380. Absalom, Absalom!

Abasalom, Absalom!
William Faulkner
1936
Around 385 pages

Faulkner always takes me back to sitting in a hot classroom dissecting A Rose for Emily with a circle of sweaty undergrads. My next experience with dear William was trying to impress a guy with Faulkner tattoos by reading The Sound and The Fury. I don't think he was very impressed, as I haven't spoken to him in five years.

I thought I had seen the last of Quentin Compson, but unfortunately, he hath returned. He's telling his Harvard roommate about the rise and fall of Thomas Sutpen. As a narrative technique, this feels completely unnecessary to me, though I understand it contributes to Faulkner's bizarre style of unreliable narrations. Anyway Thomas Sutpen is a slaveowner in the 1830s, which is a uniquely unlucky time to be a slaveowner in human history.

Sutpen is a memorable tragic character destined to fail, but I get no joy out of untangling Faulkner's exhausting prose. The center of his work is a very ugly man you can't sympathize with, living in a doomed time. And I hate Quentin.

RATING: **---

Interesting Facts:

Along with The Sound and the Fury, this novel helped Faulkner win the Nobel Prize for Literature.

The 1983 Guinness Book of World Records says the "Longest Sentence in Literature" is a sentence from Absalom, Absalom! which contains 1,288 words. The sentence can be found in Chapter 6; it begins with the words "Just exactly like father", and ends with "the eye could not see from any point". The passage is entirely italicized and incomplete. Like give me a fucking break.

UP NEXT: Wild Harbour by Ian MacPherson

379. At the Mountains of Madness

At the Mountains of Madness
H.P. Lovecraft
1936
Around 200 pages

We have some heavy hitters to deal with in the racism department. First Lovecraft, soon Margaret Mitchell. It's tough to swallow. The power of horror and fantasy in fiction is that it can translate real world fears into something more tangible. And we all know what Lovecraft's fears were, so that makes this pretty tough.

Geologist William Dyer is trying to prevent a new scientific expedition. He recounts his own expedition many years ago, where ancient ruins were discovered and many people were brutally killed. 

It might have escaped your notice, but I am somewhat of a nerd. But I have certain blind spots in my nerdvision: Dr. Who, anime, Star Trek, comic books and Lovecraft. I was just never into the lore, regardless of my personal feelings for white supremacists. I feel like all his monsters are just giant blobs.

If I have to come up with something positive, many other writers that I like were inspired by this work. If it wasn't this novel, we wouldn't have The Thing, and then where would we be?

RATING: **---

Interesting Facts:

Director Guillermo del Toro and screenwriter Matthew Robbins wrote a screenplay for the novella, but it has yet to be made.

UP NEXT: Absalom, Absalom by William Faulkner. Oh the dread.

378. Nightwood

Nightwood
Djuna Barnes
1936
Around 180 pages

How exciting to get a queer novel from the 1930s. Unfortunately, it wasn't my cup of tea, so it looks like I will have to wait until Sarah Waters to get my lesbian fiction fix. 

Robin Vote marries Felix Volkbien, who is pretending to be a gentile Baron. They marry and have a special needs son, and Robin realizes this is not the life she wants to lead. Understandable, but Robin is not the stuff heroes are made of. She meets and falls in love with Nora Flood at a circus.

This is a very chaotic novel, which I suppose appeals to some people, but for me, it was a bit too all over the place. Nobody is behaving how you would expect them, which lends a dreamlike quality to the story. 

So if you are looking for something trippy, you'll enjoy this. But for me, the unbelievability of the characters kind of dilutes the emotional impact.

RATING: ***--

Interesting Facts:

T.S. Eliot edited the novel.

William S. Burroughs called the novel "one of the great books of the twentieth century."  Stop liking things I like, weirdo.

UP NEXT: At the Mountains of Madness by H.P. Lovecraft. Here we go with this idiot.

