Ahab never thinks, he only feels, he only feels; this is enough for every mortal. Thinking is impudence. To God alone belongs this right, this privilege. Thinking must be cool and quiet, but our poor hearts beat too hard, our brains are too hot for that.
"Moby Dick" - central work American romanticism. The epic story of Captain Ahab's furious hatred of the white sperm whale, bordering on madness, is full of Christian allusions and subtle metaphors. Through them, the entire spectrum of man’s relationships with God, the natural elements and himself is revealed.
In addition to the deep philosophical implications, the novel is valuable from a cultural and historical point of view. You won't learn as much about whaling from any fiction book as from Melville's novel.
Love can't go astray unless it's real love, and not a frail freak, stumbling and falling at every step.
London's most powerful and profound novel can be called partly autobiographical: there is much in common between the writer and Martin Eden. Perhaps this is why the book turned out to be so fascinating and philosophically problematic. The author tried to find answers to questions that worried him throughout his life.
"Martin Eden" is the most curious attempt of American literature to combine European Nietzschean ethics with current religious and social-humanistic teachings. The novel gives the exact answer why it is pointless to wait for the arrival of a superman. From any side of the Atlantic Ocean.
Financial activity is an art, a complex set of actions of intelligent and selfish people.
The “Trilogy of Desire” cycle includes three works: “The Financier”, “The Titan” and “The Stoic”. The novels are united storyline and tell the story of the life of Frank Cowperwood, a successful capitalist of the early 20th century.
Dreiser not only provides a broad panorama of the socio-economic life of the United States at the turn of the century, but also reveals the moral and ethical problems of the capitalist world. The world in which we all live today.
He who wins a war will never stop fighting.
One of Hemingway's most famous novels intertwines themes of war and humanism. A pure, bright feeling between an American soldier and an English nurse arises in the conditions of a merciless meat grinder. In it, feelings are destined to go out.
This anti-war novel is a bright representative of the literature of the “lost generation”. After reading it, you are imbued with such a strong disgust for the death that people sow that you understand that literature is the most effective remedy against war.
A person merges with the place where he lives.
The Great Depression in the United States led to a severe shortage of jobs, forcing residents of poor states to migrate to more prosperous areas in search of food. About one such family who was looking for better life, and the novel “The Grapes of Wrath” is narrated.
The miserable existence of American farmers, bordering on beggarly, is shocking and creates a completely unexpected image of America. The novel reveals the reality of the Great Depression, which cannot be found in the pages of any textbook on.
The boredom was terrible. And there was nothing to do but drink and smoke.
Salinger's novel has a huge impact on culture. He is perhaps the most famous work modernity. What made it so popular?
The answer is quite obvious: Salinger (in whom there was also a place for not the most censorious expressions) sharply and directly expressed the position of youthful rejection of social values. Each of us went through the stage of this rejection, but each ultimately became a prisoner of the life imposed on him.
This book is longing for to a better world, so far from the real with its paradoxes, stupidities and complexities.
But what is sacred for Bokonists anyway?
In any case, as far as I know, not even a god.
So, nothing?
Only one.
Ocean? Sun?
Human. That's all. Just a man.
Any novel by a writer can rightfully be on this list. No one has understood the 20th century better than Vonnegut.
The madness and irrationality that ruled at this time reveal their existence in horror. And any war in general. What is the meaning of ethics, morality, religion, if the history of mankind is the history of wars and murders?
People weave their story as if they were tying strings around their fingers. Let this design be called "Cat's Cradle". Why? What's the difference, there's no cat in the cradle, just like there's no point in historical process, not really.
In contact with
Despite the relatively short story, American literature has made an invaluable contribution to world culture. Although already in the 19th century all of Europe was reading gloomy detective stories Edgar Allan Poe and the beautiful historical poems Henry Longfellow, these were just the first steps; It was in the 20th century that American literature flourished. Against the backdrop of the Great Depression, two world wars and the struggle against racial discrimination in America, classics of world literature, Nobel Prize laureates, writers who characterize an entire era with their works are born.
