1. The Holy Bible by The Lord Thy God (as told through a bunch of other people ) (can't help but to be influenced by this one in the American Bible Belts) 2. True Magick by Amber K 3. I, Robot by Issac Asimov (if pressed to choose the book by him that had the *greatest* influence on me) 4. Spock's World by Diane Duane 5. The Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams (again, if pressed to choose the book by him that had the *greatest* influence on me) 6. Inside Atari Basic: A Fast Fun and Friendly Approach by William Carris (my entire career grew out of that book) 7. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee 8. Zork I-III (written as a single thing, and okay, not technically a book but an IF, but I still count it) 9. The Illuminatus Trilogy by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson (released as three books, I know, but I read this as a single volume) 10. Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink
Nostromo is another Conrad novel that is a great read. The chaos that natural resources can bring to impoverished parts of the world thanks to the endemic greed and corruption that can often exist in places where valuable resources are found is illustrative of many trouble fraught regions today. 'The Machine Stops' a short story by EM Forster is a fun little story about a world where technology has made work a thing of the past and humanity's cares are all taken care of by The Machine. You say you want a revolution, well you know...
I was actually wondering if Italo Calvino was known outside of Italy. Around here his books are practically mandatory for kids. Two of his novels almost made my list: Il sentiero dei nidi di ragno (The Path to the Nest of Spiders) and Il barone rampante (The Baron in the Trees). I also love Le cosmicomiche (Cosmicomics): a few of my coworkers play in a all-astronomers blues band, and they have a whole show inspired by the book (The Journey of Joe the Photon). This almost made my list, too. I loved it. I still love it, even if it's not as significant for me anymore. I still have a copy in my nightstand, and sometimes I read a few pages, for old time's sake.
Much to my shame, it's still the only one of his books I've read, but makes influential list just because it was first novel I remember reading that had really interesting post-modern take on narrative. My taste in other Italian writers (translated of course) is the usual suspects of Eco, Levi, Pirandello, Fo.
He is definitely known outside Italy! If on a winter's night a traveller was required reading at my high school.
I have a collection of short stories by John Steinbeck, as well as some other works. His words speak to me, truly. Other influential authors include Ernest Hemmingway and Rider Haggard, most definitely.
Here, I thought I was the only one who actually reads The Classics! That was the last book he wrote, if I recall. Or, very near it. Hemmingway had his demons and unfortunately, they took him, in the end. But he led a real Man's life and I have a deep respect for him on that count and as an author.
Random capitalization is a lost art, really. Nothing wrong with that. They are some of my favourites, too. If you can find it, I cannot suggest Stefano Benni strongly enough. The guy is hilarious, surreal, oddly poetic, and completely on-topic. Funnily enough, Se una notte d'inverno un viaggiatore is not one of his most famous works in Italy. Il barone rampante, Il visconte dimezzato and Il cavaliere inesistente form a kind of trilogy, and they are required reading in most schools.
Thank you, as always appreciate a new read. Terra! sounds very Douglas Adams, but tempted by Margherita Dolce Vita. Next up after Frankenstein & Fahrenheit 451 re-reads
Personally, I am very fond of Baol. (It's also more or less my consort's favourite book.) It's a surreal noir about a zen stage-magician, with a dash of spy story and romance, which is also a scathing critique of Italian politics and society. Yeah. Now that I think of it, many of his works are very connected to Italian politics, society, or culture, so a lot of references may be lost in translation. On the other hand, the same kind of issues are very common in most western countries, so I think a foreign reader might connect with them nonetheless. Terra! is definitively very Douglas Adams-esque.
I caught up on a bunch of classic novels over Christmas that I somehow had never read before. Stuff like 1984, Catcher in the Rye, Slaughterhouse-Five, Brave New World, To Kill a Mockingbird and Lord of the Flies.
I don't know any who have, that's all. They know there's a whale called Mobey Dick but they've never read it. Or they know who Gulliver is, but they've never read Jonathan Swift's book. It's just ... one of those things.
That's why the internet is wonderful. You can network with people with similar interests, no matter what type of community you live in. This was not available 30 years ago, but it is now. I have read classics in school. Some I read when I was too young to understand them. To be honest, before I found other sources to get book ideas (several websites out there to search for books), I would find myself only reading classics because it was word-of-mouth through the media and from teachers. I am very particular about wasting my time on a book I don't think is particularly well-written. I figured sticking to the classics avoided that problem.