I read to learn, I read for pleasure, I read to escape, I read to think, I read to feel, I read. So my rich sister in law gave me 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (R300) for Christmas.
I read to learn, I read for pleasure, I read to escape, I read to think, I read to feel, I read. So my rich sister in law gave me 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (R300) for Christmas.
Rather a peremptory title but mitigated by the introduction. General editor is Peter Boxall, a senior lecturer in English literature at the University of Sussex with 158 other contributors from all over the
world.
The book takes the form of about 300 word synopses and has both an author and title index so you can go
and check up on your favourites before you even start.
1001 Books begins with the pre-1800s and, of course, the first title listed is 1001 Nights written in Arabic in
circa 850.
It then journeys through the development of the novel in Japanese, Chinese, Spanish, Algerian, German, French and English and re-introduces one to the known – Robinson Crusoe, Gulliver’s Travels,
Candide – and introduces the unknown (to me anyway) – weird, wonderful and some downright confusing.
The 1800s adds Russian, American, Bulgarian, Polish, Irish, Italian and Dutch novels to the mix. The 1900s is predominant and takes up a massive 654 pages of a 960 page book.
Last is the 2000s rounding off with Animal’s People by Indra Sinha published in 2007. It includes every novel genre – whichever way you may choose to define them.
No, I am not going to tell which South Africans are listed! 1001 Books is also a pleasure to behold. The illustrations are stunning these include original illustrations from books reviewed, portraits of authors, book covers and film posters.
The paper is smooth to the touch and easy on the eye. The cover is taken from American Psycho – an aggressive, provocative choice – deliberately implying that reading is not a passive bland activity?
The book’s weight and boxy shape belies a content that, whilst being intellectually weighty, is extremely easy to read and throws horizons wide open.
You will have a wonderful time arguing with this book. Some of your passions will be missing and you will ask
why this author and not that why this title and not that and some books suggested you will quite frankly not
want to have anything to do with.
All libraries should have a copy at the lending desk for borrowers to page through – couple this with a suggestion/synopsis box and we could create our own must read list.
1001 Books is a delirious invitation to read and provokes a hunger for books and words. Find a copy.
