5 ms·

These aren't the interesting kind of radical. Just feminist books filled with power/struggle fantasies.

by Kharvok 5y ago

tszymczyszyn 5y ago
Ugh, maybe some of them are. But Kapuścinski and Lem for sure are not.
- selimthegrim 5y ago
  What do people think in Poland about the truth value of what Kapuścinski wrote?
groby_b 5y ago
Maybe they're radical in that they don't care about you, and what you think books should be about. But let's turn this around - have you actually read any of them, or are you just saying "meh, feminism, not my thing" and discarding them out of hand? Based on the ones I've read, both "Dromedaries" and "His Masters Voice" are very much radical, especially if you read them in their historical context. You can certainly argue that ultimately, the topics and stories are a bit more familiar nowadays than they were then, but they're still quite thought-provoking. (If you read one of those two, I'd go with "Dromedaries". Lem is many things, but certainly not an easy read)
- themanmaran 5y ago
  I think the url ("/queer-feminist-sci-fi-books-polish-literature") is a more accurate description than "Radical Polish books to add to your reading list." But Stanisław Lem doesn't quite fit.
- kkjjkgjjgg 5y ago
  There are a zillion books out there, most of them crap. So simply "try reading them" does not really work, there have to be some good reasons to pick up a book.
  - groby_b 5y ago
    Sure. There also have to be good reasons to dismiss something as "not radical". Nobody is asking OP to read all books recommended on the Internet. But if they'd like to spout opinions about them, I think "have you even read it" is a valid request.
    - kkjjkgjjgg 5y ago
      If they are being described as belonging to a certain type of books, I don't think you have to read them to have an opinion. Like if a book is described as "feminist", you can have a pretty good idea of its contents.
gunfighthacksaw 5y ago
Not a single one about square roots (and the related family of functions) or molecules with unpaired valence electrons

These aren't the interesting kind of radical. Just feminist books filled with power/struggle fantasies.

tszymczyszyn 5y ago

Ugh, maybe some of them are. But Kapuścinski and Lem for sure are not.

selimthegrim 5y ago
What do people think in Poland about the truth value of what Kapuścinski wrote?

groby_b 5y ago

Maybe they're radical in that they don't care about you, and what you think books should be about. But let's turn this around - have you actually read any of them, or are you just saying "meh, feminism, not my thing" and discarding them out of hand? Based on the ones I've read, both "Dromedaries" and "His Masters Voice" are very much radical, especially if you read them in their historical context. You can certainly argue that ultimately, the topics and stories are a bit more familiar nowadays than they were then, but they're still quite thought-provoking. (If you read one of those two, I'd go with "Dromedaries". Lem is many things, but certainly not an easy read)

themanmaran 5y ago
I think the url ("/queer-feminist-sci-fi-books-polish-literature") is a more accurate description than "Radical Polish books to add to your reading list." But Stanisław Lem doesn't quite fit.
kkjjkgjjgg 5y ago
There are a zillion books out there, most of them crap. So simply "try reading them" does not really work, there have to be some good reasons to pick up a book.
- groby_b 5y ago
  Sure. There also have to be good reasons to dismiss something as "not radical". Nobody is asking OP to read all books recommended on the Internet. But if they'd like to spout opinions about them, I think "have you even read it" is a valid request.
  - kkjjkgjjgg 5y ago
    If they are being described as belonging to a certain type of books, I don't think you have to read them to have an opinion. Like if a book is described as "feminist", you can have a pretty good idea of its contents.

gunfighthacksaw 5y ago

Not a single one about square roots (and the related family of functions) or molecules with unpaired valence electrons