IMPORTANT QUESTION

[gretazreta]

A brass band (the Salvation Army) just began playing "Silent Night" right outside my house, so suddenly that the cat got a fright and jumped a foot in the air. The irony of this does not escape me

Comments

[dodificus]

I had to sit here thinking about what story has stuck in my mind, has filled me up and left me dumbstruck at the end of it. I think I would say (if series are permitted) that I would have to be the rememberer of The Dark Tower series by Stephen King.

I have never, in my 29 years of hearing and reading stories felt the way I felt when I completed the last book in that series. I felt like I could never read anything again and I'd be happy. I felt like everything that could be written had been and it had been perfect.

I would love to make other people feel that and make sure that the story wasn't forgotten. To make sure other people loved those characters the way I did.

[gretazreta]

Oooh, that's an interesting and thoughtful response. And, funnily enough, while I've read most of Stephen King I have not read those ones ALTHOUGH recently in Auckland I picked up the first two books of the series in a second hand bookshop for $11. So they are definitely on my "to read" list.

I don't know what mine would be. Oddly, I'm kind of stuck immediately between Hamlet and "Finn Family Moomintroll." That sums me up completely, I feel. Mind you, FFM is quite short, maybe I could do both?

[dodificus]

I've never heard of 'Finn Family Moomintroll', I'll have to check it out.

*adds to my growing list of books to read*

And you've chosen Shakespeare, I can definitely see you orating that in front of a roaring fire somewhere. It would be quite dramatic:)

[withdiamonds]

The first book that comes to mind is "Heidi" by Johanna Spyri. It was the most important book to me as a child, and I used to come to the last page and turn right to the first one to start again. I never got tired of it.

And kids need books, too.

[redlighthouse]

Faust.

[gretazreta]

Goethe or Marlowe? And if Goethe, both parts? GENIUS. Probably the most important work of literature EVER and definitely should be kept for posterity. You'd probably have to stay at folk's houses a long time, I can't imagine you getting through that in a couple of evenings!

I knew you were going to choose that. In fact, you're the ONLY person who I thought I knew what you would choose. :D :D :D This pleases me! *hugs*

[redlighthouse]

Yay! *high fives* Faust is Western Civilization's defining work of literature, in my humble opinion.

While Marlowe would be easier to memorize, I'd prefer Goethe. If I had a twin, one of us could learn part one and the other, part two!

[tahirire]

Oh MAN. Umm ... so many! ...

The Count of Monte Christo.

The Star Wars trilogy. (WHAT?! It's CULTURE!)

Shakespeare's 12th Night.

It's ok, I can do them all, I have a REALLY good memory. :)

[tahirire]

OOOh. OH. AND. A Tale of Two Cities, DEFINITELY.

[gretazreta]

I've got a weird feeling that that might be what the guy in F.451 ends up with. That could be an invention of my imagination, however. :D

[gretazreta]

I love 12th night! Also I'm very fond of Star Wars, and it would be a shame to lose that. And that way, as well, you'd have a kind of repertoire. So going from house to house you could gauge who would like what.

The Count of Monte Christo is my friend Ryan's favourite book. I have a copy but must confess not to have read it yet. Maybe it can be my new year thing. :D

[badesquisse]

Pushkin's Eugene Onegin. Because every verse, every word in that novel counts. It is art, it is history.

[gretazreta]

Ah... now, that's interesting to me because while I'm very familiar with the opera, I have not read it for myself. But now I clearly must do so!

[badesquisse]

I haven't read it in English, so I really can't say how good the translations are, but I'd advise you to look at this article on Wikipedia to at least choose what kind of translation you want to read. The main point of difference, as I understand, is whether an author kept the Onegin stanza or sacrificed it for exactness of meaning. For me, it's the combination of those two that makes Onegin unmatched literary work. On the one hand, many people call it an encyclopaedia of Russian life of the beginning of XIX century, and it is, in its every word. On the other hand, my grandfather used to read it for me like a lullaby, for Onegin is like a song.

[gretazreta]

This sounds a little like my experience of my dad reading the Odyssey to me as a child (he's a Classics professor). You have to have a verse translation, or it makes no sense.

Now I MUST read it.

[wendy]

To Kill a Mockingbird, for sure. It's my favorite.

[gretazreta]

Oh, so much yes. My favourite books switch around because often I like what I'm reading today the best, but TKAM is always ALWAYS in the top five.

It's actually my personal canon (or was at one time) that this is also Sam Winchester's favourite book from when he was a boy. In one story I wrote (practically the first SPN one ever) Dean bought him a postcard of Harper Lee. It was VERY MEANINGFUL, lol.

[wendy]

Oh I feel very sure Sam loves that book! Atticus is such an upstanding, good person, an amazing father, with strong values, who stands up for other people. He's probably one of the reasons Sam wanted to be a lawyer.

This all makes perfect sense to me.