Goodbye, Literature
Not long ago the top shelf of the pine hutch in my bedroom collapsed under the weight of its books. I stared at it, helpless. Fortunately Tami (she lives near me, not with me) advised me to remove the slumped books and put them, for now, in a pile on the floor; later we’d see about getting the shelf fixed.
And that — unfortunately — is where the matter still stands, weeks (months?) later. I haven’t had the motivation to fix the shelf, and the heap of books doesn’t significantly worsen the disorder of the room.
This pile is, however, on the way to my clothes closet, so I pass it a few times a day. And I spy titles: Twelfth Night; William Carlos Williams, Selected Poems…. It is, you see, a literary pile. Of the hundreds of books I still have, and have carted with me — I’m never certain why — from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv to Beersheva in recent years, a considerable portion are literary books.
That, in turn, is because literature was the main thing in my life from before college until about ten years ago. Both reading it, that is, and attempting to write it. Even while working as an editor and translator of nonliterary works, and so engrossed by Israel’s affairs that I moved here from the U.S., I somehow continued in what I saw as my main calling: writing fiction (and, as a byproduct, some poetry), and exploring the literary treasures that it behooves a serious fiction writer to explore.
What changed? I wasn’t publishing my stories anywhere too impressive, or attaining a name. I had lost my foreground of American people, places, and language; the stories I wrote seemed more and more abstract — even sort of lonely and pointless. Meanwhile the intense drama of Israel surrounded me, and when I wrote about that — in the form of an op-ed in a newspaper — I got real, immediate reactions; I felt alive, instead of like some relic washed up on a shore.
So I finally made my break from literature, almost ten years ago; I decided to focus on political writing — and reading, more or less dismissing great fiction and poetry from my life. Looking back, it was a good decision; I no longer write in a near-void, my articles are a means of connection to people instead of ever-growing isolation.
They’ll have to remove my piles and boxes full of (as yet) unread works of literature, classic or no, from my cold, dead hands.
I would have liked to have been a literary bookworm. In reality, I found most literature to fit one or more of the descriptions leftist, effeminate, ponderous, etc., so most of my fiction reading consisted of action thrillers, whodunits and the like.
Does anyone have some favorites that feature masculine men, feminine women and ideas that inspire?
Sure, Gary, “Coriolanus” has a manly man. “Cymbeline” has a nice womanly woman, or “Troilus and Cressida” for a sluttier one. Bunch of others by that writer are good, will keep me going the rest of my life.
Steven Pressfield’s books may be to your liking, Gary Michael Keane.
I second Pressfield. Try Gates of Fire.
*Sigh* Someday I’ll get through a Shakespeare work. Pressfield looks interesting, downloaded some samples to my Kindle. Thanks for the tips.
Pressfield’s historical fiction always about war are fantastic. first-class writer!
Have you read any Tolkien?
Or any historical fiction by Alfred Duggan?
There are many, just ones that don’t usually win awards.
“The Glory Road” by Heinlein. The story of a man chosen to defeat a great evil.
“Team Yankee” by Coyle and “38 North Yankee” by Ruggero. These two are realistic novels about war as it could have happened in the 1990′s, before all the drones and other things we have now.
I’d have to go digging in my own library for more (I’ve been more into non-fiction lately so the fiction is mostly in storage) but a lot of the older authors are good, like Fennimore Cooper and the like.
“Confederacy of Dunces” by John Kennedy Toole is a great read of classic literature, featuring the ultimate masculine hero and much in the way of true feminine beauty. As a bonus, it also speaks directly to many issues today.
Found this book ureadable in spite of all the previous praise as an unsung literary effort. But I will always say that when I recommend an author, I also say that it is a matter of style and taste so I’m never an absolutist about these things. In spite of his excellence, I’ve never been truly moved by shakespeare but I am by the Greeks.
If you don’t mind Science Fiction I would recommend Isaac Asimov’s work. Specifically the Robot Murder books Robots of Dawn being my first though not the first in the series. I think “Caves of Steel” was the first in the line. So you get your Murder Mystery thrown in with “hard Sci-fi” from the past.
The Count of Monte Cristo is an outstanding read — rewarding good and punishing evil, satisfying on every level, and it is a classic of Western Civilization!
Make sure that you read the original, unabridged version (1000+ pages)… Some publishers put out a dumbed-down, simplistic version, which totally emasculates the story and message.
(These abridgments read like movie screenplays, and not worth the time & effort)
Try Jack London, particularly the short stories. Kipling’s good, too. Might even give Wilkie Collins a shot. Best of all, they’re all free e-texts at Project Gutenberg.
Oh, yeah, almost forgot. Try Bernard Cornwell’s “Sharpe’s Rifles” series as well as his other historical novels set in medieval times, Graham Greene’s “The Power and the Glory” and “Our Man in Havana,” Eric Ambler’s “A Passage of Arms” and “State of Siege,” and of course C.S. Forster’s Horatio Hornblower series as well as John le Carré’s spy novels. Lots of good stuff out there that doesn’t involve neurotic intellectuals wallowing in existential angst.
