Victim of Geography

[HarryT]

@Home: I notice you list both "United Kingdom" and "Scotland". Forgive the question, but you are aware that Scotland is a part of the UK?

[HomeInMyShoes]

Added as Want to Read in Goodreads:
Gelasimov - Thirst (Russia)
Fossum - In the Darkness (Norway)
Kadare - Chronicle in Stone (Albania)
Okorafor - Who Fears Death? (America, but Nigerian)
Ingolfsson - The Flatey Enigma (Iceland)
Alvaro - The Adventures and Misadventures of Maqroll (Columbia)
Brodsky - Watermark (Russia)

[HomeInMyShoes]

Originally Posted by HarryT

@Home: I notice you list both "United Kingdom" and "Scotland". Forgive the question, but you are aware that Scotland is a part of the UK?

I am aware. I did explain in the first post (at least I thought I did) that I had included Scotland separately. If it's good enough for the Curling World Championships to call the team from Scotland and not the United Kingdom then it's good enough for me.

All joking aside, I do know that Scotland is part of the United Kingdom, but I've also been tempted to separate Newfoundland from Canada as I lived there and it has as much to do with Canada as Scotland to the United Kingdom.

[Dazrin]

So, is this turning into your reading challenge for next year? Your reading challenges for the last couple years have been very interesting to follow and this one seems like it would be just as good.

I don't have that information handy (I don't track much about authors, just books), but I am quite sure my list would be very short. I only know of 6 off the top of my head: US (most), UK (Doyle, Pratchett, etc), Russia (Roadside Picnic - Strugatsky), France (Verne), China (Cixin Liu), Canada (Cyril Kowaliski). Of these, I only remember one author from the last 4, but it could be more.

[HomeInMyShoes]

The embarassed Canadian had to go look up Cyril Kowaliski and his book sounds like something Douglas Coupland would write and so it's been added.

Thanks for the reminder of Roadside Picnic, I remember voting for that one this year.

I've sworn off Verne, the only French author I've read, although I did read some of Jean Val Jean in school I haven't counted it.

Doyle is from Ireland and is one of my go to authors when I'm stuck for something to read.

I read We last year as well, so Russia is at three now. Not so bad if I add a couple more.

Austria also got on the board with Thomas Bernhard's The Loser this year. I'm finding some missed categorizations as well.

This might be next year's challenge. I'm still figuring that out as I was leaning towards showing Canada some love next year and getting around to some of those things, but I've got time to change my mind and if I find enough interesting material I can always switch it up.

[HomeInMyShoes]

Anyone know if Vigilio Rodriguez Macal has been translated into English? I haven't found anything yet, but my Google-fu might not be as good as it might be you know, later.

[Yolina]

Right, I've had a look through my stuff and got a few more names if you want to check them out and see if there's anything you fancy reading.

Afghanistan: Atiq Rahimi
Algeria/France: Albert Camus
Austria: Gustav Meyrink
Bosnia: Ivo Andric
China: Mo Yan
Croatia: Dasa Drndic
Czech Republic: Bohumil Hrabal
Germany: Herta Muller
Hungary: Antal Szerb; Ferenc Karinthy
India: Kishwar Desai
Iran: Abdolah Kader
Italy: Alessandro Baricco
Japan: Kafu, Yoshikawa
Korea: Ch'oe Yun
Libya: Ibrahim Al-Koni
Pakistan: Daniyal Mueenuddin
Russia: Vladimir Sorokin, Mikhail Bulgakov
Turkey: Yashar Kemal, Orhan Pamuk

[HomeInMyShoes]

Nice. Very helpful, especially the Middle East selections.

[Dazrin]

Originally Posted by HomeInMyShoes

The embarassed Canadian had to go look up Cyril Kowaliski and his book sounds like something Douglas Coupland would write and so it's been added.

I follow Cyril on The Tech Report website and they announced his first book there and since it was free at the time I picked it up. It was a fairly good read but didn't make my top tier last year when I read it. I have no experience with Douglas Coupland, so I can't comment on that. I am not sure if he should be counted as French (where he was born) or Canadian (where he currently lives and published the book from), but it doesn't really matter to me.

[WashWest]

Originally Posted by HomeInMyShoes

for some reason Russia has always left me thinking long and dull.

Please elevate Master and Margarita by Bulgakov (recommended by Yolina) to the top of your list to change this impression completely!

Another Icelander to read is Sjòn, three of whose novels have been translated into English: The Blue Fox is a good place to start.

And, as cromag said, Borges is another you might enjoy.

[HomeInMyShoes]

^Labyrinths has been on my list to read for a while. I think I've found enough Russian options now, but I'll definitely keep that in mind.

It's official! I've decided on my challenge for next year. You can read all the rules at GoodReads.

@Dazrin: for some reason it sounded a lot like part of the premise to Generation A by Coupland.

[Yolina]

That's certainly going to keep you busy for a while! Good luck

Please don't harbour your impression that Russian literature is dull for too long! I don't know of your tastes at all, but I really enjoyed Sergei Lukyanenko's Night Watch (GoodReads). It's an urban fantasy / science fiction.

Living among us are the "Others," an ancient race of humans with supernatural powers who swear allegiance to either the Dark or the Light. A thousand-year treaty has maintained the balance of power, and the two sides coexist in an uneasy truce. But an ancient prophecy decrees that one supreme "Other" will rise up and tip the balance, plunging the world into a catastrophic war between the Dark and the Light. When a young boy with extraordinary powers emerges, fulfilling the first half of the prophecy, will the forces of the Light be able to keep the Dark from corrupting the boy and destroying the world?

It deals pretty heavily with the grey areas surrounding morality, and was turned into a movie in 2005. It's set in Moscow, and despite a child being a central character, it's most certainly an adult novel, dealing with adult themes and philosophical quandaries -- in an exciting fashion!

[caleb72]

Originally Posted by Marsi

Please don't harbour your impression that Russian literature is dull for too long! I don't know of your tastes at all, but I really enjoyed Sergei Lukyanenko's Night Watch (GoodReads). It's an urban fantasy / science fiction.

Oooh - I loved that series.

[caleb72]

Just throwing in José Saramago as an option for Portugal, and Stanislaw Lem for Poland.