Tell Me What to Read

Written by Kevin Holtsberry
Published February 20, 2003

I am having a hard time deciding what to read. When wrestling with this dilemma I decided to conduct an experiment, what if I ask my readers what book to read? On a lark I decided to go ahead and ask. So, please help me choose between the following books:

A House for Mr. Biswas by V.S. Naipaul: The book that first brought Naipaul worldwide acclaim, this richly comic novel tells the moving story of a man without a single asset who enters a life devoid of opportunity, and whose tumble-down house becomes a potent symbol of the search for identity in a postcolonial world.

Or

The Adventures of Augie March by Saul Bellow: Originally published in 1953, Saul Bellow's modern picaresque tale grandly illustrates twentieth-century man's restless pursuit of an elusive meaning. Augie March, a young man growing up in Chicago during the Great Depression, doesn't understand success on other people's terms. Fleeing to Mexico in search of something to fill his restless soul and soothe his hunger for adventure, Augie latches on to a wild succession of occupations until his journey brings him full circle. Yet beneath Augie's carefree nature lies a reflective person with a strong sense of responsibility to both himself and others, who in the end achieves a success of his own making. A modern-day Columbus, Augie March is a man searching not for land but for self and soul and, ultimately, for his place in the world.

I have the beautiful Everyman's Library Version of each work. They are both award winning novels from world renowned authors. Please post your pick in the comments or send me an email on which book you think I should read. I will read whichever one gets the most votes.

Keep reading for information and comments on this article, and add some feedback of your own!
Tell Me What to Read
Published: February 20, 2003
Type:
Section: Books
Filed Under: Books: Literature and Fiction
Writer: Kevin Holtsberry
Kevin Holtsberry's BC Writer page
Kevin Holtsberry's personal site
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Comments

#1 — February 20, 2003 @ 10:13AM — Eric Olsen

I love Bellow, although I prefer Mr Samler's Planet to Augie.

#2 — February 20, 2003 @ 14:29PM — Corinna [URL]

Try reading both Kevin, but one at a time, if only possible.
(then come and visit my site, or even the blog:
timeintelaviv.blogspot.com)
fragments for the very hungry...

#3 — February 20, 2003 @ 17:22PM — mike

Naipaul is an over-rated blowhard, not even remotely in the same league as Bellow. There's no reason to read him at all.

Augie March is a masterpiece.

#4 — February 20, 2003 @ 20:43PM — Joe McNally [URL]

Naipaul - it's sitting on my bookshelf waiting for a reason for me to read it.

#5 — February 21, 2003 @ 00:56AM — murphy [URL]

I was kind of disappointed with Bellow when I read a novel of his (Mr. Sammler's Planet)...I thought he was over-hyped.

But I know nothing of Naipaul.

#6 — February 21, 2003 @ 17:07PM — shoeless J [URL]

Haven't read any Bellow, but the Naipaul is very, very good. It's a lovely little story and not at all blowhard-y.

#7 — February 23, 2003 @ 10:16AM — Shamit Bagchi [URL]

Read the Naipaul novel . . . and then tell me about it - he is a loose cannon, Naipaul is for sure at least in his political novels . . .

#8 — February 23, 2003 @ 16:37PM — gek

Naipul, easily. But maybe some of his non-fiction. I thought other books of his were better than Mr Biswas.

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