The Leopard by Giuseppe di Lampedusa (Pantheon, $14). One of the greatest historical novels of all time, up there with War and Peace and Marguerite Yourcenar’s Memoirs of Hadrian. It deals with the nature of time and the caprices of history, as well as power, love, and appetites, with vivid poetic precision. Set in mid-19th century Sicily, the book smells of gorgeous danger and sexy lassitude.
Sacred Hunger by Barry Unsworth (Norton, $15). An award-winning novel that speaks directly to the subject I’ve been saturated in for the past few years: the slave trade. Deeply researched and slightly crazy, but written with startling immediacy.
The Alexandria Quartet by Lawrence Durrell (Penguin, $14 for each novel). I hated this quartet of novels when I read it at age 16, dismissing it as D.H. Lawrence with olive oil. Obviously, I was too young. I reread the quartet this summer and thought it one of the most astonishing performances in fiction—the last word on the self-deceptions of sex and love.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Gastronomical Me by M.F.K. Fisher (North Point, $15). A collection of pieces by the greatest American writer whom no one in Britain has heard of. Absurdly pigeonholed as a food writer, Fisher does, indeed, write about food—but in all its connections with our thoughts, senses, passions, and memories.
Westward Ha! by S.J. Perelman (Burford, $13). Woody Allen and Groucho learned their best bits from Perelman. This is the sublime Sid in full cry: merciless, hilarious, immortal.
Zeno’s Conscience by Italo Svevo (Vintage, $15). Weird, funny, and deadly. Svevo’s 1923 novel begins with the narrator trying to find a
crisis grave enough to justify giving up smoking. He fails. It ends with the First World War, a shocking coda. In between, monstrous, sweet truths, and lies about love and marriage. What else is there?
-
Helsinki's year of zero road fatalitiesUnder the Radar Finland's 'Vision Zero' safety strategy 'shifts responsibility for crashes from road users to the designers of the road system'
-
Critics' choice: Outstanding new Japanese restaurantsFeature An all-women sushi team, a 15-seat listening bar, and more
-
Why do Dana White and Donald Trump keep pushing for a White House UFC match?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION The president and the sports mogul each have their own reasons for wanting a White House spectacle
-
Helen Schulman's 6 favorite collections of short storiesFeature The award-winning author recommends works by Raymond Carver, James Baldwin, and more
-
Beatriz Williams' 6 timeless books about history and human relationshipsFeature The best-selling author recommends works by Jane Austen, Zora Neale Hurston, and more
-
Aysegul Savas' 6 favorite books for readers who love immersive settingsFeature The Paris-based Turkish author recommends works by Hiromi Kawakami, Virginia Woolf, and more
-
Geoff Dyer's 6 favorite books about the realities of warFeature The award-winning author recommends works by Ernie Pyle, Michael Herr, and more
-
Laura Lippman's 6 favorite books for those who crave a high-stakes adventureFeature The Grand Master recommends works by E.L. Konigsburg, Charles Portis, and more
-
Thomas Mallon's 6 favorite books from the 80's and early 90'sFeature The author recommends works by James Merrill, Calvin Trillin, and more
-
Anne Hillerman's 6 favorite books with Native charactersFeature The author recommends works by Ramona Emerson, Craig Johnson, and more
-
John Kenney's 6 favorite books that will break your heart softlyFeature The novelist recommends works by John le Carré, John Kennedy Toole, and more