Gary, I’m coming into the conversation late, but I have a few suggestions that don’t seem to have been mentioned yet. Have you read anything by Cormac McCarthy? He’s not to everyone’s taste, but he is a beautiful, lyrical writer and his characters are definitely manly men (there aren’t many women in his books at all). I thought *All the Pretty Horses* and “No Country For Old Men* were both spellbinding, and *The Road* really knocked me out.
I am a woman so perhaps not the best to recommend “manly men” books, but at least you can rest assured that McCarthy is no whiny liberal progressive. Enjoy!
Try Dorothy Sayers’ Lord Peter Wimsey novels. If you really want feminine women and masculine men, though, what about Jane Austen?
I find I can reread the novels of both of these authors again and again with increasing pleasure.
Enjoy!
Gary,
Feel free to sample China Harbor: Out of Time http://www.amazon.com/China-Harbor-Out-Time-ebook/dp/B003UBTOYO if you’re interested in a good story with real depth. You can use the sample feature to browse it.
Thanks, Frank. Looks interesting.
This is a wonderful piece. It also reflects a certain general reality, and also I might add my own. The temptations of the Internet here and now somehow keep the longer reading of Literature at a slight distance.
My guess is though that David Hornik’s literary background does contribute to making him the first- rate political affairs writer that he is.
Shalom,
I second your well deserved tribute to David’s work.
P. David Hornik and Shalom Freedman (folks http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=shalom+freedman) have both enriched my life with their work and insignts.
Also, any book on Amazon with a positive review by Shalom is worth a look.
Information overload is a real problem in our society. People spend so much time reading online bits and pieces or watching clips or reading for work that they get burned out. That and that studies show that internet use wears down the ability to concentrate, especially on a book that doesn’t change and have things jumping around and making noises calculated to stimulate the reward centers of the brain.
Anyway, if you sit down to read only about 20 minutes per day, with a decent reading speed you can end up reading a book per month at least. As reading speed improves (though not to the detriment of recall and comprehension), you can can improve that. The real shame is that it easier and quicker to buy books that it is to read them through thus resulting in big piles of them plus “wishlists” for more.
And that, noble Thane, is why they invented the public library. (NOW lending e-books in all popular formats!)
True enough. But bibliophiles tend to like to own books when they can: they can get rather possessive about ones the read and like. That’s why these days I use the library for fiction since many are not well done and aren’t worth spending the money on.
Well, I think you need a measure of optimism to write literature, or a mission beneath the actual daily writing. To shake off the weariness is a prerequisite, even if for the time you are writing. I hope you get back to it, David Hornik.
I’ve been wondering for the past few years, why no one has seen to a reissue and promotion of Leon Uris’s ‘EXODUS’ and ‘MILA 18′? Short of the Bible no other works have opened Israel and the Middle East to the understanding of the general public.
I’ve decided that e-books are much more practical, even if they are overpriced. I just don’t have space for all the books, because I am too poor to afford a large place to live.
I recommend the Robin Buss translation of the count of monte cristo – a cracking good read that will leave you wanting to write again.
Frankly, I have heard Beethoven’s Fifth about once, read one or two of Shakespeare’s plays, and visited an art gallery about twenty years ago. Each experience filled me with excitement, but other such attempted ventures left me empty and appeared to me to be effete and self-centered.
Now, supporting Israel in its attempt to maintain itself, raising children, growing a garden, and fighting to understand the moral implications of science, medicine and law – those activities provide quite enough excitement for me. The writing of literature, on the other hand, as Mr. Solway does so well, perhaps inadvertently nowadays, may always be exciting to the author. I am certain that he had fun or was happy or experienced satisfaction in having written this piece for PJMedia. I have enjoyed reading it, but only once.
Frankly, the saddest part of Mr. Solway’s piece is to learn that he appears to live alone. He seems to have so much to give. Can he not find someone to whom to give it?
It’s strange that Jerry keeps referring to the author of this piece as “Mr. Solway.” Jerry, check again and hone your reading skills. Also, the author of the piece mentions a woman who “lives near him” and appears to have access to his bedroom, so he does not appear to be alone in the universe.
don’t assume that because you’ve turned away from it at this stage of your life, you’re away from it forever. when you get older — and perhaps less concerned with each ‘omigosh-the-crisis-is-here!’ current event, you might go in search of first things and find that literature (good literature, that is) deals with the fundamentals in a satisfying way.
give yourself time to grow, even if you’re an adult. that goes for you, too, jerry. a piece of classical music might fill a hole in your soul someday. you might find that kant, or socrates, has something worthwhile to say bout the moral implications of science.
we can continue to grow and improve, and who knows what direction that will take us?