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As for me —- 0: Jorge Luis Borges, Labyrinths Anyone interested in information theory, intelligence (artificial or otherwise), many-worlds interpretations of
by stochastic_monk 8y ago
As for me —-
0: Jorge Luis Borges, Labyrinths
Anyone interested in information theory, intelligence (artificial or otherwise), many-worlds interpretations of quantum mechanics, metafiction, the nature of art, or even probabilistic sequence modeling should read Borges’ short stories. I couldn’t recommend it highly enough.
1: Hero With A Thousand Faces
A classic book collating world mythologies and psychoanalytical thought to investigate an individual’s core struggle for meaning and purpose. I find that it has informed my appreciation of literature, film, music. More importantly, it helped me understand how I want to live my life and from whence I now choose to derive my personal senses of direction and meaning.
2: Samuel Beckett, Malone Dies
An obtuse, rambling, depressing novel without a sense of momentum or even plot. The narrator or narrators are unreliable, prone to aporetics, and capricious.
Beyond its stark exterior, the prose is, at times, achingly beautiful, the narrator is relatable in his uncertainty and frailty, and the dual struggle for meaning and accepting the absolute absence thereof is invigorating.
It’s book two of a trilogy, but these postmodern novels are enjoyable on their own, and the rare, tenuous grasp on plot or direction makes reading them in sequence seem to be more a suggestion on how to experience them than a strict ordering.
I’ve also been reading The Double (Dostoevsky), but I haven’t progressed far enough to make an informed recommendation.
- anacleto 8y ago> 1: Hero With A Thousand Faces Unusual. The first time, I - happily - see someone on HN mentioning Joseph Campbell and this book. As a following up lecture, I'd recommend: The Hero's Journey: Joseph Campbell on His Life & Work. [0] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/242530.The_Hero_s_Journey?ac=1&from_search=true https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/242530.The_Hero_s_Journe...
- aestetix 8y agoI'd also recommend his Mythos series. And his "Power of Myth" interview with Bill Moyers, which should be required viewing in every highschool.
- tw1010 8y agoThere are so many things that so many people say should be "required learning in school". I sympathise the sentiment, but maybe it'd be better to habituate ourselves to somehow thinking about how each of us could solve the problem (for kids) instead of trying to elbow in our favourite subject in an already stuffed-to-the-brim curriculum. Just a thought.
- aestetix 8y agoAgainst my better judgement, I'll go ahead and bite. There are two things in your comment I want to address. First, I'm not sure what you mean by "the problem," so I'll assume you mean the question of what constitutes a solid education. Second, there's an underlying debate here of another question, what is the purpose of education? I'd argue the second question begets the first, for how can you determine what constitutes education until you know what the purpose of it is? For example, is the purpose to be trained for a job, or to be able to think critically and ask fundamental questions about the nature of life? If the answer is the former, then I would agree with you that no lesson should be allowed unless it can be directly followed along to a relevant skill at a job. But I think the answer ought to be the latter, and in that case, the questions posted by Campbell's responses in "Power of Myth" and exploration of ideas and narratives that many of us simply take for granted, compel one to have serious reflection; even better that the pivot is Star Wars, a story with which many people are already well acquainted. So, while I was using a rather casual colloquialism, hopefully this reasoning justifies its use :)
- moretai 8y agoProbably a result of Jordan Peterson becoming famous. He mentions Campbell a lot.
- wellpast 8y agoHad the same thought. On this note, Peterson's reading list [1] is worth pursuing, however I'd dovetail it with less serious books for the sake of levity -- his reading list, like himself, can be pretty serious + severe. [1] https://jordanbpeterson.com/books/book-list/ https://jordanbpeterson.com/books/book-list/
- stochastic_monk 8y agoI came to read it by way of a fellow House of Leaves enthusiast’s recommendation. I don’t remotely care for Jordan Peterson.
- wellpast 8y agoBut what do you think of his book list?
- stochastic_monk 8y agoI like a surprising number of them. I’m surprised to see Demons mentioned; that’s been my favorite of his for over 5 years. So I don’t like his platform, but he has some excellent taste in books.
- stochastic_monk 8y agoActually, I’ve had this book for years. I think Jordan Peterson is an exploitational personality who simply tells people what they want to hear. Then again, George Lucas is among those who like it, so it’s not necessarily an intellectually valuable cohort.
