Hidden Gems
Fiction Writing Department Chair Randy Albers’
Hidden (some not-so-hidden) Gems:
Books That Could Very Well Change Your Life
The Alexandria Quartet by Lawrence Durrell
Certain books need to be read at specific stages of life. The Alexandria Quartet is one (OK, it’s actually four) of those books. Full of passion and passages of lush prose, the Quartet tells the same story from four different points of view, with each book pushing the story forward. Durrell paints an Alexandria few of us have visited but all of us will see and know. This tale of love, intrigue, and well-intentioned missteps appeals at any age but should definitely not be missed in one’s twenties.
Ceremony in Lone Tree by Wright Morris
Bluntly (and brazenly) put, Ceremony in Lone Tree is the best novel by the best little-known writer of the past seventy-five years. Author of 33 novels, acclaimed photographer, and winner of two National Book Awards, Wright Morris was the consummate craftsman, and he brilliantly recounts the return of the wandering Gordon Boyd to his country roots in Lone Tree, Nebraska with sure-handedness and deadly accuracy.
The Man Who Loved Children by Christina Stead
A pontificating New Deal idealist marries a sharp-tongued, Old Money / nouveau pauvre woman, and to say that the combination is volatile would be an understatement. With these ill-matched parents fighting battles and vying for the hearts and minds of their many children, Stead’s tour de force becomes the quintessential road-to-hell story of family life gone horribly wrong. The pain of watching this complex story unfold is, however, more than matched by the pleasure of watching a storyteller’s masterful hand at work.
Under the Volcano by Malcolm Lowry
For any writer approaching this book, a sign should be raised that warns, “Don’t try this at home!” Perhaps the only successful use of third-person internal point of view in a narrative of this length, Lowry’s seminal novel recounts the last day of an alcoholic English consul’s life in a small town in Mexico—appropriately enough, on the Day of the Dead. As Geoffrey Firmin moves inevitably from tequila indecision to mescal renunciation of life, the alcohol haze deepens and the prose rendering those shifting perceptions grows at once darker and more scintillating.
The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman by Laurence Sterne
Tristram Shandy began appearing in 1759, yet is sometimes referred to as the first postmodern novel because of its shifting grounds of truth, its relentless play of language, and its typographical experimentation. Sterne’s love of digression and his laugh-out-loud wit make this satire of church, state, politics, and human foibles invariably entertaining and all the more biting. Fasten your carriage seatbelt, and let yourself be carried along for the marvelous ride.
One more for Lagniappe:
The Gift by Hafiz (trans. Daniel Ladinski)
Because fiction writers should read poetry, too, no Albers list of books to inspire (as my students well know) would be complete without my recommending the great 14th century Persian Sufi poet, Hafiz. Hafiz is constantly seeking intensity of feeling, helping us temporarily park our doubting intellects so that we may truly experience the intimate connection between the sensual and the spiritual. Read Hafiz, and remember his One Rule: “Have fun, my dear; my dear, have fun.”
Hidden (some not-so-hidden) Gems:
Books That Could Very Well Change Your Life
The Alexandria Quartet by Lawrence DurrellCertain books need to be read at specific stages of life. The Alexandria Quartet is one (OK, it’s actually four) of those books. Full of passion and passages of lush prose, the Quartet tells the same story from four different points of view, with each book pushing the story forward. Durrell paints an Alexandria few of us have visited but all of us will see and know. This tale of love, intrigue, and well-intentioned missteps appeals at any age but should definitely not be missed in one’s twenties.
Ceremony in Lone Tree by Wright MorrisBluntly (and brazenly) put, Ceremony in Lone Tree is the best novel by the best little-known writer of the past seventy-five years. Author of 33 novels, acclaimed photographer, and winner of two National Book Awards, Wright Morris was the consummate craftsman, and he brilliantly recounts the return of the wandering Gordon Boyd to his country roots in Lone Tree, Nebraska with sure-handedness and deadly accuracy.
The Man Who Loved Children by Christina SteadA pontificating New Deal idealist marries a sharp-tongued, Old Money / nouveau pauvre woman, and to say that the combination is volatile would be an understatement. With these ill-matched parents fighting battles and vying for the hearts and minds of their many children, Stead’s tour de force becomes the quintessential road-to-hell story of family life gone horribly wrong. The pain of watching this complex story unfold is, however, more than matched by the pleasure of watching a storyteller’s masterful hand at work.
Under the Volcano by Malcolm LowryFor any writer approaching this book, a sign should be raised that warns, “Don’t try this at home!” Perhaps the only successful use of third-person internal point of view in a narrative of this length, Lowry’s seminal novel recounts the last day of an alcoholic English consul’s life in a small town in Mexico—appropriately enough, on the Day of the Dead. As Geoffrey Firmin moves inevitably from tequila indecision to mescal renunciation of life, the alcohol haze deepens and the prose rendering those shifting perceptions grows at once darker and more scintillating.
The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman by Laurence SterneTristram Shandy began appearing in 1759, yet is sometimes referred to as the first postmodern novel because of its shifting grounds of truth, its relentless play of language, and its typographical experimentation. Sterne’s love of digression and his laugh-out-loud wit make this satire of church, state, politics, and human foibles invariably entertaining and all the more biting. Fasten your carriage seatbelt, and let yourself be carried along for the marvelous ride.
One more for Lagniappe:
The Gift by Hafiz (trans. Daniel Ladinski)Because fiction writers should read poetry, too, no Albers list of books to inspire (as my students well know) would be complete without my recommending the great 14th century Persian Sufi poet, Hafiz. Hafiz is constantly seeking intensity of feeling, helping us temporarily park our doubting intellects so that we may truly experience the intimate connection between the sensual and the spiritual. Read Hafiz, and remember his One Rule: “Have fun, my dear; my dear, have fun.”
