From communist kangaroos to burning books: 12 works for World Book Day
23.4.2017
Translation: machine translated
As a passionate reader, every day is actually World Book Day for me. But because I know that not everyone has the time or inclination to read three books at the same time while already thinking about the fourth, here are my 12 favourites, one for each month. You should be able to do this by 23 April 2018.
On World Book Day, the printed word takes centre stage. Whether it's a novel or a biography, books are celebrated. To mark the occasion, I have selected 12 books for you. One for each month, so that you can fill the waiting time until the next World Book Day with good reading material.
1. Marc-Uwe Kling - The Kangaroo Chronicles
From the life of a kangaroo and the small-time artist with whom it takes up residence without being asked. Marc-Uwe Kling's wonderfully absurd and subversive stories about a communist kangaroo with an excessive fondness for liquor chocolates not only keep me hoping for world revolution, but also entertain me splendidly in the meantime. The audiobook, read by the author himself, is also absolutely brilliant.
2. Melinda Nadj Abonji - Pigeons fly up
Melinda Nadj Abonji received not only the Swiss Book Prize but also the German Book Prize for her novel "Tauben fliegen auf" in 2010. I am normally rather sceptical about award-winning books, but in this case it is definitely worth reading. It's a book about being different in Switzerland, about integration in a foreign country that shies away from foreign things and is sometimes even hostile towards them.
3. Markus Werner - Zündel's Departure
Last year, Markus Werner, one of my absolute favourite authors, died. He combined his keen eye for human shortcomings with a subtle sense of humour and great affection for his characters, for whom he spared nothing. Zündel feels the same way. Between everyday weariness, fear of the future and the impending divorce from his wife, Zündel decides to go travelling. However, he soon realises that you can't escape life on the road.
4 Virginia Woolf - Mrs Dalloway
A woman goes shopping, walks through her town and gets a visitor. That summarises the plot of Woolf's book. Admittedly, it doesn't sound very exciting. Nevertheless, author Virginia Woolf manages to describe the inner lives of her protagonists in such a varied and gripping way that you quickly forget the plot. It is the associations and thoughts of the characters that make "Mrs Dalloway" a unique book that I always enjoy picking up and discovering something new.
5th Friedrich Glauser - Matto rules
I'm afraid I have to admit that I'm not a fan of crime fiction. Not because I'm not interested in the genre, but because I'm usually too squeamish for the sometimes even bloodthirsty stories. The list of crime thrillers I've read is correspondingly short. My absolute favourite crime novel is and remains "Matto reigns". In this book, Constable Studer investigates a psychiatric hospital and has to face his own demons if he wants to successfully close the case.
6th Jane Austen - Pride and Prejudice
Opinions about Pride and Prejudice and Zombies may be divided, although I'm clearly of the opinion that anything with Matt Smith is actually worth seeing. But there is no question that the zombie-free original is a classic of world literature.
In her most famous novel, Austen tells the story of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy, who have to overcome their pride and prejudices in order to find each other in the end. In addition to a love story, the author also creates a portrait of an entire society with Wiitz.
7. Albert Camus - The Plague
It all starts with the rats. In the Algerian city of Oran, they are suddenly lying dead in the street. Soon after, the first people fall ill. By the time the inhabitants of Oran really realise that the plague is raging in their city, it is almost too late. Camus tells of the isolation of a town, of the outbreak of an epidemic and, time and again, of the human condition. He does this in a language that sometimes depresses me, then unexpectedly comforts me again, but above all: always grips me.
8. Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche - Americanah
My absolute favourite book of the last few years. In "Americanah", Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie tells the love story of Ifemelu and Obinze, who come together in Nigeria and then lose themselves in the world. Ifemelu goes to America to study, where she is confronted with the subliminal racism in everyday American life. Obinze, on the other hand, ends up in England and, due to unfortunate circumstances, ultimately in illegality.
9th Driss Chraïbi - Civilisation, Mother!
The titular mother lives in Morocco with her son, who tells her story and her constant struggle with the achievements of modernity. The mother thinks the radio is obsessive, she doesn't trust sewing machines and she has a long-standing love-hate relationship with the cooker. But she doesn't let any of this put her off. "Civilisation, Mother" is full of humour and affection for its protagonist, who ultimately not only confronts civilisation, but changes it for the better with her sparkling imagination.
10 Agota Kristof - The big booklet
A book for warm summer evenings or holidays on the beach. But not what you think. I can hardly read Agota Kristof's books in less peaceful surroundings, they are so dark and depressing. But so good at the same time. Kristof's story about twin brothers growing up in the turmoil of war is brutal, gripping and disturbing in both content and language. The two brothers toughen each other up against life and record the lessons they learn in a large notebook.
11 Ray Bradbury - Fahrenheit 451
Imagine a world in which the contents of this list are not allowed to exist. In Ray Bradbury's dark future novel, books are banned and reading is punishable by prison. As a fireman, Guy Montag's job is to track down and burn books until he begins to have doubts about a system in which independent thought is forbidden. As well as being one of the first science fiction novels, "Fahrenheit 451" is also an important reminder that reading can be an act of resistance.
12 Margaret Atwood - The Handmaid's Tale
Published in 1985 as a dystopian novel, Margaret Atwood's book "The Handmaid's Tale" is now regarded by many Americans as a dark vision of the future. The novelist's disturbing, suspenseful and, hopefully, future, fiction. In the wake of a religious upheaval, the United States has become the Republic of Gilead, in which women have lost all their rights and are at the mercy of a totalitarian system.
Under the title "The Handmaid's Tale", the book is currently being adapted into a television series by the American streaming provider Hulu. The first two episodes are due to be released in the coming days.
What are your reading tips? Let me know in the comments!
Tabea Graf
Freie Autorin
tabeagraf@gmx.netAs an author and passionate reader, a large part of my time belongs to the world of words. I like to travel and discover the world, always with a book in my luggage. Languages of all kinds inspire me, almost as much as the prospect of the next coffee.
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