Thursday, November 17, 2011

The Classics Challenge peer pressure spreads beyond the blogging world

This Classics challenge thing is really spreading. I was peer pressured into joining this thing (which I'm getting really excited for) and I decided to spread the peer pressure over to a friend of mine. The problem is my friend doesn't actually have his own book blog. But that doesn't stop this challenge/peer pressure thing so I have graciously offered up some of my blog space so he can post about his Classics reads.

So let me introduce you to my friend, Paul, or as I have been referring to him while we talk about him writing about his books Paolo Redbeard (Paolo cos that's what I call him sometimes, and Redbeard cos he's also a red head. We stick together.) And here's his reading list, which is totally putting mine to shame:

Paolo Redbeard
Ok ok I'm impatient but I'll do this for reals and actually start in January and everything.

Any 19th Century Classic
The Three Musketeers (Dumas) - Gotta go lighthearted somewhere on here.

Any 20th Century Classic
Ulyss-hahahaha no, let's not even pretend.

I'll play this one by ear. Maybe The Sound and the Fury, maybe some Hemingway. And I've never read any Steinbeck. Definitely a modernist.

Reread a classic of your choice
Probably Slaughterhouse 5, for the same reason as Red, actually. I wonder if I still know how to spell Trafalmadorian. (Google says I misplaced the L. TraLfama...) Maybe Gatsby or On The Road.

A Classic Play
If I'm still on the horror kick the rest of these items are for, I'll probably read Faust (Goethe)

Classic Mystery/Horror/Crime Fiction
Never read any Lovecraft, so I'll throw in some of his stuff here. He counts as classic in my book, at least.

Classic Romance
I dunno. I just read P&P&Z, and that was enough romance for me for a while. This says something about me. I'm not sure if it's flattering or not.

Maybe Madame Bovary (Flaubert)?

A Classic translated from its original language to your native language
Probably Inferno (Dante)

Classic Award Winner
Well golly gee there's a lot of awards to choose from and a lot of books I haven't heard of. No clue. I want to sneak some Brit lit on here, so I guess I'll pull from the Man Booker? Possibly Midnight Children (Rushdie).

Or, I might cave and finally read Gravity's Rainbow (Pynchon), since it's already on my Kindle and everything.

Classic set in a country you (realistically speaking) will not visit during your lifetime
Thanks to Red, I've settled on, appropriately enough, "My Name is Red" (Orhan Pamuk). Takes place in 16th century Istanbul, which if I remember correctly, sets it concurrently with the American Revolution.