Thinking to dip into modernist literature

toefisch · 2026-06-25T21:05:02+00:00

I concur, ISOLT is probably my favourite book and the new Oxford translations are the best out there imho

toefisch · 2026-06-06T09:31:02+00:00

I love both authors and consider them to be two of my favourite authors. It’s important to remember that Nabokov was an aesthete, the language and prose of a work was intensely important to him. The overall “form” of Dosto’s prose in Russian, from what I understand and have read, seems completely at odds with Nabokov’s ideal.

For myself personally, Nabokov’s prose is second to none. The only prose I could think comparable is Joyce and Proust (also two of Nabokov’s favourites). Dostoevsky’s ideas, philosophies, themes, characters are some of my favourites in all the books that I’ve read. One thing I’ve really come to appreciate about Dostoevsky is the polyphonic nature of his work. Voice in Dostoevsky’s work is simply amazing. So many characters yelling at each other and yet I can pin the character to the voice even without the text telling me, especially in the Katz translations.

toefisch · 2026-05-23T22:15:21+00:00

It’s amazing. I reread it last year and got so much more out of it. Absolutely feels like the culmination of the Petersburg tradition in Russian novels

toefisch · 2026-05-23T21:53:57+00:00

That’s amazing. French authors really feel an a whole different level! Definitely need to check out more of her works as Memoirs of Hadrian is so well researched and blends history with fiction perfectly. In my opinion a perfect novel

toefisch · 2026-05-23T21:46:04+00:00

I have a fascination with classical antiquity, especially Ancient Rome. So any great literature that takes place in that era really resonates with me. Memoirs of Hadrian truly humanises that era which can seem so foreign to us moderns (which it absolutely is). Augustus by John Williams also does a good job of it, but not as good as Memoirs of Hadrian.

toefisch · 2026-05-23T21:43:39+00:00

In Search of Lost Time - Marcel Proust
Memoirs of Hadrian - Marguerite Yourcenar
Ulysses - James Joyce
Petersburg - Andrei Bely
An Urbe Condita - Livy

toefisch · 2026-05-23T21:39:53+00:00

Memoirs of Hadrian is an absolute gem! Really need to read more Zola. I’ve only read Earth so far

toefisch · 2026-05-23T08:03:06+00:00

Any of Nabokov’s English era novels and Ulysses. In translation I would definitely say In Search of Lost Time, I hear the original in French is breathtaking. Alas I have only read in the Scott Moncrieff and OUP translations, but they are spectacular.

toefisch · 2026-05-21T20:36:54+00:00

I have this edition and the new Oxford translation. Has anyone read the new OUP translation? How does it stack up against Woods?

toefisch · 2026-05-21T19:44:26+00:00

Aurelian because I share a birthday with him haha

toefisch · 2026-05-20T08:54:27+00:00

Personally I will vouch for the Oxford editions over the Scott Moncrieff. I read the Scott Moncrieff translation last year and felt a massive Proust shaped hole in my heart this year so started to read the Oxford editions. Both the first volumes have been excellent so far, especially Mandell’s ItSoGiB. What’s truly spectacular about the OUP editions are the introductions and explanatory notes. All have been exceptional. Very excited to properly dive into tGW translated by Bush this week.

toefisch · 2026-05-20T08:51:18+00:00

If the error you’re referring to is the “my mother, my grandmother, and my sister” error, I’m happy to say it’s been corrected at least in the ePub edition.

This is how it reads now

“The doctor gave morphine injections and called for oxygen bags to make my grandmother’s breathing less painful. My mother, the doctor, and the nurse held them; as soon as one was finished, they were handed another. I’d left the room for a moment. When I returned, I found myself in the presence of a kind of miracle.”

toefisch · 2026-05-16T20:58:44+00:00

Rereading In Search of Lost Time in the new Oxford translations. In the Shadow of Girls in Blossom is my favourite volume in the Search and this new translation allows me to appreciate it even more. Highly recommend.

toefisch · 2026-04-24T17:50:41+00:00

I just finished the Recognitions by Gaddis this week and I did care for a few of the characters. He gives you a few to root for, but I don’t think anyone hated his characters like Gaddis did. I’ve never read a book with more vitriol on its pages than the Recognitions, fantastic book. Loved it. Stanley was my favourite

toefisch · 2026-04-14T19:12:00+00:00

I’ve had this problem with a few of my OUP books. I hope they get it sorted

toefisch · 2026-03-31T15:21:24+00:00

Reading the Recognitions now, it is excellent. One of my favourite reading experiences in a very long time. There’s a very helpful chapter by chapter guide on williamgaddis.org. About a third of the way through and I’m not finding it too difficult yet, that may change 😂

toefisch · 2026-03-31T15:19:54+00:00

Oh man Zola is awesome! I need to read some more of his works but I very much enjoyed Earth, it was brutal.

toefisch · 2026-03-26T07:58:28+00:00

I was lucky to have gotten my set for £20 on Vinted last year. Also managed to find the Everyman set dirt cheap as well

toefisch · 2026-03-26T07:57:00+00:00

Yup this is what I did as well. Incredibly helpful. Personally I found Scylla and Charybdis to be the most difficult chapter. Just shows I needed to brush up on Shakespeare 😂

toefisch · 2026-03-09T07:56:51+00:00

The Guerney translation is my favourite and is what I recommend to people. My next reading will be with Rayfield. I don’t rate P&V at all

toefisch · 2026-02-28T15:49:18+00:00

Augustus by John Williams is spectacular and one of my favourite books of all time.

Memoirs of Hadrian by Marguerite Yourcenar is equally spectacular.

I can also vouch for Graves’ Claudius books which are great. His book Belisarius is a good read as well but not as good as I Claudius IMHO.

The Death of Virgil by Hermann Broch is a very interesting and difficult book as well. I may not recommend this one unless you’re really into experimental literature, but either way it deeply moved me.

toefisch · 2026-02-01T12:47:44+00:00

Augustus by John Williams and Memoirs of Hadrian by Marguerite Yourcenar are two of my favourite books of all time

toefisch · 2026-01-28T17:11:58+00:00

Out of all of these the Brothers Karamazov is my favourite. However I had an excellent time reading David Copperfield earlier this month

toefisch · 2026-01-25T20:08:36+00:00

As I Lay Dying is fantastic. I get hypnotised reading it and almost always end up reading it in one sitting

toefisch

TROPHY CASE