herself from what she hides, from what worries her so much.
The Goldfinch, Donna Tartt
The author wrote this book for ten whole years, but it became a real masterpiece. It tells us that art has power and strength, and sometimes it can radically change and literally turn our lives around, and quite suddenly.
The hero of the work, 13-year-old boy Theo Decker, miraculously survived the explosion that killed his mother. His father abandoned him, and he is forced to wander around foster families and completely strange homes. He visited Las Vegas and New York and almost despaired. But his only consolation, which, by the way, almost led to his death, is the masterpiece of the Dutch old master, which he stole from the museum.
Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell
This book is like a complex mirror labyrinth, in which seemingly completely different and unrelated stories miraculously echo, intersect and overlap each other.
There are six main characters in the work: a young composer who is forced to sell his soul and body; 19th century notary; a journalist working in California in the 70s of the last century who uncovers a conspiracy of a large company; clone servant working in modern enterprise fast food; a modern small publisher and a simple goatherd living at the end of civilization.
"1984", George Orwell
This work can be classified as a dystopian genre; it describes a society in which a strict totalitarian regime reigns.
There is nothing more terrible than the imprisonment of free and living minds in the shackles of social foundations.
"Blackberry Winter" by Sarah Gio
The events take place in 1933 in Seattle. Vera Ray kisses her little son before bed and goes to night work to the hotel. In the morning, a single mother discovers that the entire city is covered in snow, and her son has disappeared. In a snowdrift near the house, Vera finds the boy’s favorite toy, but there are no traces nearby. A desperate mother is ready to do anything to find her child.
The author then takes readers to modern-day Seattle. Reporter Claire Aldridge writes an article about a snowstorm that literally paralyzes the city. By chance she learns that similar events already took place 80 years ago. Starting to study mysterious story Faith Ray, Claire realizes that she is somehow mysteriously intertwined with her own life.
"Blindness", Jose Saramago
Residents of a nameless country and a nameless city are faced with a strange epidemic. They all quickly begin to go blind. And the authorities, in order to stop this incomprehensible disease, decide to introduce strict quarantine and move all sick people to the old hospital, taking them into custody.
The main characters of the work are an infected ophthalmologist and his pretending to be blind wife. They are trying to piece together the world and find order in this chaos that is gradually enveloping everyone.
“Three apples fell from the sky”, Narine Abgaryan
This book is the story of one small village, which is located somewhere high in the mountains.
Its inhabitants are all a little grumpy, a little eccentric, but at the same time, real treasures of the spirit are hidden in each of them.
This is a witty, sublime and unusual dystopia about modern society consumption, which is programmed at the genetic level. And in this world unfolds the sad story of the Savage, whom the author regards as the Hamlet of our time. He still retains remnants of humanity, but people, divided into castes of social consumption, do not want to recognize him or simply cannot do so.
If we list noteworthy books by contemporary authors, we cannot fail to mention the work “Social network “Ark” by Evgeny Vetzel, which consists of three parts.
The main character falls from the roof, but is reborn again. Having lived a little in the 11th century, he finds himself in the distant future - in the 36th century in Moscow. The author touches on many interesting devices, psychology and sales techniques, modern reflections on life and reasons to seriously think about rhetorical questions. The second book describes life in America and the theory of one of the variants of a worldwide conspiracy. And the third part tells about the adventures of the hero on another planet where white angels live.
These were the most interesting books, which are worth reading even for those who think they don’t like to read. They will change your views and even your ideas about the world.
P.S. What books do you remember most?
We started reading less. There are many reasons for this: from the abundance of various gadgets that take up time to the large amount of useless literary fluff filling the shelves bookstores. We have compiled the top 10 best books of modern prose that will definitely appeal to the reader and make them look at literature with different eyes. The rating was compiled taking into account the opinions of readers of major literary portals and critics.
Bernard Werber “The Third Humanity. Voice of the Earth"
The book is in 10th place in the ranking of the best works of modern prose. This is the third novel in the "The Third Humanity" series. In it, the writer discusses the topic of the ecological future of the planet. Werber's books are always fascinating reading. In Europe, the genre in which he works is called fantasy, and in South Korea many of the writer's novels are considered poetic works. Verber became famous thanks to his novel “Ants,” which he wrote for 12 years. An interesting fact is that readers fell in love with the writer’s novels long before critics started talking about him, who seemed to have deliberately ignored the author for many years.
