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PM Box is now empty ... apparently some guy named MrT that calls himself Chris (where do they get those names) was abusively using it 
Well I have to add also that title like
The Glorious Commonwealth: The Alternative History of Poland and Lithuania 1492-1820
or
The Lives of Famous and Noble Castilians: A Chronicle of the Kingdom of Castile
just transform length of post.
Doesn't look nice
Concerning Author text suggestions I'll can manage to do the input if you like. But I don't guaranty correcting spellings
what does Yikes mean ?
Well I have to add also that title like
The Glorious Commonwealth: The Alternative History of Poland and Lithuania 1492-1820
or
The Lives of Famous and Noble Castilians: A Chronicle of the Kingdom of Castile
just transform length of post.
Doesn't look nice
Concerning Author text suggestions I'll can manage to do the input if you like. But I don't guaranty correcting spellings
what does Yikes mean ?
Last edited:
Originally posted by Eochaid
Well well well. I was a week too early in saying this.... So Happy Birthday!
I know how each milestone is dreadful. A few months ago, when I turned twenty..... what? Why are you all looking at me with those nasty looks on your faces?
*Eochaid starts running with EmperorCoopinius, chased by a hord of old AARers*
Geez, those guys ARE touchy when it comes to age!
When I turned 16 half a year ago...
*screams as he's trampled*I'll bet I'm the youngest person to post to this thread
Anyway...
Happy Birthday, Warspite!
My Author Project
Having just finished catching up with Secret Master's brilliant The Noble Lives of Famous Castillians: A Chronicle of the Kingdom of Castile (which you must read), I was put into a literary mindset, when suddenly the blindingly obvious struck me with the force of an oncoming train.
I've been having trouble selecting an author for my Author Project this year, in which I read numerous books, short stories, articles, and whatnot by a particular author, read criticisms of that author, and do a huge project on that author, due in March (the day before my birthday, actually). Seeing as many of you have similar tastes in literature, but are also somewhat more widely read than I am, I thought I'd tap this resource for suggestions. Does anyone have any ideas?
Basic guidelines:
*MUST be a fiction writer
*Must be a serious author, who doesn't just tell stories
*Preferrably American, and preferrably alive today, but not required
*Still does need to tell an engaging story
*Needs to have a fairly wide variety of works published
*Also, I like fantasy/sci-fi, as well as books like Lord of the Flies and Animal Farm, but I'm not sure what genre they'd fit under (other than literature)
Feel free to also use this as a sounding board about authors & literature in general, or to force me to move this discussion to the SolAARium if it's appropriate
Having just finished catching up with Secret Master's brilliant The Noble Lives of Famous Castillians: A Chronicle of the Kingdom of Castile (which you must read), I was put into a literary mindset, when suddenly the blindingly obvious struck me with the force of an oncoming train.
I've been having trouble selecting an author for my Author Project this year, in which I read numerous books, short stories, articles, and whatnot by a particular author, read criticisms of that author, and do a huge project on that author, due in March (the day before my birthday, actually
). Seeing as many of you have similar tastes in literature, but are also somewhat more widely read than I am, I thought I'd tap this resource for suggestions. Does anyone have any ideas?Basic guidelines:
*MUST be a fiction writer
*Must be a serious author, who doesn't just tell stories
*Preferrably American, and preferrably alive today, but not required
*Still does need to tell an engaging story
*Needs to have a fairly wide variety of works published
*Also, I like fantasy/sci-fi, as well as books like Lord of the Flies and Animal Farm, but I'm not sure what genre they'd fit under (other than literature)
Feel free to also use this as a sounding board about authors & literature in general, or to force me to move this discussion to the SolAARium if it's appropriate
Here are some suggestions that I recommend ( verrrrry strrrongly)
To the way that the data base :
Especially concernig AAR that don't fit in "one author" "one country" "not collabotative" .....
we have 3 fields
COUNTRY
if there is more than one country involved in the AAR the input should be : "Multycountry"
WRITER
this is a delicate question.
MODE
Multiplayer is only when more than one bloke plays the game in the same time.
In a case like the Righteous B. it's simple : two writers, one country and two players. This would be "Castile","Associated Writers","Collaborative". (since those two impressive writers alternate)
But other cases are more difficult to set
To the way that the data base :
Especially concernig AAR that don't fit in "one author" "one country" "not collabotative" .....
we have 3 fields
COUNTRY
if there is more than one country involved in the AAR the input should be : "Multycountry"
WRITER
this is a delicate question.
