Peter Godfrey-Smith's 6 favorite books for expanding your mind
The philosopher recommends works by Annie Proulx, Douglas Hofstadter, and more
When you make a purchase using links on our site, The Week may earn a commission. All reviews are written independently by our editorial team.
Philosopher Peter Godfrey-Smith is the author of the 2016 best-seller "Other Minds," which explored what octopus intelligence reveals about the development of consciousness. His new book, "Living on Earth," offers a grand tour of the history of life on Earth.
'Close Range: Wyoming Stories' by Annie Proulx (1999)
Short stories, including the original "Brokeback Mountain" and more. I was given this book by a friend about 20 years ago, and it reset my view of what writing can do. Buy it here.
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 Honorary Consul' by Graham Greene (1973)
I picked this novel off the bookshelf of a bed-and-breakfast almost randomly about three decades ago and started reading. I went on to read just about all of Greene's books, and I think this one and "The Power and the Glory" are his best. (I've read that Greene agreed about "The Honorary Consul.") I don't remember the plot well, after the botched kidnapping. It's the Greene nexus of degradation, alcohol, religion, and redemption. Buy it here.
'The Book of Laughter and Forgetting' by Milan Kundera (1979)
Another book that changed my view of literary possibilities (perhaps I keep lapsing into a too-narrow view and need to be jolted out of it). Kundera also inspired me on the stylistic side, through his relaxed, direct, transparent writing, and I also appreciate the gentle humanism of his outlook. Buy it here.
'American Salvage' by Bonnie Jo Campbell (2008)
More American short stories, grittier and less lyrical than Proulx's. Set in Michigan. Campbell creates wonderful characters. Buy it here.
'Moby-Dick' by Herman Melville (1851)
I reread "Moby-Dick" when I was writing "Metazoa," the second of the trilogy that began with "Other Minds" and ends with "Living on Earth." There's nothing like entering Melville's universe and floating around in it for a month or two. Buy it here.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
'Gödel, Escher, Bach' by Douglas Hofstadter (1979)
A logical-philosophical-computational tour de force. Very long, very rewarding. I read it between the end of high school and the start of my university years, and it set me up well for my journey into philosophy. Hofstadter also typeset the book, and one has the sense that the book embodies its writer to an unusual degree. Buy it here.
This article was first published in the latest issue of The Week magazine. If you want to read more like it, you can try six risk-free issues of the magazine here.
-
A family tour of Rajasthan by train
The Week Recommends The 'cacophonous, kaleidoscopic' cities of India are fascinating to explore
By The Week UK Published
-
The best new cars for 2025
The Week Recommends From family SUVs to luxury all-electrics these are the most hotly anticipated vehicles
By The Week UK Published
-
Babygirl: Nicole Kidman stars in 'riveting' erotic thriller
The Week Recommends 'The sex and the silliness' is quite fun, but it's 'ploddingly predictable stuff'
By The Week UK Published
-
Smoked haddock soufflé recipe
The Week Recommends Velvety soft soufflé has a delicate and enticing flavour
By The Week UK Published
-
Forbidden Territories: an 'ambitious and ingenious' exhibition
The Week Recommends 'Extravaganza' of a show features an array of works celebrating 100 years of surrealist landscapes
By The Week UK Published
-
Jonathan Sumption shares his favourite books
The Week Recommends The medieval historian recommends works by Edward Gibbon, Johan Huizinga and others
By The Week UK Published
-
A Real Pain: Kieran Culkin and Jesse Eisenberg star in 'uproariously funny' drama
The Week Recommends The film, dubbed an heir of Woody Allen, follows Jewish American cousins who travel to Poland in memory of their late grandmother
By The Week UK Published
-
Titaníque: 'outrageous' Céline Dion parody is a lot of fun
The Week Recommends 'Frothy' musical spoof of the blockbuster film with 'sparkling' performances
By The Week UK Published