Five Books – Obscure or Underappreciated Books

by Marcelo on April 17, 2009

This is a short intro as Marcelo wrote up a great description of what is now to be a regular column, “Five Books.” Marcelo and I have some mutual friends, one being previous guest poster, Matt Stratton. Through Matt’s website, Marcelo ended up here at Stacked and the book recommendations he’s made have led to some fantastic discussions. He’ll be back regularly contributing to “Five Books” from time to time and maybe with some other literary insights as well. .c

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Hello, Stacked readers! I’m delighted to be able to post some of my favorite recommendations for you. The “Five Books” feature is something Christina and I dreamed up while trying to brainstorm ideas for a guest post. The idea is to come up with a list of five books in a particular theme, do a quick rundown of each book, and then switch up the themes every time. Hopefully this will become a regular spot where you can get quick book picks in various categories–some silly, some socially conscious, all interesting. Maybe Christina will pick up a few of them for her 2009 list.

For my first list I chose books that are among my all-time favorites, but are also a bit obscure or under-appreciated. I really love it when I read a book no one else really knows. Then I can recommend that book to someone else and spread the love. These are books that I’ve adored over the years that have somehow flown under the radar of most readers.

Mathematicians in Love by Rudy Rucker – In writing this description of the book, I’ve started and stopped so many times. The truth is that this novel defies categorization. It is both startlingly weird and wacky, yet completely autobiographical. It is at first glance a science fiction novel, but contains so little of what we would consider SF that it reads more like a straight up fiction book featuring fantastical elements. The story deals with a young math PhD candidate working on a universal theory using natural mathematical forms (rippling pools of water, swirling gases, etc.) to predict everyday events. He falls in love with a hip surfer chick named Alma and so does his roommate who’s also working on the project. Before too long, they’re using the mathematics skills they’ve discovered to compete for her affections, even going so far as altering reality itself to make Alma love one over the other. Then it gets weird.

What I like about this book is that the tone is completely wacky and whimsical. There is none of the dark, dystopic cyberpunk voice so common in today’s science fiction. It’s bright and funny and truly comic, a voice that is completely and utterly alone in science fiction (Rucker’s other works also have that same sense of whimsy). The completely insane story is supported by real character development and charming autobiography (many of the characters are based on actual math candidates Rucker supervised as a professor himself). This is a book that exemplifies all that is great about science fiction–mind blowing ideas and plot twists you could never predict but make perfect sense when it’s all over. Most of Rucker’s works have similarly crazy ideas, but none of them are quite as sublime as this one. If you’re a science fiction fan, you’ll enjoy the change of tone. If you’re a newcomer to science fiction this book will really challenge your concept of what SF can do and where it can go.

After Dark by Haruki Murakami – Murakami’s easily accessible style and slightly surreal plots have a strong and passionate following amongst literary hipsters, some of whom pay hundreds of dollars on eBay for English editions of his novels not published in the US. It’s not for nothing–Murakami is a must-read author with a long list of spectacular books and short story collections. His work is thoughtful, beautifully translated from the original Japanese, and completely accessible to American audiences. After Darkis his latest novel, the story of a teenage girl and her wanderings through Tokyo over the course of one late evening. And while Murakami is by no means obscure, many people overlook this particular book. Most Murakami fans tend to recommend his more realist books like Norwegian Wood to newcomers before moving them onto his masterpiece The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle.

I chose After Darkfor this list for many reasons: 1) It’s considered one of Murakami’s lesser works by his fan base, which I think is a terrible judgment. The book is vastly underrated. 2) It’s completely different than most of his books, featuring a female protagonist and almost no plot, but with wonderful characters and a dynamite setting. 3) It is a perfect distillation of one of Murakami’s great gifts, the ability to articulate the concept of collective memory and spiritual malaise brought upon by the atrocities of others, and 4) It’s accessible to fans and first-time readers alike. Many of his novels like Dance Dance Dance are fan favorites but require a good introduction to his writing to really appreciate. After Dark is immediately accessible and worthy on its own.

