A recent reading of the secret history of costaguna set me thinking ,this book is parallel novel to Joseph Conrad’s Nostromo ,there is a clever juxtapose about this thou Vasquez is a latin american writing about events in london and Conrad was an english writer writing about latin america ,the link is the character in Vasquez book tells Conrad his life story about the events in his homeland ,this story forms part of Conrad’s book and the imagined country of costaguna .Well I decide to re read Nostromo and the old saying certain books are best read when you are old was true with this book a book that came to life more than before I felt this was mainly due to my increased cynicism with age,so thanks to Vasquez I ve rediscovered a book and writer I had partly written off as a younger man .I ll shortly be review both books .Thanks to Kirsty at oup for the lovely copy of Nostromo (love the picture on the cover )
Now I have previously read march by Geraldine Brooks another Parallel novel that worked for me ,and some Sherlock Holmes inspired stories that were hit and miss .so the question is –
HAVE YOU READ ANY GOOD PARALLEL FICTION ?
IS THERE A BOOK YOU’D LOVE TO SEE ANOTHER BOOK WRITTEN FROM ?
In answer to the second one I d love see a book on Don Quixote maybe him as a younger man .Perec life a user manual has loads sub plots and characters that would make great stories on their own .
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Vásquez’s The Informers is all lined up and ready to go in my queue, Stu, so I’m glad to hear you thought so highly of this one by him (and that one by Conrad). As far as parallel readings go, I’m still looking forward to the fiction/nonfiction pairing of Hadrian the Seventh and The Quest for Corvo one of these days–not quite what you asked about but close. Cheers!
Can’t think of one at the mo, but am waiting on a book that features another writer as a main character.
I have Nostromo on my shelf and yet to read. I think I also like that picture on the book cover.
lovely isn’t it ,all the best stu
I can only think of Sherlock Holmes, too. And there are a couple of books that work with the Bronte’s and Jane Austen’s work. But that’s a really interesting questions, hope you’ll post a list if you can think of more works! 🙂
Jane Eyre and The Wide Sargasso Sea (Jean Rhys); and Howard’s End and On Beauty (Zadie Smith)….
Here are some parallel fiction pairs that come to mind:
Grendel by John Gardner, which is the Beowulf story from the monster’s point of view.
I meant to include a few more but sent the previous message too soon.
“To Say Nothing of the Dog” by Connie Willis is related to Three Men in A Boat.
Mark Salzman’s novel The Laughing Sutra is based on “Monkey” (the Waley translation of Journey to the West by Wu Chen En).
Then there is “Monsignor Quixote” by Graham Greene, a tribute to Cervantes’ great novel “Don Quixote.”
Thanks great suggestions
I love it when one book sprouts from another. I second Lisa’s list. I will add Mrs Dalloway by Woolf and The Hours by Cunningham.
oh there is two to try I only read to the lighthouse by her ,all the best stu