Radical economic and social change American lives in the 1920s and 1930s provided the perfect breeding ground for realism, which reflected the desire to capture the new realities of America. Now, along with books whose purpose was to entertain the reader and make him forget about those around him social problems, works appear on the shelves that clearly show the need to change the existing social order. The work of realists was distinguished by great interest in various kinds social conflicts, attacks on socially accepted values and criticism of the American way of life.
Among the most prominent realists were Theodore Dreiser, Francis Scott Fitzgerald, William Faulkner And Ernest Hemingway. In their immortal works they reflected true life America, sympathized with the tragic fate of young Americans who went through the first world war, supported the fight against fascism, spoke openly in defense of the workers and did not hesitate to depict depravity and spiritual emptiness American society.
THEODORE DREISER
(1871-1945)
Theodore Dreiser was born in a small town in Indiana into the family of a bankrupt small businessman. Writer from childhood I knew hunger, poverty and need, which was later reflected in the themes of his works, as well as in his brilliant description of the life of the ordinary working class. His father was a strict Catholic, narrow-minded and despotic, which forced Dreiser hate religion till the end of one's days.
At the age of sixteen, Dreiser had to leave school and work part-time in order to somehow earn a living. Later, he was still enrolled at the university, but was only able to study there for a year, again due to money problems. In 1892, Dreiser began working as a reporter for various newspapers, and eventually moved to New York, where he became a magazine editor.
His first significant work was a novel "Sister Carrie"– published in 1900. Dreiser describes something close to his own life the story of a poor country girl who goes to Chicago in search of work. As soon as the book barely made it into print, it immediately was called against morality and was withdrawn from sale. Seven years later, when it became too difficult to hide the work from the public, the novel finally appeared on store shelves. The writer's second book "Jenny Gerhard" published in 1911 was also trashed by critics.
Then Dreiser begins to write the series of novels “Trilogy of Desires”: "Financier" (1912), "Titanium"(1914) and unfinished novel "Stoic"(1947). His goal was to show how late XIX century in America is being carried out "big business".
In 1915, a semi-autobiographical novel was published. "Genius", in which Dreiser describes the tragic fate of a young artist whose life was broken by the cruel injustice of American society. Myself the writer considered the novel his best work , but critics and readers greeted the book negatively and it was practically didn't sell.
Most famous work Dreiser is an immortal novel "American tragedy"(1925). This is the story of a young American who is corrupted by the false morals of the United States, causing him to become a criminal and a murderer. The novel reflects American way of life, in which the poverty of workers from the outskirts stands out clearly against the background of the wealth of the privileged class.
In 1927, Dreiser visited the USSR and the following year published a book “Dreiser looks at Russia” which became one of the first books about the Soviet Union, published by a writer from America.
Dreiser also supported the movement of the American working class and wrote several journalistic works on this topic - "Tragic America"(1931) and "America is worth saving"(1941). With tireless strength and skill of a true realist, he depicted the social system around him. However, despite how harsh the world appeared before his eyes, the writer never didn't lose faith to the dignity and greatness of man and his beloved country.
Besides critical realism, Dreiser worked in the genre naturalism. He meticulously depicted seemingly insignificant details Everyday life of his heroes, cited real documents, sometimes very long in size, clearly described actions related to business, etc. Because of this style of writing, critics often accused Dreiser in the absence of style and imagination. By the way, despite such condemnations, Dreiser was a candidate for the Nobel Prize in 1930, so you can judge their veracity for yourself.
I don’t argue, maybe sometimes the abundance of small details is confusing, but it is their ubiquitous presence that allows the reader to most clearly imagine the action and seem to be a direct participant in it. The writer's novels are large in size and can be quite difficult to read, but they are undoubtedly masterpieces American Literature, worth spending time on. It is highly recommended for fans of Dostoevsky's work, who will certainly be able to appreciate Dreiser's talent.
