As the Chilean miners are on the verge of a Thunderbird like rescue after 65 days underground in a small area .yesterday I wondered on Twitter if one of the great Latin American novelist would right this story ,the miners have been visited by Isabel Allende and she donate some of her books for the miners to read .so I wondered what books would be best for them to read ? For me I thought of life of pi by Yann Martell maybe a tale of survival at sea would be a way to escape to a wide open space ?
A comedy novel by Wodehouse maybe ?
Ones of those epic novels 2666 ,moby dick , Ulysses ,Proust ,the man without qualities ?
What book would you want to keep you company ?
I hope and pray they reach there families safe and sound soon
Stu, definitely, if I were trapped (anywhere…although God forbid underground) I would have to take Proust’s À la recherche du temps perdu. How many books do I get? I would also take Mahfouz’s Cairo Trilogy, and Abdelrahman Munif’s quintet. Definitely I’d want big worlds in which I could immerse myself and stay as long as possible. And books I’d want to re-read…like maybe Pamuk’s My Name is Red. And Sebald. I’d take some Sebald.
oh yes sebald his rings of saturn my all time favourite book ,yes the two arab epics be great as well ,all the best stu
There’s only one book I’d want if I were trapped underground, Stu (that is assuming I can only have one book): The Complete Works of Michel de Montaigne.
Warmest regard
Rob
yes I would have picked that or steinbecks complete works for you dear rob ,all the best stu
Hmm… interesting question Stu. First, I imagine that being trapped is veerry different from voluntarily sequestering myself underground. In which case, I think that I would most definitely refrain from reading any books that tend towards heavy issues and questions. So if I were trapped, I would want something light. Of course, nothing light comes to mind!
yes ,wodehouse is fairly light ,all the best stu
I’ll probably bring some epic novels. The empire trilogy by J. G. Farrell, Thomas Mann’s tetralogy “Joseph and His Brothers,” & “The Story of the Stone” by Cao Xueqin.
the empire trilogy be good all that Indian countryside and the action ,I ve only read siege so far ,all the best stu
I’m not sure whether this proposition does not trivialize the deprivation and suffering involved as obviously there is not a huge subterranean library available; and this is part of the Miner’s suffering, to have time on their hand in a very dark place WITHOUT sufficient light to read books. I wonder how many people would last a single day in such circumstances without becoming unhinged. Nice to imagine that equipped with the comfort-blanket of a book one can survive life by ignoring one’s environment. Is that a good justification to read avidly?
Okay enough lecturing , entering into the absurd spirit of the proposition, which is only a slight variant on the desert-island theme – Jules Verne’s -‘Journey to the Centre of the Earth’.
I wasn’t try to trivalize ,maybe empathise if I was in same postion ,which I hope I never am ,they are brave men and hopefully this will help them have a better life ,jules verne is wonderful ,the godfather of steampunk ,all the best stu
I agree with Kevin that this is a terrible situation these men are in. I can only hope for the best of outcomes.
As for reading, I would take them off world to something fun but challenging. The Flinx novels by Alan Dean Foster , he’s an underdog who survives against great odds.
oh alan dean foster new to me I ll go look him up ,yes it is terrible ,just hope they get something better out of it ,all the best stu
With all that spare time I’d want to get through several chunksters: War and Peace, A Suitable Boy, The Magic Mountain and the rest of The Cairo Trilogy. I don’t think the subject matter would make any difference, but I think I’d get very frustrated if I ran out of books to read!
war and peace ,as I ve not read it yet ,all the best stu
Gosh – definitely would be time to attack some of the epics on my TBR – I thinkj I’d go mad! Audio books might be quite good too
oh never thought of audio books they would be great some good ones about now ,all the best stu
I’d go for something chunky and sff. I wouldn’t want a book that will make me think even more of the situation I’m stuck in. I hear they will be out soon. Good news!
me too the time underground must haver been awful ,all the best stu
how about Journey to the centre of the earth – Jules Verne or maybe Underground – Haruki Murukami.
Kevin suggest journey to centre as well ,Verne was master of steampunk ,all the best stu
What a terrible situation. Definitely something long and escapist!
just awful ,yes a long book ideal,all the best stu