- another book by a famous blogger on the 9th line of the top 10 best books in the genre of modern prose. The Latvian writer Vyacheslav Soldatenko is hiding under the pseudonym of Slava Se. When short stories and notes from a personal blog began to become popular, a major publishing house invited the author to publish a book based on them. The circulation sold out in a matter of days. “Your My Knee” is another collection of the writer’s notes, written with humor. Books of Glory Se – great way combating sadness and bad mood.
Few people know that Slava Se worked as a plumber for about 10 years, although he is a psychologist by profession.
Donna Tartt with the novel “The Goldfinch” in 8th place in our top 10 best works of modern prose. The book was awarded the most high award in the literary world - the Pulitzer Prize in 2014. Stephen King expressed his admiration for him, who said that such books appear extremely rarely.
The novel will tell the reader the story of thirteen-year-old Theo Decker, who, after an explosion in a museum, received a valuable canvas and ring from a dying stranger. An old painting by a Dutch painter becomes the only consolation of an orphan wandering among foster families.
The novel is on the seventh line of our top 10 best books in the genre of modern prose. Readers will discover a world in which wizards live side by side with people. They submit to the highest governing body - the council of white witches. He strictly monitors the purity of the blood of magicians and hunts half-breeds, such as Nathan Byrne. Although his father is one of the most powerful Black sorcerers, this does not save the young man from persecution.
The book is one of the most exciting new works of modern literature of 2015. It is compared to another famous series of novels about wizards - Harry Potter.
Anthony Dorr "All the Light We Cannot See"
At 6th position in the ranking of the best books in the genre of modern prose is another Pulitzer Prize nominee. This is a novel. The plot centers on the touching story of a German boy and a blind French girl who are trying to survive in difficult years war. The author, who tells the reader a story set against the backdrop of World War II, managed to write not about its horrors, but about peace. The novel develops in several places and at different times.
Novel Mariam Petrosyan “The house in which...”, occupying fifth place in the top 10 best books, can scare the reader with its considerable volume of a thousand pages. But as soon as you open it, time seems to stand still, such an exciting story awaits the reader. The plot centers on the House. This is an unusual boarding school for disabled children, many of whom have amazing abilities. Here live the Blind Man, the Lord, the Sphinx, the Tabaki and other inhabitants of this strange house, in which one day can contain a whole life. Each newcomer must decide whether he is worthy of the honor of being here, or whether it is better for him to leave. The house keeps many secrets, and its own laws operate within its walls. The boarding school is a universe of orphans and disabled children, where there is no entry for the unworthy or weak in spirit.
Rick Yancey and his first novel in a trilogy of the same name "5th wave"– on the 4th line in the ranking of the best works of modern prose. Thanks to numerous science fiction books and films, we have long formed ideas about what the plan for the conquest of the Earth by alien creatures will be. The destruction of capitals and large cities, the use of technology unknown to us - this is approximately how it is seen. And humanity, forgetting about previous differences, unites against a common enemy. One of the novel's main characters, Cassie, knows that everything is wrong. Aliens, who have been observing the development of earthly civilization for more than 6 thousand years, have thoroughly studied all models of human behavior. In the “5th wave” they will use their weaknesses, best and worst character traits against people. Rick Yancey depicts the almost hopeless situation she finds herself in human civilization. But even the wisest alien race can make mistakes in assessing the capabilities of people.
Paula Hawkins with her amazing detective novel "The Girl on the Train" takes third place in the top 10 best books in the genre of modern prose. More than 3 million copies were sold in the first months after its release, and one of the well-known film companies has already begun work on its film adaptation. The main character of the novel observes the life of a happy married couple from the train window day after day. And then Jess, Jason's wife, suddenly disappears. Before this, Rachel manages to notice something unusual and shocking from the window of a passing train in the couple's yard. Now she must decide whether she should contact the police or try to figure out the reason for Jess's disappearance herself.
In second place in our rating is the novel, filmed in 2009. Susie Salmond was brutally murdered at the age of 14. Once in her personal paradise, she observes what happens to her family after the death of the girl.
First place in the ranking of the best books in the genre of modern prose goes to Diana Setterfield and her novel “The Thirteenth Tale.” This is a work that opened up for the reader the long-forgotten genre of “neo-Gothic”. The most amazing thing is that this is the author’s first novel, the rights to which were purchased for huge amounts of money. In terms of sales and popularity, it overtook many bestsellers and was translated into other languages. will tell the reader about the adventures of Margaret Lee, who receives an invitation from a famous writer to become her personal biographer. She is unable to refuse such luck and comes to a gloomy mansion, in which all subsequent events will unfold.