377. Independent People

Independent People
Halldór Laxness
1934
Around 550 pages

There is exactly one Icelandic novel on the List, and this is it. I know this, because I went to Iceland last year, and I get a bit, ahem, excited about selecting books for travel based on the location I'm visiting. So as I was shivering in my bed at night, listening to the windows rattle in the furious wind, I enjoyed reading about characters who were just as geographically unfortunate as I was. Not to offend any Icelandic readers out there, it's a beautiful country. I was just intensely uncomfortable the entire visit.

The main narrative revolves around Bjartur, who is married to Rosa. Bjartur is determined to be independent, and even refuses to add a stone to Gunnvor's cairn. Gunnvor is the ghost demon woman who roams the hills. I learned after I almost fell in a volcano that Iceland doesn't fuck around. He also changes the name of his farm from Winterhouses to Summerhouses. Oh, Bjartur. Life as an Icelandic farmer is about as easy as you'd expect. 

I loved getting a novel from a country you almost never hear from, aside from Bjork. I also love mythology, and demon ghost women. Of course, it is grueling reading the characters endure such hardship, and Bjartur is insufferable.

This feels emblematic of the Icelandic culture, which is self-reliant and makes the Starks look happy-go-lucky. 

 

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

The novel helped Halldór Laxness win the Nobel Prize for Literature.

UP NEXT: Nightwood by Djuna Barnes

376. The Last of Mr. Norris

The Last of Mr. Norris
Christopher Isherwood
1935
Around 280 pages

Fellow Potterheads, the long elusive Mr. Norris has finally made an appearance. And he is way kinkier than I thought he would be.

On the way to Germany, William Bradshaw meets Arthur Norris, who carries a suspect passport and wears a wig that has the unfortunate tendency to shift.  As a frequent viewer of Real Housewives, I can sympathize. They strike up a friendship, and William learns some unexpected things about Arthur, like he's a communist and a masochist. 

Apparently, Christopher Isherwood later condemned the work, calling it heartless. Writers are their own worst critics, but I can see where he is coming from, this is not a heart-warming story. To be fair, the setting was Nazi Germany, which isn't a place to seek the good in humanity. I don't think anybody would be as capable of being as aloof as our narrator in those circumstances, but that's always the case with the Dr. John Watson types, who are tasked with dutifully recording the behaviors of eccentrics.

The setting was intriguing and Mr. Norris was certainly memorable. But life is not a Cabaret, so it's not very believable to me.

RATING: ***--

Interesting Facts:

The British version is called Mr. Norris Changes Trains. The American version is The Last of Mr. Norris. This is the Philosopher's Stone all over again.

Bradshaw is a stand in for the narrator, and Isherwood changed the character's name in future editions his own. As to why Bradshaw isn't gay even though Isherwood was out, he justified it by saying the reader needed to relate to the narrator. We're all gayer than you give us credit for, Ish. Of course the real reason was he didn't want to cause a scandal.

UP NEXT: Independent People by Halldor Laxness

375. They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
Horace McCoy
1935
Around 120 pages

While my schoolin' has taught me that the Great Depression began in 1929, this feels like the first novel that is firmly fixed in devastating economic conditions. Hopefully some writers will come along and make us laugh through the tough times as Steinbeck creeps closer and closer, heralded by the sound of dripping breast milk.

Robert is talked into joining a dance marathon with Gloria, after they both fail to get jobs as extras. Gloria wishes she were dead (who wouldn't, after joining a contest like that?). The contest is a lively affair, because there is free food for the competitors, a hefty prize, and everybody was very bored back then. 

As a writer, McCoy did a brilliant job creating action and driving the story forward with the parameters he put in place for himself regarding the dance contest. I didn't think it was necessary to frame the story as a confession, but I understand it was a common technique of the time. And he obviously wasn't very concerned about spoiling the story, considering the last line is the title of the novella.

A short and punchy read, which isn't what comes to mind when I think of a Great Depression novel. Very impressive.

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

Sydney Pollack directed a 1969 adaptation. 

Season three of Gilmore Girls pays homage to this novel with the episode "They Shoot Gilmores, Don't They?" I belong to a text thread called Gilmore Girls Gal Pals, so this is interesting to me.

