Hi all, I'm a lover of classics and literature living as an expat in a non-English speaking country. Opportunities to buy English books, new or used, are limited. However, I've accumulated enough older novels to fill my shelf to my satisfaction.
However, there's a major publishing/ book convention coming to my city soon, where I expect a great many English books to be available that aren't easy to find elsewhere. I haven't been keeping up on modern novelists, but I think this is a great chance for me to get acquainted with some current writers.
Who is writing books that I might like these days?
I like:
– books that make demands of their readers
– books that grapple with the big questions in life
– poetic, creative prose
– books about downtrodden folks and the fringes of society
Some authors I like:
Faulkner, Flaubert, Camus, Melville, Joyce, the Bronte sisters, Cormac McCarthy, Tolstoy, Tolkien, Terry Pratchett, Irvine Welsh, Kafka, Bukowski
Bonus points for books connected to my adopted home of Taiwan.
What are some authors/ titles I should look out for? Ideally I'm looking for books published in 2020 or later.
by Clowner84
2 Comments
Not much comes to mind for the last 10 years, but these are very good:
**Warlight –** Michael Ondaatje (2018). Two teens are left in the care of vaguely criminal guardians just after World War II.
**In a Land without Dogs the Cats Learn to Bark** – Jonathan Garfinkel (2023). Before and after the collapse of the Soviet Union, young Georgians can’t escape the shadow of the past.
Not Taiwan, but not too far away: **Too Far from Antibes** – Bede Scott (2022). Suspense in 1950s Saigon, echoing Graham Greene (as the book jacket tells us); not as interesting as Greene, but that’s a high bar.
This one is excellent, but not originally in English: **My Stupid Intentions** – Bernardo Zannoni (2021). Narrated by a beech marten, the story of his (unrealistic) life, especially after he’s sold to a fox from whom he learns to read.
A billion people will suggest **James** by Percival Everett; I thought it was fine, but not great.
What an illustrious mix of authors you’ve thrown into the mix – very nice. Most of them sit in my bookshelf as well. For me, the biggest discovery of recent years is Callan Wink. His first work, Dog Run Moon, is the best thing I’ve read in a long time.