MODE
Multiplayer is only when more than one bloke plays the game in the same time.
In a case like the Righteous B. it's simple : two writers, one country and two players. This would be "Castile","Associated Writers","Collaborative". (since those two impressive writers alternate)
But other cases are more difficult to set
and ...
in the "monthly update" thread MrT is holding
it would apreciated to have given by the authors
Country, Mode ... and some brief text to work as an apetizer in the Leanpil
in the "monthly update" thread MrT is holding
it would apreciated to have given by the authors
Country, Mode ... and some brief text to work as an apetizer in the Leanpil
Paul Auster is a serious author, and a good one. His "New York Trilogy" and "Moon Palace" are books I rate highly.
He's also an American. His inspiration from Norwegian author Knut Hamsun is very strong.
My second suggestion would be John Irving, too. He used to write some brilliant novels (his last three have done little for me), with very engaging stories.
If you're into sci-fi and fantasy, Neil Gaiman has written a novel as well: "American Gods". I found it brilliant.
Other younger contemporary writers that spring to mind are Douglas Coupland and Brett Easton Ellis.
He's also an American.
His inspiration from Norwegian author Knut Hamsun is very strong. My second suggestion would be John Irving, too. He used to write some brilliant novels (his last three have done little for me), with very engaging stories.
If you're into sci-fi and fantasy, Neil Gaiman has written a novel as well: "American Gods". I found it brilliant.
Other younger contemporary writers that spring to mind are Douglas Coupland and Brett Easton Ellis.
Norgesvenn;do you know Stanislas Lem ... ?
He's a brilliant and his humoristic Ijon Tichy Travels do probably very much fit your style
He's a brilliant and his humoristic Ijon Tichy Travels do probably very much fit your style
Im a little confused by your statement about 'telling stories' however I believe the greatest author in modern America is Ray Bradburry. His use of words and imagery is great. It makes you feel as if you are in the novel.
Read Martian Chronicles, Illustrated Man, October Country or Something Wicked This Way Comes. Im sure many have already read Farienhiet (spelled wrong I know, but its early!) 451
Read Martian Chronicles, Illustrated Man, October Country or Something Wicked This Way Comes. Im sure many have already read Farienhiet (spelled wrong I know, but its early!) 451
I'm a little thrown by what you mean by "serious". You mean, no comedy? Or real novels, rather than a collection of short stories? If the latter, then I recommend Douglas Adams, one of the best sci-fi authors of all time. I'm not sure if you've read Hitch-Hikers guide to the galaxy, but if you haven't, do so immediately....
Unfortunately, he's not still alive, as he died around 2 years ago. But that's not too difficult right?
I'm not sure if you've read Hitch-Hikers guide to the galaxy, but if you haven't, do so immediately....Unfortunately, he's not still alive, as he died around 2 years ago. But that's not too difficult right?
In the Sci-fi realm I'm a little rusty (go tired of it) but from when I was a voracious reader...
Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov, Ben Bova, L. Ron Hubbard or maybe you'd have an interesting time reading Frank Herbert's Dune series and doing a comparison between the first 3 books and the following 3 or 4 since there as a 20-ish year gap between their writing.
I read a lot more fantasty books these days so...
Katherine Kurtz, Weis/Hickman, Patricia McKillip, or my presonal favourite: David Gemmell.
Fiction (non-sfi-fi/fantasy): My absolute favourite is Julian Barnes which I think you'd love except he's British so he might not be as good a choice. Anne Rice also springs to mind.
Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov, Ben Bova, L. Ron Hubbard or maybe you'd have an interesting time reading Frank Herbert's Dune series and doing a comparison between the first 3 books and the following 3 or 4 since there as a 20-ish year gap between their writing.
I read a lot more fantasty books these days so...
Katherine Kurtz, Weis/Hickman, Patricia McKillip, or my presonal favourite: David Gemmell.
Fiction (non-sfi-fi/fantasy): My absolute favourite is Julian Barnes which I think you'd love except he's British so he might not be as good a choice. Anne Rice also springs to mind.
am I the only one to know Stanislas (actiually it's Stanislaw) Lem ????
He is the greatest laugh I ever had on reading a book..
He is the greatest laugh I ever had on reading a book..
Haven't read him, but I'm looking him up as we speak on my favourite bookshop website.
Hmmm, you ask a difficult question, Sharur. Contemporary American authors that are good writers. And it has to be fiction. I assume this means no playwrights or poets, which narrows down the parameters quite a bit.
