Thank you for these great recommendations, I have accidentally stumbled into some of these.
One I also recommend is The Book of Disquiet by Fernando Pessoa. I find it fascinating -- not quite the same energy as the recommended texts, but well worth the read.
I do agree with Mr. Wobbegong -- that reading should not take the place of doing; that it is often enough for one of one's friends to have read some of the books above, and to have borrowed from it the needed energy to accomplish in this world; he who has a fire lit within him freely shares it with those he loves.
Only a small number of us need to read these books to really perform in their spirits -- the goal has always been contagion.
I have often wondered whether many who read should stop reading and start doing.
It seems to me that many Sensitive Young Men fit this mold.
It seems these texts you describe would help the reader not only clarify his inner confusion and self-understanding, but might also spur him to some sort of productive action in the world.
In other words (I promise I don’t mean the following question churlishly): what will these books help me do to help Life and Truth win out?
A self-conducted interview From Gene Wolfe's Castle of Days
"Q: You have the reputation of being one of the nicest guys in the field. We both know you’re a hyena on its hind legs. How have you fooled everyone?
A: By keeping my mouth shut when I read garbage.
Q: Have you found that difficult?
A: No. I’m constantly running into people who’ve read bad books clean to the end. I admire them more than I can say, but I can’t do that—when I get shit in my eyes I close them fast and cry.
Q: You also throw the book at the wall and scare the dog.
A: Yeah. And then when somebody asks me how I liked the book, I say I haven’t read it, because it’s really not fair for me to judge without finishing the book. Maybe the last nine-tenths is marvelous. But I doubt it."
Thank you for these great recommendations, I have accidentally stumbled into some of these.
One I also recommend is The Book of Disquiet by Fernando Pessoa. I find it fascinating -- not quite the same energy as the recommended texts, but well worth the read.
I do agree with Mr. Wobbegong -- that reading should not take the place of doing; that it is often enough for one of one's friends to have read some of the books above, and to have borrowed from it the needed energy to accomplish in this world; he who has a fire lit within him freely shares it with those he loves.
Only a small number of us need to read these books to really perform in their spirits -- the goal has always been contagion.
Dear author,
I have often wondered whether many who read should stop reading and start doing.
It seems to me that many Sensitive Young Men fit this mold.
It seems these texts you describe would help the reader not only clarify his inner confusion and self-understanding, but might also spur him to some sort of productive action in the world.
In other words (I promise I don’t mean the following question churlishly): what will these books help me do to help Life and Truth win out?
Ideas are real and they have consequences. Stories capture ideas and they make you listen.
You use books to augment your thinking, and interiorize them if they're good.
Brilliant.
I thought this post was about Worst Boyfriend Ever?
A self-conducted interview From Gene Wolfe's Castle of Days
"Q: You have the reputation of being one of the nicest guys in the field. We both know you’re a hyena on its hind legs. How have you fooled everyone?
A: By keeping my mouth shut when I read garbage.
Q: Have you found that difficult?
A: No. I’m constantly running into people who’ve read bad books clean to the end. I admire them more than I can say, but I can’t do that—when I get shit in my eyes I close them fast and cry.
Q: You also throw the book at the wall and scare the dog.
A: Yeah. And then when somebody asks me how I liked the book, I say I haven’t read it, because it’s really not fair for me to judge without finishing the book. Maybe the last nine-tenths is marvelous. But I doubt it."