Five of the most overlooked books of the past century

[punkdrew]

Fremder--Russell Hoban. As brilliant as Riddley Walker, this book chronicles the psychological dissolution and resurrection of an astronaut whose father's face keeps reappearing after his ship was lost near a black hole.

Godbody--Theodore Sturgeon. Ted's last and almost his best. Jesus returns and straightens out misconceptions about his teachings (and corrects a few neuroses along the way).

Love Is A Dog From Hell--Charles Bukowski. Beautiful, tragic, rollicking, drunk, passionate. "Don't forget your Bach/and your Brahms/and your BEER."

Swastika Night--Katherine Burdekin. Similar to Phil Dick's The Man In The High Castle, but published 25 years earlier, this novel takes place in a world more than halfway through Adolf Hitler's Thousand Year Reich.

The Myth of the Hyperactive Child--Peter Schrag/Diane Divoky. Even though written over 30 years ago, many of its questions are still unanswered, while many of its dire predictions came true.

[Lucifer]

/watches thread with interest...

great idea, wandrew.   

 

[Gluey]

I was expecting the Holy Bible 

[punkdrew]

No, but definitely the Koran. Which I keep meaning to read so I can try and figure out which "Islam experts" are full of shite.

[enronh]

I've been meaning to read more Bukowski after 'Ham on Rye' so i'll take your recommendation.  As for the others i'll keep them in mind.

[ApotheosisIV]

William Burroughs - Junky
Henry Miller - Tropic of Cancer
Michael Houllebecq - The Possibility of an Island
Halmos - Finite Dimensional Vector Spaces
Cohn - Algebra Vol.I

[odeon]

No, but definitely the Koran. Which I keep meaning to read so I can try and figure out which "Islam experts" are full of shite.

Won't help you much because it's all about historical context.

[Pyraxis]

William Burroughs - Junky
Henry Miller - Tropic of Cancer
Michael Houllebecq - The Possibility of an Island
Halmos - Finite Dimensional Vector Spaces
Cohn - Algebra Vol.I

Why these ones?

[punkdrew]

William Burroughs - Junky
Henry Miller - Tropic of Cancer
Michael Houllebecq - The Possibility of an Island
Halmos - Finite Dimensional Vector Spaces
Cohn - Algebra Vol.I

Short answer: because.

Long answer: In the case of Burroughs and Miller, these are first novels and absolutely set forth their style and declare to the world, "I spit on your rules. I don't live by the moral code of idiots. I obey a higher law--a SPIRITUAL law."

In the case of the other three, I'm not a mathematician so my opinion would be worthless.

[Blasted]

Most overlooked author ever : Jean Rhys

[ApotheosisIV]

William Burroughs - Junky
Henry Miller - Tropic of Cancer
Michael Houllebecq - The Possibility of an Island
Halmos - Finite Dimensional Vector Spaces
Cohn - Algebra Vol.I

Short answer: because.

Long answer: In the case of Burroughs and Miller, these are first novels and absolutely set forth their style and declare to the world, "I spit on your rules. I don't live by the moral code of idiots. I obey a higher law--a SPIRITUAL law."

In the case of the other three, I'm not a mathematician so my opinion would be worthless.

I agree about Burroughs and Miller; also beautifully written.
The last two are maths texts.
I wanted to include someone more modern so i though of Houllebecq: I appreciate his pessimism and he is another superb writer. 'Whatever' is also a masterpiece.