UP NEXT: The Last of Mr. Norris by Christopher Isherwood

374. Auto-Da-Fe

Auto-Da-Fe
Elias Canetti
1935
Around 465 pages

After the a brief scenic detour, we are back to novels doing their best to shock, appall, and disgust us. Although Canetti goes in a much more creative direction than usual when it comes to freaking us out.

Herr Doktor Peter Kien is dangerously obsessed with books. He shuns society but is fanatical about protecting his library and believes human lives are worth less than his precious page pals. In other words, he's the Austrian me. Kien thinks he should marry his housekeeper, because she's good at taking care of his books, if you know what I mean. Kien doesn't know what I mean, and has some pretty fucked up ideas regarding human sexuality. But then his housekeeper knocks over one of his books and he has to lock himself in the bathroom and weep. I was with him up until this point, and then he really goes off the deep end.

Even though this book was uncomfortably relatable to somebody who has written 374 posts about novels by dead people, this novel rubbed me the wrong way. I would categorize this as something like 120 Days of Sodom, with a healthy dose of Kafka body horror thrown in. 

Skip, unless being grossed out your thing. And if it is, you've clearly chosen the right List to follow.

RATING: **---

Interesting Facts:

First American translation's title was The Tower of Babel.

The title refers to the burning of heretics during the Inquisition.

UP NEXT: They Shoot Horses, Don't They? by Horace McCoy

373. The House in Paris

The House in Paris
Elizabeth Bowen
1935
Around 270 pages

I love novels that take place during a single day. There's something very feminine about those stories. There is so much significance in our everyday actions that's difficult to capture if your characters are having adventures all over the place. And not all personalities are capable of the kind of growth that characters experience in plots with a larger time frames. There's something very real about nobody changing.

Eleven-year-old Henrietta Mountjoy, accompanied by Miss Naomi Fisher, is stopping by Naomi's sickly mother on her way to visit her grandmother. Henrietta is expected to spend the day with Leopold, a nine year old boy waiting to meet his mother for the first time that day. The children are fascinated with each other, in a very believable way.  And Leopold's parentage is explored.

I enjoy Bowen's writing, she gave the scenes with the children the emotional weight they deserved. As children we are capable of creating strong emotional bonds with people we never see again. Elizabeth Bowen should be wider read, I enjoy her novels immensely.

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

Virginia Woolf loved the book and said in a letter: "I had the feeling that your world imposed itself on my world, while I read, which only happens when one is taken in hand by a work."

UP NEXT: Auto-da-Fe by Elias Canetti. 

372. England Made Me

England Made Me
Graham Greene
1935
Around 210 pages

Last entry, we welcomed George Orwell, now say hello to Graham Greene! Both men command a significant portion of this List, because white guys have VIP passes that entitle them to at least five entries apiece. Also, they are both really talented writers and I can't wait to dive into their work. 

One of the reasons I love Graham Greene is because he always starts with a simple premise that can be explained in one sentence. Anthony, a charming and broke womanizer, accepts a job from his twin sister Kate as her rich boss/lover's bodyguard. The manageable set up allows for Greene to create detailed character portraits that feel very real. 

As is the case with any early work, Graham is still perfecting his voice as a writer, but he still demonstrated enormous talent for the craft. He shall hence forth be affectionately referred to as GG on this blog.

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

The character of Krogh was loosely based on Ivar Kreuger.

Adapted into a film in 1973, but the setting was changed to Nazi Germany.

UP NEXT: The House in Paris by Elizabeth Bowen

371. Burmese Days

Burmese Days
George Orwell
1934
Around 275 pages

Welcome to the blog George. He makes it to the List on his very first try, with a book reminiscent of E.M. Forster. I had to read this in my college days, and there's nothing like a class discussion to sap your love of a work. Still, I think this is one of the most important reads we've had lately.

John Flory is an English timber merchant living in Burma. He is ashamed of the birthmark that covers half his face, and his only friend is an Indian doctor. He is content with his Burmese mistress until he meets the beautiful Elizabeth Lackersteen. She's a beautiful upper class orphan and represents everything that John Flory desperately wants but feels unworthy of possessing. She's turned off by his obvious affinity for the Burmese natives and clumsy attempts at courting her.