Let's see. Others have mentioned authors that I would have listed, particularly the sci-fi favorites. I'll expand upon their suggestions with my own take on why some of them would be good choices.
Asimov is one of my personal favorites. For a non-native English speaker who almost never made it to the U.S., he certainly has a command of language. The Foundation Series (all 5 books of it) makes an excellent study in free will versus determinism. His Robot series takes a good look at what it is to be human.
Good ol' Ray Bradbury is another excellent choice. To me, he is one of the great writers of short fiction. As others have mentioned, the Martian Chronicles is an excellent choice.
As far as fantasy goes, you can't go wrong with Tolkien. If you choose him, pay extra close attention to the dialogs his characters engage in. If you are feeling like going out on a limb, you can always do C.S. Lewis (A buddy of Tolkien, for those who don't know). The Chronicles of Narnia, while seeming like a children's tale, is packed with Lewis's views on theology and philosophy.
I will give you a word of warning, Sharur. While many of us here hold Asimov and Tolkien in high esteem, there are a substanial number of literary critics who do not take fantasy or sci-fi seriously. If you choose a fantasy or sci-fi author, be sure that your instructor does not have a bias against those genres before you start your project. If your instructor has a bias, you would be well advised to leave sci-fi and fantasy alone.
Let's see. Others have mentioned authors that I would have listed, particularly the sci-fi favorites. I'll expand upon their suggestions with my own take on why some of them would be good choices.
Asimov is one of my personal favorites. For a non-native English speaker who almost never made it to the U.S., he certainly has a command of language. The Foundation Series (all 5 books of it) makes an excellent study in free will versus determinism. His Robot series takes a good look at what it is to be human.
Good ol' Ray Bradbury is another excellent choice. To me, he is one of the great writers of short fiction. As others have mentioned, the Martian Chronicles is an excellent choice.
As far as fantasy goes, you can't go wrong with Tolkien. If you choose him, pay extra close attention to the dialogs his characters engage in. If you are feeling like going out on a limb, you can always do C.S. Lewis (A buddy of Tolkien, for those who don't know). The Chronicles of Narnia, while seeming like a children's tale, is packed with Lewis's views on theology and philosophy.
I will give you a word of warning, Sharur. While many of us here hold Asimov and Tolkien in high esteem, there are a substanial number of literary critics who do not take fantasy or sci-fi seriously. If you choose a fantasy or sci-fi author, be sure that your instructor does not have a bias against those genres before you start your project. If your instructor has a bias, you would be well advised to leave sci-fi and fantasy alone.
Hrmmm.
With Asimov, Bradbury and Tolkien coming up, I'm surprised noone's mentioned Robert Heinlein. Easily one of the best sci-fi authors of all time. I've always found his work much more engaging and enjoyable than Asimov's, but that's just my preference. I recommend 'Starship Troopers', 'Have Space Suit, Will Travel', 'Tunnel in the Sky', and 'Revolt in 2100' for an interesting take on dictatorship in the US.
In any case, good luck with your project Sharur.
With Asimov, Bradbury and Tolkien coming up, I'm surprised noone's mentioned Robert Heinlein. Easily one of the best sci-fi authors of all time. I've always found his work much more engaging and enjoyable than Asimov's, but that's just my preference. I recommend 'Starship Troopers', 'Have Space Suit, Will Travel', 'Tunnel in the Sky', and 'Revolt in 2100' for an interesting take on dictatorship in the US.
In any case, good luck with your project Sharur.
Sharur, If you can't go fantasy, how about going for one of the areas mastered by American authors: crime Dashell Hammet (sp?) and Raymond Chandler springs to mind (but of course both dead but so is Tolkien ) or if you're alowed to go british? then Len Deighton or John Le Carre, both still alive.
If you want to try something unusual then a fellow named Ken Follet who ususally writes okay but not exceptional thrillers has written one fantastic historic novel called "pillars of the earth" about late medieval england and he is still alive
SM, I haven't read Narnia since I was 12 perhaps it is time to read them again?
V
Dashell Hammet (sp?) and Raymond Chandler springs to mind (but of course both dead but so is Tolkien ) or if you're alowed to go british? then Len Deighton or John Le Carre, both still alive.If you want to try something unusual then a fellow named Ken Follet who ususally writes okay but not exceptional thrillers has written one fantastic historic novel called "pillars of the earth" about late medieval england and he is still alive
SM, I haven't read Narnia since I was 12 perhaps it is time to read them again?
V