Q&A + Giveaway 

Your channel is a breath of fresh air in this frantic and noisy world. Speaking of favorite books, 'Anna Karenina' is one I can't stop thinking about, it's one of my all-time favorites. I can empathize deeply with Levin's profound existential crisis.

I just found your channel today and was instantly drawn by your calmness! I have so much love for Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet, as it anchored me in many a turbulent time. With every reread, I feel that I'm reading it again for the first time. It's a wonderful, gentle education on how to poise oneself against (or rather, with) the mysteries of life, from relationships to loneliness and our professional inclinations. I have learned much about self-compassion but also trust in life. Whenever I feel a bit cynical or disillusioned, I go back to the Letters and they guide me back to a good place. That book is incredibly therapeutic and dear to me; long after I've closed it, Rilke's voice stays and has stayed with me over the years. I love it so much!

Hope you're healing up well! I had a similar experience with Crime and Punishment this year--just the wrong time on my life for that one. Lots of options but I'm going to try a less canonical (at least compared to Shakespeare or Homer) book and say Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier is a book that made a huge impression on me. Without giving details away, it really affected me in addressing imposter syndrome, insecurity, and trauma. More so, the book changed the way I write and helped shape my thoughts on how first person narration can be used to affect a story. I think it's first and foremost a great gothic mystery and Hitchcock's adaptation is practiclaly an annual watch around this time of year. Congrats on all the success with the channel. Well deserved.

Congratulations! The book that has impressed me the most by now is quite the classic, namely Crime, and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky, it has had a tremendous influence on my understanding of what a good piece of literature is, not only because of its beautiful writing, amazing character development, fascinating and mind-bending plot but most of all of the brilliant analysis on society, religion and the all-time struggle of a man with its ego, ideals and beliefs. Once again congratulations, I recently discovered this channel and I can not wait for future content!

Hii!! I really enjoy your channel and find the way you express yourself to be captivating. And the love for your favorite books is evident. Personally, a book i really enjoy is the little prince mostly because in such a short amount of pages it taughts many important lessons. The main one it taught me is that even though people grow older they must always keep their little tiny self inside their hearts, and their imagination alive, not forgetting to enjoy the little and special aspects of life. Also my aunt gifted me my first edition of that book and annotated it for me. Therefore, it’s very dear to me and i plan to collect different versions of the book in the different languages i love.

Congratulations on 2k, it’s such an honor to have been one of the early ones! I commented on another video of yours about Hamlet and how much it means to me, so this time I’ll choose another instead. Beloved by Toni Morrison changed my relationship with story because it was so forceful that it made me realize something about stories: the best of them inspire explosions of writing in you. I couldn’t get 20 pages into that book before feeling like I was going to splatter all over the walls if I didn’t rush to scribble sweet release onto the nearest paper I could get to. Her writing has so much exquisite excess that it overflows into you, it’s generative. After reading that book, I want to be the kind of writer that you want to read all the way through, yes, but maybe when you inevitably put the book down, it’s because you’re so inspired to pick up a pen. Thank you for this channel! 💛

Congratulations! 🎉🍾 One of my most favorite books is ‘Wuthering Heights’ by Emily Brontë. It was the book that opened the doors of perception for me. It was the first time I perceived love as something that can have so many forms (I was 16 the first time I read it)- ghostly, intense, obsessive, touching, ugly, abusive, innocent, destructive… transcending. The list goes on and I’m not great with words but it marked me deeply and continues to teach me something new every time I reread it.

Herman Melville's "Moby-Dick" continues to inspire the beauty of my mother tongue, though much different in useage today, English, a Mid-Atlantic vernacular, proves to have a prowess of both poetry and pose; Ishmael makes English a joy to listen to. I fell in love with literature at a young age, and I still appreciate reading the title in adulthood. It makes as good an ambassador for a language as any of the Classic Works, in my opinion. I also have a Dutch writer to recommend: Nescio. Not the most prolific writer in the Dutch canon, but he penned three short stories that are quite revered today. There is a collection of his short stories in English language translation from 2012 entitled "Amsterdam Stories". I really enjoy Nescio's writing, any walks around here in Amsterdam are made richer by the knowing of his work.