FRANCIS SCOTT FITZGERALD
(1896-1940)
Francis Scott Fitzgerald is one of the most prominent American writers lost generation(these are young people drafted to the front, sometimes not yet finishing school and starting to kill early; after the war they often could not adapt to peaceful life, drank too much, committed suicide, some went crazy). These were people devastated from within, who had no strength left to fight the corrupt world of wealth. They try to fill their spiritual emptiness with endless pleasures and entertainment.
The writer was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, into a wealthy family, so he had the opportunity to study at prestigious Princeton University. At that time, there was a competitive spirit at the university, which influenced Fitzgerald. He tried with all his might to become a member of the most fashionable and famous clubs, which attracted with their atmosphere of sophistication and aristocracy. For the writer, money was synonymous with independence, privilege, style and beauty, while poverty was associated with stinginess and limitation. Later Fitzgerald I realized the falsity of my views.
He never finished his studies at Princeton, but that was where his literary career (he wrote for the university magazine). In 1917, the writer volunteered for the army, but never took part in real military operations in Europe. At the same time he falls in love with Zelda Sayre who came from a wealthy family. They got married only in 1920, two years later after the resounding success of Fitzgerald's first serious work. "The Other Side of Heaven", because Zelda didn't want to marry a poor unknown man. The fact that beautiful girls are attracted only by wealth made the writer think about social injustice, and Zelda was subsequently often called prototype of heroines his novels.
Fitzgerald's wealth grows in direct proportion to the popularity of his novel, and soon the couple become the epitome of a luxurious lifestyle, they even began to be called the king and queen of their generation. They lived luxuriously and ostentatiously, enjoying fashionable life in Paris, expensive rooms in prestigious hotels, endless parties and receptions. They constantly pulled out various eccentric antics, had scandals and became addicted to alcohol, and Fitzgerald even began writing articles for the glossy magazines of the time. All this is undoubtedly destroyed the writer's talent, although even then he managed to write several serious novels and stories.
His major novels appeared between 1920 and 1934: "The Other Side of Heaven" (1920), "The Beautiful and the Damned" (1922), "The Great Gatsby", which is the writer's most famous work and is considered a masterpiece of American literature, and "Night is tender" (1934).
Fitzgerald's best stories are included in collections "Tales of the Jazz Age"(1922) and "All These Sad Young Men" (1926).
Shortly before his death, in an autobiographical article, Fitzgerald compared himself to a broken plate. He died of a heart attack on December 21, 1940 in Hollywood.
The main theme of almost all of Fitzgerald's works was the corrupting power of money, which leads to spiritual decay. He considered the rich a special class, and only over time began to realize that it was based on inhumanity, his own uselessness and lack of morality. He realized this along with his heroes, who were mostly autobiographical characters.
Fitzgerald's novels are written in beautiful language, understandable and sophisticated at the same time, so the reader can hardly tear himself away from his books. Although after reading Fitzgerald's works, despite the amazing imagination a journey into the luxurious “age of jazz”, there remains a feeling of emptiness and futility of existence, it is rightfully considered one of the most outstanding writers XX century.
WILLIAM FAULKNER
(1897-1962)
William Cuthbert Faulkner is one of the leading novelists of the mid-20th century, set in New Albany, Mississippi, from an impoverished aristocratic family. He studied at Oxford when the First World War began. The writer's experience gained at this time played an important role in the formation of his character. He entered military flight school, but the war ended before he could complete the course. After this Faulkner returned to Oxford and worked postmaster at the University of Mississippi. At the same time, he began taking courses at the university and trying to write.
His first published book, a collection of poems "Marble Faun"(1924), was not successful. In 1925, Faulkner met the writer Sherwood Anderson, which had a great influence on his work. He recommended to Faulkner do not engage in poetry, prose, and gave advice to write about American South, about the place Faulkner grew up in and knows best. It is in Mississippi, namely in a fictional county Yoknapatawpha the events of most of his novels will take place.