Snow Whiteby Donald Barthelme – Before the literary journal McSweeney’s, before Dave Eggers and David Foster Wallace, before those wonderful writers began reshaping the face of American fiction with their ironic postmodern experimental pieces, there was Donald Barthelme. McSweeney’s openly credits Barthelme as the godfather of their style, recently devoting an entire issue of their journal to pay tribute to him. Considering the high regard other writers have for him and the literary debt they owe, it seems criminal that Barthelme’s name now rarely appears in college and high school classrooms, and that his work, once lauded as the finest of his generation, now occupies maybe a few inches of shelf space in most major bookstores. It truly is criminal, as Barthelme’s work is singularly unique and altogether magnificent.

While his claim to fame was his short pieces, which have been re-collected in several decent volumes (there’s a great online collection here, including my all-time favorite short story), I chose Barthelme’s first novel, Snow White, because it’s a perfect introduction to his unique experimental writing style. In retelling the classic fairy tale, Barthelme completely deconstructs and upends the entire genre while simultaneously saying something about the “me decade” seventies in which the book originally flourished. The prose is absolutely electric, dancing across the page in a way that makes you wonder if words can actually be self-aware. But most importantly this book is just plain laugh-out-loud funny. It’s also incredibly short, which makes it a perfect summer read for a day or two. I guarantee that after Snow White you’ll be seeking out much more of this fine, terribly neglected genius.

Iliad translation by Stanley Lombardo – Despite my geeky sci-fi leanings, I am also a MASSIVE classics fan, thanks to a single college course my freshman year taught by a comparative literature professor who knew how to make the text come alive. He recommended this translation of the Iliadabove all others, even the definitive work by Robert Fagles. Operating under the assumption that Homer’s works were performed orally, refined and shaped over years of recitation (much like a stand-up comic hones their routine through trial and error on the stage), Lombardo used the same process of refinement through repeated oral performance to create his translation, performing in lecture halls and even on the streets of cities to create his translation.

The result is an Iliad that is powerful in its immediacy and rage, a poem that feels like a story being told to you by a visceral and engaging performer rather than a stodgy dusty translation by an Englishman with a monocle. It’s fast and furious, with action, romance and anger jumping from the lines and grabbing you by the throat. Sometimes the text feels a little too modern, but it is by no means “street”–the translation is quite accurate and doesn’t rely on any hip language to make itself more appealing to today’s audience. It’s a faithful translation that grabs your attention and forces you to rethink Homer and the nature of epic poetry while you’re enjoying a thrilling story. If you’re a classics fan, this is a must-read. If you dislike the classics, this is an eye-opening book that will unleash the power lurking in the page. You’ll never look at epic poetry the same way.

Step Right Up! I’m Going To Scare The Pants Off America, by William Castle – Known mostly for his 1950′s B-movie gimmicks (for The Tingler he installed buzzers in the seats to shock the audience), William Castle was one of the most famous film producers of all time, and his autobiography is one of the great unknown books about the film industry. Castle covers his early career in the New York theater scene (his story about the first play he ever put on is so crazy you wonder if it’s actually true) through the golden age of B-movies in the 1950′s up to his later career, where he famously stunned Hollywood by producing the masterpiece Rosemary’s Baby.

The great thing about this book is the way Castle tells his story –he fills it with an enthusiastic love of show business and thrilling audiences. Castle comes across as an audacious, fun, good-natured man who only wanted to give people a good time at the theater. It’s a great read that paints a picture of movie making that’s completely different from the franchise-based corporate tentpole business model we have today. It’s especially satisfying considering how many books about movies are absolute crap. If you love movies you should definitely seek this title out. Note: There is no link because this book is out of print. Copies of it are somewhat rare, but it pops up at a library or used bookstore from time to time.

Five Books – Obscure or Underappreciated Books

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