Great Reads
Great Reads:
My all time top 5 authors are listed below with links to some of their works. I hope you enjoy them:
Italo Calvino
An all time favourite, Italo Calvino was an Italian novelist who couldn’t write novels, instead he wrote magical short stories, and the way he weaves them into novels is mind blowing.
Online Resources:
Italo Calvino: Outside the town of Malbork
Links to book reviews, articles, bibliographic and biographical information, various other Italo Calvino resources.
In Calvino Veritas: The Critical Calvino Page
Online collection of essays on the author’s allegorical fantasies.
Italo Calvino @ The Modern Word
Italo Calvino, one of Italy’s finest postwar writers, has delighted readers around the world with his deceptively simple, fable-like stories.
Neal Stephenson
Starting out as an eco-novelist, the focus of Stephenson’s work has broadened considerably as he has matured as a novelist. His recent books are extremely thought provoking meditations on our world, whilst at the same time being immensely readable.
Particularly appealing is the way that he envisages our future.
Online Resources:
:: Neal Stephenson ::
The official website of Neal Stephenson. Nice site design.
Neal Stephenson’s Home Page
Basic biographical information maintained by the author. Explains why he doesn’t like to communicate with people.
CRYPTONOMICON
Author profile, excerpt, how to order, and chat transcript.
Umberto Eco
Another Italian, Eco is well known for his novel The Name of the Rose and the movie staring Sean Connery that it spawned. Eco is also a professor of semiotics – the science of signs which adds a whole new spice to the fictive world. A true maestro who brings a wonderful sense of play to reading.
Online Resources:
Umberto Eco: Porta Ludovica
Umberto Eco web resources @ the Modern Word.
Umberto Eco .com
Interesting site with a nice design and a wide range of information and links related to Umberto Eco
Umberto Eco
A profile of the author, with selected bibliography.
Gabriel Garcia Marquez
The 1982 recipient of the Nobel Prize for literature, Gabriel Garcia Marquez is, along with Borges one of the unrivalled masters of twentieth century prose. Marquez’s novels can be extremely frustrating in that one never wants them to end. His brand of magical realism is gorgeous.
Spellbinding.
Online Resources:
Gabriel Garcia Marquez: Macondo
Macondo is a comprehensive Web resource exploring the works of Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Magical Realism
Discussion of Spanish-language magical realism, particularly in the work of Garcia Marquez.
Gabriel GarcÃŒa M·rquez – Biography
Gabriel García Márquez’s biography from nobelprize.org. Marquez was the 1982 recipient of the Nobel Prize for literature.
Thomas Pynchon
It was a toss-up between Pynchon and Don Delilio for the fifth spot, but Pynchon for his sheer maniacal nature won out. If you haven’t read any American fiction, the disquiet of Pynchon would be an excellent place to start. His vision is certainly dark but his imagination and sheer love of word play is awesomely dynamic. He is also the worlds most famous unknown author.
Online Resources:
San Narciso College Thomas Pynchon Home Page
Thomas Pynchon homepage from San Narciso College (hosted at Pomona College) covers the famous writer’s works and provides background information about his theories and their impact as human philosophy.
Background information and a good selection of links related to works written by Thomas Pynchon.
Thomas R. Pynchon: Spermatikos Logos
Spermatikos Logos is a Web resource dedicated to exploring the work of Thomas Pynchon.