- wellpast 8y ago
- goldenkey 8y agoI highly recommend his show Power of the Myth on Netflix. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Power_of_Myth https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Power_of_Myth Absolutely wonderfully insightful journey through the different myths of our ancestors
- lloydde 8y agoAlthough seldom mentioned, I hope Joseph Campbell’s work is familiar to many members of this community, because of his influence on George Lucas, Star Wars, and most fantasy and speculative fiction.
- stochastic_monk 8y agoIn case you’re curious as to why I read it, a good friend of mine gave me a copy after he read House of Leaves upon my recommendation a few years ago because it provided further insight into the book.
- dandare 8y agoCould you compare Malone Dies with Joseph Heller's Something Happened?
- stochastic_monk 8y agoI unfortunately cannot as of yet, having not had the pleasure. I will add it to my list, however! If you’ve perhaps read any of Beckett’s plays, especially Krapp’s Last Tape, that might be a proper frame of reference. The recollections and musings all take place in a single room where a man is preparing for death, undisturbed apart from nurses or maids who never talk to him.
- Kuzutsukake 8y agoYour description of Malone Dies reminds me of Notes From Underground by Dostoevsky. I found it hard to get into at first because the prose was different from most books I've read (might be the translation, but the Narrator is also crazy). After starting and restarting the book a few times to get into the flow, it definitely turned out to be one of my favorite books. Also, for sci-fi I'd recommend Hyperion by Dan Simmons. This is the first in a trilogy but can be read and be satisfied with not reading the other two (although the second one, The Fall of Hyperion, is very good). I read the first (Hyperion) one on a recommendation and I think the guy who recommended it to me was also read it based on a recommendation. It makes me wonder what the longest "recommendation streaks" are and what books they could be for.
- stochastic_monk 8y agoYou’re spot on! Good catch. Now, while the narrative style is different in the later of these books, if you enjoy NFU, I recommend both Crime and Punishment and Demons. I see Notes From Underground, Crime and Punishment, and Demons/The Possessed as unified by a core set of ideas. In the first, Dostoevsky states his claims. Crime and Punishment is a case study of what would happen should an individual act upon the ideas of his (Dostoevsky’s) time, and Demons extrapolated this to societal scale. I may not be in the majority, but I think Demons is by far his best.
- jcomis 8y agoThe Hyperion Cantos is 4 books btw. But seconding your recommendation.
- playing_colours 8y agoHero With A Thousand Faces is truly amazing. It made me think about archtypes, meaning of live. The next stop for me after that book was famous and mystical The Golden Bough by James Frazer. I highly recommend it. I bought a great edition from Folio [0] [0] http://www.foliosociety.com/book/GNB/golden-bough http://www.foliosociety.com/book/GNB/golden-bough
- plants 8y agoMany of my lit-savvy friends have never heard of Borges - I had never caught wind of him until about a year or two ago. I was blown away when I read Labyrinths. His writing style strikes a really nice balance between analytical and artistic/philosophical. I found that I got the most out of his stories when I read them in their entirety and reflected upon for a while afterwards. I would HIGHLY recommend him to other technical-minded people who have interest in the arts. Two stories that I loved were "The Library of Babel" (obviously) and "The South". Two more from a different collection (The Book of Sand) that I think go hand-in-hand with each other conceptually are “The Mirror and the Mask” and “Undr”
- psalminen 8y ago> read them in their entirety and reflected upon for a while afterwards. This. My HS Physics teacher introduced my to Labyrinths. Still the best book recommendation I've ever received. Giving time for each story to absorb is essential. I'd also like to add "The Lottery in Babylon" is an excellent story.
- Younes-lg 8y agoI'd also recommend his Mythos series Thomas Abril Consultant en Paris Sportifs https://bookmaker-foot.weebly.com https://bookmaker-foot.weebly.com
- vagab0nd 8y agoIf you want to get a taste of Jorge Luis Borges, I strongly recommend the short story, The Garden of Forking Paths. Especially if you like twist at the end.
- therealdrag0 8y agoAnyone tried this Borges' audiobook? https://www.audible.com/pd/Classics/Collected-Fictions-Audiobook/B003RCAI4G https://www.audible.com/pd/Classics/Collected-Fictions-Audio...
- xkgt 8y agoThe challenge of reading Borges for a wider audience is to find appropriate translation. The ones he sanctioned, translated collaboratively by Giovanni is out of the market due to copyright tussles with the estate. The translations available in market are by Andrew Hurley which do not quite capture the brilliance of Borges. I started with Hurley's translation of a short story and later chanced upon Giovanni's for the same. The difference was stark. I cannot force myself to read other translation any more, even if it means denying myself further works of Borges.