In 1926 Faulkner wrote the novel "Soldier's Award" who was close in spirit lost generation. The writer showed tragedy of people who returned to peaceful life crippled both physically and mentally. The novel was also not a great success, but Faulkner was recognized as an inventive writer.
From 1925 to 1929 he works carpenter And painter and successfully combines this with writing.
The novel was published in 1927 "Mosquitoes" and in 1929 – "Sartoris". That same year, Faulkner published the novel "The Sound and the Fury" which brings him fame in literary circles. After this, he decides to devote all his time to writing. His work "Sanctuary"(1931), a story of violence and murder, became a sensation and the author finally found financial independence.
In the 30s, Faulner wrote several Gothic novels: "When I was dying"(1930), "Light in August"(1932) and "Absalom, Absalom!"(1936).
In 1942, the writer published a collection of short stories "Come Down, Moses", which includes one of its famous works- story "Bear".In 1948 Faulkner writes "Defiler of Ashes", one of the most important social novels related to the problem of racism.
In the 40s and 50s it was published best job- a trilogy of novels "Village", "City" And "Mansion" dedicated to the tragic fate of the aristocracy of the American South. Last novel Faulkner "The Kidnappers" released in 1962, it is also part of the Yoknapatawpha saga and depicts the story of the beautiful but dying South. For this novel, and also for "Parable"(1954), whose themes are humanity and war, Faulkner received Pulitzer Prizes. In 1949, the writer was awarded "for his significant and artistically unique contribution to the development of the modern American novel".
William Faulkner was one of the most important writers of his time. He belonged to Southern School of American Writers. In his works, he turned to the history of the American South, especially the times of the Civil War.
In his books he tried to deal with the problem of racism, knowing full well that it is not so much social as psychological. Faulkner saw African Americans and whites as inextricably linked to each other general history. He condemned racism and cruelty, but was sure that both whites and African Americans were not ready for legislative measures, so Faulkner mainly criticized the moral side of the issue.
Faulkner was skilled with the pen, although he often claimed to have little interest in writing technique. He was a bold experimenter and had an original style. He wrote psychological novels , in which great attention was given to the characters' lines, for example, the novel "When I was dying" is built as a chain of monologues of the characters, sometimes long, sometimes in one or two sentences. Faulkner fearlessly combined contradictory epithets to powerful effect, and his works often have ambiguous, uncertain endings. Of course, Faulkner knew how to write in such a way that stir the soul even the most fastidious reader.
ERNEST HEMINGWAY
(1899-1961)
Ernest Hemingway - one of the most readable writers XX century. He is a classic of American and world literature.
He was born in Oak Park, Illinois, the son of a provincial doctor. His father was fond of hunting and fishing, he taught his son shoot and fish, and also instilled a love for sports and nature. Ernest's mother was a religious woman who was entirely devoted to the affairs of the church. Due to different views on life, quarrels often broke out between the writer’s parents, which is why Hemingway couldn't feel calm at home.
Ernest's favorite place was the house in northern Michigan, where the family usually spent the summer. The boy always accompanied his father on various forays into the forest or fishing.
Was at Ernest's school gifted, energetic, successful student and excellent athlete. He played football, was on the swim team and boxed. Hemingway also loved literature, writing weekly reviews, poetry and prose works in school magazines. However, Ernest's school years were not calm. The atmosphere created in the family by his demanding mother put a lot of pressure on the boy, so he ran away from home twice and worked on farms as a laborer.
In 1917, as America entered World War I, Hemingway wanted to join the active army, but due to poor eyesight he was refused. He moved to Kansas to live with his uncle and began working as a reporter for the local newspaper. The Kansas City Star. Journalistic experience clearly visible in Hemingway's distinctive writing style, laconicism, but at the same time clarity and precision of language. In the spring of 1918, he learned that the Red Cross needed volunteers for Italian front. This was his long-awaited chance to be at the center of the battles. After a short stop in France, Hemingway arrived in Italy. Two months later, while rescuing a wounded Italian sniper, the writer came under machine gun and mortar fire and was seriously wounded. He was taken to a hospital in Milan, where after 12 operations, 26 fragments were removed from his body.