Much deserved! Congratulations!! Fave book: Man’s Search for Meaning. I read it as a teenager and it changed me. Up to then I was living in angst looking for answers through Jung, Freud, Nietszche, and others but nothing touched me like this book. It gave me the power to control my outlook on life and the strength to overcome the difficult moments of my life. A simple yet strong message that came at the right time.

I discovered your channel 2 days ago and I love your content, your gentle demeanor and outtake on literature and what it means to you. I have been reading more than ever this year and while I have many favorites books, I’d say the works of Toni Morrison have enriched me the most this year, particularly “Sula”and the “Bluest Eye”, while very different books they both are in a tie for a favorite. Sula is a most memorable and daring character I’ve met, her unapologetic existence and love for life in her own terms will always stay with me. She is a deeply human and imperfect character but possesses a bravado unusual for her time. Here William nature disturbed and balances her surroundings, the social context of her world and internally challenges those close to her. The book leaves a question about the place of alpha females and personal freedom in a context of a newly liberated African American society, about the roles of women and the responsibilities we have to our friends and loved ones..

Thank you. You've got the makings of good teacher.Faust urges to endless effort. Learn, grow and keep contributing to the world of intellect.

oooh, wow, congratulations! and now you're almost at 3k as I'm watching this :o hmmm, talking about what a book has taught me is so much harder than going into why something is a favorite or means a lot personally.... One of my favorite books is Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh. I read it a few years ago and at first it was just a solid 3/5 stars but I couldn't stop thinking about it after I finished it and in like an infatuated way. This was really the first time this had happened to me with a book I had kind of mixed feelings on, with a book that wasn't an evident 5/5 as I was reading or immediately after finishing it, especially just on my own- my own thoughts- and not being prompted to think about it differently or hearing others' perspectives through reading reviews or watching videos pertaining to it. I watched the 1981 miniseries adaptation soon afterwards and it only made me think about the text even more. It allowed me to have an experience I hadn't yet had with reading, where I took a step back, was able to accept the plot/storyline for where it went, and dig deeper into certain meanings and themes. And most importantly to come out with more appreciative and passionate thoughts on the book. I now think of the book as an almost 5 star read, pretty much 4.5/5 with still honoring that initial 3/5 reading experience. This probably isn't worded the best, though, because I'm trying to not go into detail from the book specifically, which is also significant, but overall now I try consciously to continue to think about books at different times after finishing them in the same way this happened.

Congratulations! It's hard to choose just one book, but perhaps The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami. While reading it I had the realisation that it portrays the everyday (a modern marriage in an urban landscape) in the language of a new mythology. Usually mythology is created over a lengthy amount of time, and so famous works of mythology have to do with ancient cultures. I found it quite striking that Murakami seemed to tap into that power of mythology all on his own in telling this very modern story. And seeing things with the importance and vitality of myth felt like quite a lesson. Beautiful book.

Congrats!🧡 my favourite book of all time is "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith. The book was one of the first I read that made me sit back and really think about existence. It taught me very, very much about the beauty and complexity of life in all its colours and facets. “‘People always think that happiness is a faraway thing,’ thought Francie, ‘something complicated and hard to get. Yet, what little things can make it up; a place of shelter when it rains - a cup of strong hot coffee when you're blue; […] a book to read when you're alone - just to be with someone you love. Those things make happiness.”

Your voice is very peaceful and lovely, and I love your energy! Your videos make me want to pick up a book immediately and start reading hehe For me, a book that I really love is Hermann Hesse's Narziß und Goldmund, it has many interesting themes, but I love how two characters that are opposites complement each other, because that is an image of the world we live in: our world is made out of opposites that constantly interact. I think the book has showed me that there isn't a "correct" path in life. We must follow our inner voice and make our own path in life, live to the fullest extent of our capacities; taste, feel, touch, love and experience everything at our reach. We can read poetry and books and seek knowledge, but we must also strive to experience all that we seek with our own flesh. "To taste the marrow of life". In general, I love Hesse's books, which have inspired me to learn German so I can read them in their original language. Thank you for this giveaway and for the videos that you post, sending you much love!