This novel is rich in symbolism. Everything here has purpose, whether its the burning leopard skin or the water buffalo attack, the events of this novel are rich in meaning. It didn't feel like Orwell was preaching, probably because the characters were based on real people. His descriptions were also powerful; I could almost feel the Burmese heat emanating from the pages.

A must read and a great introduction to everything Orwell has to offer.

RATING: *****

Interesting Facts:

Orwell spent five years from 1922 to 1927 as a police officer in the Indian Imperial Police force in Burma.

Orwell was turned down for publication as it was feared he would be sued for libel.

UP NEXT: England Made Me by Graham Greene. I missed that boy.

370. The Nine Tailors

The Nine Tailors
Dorothy Sayers
1934
Around 400 pages

This is the follow up to Murder Must Advertise, which means the book includes number eight and nine in the series. Usually I'm much more of a stickler for that kind of stuff, but I am showing everybody I can let my hair down. If I end up having to go back and read all the Lord Wimsey series, well then, that's my business.

Lord Peter Wimsey becomes stranded after a car accident in the Fenland village of Fenchurch St. Paul on New Year's Eve. This is lucky, because they need somebody in the church to ring the bells for nine hours after one of the ringers gets the flu. Wimsey learns about an old theft, and the reader learns a lot about bells. 

I didn't enjoy this as much as the previous Sayers mystery, which had a lot to do with the heavily technical jargon of bells. I think she was tempted to include a little too much of her research into the novel, which wasn't necessary to the story. However, I was impressed by the answer to her mystery, which I thought was very original. 

Once again, a fun mystery which are few and far between on this List.

RATING: ***--

Interesting Facts:

The book's title are taken from the old saying "Nine Tailors Make a Man. This refers to the nine strokes which at the beginning of the toll for the dead announcing to the villagers that a man is dead. A woman's death is announced with six strokes. God, men routinely find way creative ways to be dicks to us.

UP NEXT: Burmese Days by George Orwell. 

369. Threepenny Novel

Threepenny Novel
Bertolt Brecht
1934
Around 400 pages

If you missed the anti-capitalism novels in the early 1900s, we are back with a bang! Personally, I don't want to read another "novel" that heavily borrows from Marx. And Brecht is an odd duck.

Brecht adapted his opera into this novel, which is remarkable, although I think the story suffers from its obvious theatrical structure. Three main characters, Peachum, Macheath, and Coax, show us just how exploitative the system works, and how it crushes the working classes in its path. 

I believe Brecht is referencing specific German companies, which is kind of lost in translation, but the message is universal and timeless. But like most social commentary novels, it lacks emotional depth. None of the characters feel like real people to me. I guess that's not the point.

So if you were looking for the novelization of a communist opera, look no further. Also, if you were, I have some questions.

RATING: **---

Interesting Facts:

During the Nazi Germany period, Brecht fled his home country, first to Scandinavia, then the US.

UP NEXT: The Nine Tailors by Dorothy Sayers

368. Novel With Cocaine

Novel With Cocaine
M. Ageyev
1934
Around 200 pages

It's been awhile since we have had a Russian novel on this List, so it's nice to get their cheerful perspective about what's going on in the world. The time period provided an interesting backdrop to a not so interesting story.

The narrator is addicted to cocaine and has toxic relationships with women. It reads as an essay, which makes sense as it was first published in a literary magazine. I enjoyed the philosophical musings, even though addiction isn't my favorite topic. 

Nabokov called this novel decadent and disgusting. Maybe the List has desensitized me with its Rabelaisian torture, but this didn't strike me as more disgusting than say, Henry Miller or Nabokov himself. Addiction is disgusting. Just wait until we reach Trainspotting. 

If it made Nabokov clutch his pearls, it's worth reading. But not the most enjoyable entry on the List.

RATING: ***--

Interesting Facts:

The English translation of the title fails to convey the double meaning of the Russian "Роман," meaning both "novel" and "romance".

M. Ageyev is a pen name. Upon its French publication, there were rumors that it was a work of Nabokov. His son has denied it. It doesn't feel very Nabokov-y to me.

UP NEXT: Threepenny Novel by Bertoit Brecht