Experience Hemingway, received in war, was very important for young man and influenced not only his life, but also his writing. In 1919, Hemingway returned to America as a hero. Soon he travels to Toronto, where he begins working as a reporter for a newspaper. The Toronto Star. In 1921, Hemingway married young pianist Hadley Richardson, and the couple moves to Paris, a city that the writer has long dreamed of. To collect material for his future stories, Hemingway travels around the world, visiting Germany, Spain, Switzerland and other countries. His first job "Three stories and ten poems"(1923) was not successful, but the next collection of stories "In our time", published in 1925, achieved public recognition.
Hemingway's first novel "And the Sun Rises"(or "Fiesta") published in 1926. "A Farewell to Arms!", a novel depicting the First World War and its aftermath, published in 1929 and brings great popularity to the author. In the late 20s and 30s, Hemingway published two collections of stories: "Men Without Women"(1927) and "Winner takes nothing" (1933).
The most outstanding works written in the first half of the 30s are "Death in the Afternoon"(1932) and "Green Hills of Africa" (1935). "Death in the Afternoon" tells about Spanish bullfighting, "Green Hills of Africa" and a well-known collection "Snows of Kilimanjaro"(1936) describe Hemingway's hunting in Africa. Nature lover, the writer masterfully paints African landscapes for readers.
When did it start in 1936? Spanish Civil War, Hemingway rushed to the theater of war, but this time as an anti-fascist correspondent and writer. The next three years of his life are closely connected with the struggle of the Spanish people against fascism.
He took part in the filming documentary film "Land of Spain". Hemingway wrote the script and read the text himself. The impressions of the war in Spain are reflected in the novel "For whom the Bell Tolls"(1940), which the writer himself considered his best job.
Hemingway's deep hatred of fascism made him active participant in World War II. He organized counterintelligence against Nazi spies and hunted for Germans on his boat. submarines in the Caribbean, after which he served as a war correspondent in Europe. In 1944, Hemingway took part in combat flights over Germany and even, standing at the head of a detachment of French partisans, was one of the first to liberate Paris from German occupation.
After the war Hemingway moved to Cuba, sometimes visited Spain and Africa. He warmly supported the Cuban revolutionaries in their struggle against the dictatorship that had developed in the country. He interacted a lot with ordinary Cubans and worked hard on a new story "The Old Man and the Sea", which is considered the pinnacle of the writer’s creativity. In 1953, Ernest Hemingway received Pulitzer Prize for this brilliant story, and in 1954 Hemingway was awarded Nobel Prize on literature "for narrative excellence, in Once again demonstrated in The Old Man and the Sea."
During his trip to Africa in 1953, the writer was involved in a serious plane crash.
In the last years of his life he was seriously ill. In November 1960, Hemingway returned to America to the town of Ketchum, Idaho. Writer suffered from a number of diseases, which is why he was admitted to the clinic. He was in deep depression, because he believed that FBI agents were watching him, listening telephone conversations, check mail and bank accounts. The clinic accepted this as a symptom of mental illness and treated the great writer with electric shock. After 13 sessions Hemingway I lost my memory and the ability to create. He was depressed, suffered from bouts of paranoia, and increasingly thought about suicide.
Two days after being released from a psychiatric hospital, on July 2, 1961, Ernest Hemingway shot himself with his favorite hunting rifle in his home in Ketchum, leaving no suicide note.
In the early 80s, Hemingway's FBI file was declassified, and the fact of surveillance of the writer in his last years was confirmed.