Hi, first of all like many others I am so grateful to have found your channel, because it's very unique (in a good way ofcourse:D). And I was thinking about what you asked and for me it would have to be 1984. At school we had to read many different classics and many of them felt more like just another story for me. But when I read 1984 for the first time I realized, that books can give me way more than just entertainment. Looking back to it, the writing in 1984 isn't really too interesting, but it gave me a lot to think about, and that's why it will have a special place in my hearth.

I just read that of the 100 million RU-vid creators only 10 million have 1000 or more subscribers. 90 million do not reach this milestone. WOW. Congratulations. 10K is next!

Your Giveaway is a delightful choice of gifts. Someone is definitely gonna be buying the conclusion of Faust! Mmmmm...chocolate!

Hey! I hope you had a good experience on your first day(s) at university and that it was everything you hoped it would be!

Congratulations! Your personality is super soothing. i see your channel continuing to grow as long you're active 😃

Hi and congratulations on reaching 1000, and apparently now, 2000 subscribers. As a relatively new subscriber I just love your calming presentations and the insights into books and your reading life. My favourite book is a French book called "Le Grand Meaulnes" by Alain-Fournier. I first read it at 17 and have read it regularly since. Every time I read it, it says something different, from the adventurous romance that first caught the attention of the 17-year-old me; to the story of true friendship through strengths and difficulties that I later read, to the nature of duty and how important keeping a promise and being dutiful is, and much more besides until the 65-year-old me is stirred on to stop-at-nothing in pursuit of my dreams. Yes, 65-year-olds do still dream.

Hello, It is Wonderful to hear your voice and contributions.

I love The Plague from Camus. It was the first "classic" I enjoyed reading a lot and has taught me, what makes a book great and that solidarity might be the solution to the big question of life.

Congratulations! I like you and your content so much! 🌸

Congratulations on 1k ☺️☺️ My brilliant friend by Elena Ferrante has had quite an impact on me. It details the lives of these two friends as they go from childhood to adulthood. I felt like I got to know the characters so personally and when I finished the book I couldn't stop wondering about them. 💗

The Physician by Noah Gordon. It was given to me by my grandmother, and it is THE book that made me study medicine and specifically it inspired me to become an ophthalmologist. I thought of that book when I removed my first cataract and it always reminds me of how far we’ve come in terms of technique and technology and yet the happiness and satisfaction of the patient post surgery, remains the same :)

Congratulations. About time. So much deserved.

Zorba the Greek by nikos kazantzakis is one of my favorite books. I read it when I was about 17 and it had a huge impact on me then. It's set in Crete island in Greece and as you can imagine it had beautiful scenery of the sea and beach which happens to be my favorite place so I was really immersed in the world. besides, I really liked the rural life depicted in the book a lot as well as the religious themes. Greetings from Egypt.

Congrats! Superb content! “The Magus” and “The French Lieutenant’s Woman” by J. Fowles can be recommended. Because of style, language and collisions - and that’s enough already😊

Don't despair over Russian literature. I understand that translations can be tricky, but embrace it and you'll be rewarded. Gogol's "Dead Souls" or Dostoevsky's "The Brothers Karamazov" or Turgenev's short fiction are good places to start, but let me recommend George Saunders "A Swim in a Pond in the Rain." Saunders, an American author, teaches an MFA class in the Russian short story at Syracuse University. This book is essentially his master class. It's a peek into the elusive Russian soul and a terrific look at a writer's brain at work.

My favorite recent read has to be Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. The way they start caring for each other is just lovely! P.S Your voice is so calming!

I love "War and Peace" by Tolstoy. It shows the fallacy of the "great man" of history theory. Napoleon, one if fgese " great men" is shown by Tolstoy as not being in charge of the forces of history, but the ordinary soldiers. Equally, Tsar Alexander wasnt in control. I also love the characters in thd book, and when I finish one of my frequent rereads I am bereft leaving those beloved characters. I'm 76 and have been reading "War and Peace" every 4 or so yrears ever since I was 14. I'm a great fan of Dostoyevsky and Thomas Mann too, but Tolstoy is my main man. Dostoyevsky is great but I understand what you mean about his coldness. The thing about languages is there are so many worthwhile literatures, but learning Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Chinese and Japanese would take decades. I just accept that some literatures are always going to need translation. I can read German, Latin, English, some Scots Gaelic, French, and Yiddish, but no Far Eastern languages, nor Russian.

