Job Discussion Forums

[J-Pop]

Suddenly, with some unexpected time on my hands, I'm looking for a good book (or 3 or 4) to read. I have heard, consistently, over the years the name of J.M. Coetzee (awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, just recently, I believe).

Is anyone familiar with his works? I think he has written a lot. Does anyone have a suggestion for one of his books to read first? I mean, can you think of a work of his that is "representative," or one you think is a good "introdcution" to his writings? (maybe there isn't any, seems I recall one commentator say each of his works is unique in style & in subject matter).
Just a question.

Also, while we are on the subject of serious reading, does anyone have a suggestion? I've heard of several Japanese & Chinese "classics" that are excellent . . . but, for the life of me, cannot recall the names of the authors or the books.

[denise]

[J-Pop]

Rushdie: "Midnight's Children" I liked (most of) this one, especially the beginning, if I recall correctly. "Satanic Verses," after reading the first 10 pages or so, seemed too ridiculous an opening to read any more. Wish I'd kept the book now, though, a first edition (maybe worth some $ one day?).

Marquez: "Love in the time of Cholera," & "A Thousand Years of Solitude," are those the 2 you were thinking of denise? (Hope I got the names right, I'm winging it at the moment).

Kazuo Ishiguro . . . hm, actually . . . does sound vaguely familiar. Could be one of those names I mentioned that couldn't remember anymore. Is he an author from, roughly, World War Two? Or is he still living, do you remember? Any name (title of a book) come to mind?

Thanks! I especially like the idea of starting on a Marquez book.

[denise]

"One Hundred Years of Solitude." (a thousand kinda seems like overkill, no? )

Kazuo Ishiguro:

hmmm, let's see if I can remember the titles!

A Pale View of Hills
The Remains of the Day
An Artist of the Floating World
The Unconsoled

(OK, I had to go to amazon to get the names of those last two) Those are the ones that I've read. They are amazing.

Have you read Rushdie's "Shame"? I don't think it was quite as powerful as "Midnight's Children," but what is?!?

d

[J-Pop]

[Wolf]

Japanese "classics," eh?

Well, I loved I Am a Cat (Wahagai wa Neko De Aru) by Soseki Natsume. It's about a cat that lives in the family of a Japanese teacher of English during the late Meji era.

I also enjoyed his Botchan and The Wayfarer.

Eiji Yoshikawa might not be high classic literature, but I loved his Taiko (which is kind of like James Clavell's Shogun, only with the names straight and no Westerners as central characters), and Myamoto Musashi.

Then there's The Tale of Genji (Genji Monogatari) by Murasaki Shikibu. Written about 1000 years ago, it's an interesting glimpse into that time, but it's not what I call a light read. I've been brainwashed on an Aristotelian emphasis on plot, so it was a bit hard to adapt.

[shmooj]

I love Graham Greene and in particular
The Power and the Glory
Our Man in Havana
and the excellent The Heart of the Matter

if you like Greene, you will also like Shusako Endo the Japanese writer who is very similar in style. Check out his "Silence"

[Roger]

The poster actually enquired about CHINESE CLASICS (probably in an English translation), but in my view, they are not that enjoyable as compared to Coetzee (who I would warmly recommend, not because I have read him, but because books from South Africa promise to reward their buyers).
Chinese classics that I have a faint idea of include
- A Journey to the West
- A Dream of Red Mansion
and a couple more.
The problem I personally have with Chinese classics is that they have very little in the way of entertaining or even imparting valuable insights on Chinese society. You can only profitably read them if you are versed in the Chinese language.

Chinese authors that have had a major Western following include:
- Han Suyin: The daughter of a Belgian and Chinese parents, she is
perfectly bilingual, and her works usually are first published in English.
She actually lives in a French-speaking country. Her first works were
received with international acclaim - for example "A Many-Splendoured
Thing"; later, however, she turned rabidly anti-Western, and the
Peking red Mandarins accepted her into their stable of accolytes.
- Amy Tan: A Chinese American who portrays Chinese immigrants.
Always enlightening and elightful reads albeit a bit too popular.

This is my list, clearly incomplete as other works I have read or other authors I liked are missing for the simple reason that I cannot remember right now the relevant details.

[Afra]

Try Yukio Mishima.

[gerard]

Ishiguro also wrote When We Were Orphans which is set in Shanghai colony days. He just wrote a screenplay cant remember what. Murakami is a big name Japanese writer I read his non-fiction book on the Tokyo gas attacks. Speahing of books can someone loan me the new Amis novel???

[once again]

Kazuo Ishiguro was born in Nagasaki, Japan, in 1954 and moved to Britain in 1960. At the time, his parents thought that they would soon return to Japan and they prepared him to resume life in his native land. They ended up staying, and Ishiguro grew up straddling two societies, the Japan of his parents and his adopted England.

The above is taken from a website about the man. I post it because of the comment about the translation of the works being good. I read a piece recently where he stated that he was tired of everyone putting him the Asian authors section of bookshops! To my knowledge his books are written in English, which leaves only a few problems with the English translations..!!