Ernest Hemingway was certainly greatest writer of his generation, who had an amazing and tragic fate. He was freedom fighter, vehemently opposed wars and fascism, and not only through literary works. He was incredible master of writing. His style is distinguished by laconicism, accuracy, restraint in describing emotional situations, and specificity of details. The technique he developed entered the literature under the name "iceberg principle", because the writer gave the main meaning to the subtext. The main feature of his work was truthfulness, he was always honest and sincere with his readers. While reading his works, confidence in the authenticity of events appears, and the effect of presence is created.
Ernest Hemingway is the writer whose works are recognized as true masterpieces of world literature and whose works, without a doubt, are worth reading for everyone.
MARGARET MITCHELL
(1900-1949)
Margaret Mitchell was born in Atlanta, Georgia. She was the daughter of a lawyer who was chairman of the Atlanta Historical Society. The whole family loved and was interested in history, and the girl grew up in atmosphere of stories about Civil War .
Mitchell first studied at Washington Seminary and then entered the prestigious all-female Smith College in Massachusetts. After studying she started working in The Atlanta Journal. She wrote hundreds of essays, articles and reviews for the newspaper, and in four years of work she grew to reporter, but in 1926 she suffered an ankle injury, which made her work impossible.
The energy and liveliness of the writer’s character could be seen in everything she did or wrote. In 1925 Margaret Mitchell married John Marsh. From that moment on, she began to write down all the stories about the Civil War that she heard as a child. The result was a novel « gone With the Wind» , which was first published in 1936. The writer worked on it for ten years. This is a novel about the American Civil War, told from the point of view of the North. The main character is, of course, a beautiful girl named Scarlett O'Hara, the whole story revolves around her life, family plantation, love relationships.
After the release of the novel, an American classic bestseller, Margaret Mitchell quickly became an international famous writer. More than 8 million copies have been sold in 40 countries. The novel has been translated into 18 languages. He won Pulzer Prize in 1937. Later a very successful film was filmed movie with Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable and Leslie Howard.
Despite numerous requests from fans to continue O'Hara's story, Mitchell did not write more not a single novel. But the writer's name, like her magnificent work, will forever remain in the history of world literature.
6 votes“Sinlessness” became a real sensation last year: it is called Franzen’s most scandalous and most Russian novel. Discussions about pressing social issues, the totalitarian nature of the Internet, feminism and politics are intertwined with the deep, very personal story of one family.
A young girl named Pip's life is a complete mess: she doesn't know her father, can't pay off her student debt, doesn't know how to build relationships, and has a boring job. But her life changes dramatically when she becomes an assistant to hacker Andreas Wulff, who loves nothing more than to publicly reveal other people's secrets.
2. The Secret History, Donna Tartt
Richard Papen remembers student years at a private college in Vermont: he and several of his comrades attended a private course by an eccentric teacher on ancient culture. One prank of an elite circle of students ended in a murder, which only at first glance remained unpunished.
After the incident, other secrets of the heroes are revealed, which lead to new tragedies in their lives.
3. American Psycho, Bret Easton Ellis
Most famous novel Ellis is already considered modern classics. Main character- Patrick Bateman, a handsome, rich and seemingly intelligent young man from Wall Street. But behind the good looks and expensive suits lies greed, hatred and rage. At night, he tortures and kills people in the most sophisticated ways, without a system and without a plan.
4. “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” by Jonathan Safran Foer
A touching story from the perspective of a 9-year-old boy Oscar. His father died in one of the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001. While examining his father's closet, Oscar finds a vase, and in it is a small envelope with the inscription "Black" and a key inside. Inspired and filled with curiosity, Oscar is ready to go around all the Blacks in New York to find the answer to the riddle. This is a story about overcoming bereavement, post-disaster New York, and human kindness.
5. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
“The Catcher in the Rye” about modern teenagers is how critics dubbed Stephen Chbosky’s book, which sold a million copies and was filmed by the author himself.
