Are there any books I should read before beginning this? It's pretty long and I don't want to miss anything if I can avoid it. I already have a decent knowledge of Stalinist/Soviet history.
>>8689379
Pay attention to the character overview that is added at the endand which I didn't notice at first, else you might get confused. But that's about it. I'll finish it tomorrow, sixty pages left!
>>8689456
how is it?
>>8689490
Its socialist realist style was something I had to come to terms with, and sometimes it felt tough to keep an overview over its sprawling plot and the myriad of characters, but all in all, it's enjoyable. Especially because there's a fundamental change in tone after a while,when it's less about Papa Stalin and his glorious USSR fighting fascism, but about very different characters getting their fate crunched and churned between the meddling of two totalitarian systems..
Is this really the first great Millenial novel?
Is Tony Tulathimutte, dare I say it, our guy?
I thought thats Tao Lin...
>>8689308
It's a 4chan-created alter ego of him
Any writer with a twitter account is not worth reading
Can someone clearly and concisely state his actual philosophy?
To me, it sounds like his writing just amounted to "dude everything is a spook humans are selfish we should just descend into complete and total anarchy where we just kill each other with no regard for human life lmao".
>>8689114
correct
>>8689114
"If I can take it, it is mine."
>>8689124
Whatever happened to abolishing private property?
Literally who
>>8688613
Lee Child
Modern day Graham Greene.
>>8688584
>
Seems like he's just another Patterson/Koontz/King hack.
What book will cure my depression and make me love life again?
>>8688293
None. Go outside and find a thing or a person to care about.
>>8688293
War and peace
White Nights
Just finished Magarshack's translation of The Idiot. Pic related. I like Dosty but I really struggled with this, especially the final third or so.
A lot of it seems to drag on with little interest, though I really liked Ippolit, Lebedev and General Ivolgin - and the stories of death and sacrifice that were present particularly in the beginning.
I really think I'm missing something since the last 200 pages or so seemed like a slog to get through. Am I a big pleb?
I think it's his most jumbled and inconsistent work, so I sort of understand what you mean, though it's full of fantastic moments and ideas
>>8688157
the idiot is the worst of all Dostoevsky's books. all the bad facets of his writing exaggerated and lengthened.
don't feel bad anon.
>>8688157
Apparently, the new opinion is that the P/V translations are crap, but I read their version of The Idiot and really enjoyed it.
Anybody else here writing a manifesto?
What's yours about and what word count are you aiming for?
I'm at 800,000 words so far but will probably end up writing double this amount.
Great work. Who are you taking your rage out on when you're finished, anon?
Not sure about word count, but my body count will be at least 2000.
>>8687750
It's not that kind of manifesto. It's part autobiography and part denouncement of life.
Which is better, Fahrenheit 451 or 1984?
I have them both, but which should I read first
F451 is a terrible book. Its elementary school-tier with nothing profound or interesting.
I hated it.
1984 is pretty good.
>>8687370
I've only read 1984, but Fahrenheit 451 was actually mean to be taken as a thought experiment about a world where people didn't read books rather than totalitarian.
>>8687370
1984
>His soul swooned slowly as he heard the snow falling faintly through the universe and faintly falling, like the descent of their last end, upon all the living and The Dead.
Jesus fucking Christ, really?
Please OP, write a better ending
bad bait/10
>>8686051
I mean, Dubliners wasn't that great, but the reason for reading it in a modern context is to understand Joyce's literary journey. You can see all his little proclivities and affections that matured into the Joyce who wrote Ulysses.
>>8687695
You know shit. Fuck off.
that they are essentially materialist ideologies and not too different from each other fundamentally
Materialism in general is such a limiting view to have, that i am so surprised there are many Marxists in general
>>8685422
Yes, but the point of discussing economic system is that they effect all those other important things that we value, like tradition and morals and what have you.
Sure you can be an aesthetics autist all day but you will run into the same problems that the material world throws at you, and they will be just as important.
well like Hitler used to say
"Capitalism and Marxism are both sides on the same Jewish coin"
Am I missing something? I understand the focus on Stephen's intellectual development, and the writing is pretty great, but is that it?
That's it. It's all just to get you ready for Ulysses, really.
Wow, all the book had was great writing? What a scam.
>>8682788
I always heard this. It's pretty good; I was just expecting more.
Literally utopia.
>>8681894
Upon first read I thought the same OP. Forever happy and satisfied. What did you think?
>>8681894
I sometimes unrionically wish I was born without parents like in the book
>>8682016
The idea does conjure up a sense of independence and freedom that one does not have unless without parents. Parents are those that give us a link to other homo sapiens with no choice in the matter.
Therefore, in the book, because there are no parents there is no attachment or link and therefore gives freedom and a picture of the sole man that you find desirable.
what is the best study bible?
>>8681429
You posted it.
>>8681555
how is it better than the rest?
>>8681682
The translation used is RSV-2CE, which is one of the best academic translations of the Bible. The commentary is extensive and based on Catholic doctrine. It has an enormous wealth of references, sources, further reading, and high-level theological exegesis. What's more, it has a tone of insets which give brief sketches of relevant and important theological, religious, and biblical concepts.
It frames the entire bible in a correct and academically-rigorous context. Plus, the physical edition itself is a high-quality object. I own three bibles, and this one is by far my favorite. I can post some pictures if you like, though I think IP has some good excerpts on their website.
https://mega.nz/#!UNtm1YjL!6lWqOlda9ZYLPUt2ntDy0av_h1_TXRy0rv3H5OOr-aY
big collection of 7000 books, a lot of Dalkey, NYRB, and others
>>8644066
Whats the book, dude?
Can you talk about it a little bit?
>>8644088
its an ebook collection of a ton of books, lad
>>8644088
>>8644066
Oh its a collection
Nevermind
But nobody's installing 10gb and sharing back.
And could read one last book, for the last time.
What's your choice, and why?
FW, because it will take me forever moahahaha
>>8691443
In Search of Lost Time
>The Being is spoken of in many ways
What did he mean by this?