You deserve every single one of them. Next step - 10,000 subs! I’m really enjoying your videos. Interesting, thoughtful content delivered in a relaxing, chilled out fashion. Thanks so much.

i read The idiot by dostoyevsky a few years back and still find myself thinking about when Myshkin tells about an acquaintance of his who experienced a mock execution (author alluding to himself) and the way he describes counting down his last moments sparked in me a profound appreciation for life and an unprecedented sense of wonder toward the beauty of the world! bravo d’ailleurs et félicitations à tous les nombreux abonnés! j’adore tes vidéos!🌟🩵

I’d like to comment on Russian literature here! Actually, as a Russian, I can totally understand your thoughts about “Crime and punishment” in this video, because when I tried reading it, it was just the same. Dostoevsky’s writing is very heavy in a way and it requires having a strong mental health at the moment of reading hahah But I would recommend you reading something by Turgenev (the author of “Fathers and sons”), for examples his Stories About First Love!

🤘🤘🤘 thanks for answering my question that was so great to hear!! Exercises in futility is my go to black metal album 🖤 bell witch are phenomenal to read to, I cannot recommend this higher to anyone here for a moody and atmospheric time :-)

For me, The Demon-haunted world: Science as a candle in the dark by Carl Sagan. A book that laid out an approach in how we as humans might think as well as critically analyze the world around us. (it first came out in 1995) In our current world, such skills are perhaps even more important to possess and especially to use. Side note: love your podcasts as much as I love libraries!

Congrats! Finnegans Wake teaches me something everyday it seems. It really opened up a magical realm of literature.

Congrats! Keep going 😊

Ok, I don’t expect to win. But I really like your content and your motivation for literature! The book that I feel is life changing is the Holy Bible. No matter what one’s faith is, I feel reading the Holy Scriptures is life changing. I enjoy reading Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, and Faust. Reading the scriptures adds another dimension. I studied literature at an American university, I encourage you to keep reading and explore. The book at my bedside is Proust, Remembrance of things Past.

I recently read J.D. Salinger’s story Seymour- An Introduction which was awesome and talked a lot about what it means to be a writer and being creative. It was really meaningful to me as I’d love to be a writer some day.

It bodes well that while you were preparing to celebrate 1,000 subscribers your channel doubled its reach. You're posts imho are invitingly convivial, as opposed to other channelsvwhere i feel like someone is talking *at* me. So. *Alice Munro*'s writing has been special to me because so many of her interlinked stories are rooted in the mores of a particular post-war rural place where my parents, bewilderingly, happened to find themselves after emigrating from England. Munro introduced me to the power of short fiction to say what is unsaid, and in so doing helped me "read" my parents, who were very redacted people in terms of emotion. Munro has published many collections, but if i had to pick one it would be "Who Do You Think You Are?" simply because it was the first one i encountered.

Russian literature can be tough, I agree. If you want a shorter work that would give you a taste of Tolstoy's style of writing, I recommend The Death of Ivan Ilyich which is not a comforting book but I'm sure you'll fly through it. Now for a comforting Russian novel, I think The Master And Margarita would be a good choice. It has the potential of becoming a one-sitting read despite its 400-page length. I also would recommend Duck Hunting by Vampilov which is a lesser known Russian play but I guess you could say it's a great introduction to the vibe of Russian literature?

I am now a new subscriber, and here is a book that I love: Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. I was a high school student and had never read a single thing like it. It made me a devoted student of literature and all of the twists and turns a book could take! Oh, and maybe you should try Resurrection by Leo Tolstoy. I found it in a local book box and I admired the book as the count's return to the novel form after many years of not writing anything except tracts and letters!

Hello ✋🏼 Molana Rumi is a persian poet who I became acquainted with by my parents. Then, I started reading his mostly spiritual words myself and enjoyed them. He gives me the opportunity to find the tools by which I can understand and express my unspeakable thoughts and feelings. It’s like a window that shows me the things I couldn’t see before. I mean, how mesmerizing a poem could be: ‘Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, There is a field, I’ll meet you there. When the soul lies down in that grass, The world is too full to talk about. Ideas, language, even the phrase ‘each other’ doesn’t make any sense.’ This was a poem from the book The Essential Rumi.