Charlie is a typical quiet person, a silent observer of what is happening, turns into high school. After a recent nervous breakdown, he withdrew into himself. To overcome his inner feelings, he begins to write letters. Letters to a friend, an unknown person - the reader of this book. On the advice of his new comrade Pete, he tries to become “not a sponge, but a filter” - to live life to the fullest, and not watch her from the side.
6. The Hours, Michael Cunningham
The story of one day in three lives women from different eras from a Pulitzer Prize winner. Fates British writer Virginia Woolf, American housewife Laura from Los Angeles and publishing editor Clarissa Vaughan are at first glance connected only by a book - the novel Mrs. Dalloway. But by the end it becomes clear that the lives and problems of the heroines, despite all the external differences, are the same.
7. Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn
Nick and Amazing Amy - perfect couple. But on the day of the fifth anniversary, Amy disappears from the house - there are all traces of abduction. The whole city goes in search of the missing woman and sympathizes with Nick, until Amy's diary falls into the hands of the police, because of which her husband becomes the main suspect in the murder. The main intrigue of the novel is who was the real victim in this situation.
Flynn's novel attracts with its unconventional view of modern marriage: partners marry beautiful projections of each other and then are very surprised when behind the invented image a living person is discovered, whom they do not know at all.
8. Slaughterhouse-Five, or the Children's Crusade, Kurt Vonnegut
The writer's difficult war experience is reflected in this novel. Memories of the bombing in Dresden are shown through the eyes of the absurd, timid soldier Billy Pilgrim - one of those foolish children who were thrown into a terrible war. But Vonnegut would not be himself if he had not also introduced an element of fantasy into the novel: either due to post-traumatic syndrome, or due to alien intervention, Pilgrim learned to travel in time.
Despite the fantastic nature of what is happening, the message of the novel is quite real and clear: Vonnegut ridicules stereotypes about “real men” and demonstrates the pointlessness of wars.
9. “Beloved,” Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison received the Nobel Prize in Literature for bringing to life “her dreamy, poetic novels.” important aspect American reality" Time magazine named the novel “Beloved” one of the 100 best books in English.
The main character is the slave Sethe, who, along with her children, escaped from her cruel masters and remained free for only 28 days. When the chase overtakes Sethe, she kills her daughter with her own hands - so that she does not know slavery and does not experience the same thing as her mother. The memory of the past and this terrible choice haunts Sethe all her life.
10. A Song of Ice and Fire, George R.R. Martin
Fantasy epic about magical world The Seven Kingdoms, where the struggle for the Iron Throne continues, while a terrible winter approaches the entire continent. On this moment Five novels out of a planned seven have been published. The remaining two parts are awaited by both fans of the writer’s work and fans of “”, a series based on the saga that is breaking all popularity records.
At all recent years 5 I don’t read much. You could even say I don’t read at all. I still haven’t gotten used to electronic versions of books, much less reading from a smartphone, but there’s simply no time for paper ones, and when I have a little time I don’t have a book at hand. This is an Internet infection, everything is because of it.
As a result of all this, I completely got lost in my favorite topic - science fiction and fantasy. But in principle, maybe I would even read something else.
Without being tied to a genre, I met a small list of currently popular American writers. Who read what?
1. "Sinlessness" by Jonathan Franzen
“Sinlessness” became a real sensation last year: it is called Franzen’s most scandalous and most Russian novel. Discussions about pressing social issues, the totalitarian nature of the Internet, feminism and politics are intertwined with the deep, very personal story of one family.
A young girl named Pip's life is a complete mess: she doesn't know her father, can't pay off her student debt, doesn't know how to build relationships, and has a boring job. But her life changes dramatically when she becomes an assistant to hacker Andreas Wulff, who loves nothing more than to publicly reveal other people's secrets.
2. The Secret History, Donna Tartt
Richard Papen recalls his student days at a private college in Vermont: he and several of his friends attended a private course on ancient culture from an eccentric teacher. One prank of an elite circle of students ended in a murder, which only at first glance remained unpunished.
