Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Escape Literature

Time for some escape literature: People often discover "new" authors who have been around for a while. In the past few months, I've been rediscovering some excellent writers whom I once enjoyed but then neglected. They are:

  • Eric Ambler. The old master of spy novels. If you've never read him, start with "Coffin for Dimitrios" or "Journey into Fear."

  • Gerald Seymour. Another great spy novelist. He wrote "Harry's Game" years ago and probably hasn't written a bad book since. I'll let you know. I've been catching up.

  • Tom Sharpe. Politically incorrect humorist. A pleasant change from the usual thin gruel.

  • Paul Scott. Author of "The Raj Quartet." Good for slow reading on a winter's night.

  • William Faulkner. If his books are too strange, try his short stories. Wow.

2 comments:

DarkoV said...

Agree with you totally with Mr. Sharpe as a choice.
Embarassed to admit the others are a mystery..
...yep, even that Faulkner fellow. Always seemed to be able to dodge him in high school and college.

Shame on me; a dereliction to be soon corrected.

Michael Wade said...

DarkoV,

Ah, another Tom Sharpe fan!

Faulkner can be a hard sledding but when he is good, he is very good.

Michael