It is pure coincidence but my subject was going to be The Oxford Book of English Verse which is my constant bedside companion. Congratulations on the number of subscribers!

I've only just stumbled upon your channel recently and have a lot of videos to catch up on 😊 ...so just to say "Well done" 👍

It is a pleasure listening to you.

I'd really love to learn how you make Tea whilst still fully wrapped up in a warm blanket?!! I've tried this and always suffer from the, albeit temporary, loss of the said warm blanket at some stage during the process, much to my shiveryness!!

i recently finished "the savage detectives" by robert bolano and it taught/reminded me that whatever occurs and has no physical evidence has indeed occurred and that someone, somewhere has felt its resonance. that i am not a scorekeeper but an observer, and enjoyer of the changing of the winds.

Happy to write a msg in the hope of winning the pile of goodies! Favourite reading is WG Sebald, especially Rings of Saturn. It taught me to be a good wanderer and to always pay attention to what I see and dig deep in my understanding of things. Have you read it?

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. Beautiful story of a beautiful soul who strives to "thine ownself be true". A personal heroin of mine and although hers is a small personal story, it touches upon all of the larger questions. Also, the emotional aspects are very relateable. Considered a gothic masterpiece, it is that and more.❤ For poetry, Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass is wonderously sublime.

if you haven't seen them, i think you would enjoy the bookworm conversations with david foster wallace.

I would rather choose a non fiction book, but no one can argue that its merits have not literary value; I'm talking about "Letters from Prison" by Antonio Gramsci, the italian left politician and intellectual who was bodily imprisoned by the Fascist regime, though his mind and will never surrendered or got broken. The books consists of letters sent by Gramsci to his wife and mother; he asks them to sent him books, plenty of books of various topics, even a German grammar book to study in prison. One can admire his passion for knowledge and intellectual life even behind bars. Highy recommennded to all lovers of freedom.

I'm reading Infinite Jest now, and finding it surprisingly entertaining despite it's intimidating reputation.

Joseph von Eichendorff’s Memoirs of a Good for Nothing. It was such a sweet story of a man with boundless optimism who is always happy, always singing and always ready for his next adventure. I have reread it many times and every time I think that if we all loved and appreciated the simple things in life like love, nature and songs then maybe we could uplift our spirits and face the world as happier people. It is such a comforting read.

Congratulations!!!🎉 A few years ago, I read a book called "Letter from an unknown woman" (German: Brief einer Unbekannten) by Stefan Zweig. It was hauntingly beautiful and sad at the same time. It is very short but filled with such intense feelings that I couldn't stop thinking about it. What I thought about the most is how two people experience a relationship very differently, and how you can be a lost memory to someone you still admire every day. Or that you can be admired by people that you don't remember anymore. How brief encounters can mean so much to someone, where you just forgot.

Hello, I am trying to learn die deutsche Sprache so this giveaway is perfect. The book that changed my life was read by me when I was 16 and it is from a French author . It is "La naissance du jour" from Colette. The way she discibes the small matters of life with simple words but so much depth touched me deeply. It taught me the beauty and power of words. I read it every years now and I still moves me so much that I am planning to have a tattoo with an extract of that book...

A book I like very much is Nachts unter der steinernen Brücke by Leo Perutz. What impressed me about the book is how independent the individual chapters are and yet tell a coherent story in the end. Also, reading it made me realise how important the location of the action is. I highly recommend it to anyone visiting Prague. Unfortunately, as far as I know, there is no English translation of the book.

I never would have guessed you listen to metal and hard music like that. You seem too gentle for it :)

Resurrection By Leo Tolstoy It actually resurrected myself from the deeds which I have done in my past

Thank you so much for giving your kind words and incredible recommendations. A lovely cure for this sontagsleere 🖤

A very late response - sorry. To get into Dostoevsky, I suggest his short story ‘White nights’. It’s an early work, and therefore a bit less radical in formal terms than some of his other work. I found it very moving.

Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom There are many ideas and messages sprinkled throughout the book, but the one that stuck with me is "do not fear death." Death always looks like a scary thing, because you won't be able to see anyone anymore, but death is a part of life, not the end of it.

I'm also reading Wall's biography of Thoreau, every now and then.

