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One book that changed me was reading Master and Margarita in Russian for the first time. It was the first book I started reading I could not put down until the
by nikivi 8y ago
One book that changed me was reading Master and Margarita in Russian for the first time.
It was the first book I started reading I could not put down until the end. Gained a lot of appreciation for literature at that time.
The other book that I enjoyed and changed me was ‘The Wisdom of Insecurity’ by Alan Watts. I was a fan of Alan Watts works through his lectures already and it was wonderful to hear his ideas in writing for the first time.
The book is available to read for free online (https://antilogicalism.files.wordpress.com/2017/07/wisdom-of-insecurity.pdf https://antilogicalism.files.wordpress.com/2017/07/wisdom-of...).
I wish everyone read or watched Alan Watts lectures and books. The world would be a much nicer place if that was the case.
My favorite quote is by him:
‘We thought of life by analogy with a journey, a pilgrimage, which had a serious purpose at the end, and the thing was to get to that end, success or whatever it is, maybe heaven after you’re dead. But we missed the point the whole way along. It was a musical thing and you were supposed to sing or to dance while the music was being played.’
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- odiroot 8y agoThanks for mentioning Bulhakow. This is my all time most favourite book. I mean, come on, the devil himself vs the communist party of Russia, sprinkled with loads of humour. What else do you need?
- Liquix 8y agoGreat quote, Watts is truly inspirational. What a happy surprise when Ctrl+F takes you right to the first comment ;) If anyone doesn't have the time or attention span to commit to a full-blown book, The Joyous Cosmology [0] and Become What You Are [1] present some of Watt's ideas in a more condensed format. The former is a ~30 page essay freely available online. The latter is a collection of ~15 very short essays (1-12pg each) - a perfect replacement for smartphone scrolling when confronted with 5-10 minutes of free time. https://holybooks-lichtenbergpress.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/joyous_cosmology.pdf https://holybooks-lichtenbergpress.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content... https://www.amazon.com/Become-What-You-Alan-Watts/dp/1570629404 https://www.amazon.com/Become-What-You-Alan-Watts/dp/1570629...
- sorum 8y agoIs there a recommended order of Watts’ books, a fundamental one to start with? I’ve ended up buying a few of his books, but haven’t started on them yet.
- damontal 8y agoThe Wisdom of Insecurity is a good place to start unless you’re interested in a specific topic like Zen or Taoism.
- otakucode 8y agoThere is a game available on most gaming platforms, PC and console, called Everything which is home to an experience crafted using Watts' lectures. It is quite an interesting experience. Not quite a game but more of an interactive philosophical exercise, but quite good, and a very interesting introduction to Watts' work.
- sixstringninja 8y agoWhen you mentioned Alan Watts and his quote, I thought I'd share a small animated clip that presented that quote well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGoTmNU_5A0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGoTmNU_5A0
- bytematic 8y agoanimated by Trey Parker & Matt Stone
- bonoboTP 8y agoIn case someone wouldn't know, they are the creators of South Park.
- AnIdiotOnTheNet 8y agoIf we're sharing Alan Watts related stuff, check out Everything [0]. It's currently 75% off too. [0] https://store.steampowered.com/app/582270/Everything/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/582270/Everything/
- pretendscholar 8y ago>I wish everyone read or watched Alan Watts lectures and books. The world would be a much nicer place if that was the case. Parties would become a lot more insufferable.
- hangonhn 8y agoI LOVE the Master and Margarita but I've only read it in English. When you say you read it in Russian for the first time, did you mean you've read it in English before? If so, were there huge differences?
- nikivi 8y agoRussian is my native language so I read it in Russian for first and second time. Never read it in English so can't say. But I think this is one of those books that will lose some of its 'magic' in translation.
- plants 8y agoThis is disappointing to hear, but to anyone who is deterred by this comment from reading it in English, don't be. Even in English, the book was undoubtedly one of the best books I have ever read. There's something about it that makes you go "What happens next?!" for all 400 odd pages of it, and before you know it, you're at the end. It's truly a masterpiece - Bulgakov spent 10 years writing the final version of the novel after burning his initial manuscript twelve years prior in 1928, but as you will come to learn, manuscripts don't burn ;)
- brational 8y agoCan you share which translation you read? I imagine there's multiple that people will still find enjoyable but there's a lot of options for russian lit.
- spacejunk 8y agoI'm not the person you replied to but I read the Diana Burgin & Katherine Tiernan O'Connor translation and thought it was absolutely brilliant!
- plants 8y agoI read the Mirra Ginsburg translation, which I have heard is a sin because it is based on the censored text. If I could do it over (which I probably will in a couple years) I would probably read the Burgin/Tiernan O'Connor translation that another commenter has mentioned. There is more information on all of the English translations here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Master_and_Margarita#English_translations https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Master_and_Margarita#Engli...
- nik_0_0 8y agoReally appreciate your phrasing - I feel the same way about Anthony Bourdain's material (while on a very different matter) - has convinced me to check out some more Alan Watts.