After the incident, other secrets of the heroes are revealed, which lead to new tragedies in their lives.
3. American Psycho, Bret Easton Ellis
Ellis's best-known novel is already considered a modern classic. The main character is Patrick Bateman, a handsome, rich and seemingly intelligent young man from Wall Street. But behind the good looks and expensive suits lies greed, hatred and rage. At night, he tortures and kills people in the most sophisticated ways, without a system and without a plan.
4. “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” by Jonathan Safran Foer
A touching story from the perspective of a 9-year-old boy Oscar. His father died in one of the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001. While examining his father's closet, Oscar finds a vase, and in it is a small envelope with the inscription "Black" and a key inside. Inspired and filled with curiosity, Oscar is ready to go around all the Blacks in New York to find the answer to the riddle. This is a story about overcoming bereavement, post-disaster New York, and human kindness.
5. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
“The Catcher in the Rye,” about modern teenagers, is what critics dubbed Stephen Chbosky’s book, which sold a million copies and was filmed by the author himself.
Charlie, a typical quiet person, a silent observer of what is happening, goes to high school. After a recent nervous breakdown, he withdrew into himself. To overcome his inner feelings, he begins to write letters. Letters to a friend, an unknown person - the reader of this book. On the advice of his new friend Pete, he tries to become “not a sponge, but a filter” - to live life to the fullest, and not watch it from the sidelines.
6. The Hours, Michael Cunningham
The story of a day in the life three women from different eras from a Pulitzer Prize winner. The destinies of the British writer Virginia Woolf, the American housewife Laura from Los Angeles and the publishing editor Clarissa Vaughan, at first glance, are connected only by a book - the novel Mrs. Dalloway. But by the end it becomes clear that the lives and problems of the heroines, despite all the external differences, are the same.
7. Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn
Nick and Amazing Amy are the perfect couple. But on the day of the fifth anniversary, Amy disappears from the house - there are all traces of abduction. The whole city goes in search of the missing woman and sympathizes with Nick, until Amy's diary falls into the hands of the police, because of which her husband becomes the main suspect in the murder. The main intrigue of the novel is who was the real victim in this situation.
Flynn's novel attracts with its unconventional view of modern marriage: partners marry beautiful projections of each other and then are very surprised when behind the invented image a living person is discovered, whom they do not know at all.
8. Slaughterhouse-Five, or the Children's Crusade, Kurt Vonnegut
The writer's difficult war experience is reflected in this novel. Memories of the bombing in Dresden are shown through the eyes of the absurd, timid soldier Billy Pilgrim - one of those foolish children who were thrown into a terrible war. But Vonnegut would not be himself if he had not also introduced an element of fantasy into the novel: either due to post-traumatic syndrome, or due to alien intervention, Pilgrim learned to travel in time.
Despite the fantastic nature of what is happening, the message of the novel is quite real and clear: Vonnegut ridicules stereotypes about “real men” and demonstrates the pointlessness of wars.
9. “Beloved,” Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison received the Nobel Prize in Literature for "bringing to life an important aspect of American reality in her dreamy, poetic novels." And Time magazine named the novel “Beloved” one of the 100 best books in English.
The main character is the slave Sethe, who, along with her children, escaped from her cruel masters and remained free for only 28 days. When the chase overtakes Sethe, she kills her daughter with her own hands - so that she does not know slavery and does not experience the same thing as her mother. The memory of the past and this terrible choice haunts Sethe all her life.
10. A Song of Ice and Fire, George R.R. Martin
A fantasy epic about the magical world of the Seven Kingdoms, where the struggle for the Iron Throne continues, while a terrible winter approaches the entire continent. So far, five novels out of a planned seven have been published. The remaining two parts are awaited by both fans of the writer’s work and fans of “Game of Thrones,” a series based on the saga that is breaking all popularity records.
What are you doing anyway? Lately Did you read anything interesting?
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