Catch 22 it taught me the dark comedy of war.

I've read 'The Catcher in the Rye' by J.D Salinger. The book is about the musings of a young boy. How life turns out for him in a short span, his relationship with others and with himself and a ray of hope that's there no matter how feeble it gets at times. The rawness of happenstance is what grabs me every time.

How many tattoos do you have? Which is your favourite, and why?

Re Russian literature " "Just a single man, Fyodor Dostoevsky, is enough to defeat all the creative novelists of the world. If one has to decide on 10 great novels in all the languages of the world, one will have to choose at least 3 novels of Dostoevsky in those 10. Dostoevsky’s insight into human beings and their problems is greater than your so-called psychoanalysts, and there are moments where he reaches the heights of great mystics. His book BROTHERS KARAMAZOV is so great in its insights that no BIBLE or KORAN or GITA comes close. In another masterpiece of Dostoevsky, THE IDIOT, the main character is called ‘idiot’ by the people because they can’t understand his simplicity, his humbleness, his purity, his trust, his love. You can cheat him, you can deceive him, and he will still trust you. He is really one of the most beautiful characters ever created by any novelist. The idiot is a sage. The novel could just as well have been called THE SAGE. Dostoevsky’s idiot is not an idiot; he is one of the sanest men amongst an insane humanity. If you can become the idiot of Fyodor Dostoevsky, it is perfectly beautiful. It is better than being cunning priest or politician. Humbleness has such a blessing. Simplicity has such benediction."

Hello, I would like to share with you my thoughts on The Soung and The Fury by William Faulkner, which is a book that impacted my perspective about what storytelling in a book can be and how the human experience is universal yet different. I can't say if it is my favourite book, it is definitely up there, but the reason I chose to share my thoughts on this particular book is because of how much of a humbling experience reading it was for me and how much I ended up loving every word in the book.

About reading translation without the original: I have the same skepticism. I don't know as many languages as you. I barely know my own mother tongue. But the times I have seen translation at work, either in movies or in books made or written in Bangla and translated into English, I have seen incredible gaps in meaning. Not saying I could translate them better. It's more like translation is woefully inadequate. It's obvious even if you don't know the language of the original. Just compare the different English translations and you'll see the gaps between them. Well, that's been my experience at least.

Hi! Thanks for the poem. The poem 'inward morning' by H.D.Thoureau. I am going reading the pomes by W B Yeats. 🎉

I’ve never taken any drugs, particularly hallucinogens scare me as my mind is messed up enough already.

I read Crime and Punishment while in Russia in 88. I thought to read his works, but I don't enjoy his fever dreams either.

Amazing to see the channel growing! Blessings ❤ The book that touched me the most is "LSD and the Mind of the Universe" by Christopher Bache. It has reminded to be humble on the path towards insight and realization. It made me realize that the process of purification is marked with unimaginable suffering. But it is worth it.

On Dostoyevsky, please read in order, it will help massively: Notes from the Underground, Crime and Punishment, Demons (The Possessed), The Idiot, The Brothers Karamazov.

Madam, for Dostoevsky, I would suggest you put aside Crime and Punishment and restart Dostoevsky a different way. And it’s this. One of the biggest themes that I think is perennially relevant from him is the problem of political nihilism. First, read Turgenev’s Fathers and Sons, and then read Dostoevsky’s Notes From Underground. Both are relatively short. I recommend the OWC editions, and when you read the introductions, you will understand why I recommend T.’s F&S first and D.’s Notes second. Then, take on a big Dostoevsky book which further follows this theme up which is Devils/Demons/The Possessed (all the same book); again, I recommend OWC. Devils is easily one of the top three political novels ever written, in my opinion. Then read Crime and Punishment later and work your way to The Idiot and Brothers Karamazov. That’s my humble recommendation for Dostoevsky. I think it’s great that you are so interested in Henry David Thoreau. Not many people are reading such classic American writers; but they should definitely reconsider doing so. Emerson was a huge influence on Nietzsche, actually. Cheers 🎉

