So, I have two books that I could start reading right now:

The Naked and the Dead from Norman Mailer and re-read Tropic of Capricorn by Henry Miller.

Which one would you read and why?

The Naked and The Dead is an ok read, HC, but as a well-known woman writer around the same time as Mailer said (I forget her name right now): 'This gut can't spell fcuking'.

So, look out for the word 'fuggin'. It kind of weakens everything.

If you're going to read Mailer read The Deer Park which is about Hollywood - a much better Mailer book in my honest opinion.


Quick question: do you read this stuff in English or Salubian?

Funny that you mention Deer Park. I quite liked it, read it last year. The characters are very well constructed, the plot is so-so.
I really enjoyed it, and interestingly enough everybody says Naked and the Dead is his best novel.
Critics suck dont they.

I read in English actually. It's difficult to find books in Sulabian and the translations normally suck. I remember reading The Sun Also Rises in Sulabian and when I re-read it in English recently was much more powerful.

I tried reading John Dos Passos but I couldnt.

Did you read On the Road? Man, it's the most overhyped novel ever. Wait, that would be Catcher in the Rye, a waste of paper.

Are you being sarcastic? I can't tell...

I actually find both On The Road and Catcher In The Rye a waste of time.

What surprises me is that the author of Catcher (JD Salinger) is thought by many to be the same man as Thomas Pynchon, author of Gravity's Rainbow. How is this possible? Gravity's Rainbow is a spectacular book compared to the blandness of Catcher In The Rye.

In fact, HC, I would go with Henry Miller. He's far more entertaining even though he basically had two topics that he wrote about - sex and writing.

why not read both at the same time. then you don't have to firmly commit to a decision.

i tried to read 'on the road' about four different times and just could not be bothered with it. i didn't understand the draw. 'to kill a mockingbird' is far superior to 'catcher', but i cannot for the life of me remember anything about 'catcher.' i recall that i enjoyed reading it, but that was probably 15 years ago.

i finally have a copy of 'gravity's rainbow' in my possession, but currently find the length of orwell's 'down and out in paris and london' far more appealing. quite pleased with the writing so far.

Orwell is amazing. "Down and out" (or "Diaries of a Plongeur" according to the edition I had) is a very little interesting book. Homage to Catalonia, although not as exciting, is a big brain dump of Orwell, about the Spanish Civil War. I recommend it if you are interested both in knowing more about Orwell and the Civil War (can be found online for free, if anyone is interested PM me).

I was not being sarcastic about On The Road. It's pure shite. It is amazing how overhyped it was and the mere fact people root for this book tell a little bit about the masses. Same for Catcher.

Gravity's Rainbow. Hmmm. Shall have a look at it soon.

Starting with Miller, then to Mailer and continuing with Steppenwolf...

Tks for the opinions peeps.