- saberience 8y agoThanks for mentioning an amazing book of literature. The Master and Margarita is my favorite fiction book! I've read it in two translations and I prefer the Burgin & O'Connor to the Glenny, but both are great. Everytime I read it I gain more insights. I absolutely recommend reading this book alongside a readers guide which gives more background and depth, there are many biblical, historical, and author-related references that won't be understood otherwise. The author's own life is massively relevent to the events of the novel. I recommend this guide: https://www.amazon.com/Master-Margarita-Critical-Companion-AATSEEL/dp/0810112124/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1549396109&sr=1-1&keywords=the+master+and+margarita+criticism https://www.amazon.com/Master-Margarita-Critical-Companion-A...
- devindotcom 8y agoAny particular reason for preferring that translation? I'm always curious to hear others' thoughts before picking one to read.
- saberience 8y agoI did a meta review of translations before trying that particular translation. I found it extremely readable, and the humor comes through nicely, while also maintaining some of the long sentences Bulgakov liked and remaining faithful in general to his style.
- virtuexru 8y agoWas amazed when I saw the recommendation on the top comment. My fiancé recommended me this book and I just finished it on my commute this morning (this specific translation). Still thinking about it! Wonderful book, super engaging and just absolutely beautifully written. I couldn't put it down. Highly recommended!
- chupasaurus 8y agoAbout depth of the book: we've studied it in literature class in Russia for a month, because it's a kaleidoscope of interpretations, one would definitely miss too much without a guide (especially in 17 y.o. as myself). The only piece with more class time is War and Peace for obvious reasons.
- delaaxe 8y agoThat last quote with music: https://youtu.be/hJj_4ir12-w?t=385 https://youtu.be/hJj_4ir12-w?t=385
- Tomte 8y agoThere's a rather modern and new German translation which has been turned into an audio play by Bayerischer Rundfunk. I adore that! They have cast an Austrian as Fagott, with a wonderful Viennese dialect. No idea whether Fagott has some linguistic extravagance in the original, but it works really well on this Master of Ceremonies.
- _cs2017_ 8y agoCould you share a few quotes or ideas from Master and Margarita that changed how you think? I really liked the book, but mostly because I thought it was funny and had great plot. I fear I missed all the deep wisdom.
- yawaramin 8y ago> Cowardice was undoubtedly one of the most terrible vices - thus spoke Yeshua Ha-Nozri. 'No, philosopher, I disagree with you: it is the most terrible vice!' (This is Pontius Pilate's response to Yeshua.) To me this is about staying silent when you see evil being committed. But it doesn't even have to be 'Evil with a big E', it's just about speaking up when you see something that doesn't sit right with your morality. The other big takeaway for me was about how Margarita threw away all the rules of society to save the Master (her beloved). But she did it for more than just his sake, I think; she certainly took her liberation from society's expectations of women.
- _cs2017_ 8y agoThanks for pointing out. Even though I don't share your take on this, I find it interesting. I think the first example is just some innocent banter of a couple characters from long ago, who had a very naive understanding of the world because they couldn't begin to comprehend its true complexity. I think the second example is something any cool person would have done, because witches are awesome.
- gdy 8y agoDon't you think that the world would be entirely different place without cowardice?
- _cs2017_ 8y agoCertainly. But I think the world would be a far better place without hatred than without cowardice. So hatred is much worse than cowardice. IMHO envy, fanaticism, cruelty also cause more harm than cowardice.
- yholio 8y agoAs a more technical companion to Freakonomics, I would recommend "The undercover economist" and its sequel by Tim Harford. It's a great introduction to the way economy shapes our lives and choices. You will never drink coffee or sit in a queue the same way after reading it. Another book that changed allot about how I look at the world is "The long tail" by Chris Anderson. Maybe too thin of a concept for a whole book, but definitely interesting.
- PeOe 8y agoThank you for this! I love Alan Watts too. Recently I've started listening to "chillstep" mixes of his talks on youtube (while doing yoga/meditating). They're really fantastic. Eg. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLu1wP9HhYM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLu1wP9HhYM
- anzor-apshev 8y agoI've registered here to write this. It is interesting that two most voted books here, Master and Margarita and Animal Farm are both about Stalin. In MoM the all 3 main characters have real prototypes. Master is Author (Bulgakov), Margarita is Author's wife Elena, Woland is Stalin. Bulgakov was under assault of Soviet regime, he wanted to emigrate, but Stalin kept him in country. He was in constant fear of being detained for anti-soviet propaganda. Her wife which he loved a lot was forced to became secret informer, she reported periodically to officials against him. Bulgakov knew that, and this theme also in book. This moment is so tragic and central, because her wife was editor of the book. MoM is about exceptional courage of Bulgakov, his personal response to Staling, his sole main reader. At that time, just comparing Stalin to Statan was enough to be executed. I highly recommend this course to understand better MoM https://arzamas.academy/courses/39 https://arzamas.academy/courses/39 unfortunately it's in Russian.