I liked Anna Seghers book Transit ( originally written in German)(1942), and now a film by Christian Peltzold: shows the suffering of people who have to escape tyranny, persecution, the Nazis, occupied France, to get a ship from Marseille the ' end of the land' in Europe to board a ship and escape to Mexico after trying to secure visas in Marseille. Now we know the earth has to suffer the same depredations as the Nazi armies, the places we live in, visit for pleasure, have now become uncomfortable for survival. The book is autobiographical, basing characters on the author's own experience. Incidentally another book to read in association is Arthur Koestler's Scum of the Earth, which is also autobiographical, detailing the problem of refugees and emigrants from Europe. Today we have more the problem of immigration of vast numbers into Europe., with the possible dissolution of the EU if they don't successfully deal with it. Also I would ask you to read vol.3 Iron in the Soul, describing ( in the trilogy Roads to Freedom) the experiences of a similar nature in occupied France. To cap it all watch the film Casablanca, truly superb. Thanks for your video.

Hello. I'm here for the giveaway. Thank you!

Congrats. ❤ .. so my book is: Anna Karenina by Tolstoi. It has taught me a lot about forgiveness and make me think about past relationships and how to forgive people that hurt me.

I'm reading Bluet by Maggie Nelson, and enjoying it. It's a book about the color blue.

Hello, I'm really happy for your channel ☺, it's really authentic and interesting. For my favorite book, I can't say there's only one, but I choose to talk about The Book of Intranquillity by Fernando Pessoa, which has made a huge impression on me with its fragments of reflections, prose poems about existence, alienation, solitude and provides some tentative answers that affect me

Can I recommend to you, and other viewers, the book The Wasp Factory by the late Scottish author Iain Banks. A coming of age tale with a twist. Shocking stuff and profound - I would be amazed if anyone who reads this debut novel is not left amazed and stunned by this story. It's disturbing but it is, when taken as the allegory it is meant as, quite a familiar feeling in the way it points to the disorientating nature of Adolescence, which is prevalent for most people at some stage in maturation. I read this book at the peak of puberty and, I believe, that time of life is when this offering is most poignant. The fact that something so absurdly strikingly shocking can actually provide comfort to many youngsters lost in amongst that period of confusion. Do give it a try. Iain Banks wrote many general fiction books, mostly based in Scottish city life, but also in Dystopian imaginary societies. He also, as Iain M. Banks, wrote a number of sci-fi books, all of which are intensely original, enticing and interesting as existential statements or explorations. Some of these SciFi books comprise his Culture Series (but not all of them, and these are great as also are those not set in "Culture"), and his WorldMaking becomes warm and familiar as places to escape to. If you're a fan of Droids, i.e. from Star Wars etc., you'll love the life enhancing assistants/companions that the Culture Series characters have around them. Such a Delight and Joy to immerse the imagination within. So much so, that I simply don't know how Humankind has succeeded or survived without these companions; perhaps, indeed, some would say the absence of these is precisely exactly why Humanity has maybe failed to succeed sufficiently! Enjoy.

So poetic

Congratulations 🎉. If I'm the winner please send me crime and punishment instead of the German book and send me a book of poems. I live in Morocco and books here are too expensive, I envy you people in the western for the conditions you have comparing to the prices 😢😭. Oscar Wilde's plays have taught me the way we can convey a harsh message through humor and funny conversations. Keep going on Luciiii and I recommend you read African literature or Moroccan literature, like Laila Lalami.

Anton Chekhov s short stories are amazing, Gogol is an acquired taste but his Dead Souls is a masterpiece, Turgenev you can skip - mediocre writing, Nabokov too - very mundane. Tolstoy is a goof writer but it won’t offer insights into eternal truths. Gorky s Childhood is good but sad. Yeah…some thoughts on Russian literature.

How are you doing miss . Iam Arabic lady subscriber to several British and American RU-vid channels. Actually we as foreigners subscribers as overseas students want to increase our cultural level improve our English language and literature lovers too but first of all make friendships with people from different countries. I hope we became intimate friends from now on. My name is khatoon it’s Turkish origin means Nobel lady as princess. What is your name please ? . You really very talented young lady . You speak several languages. I worked hard to improve English as none native speaker . Iam subscriber to britta bohler channel. She is German former lawyer and law professor and author too . I just found out that austria name derived from Germanic word ( Austro ) means East . Austrian flag is oldest flag in world . I hope I can learn a lot from your knowledge. I have great hope you became famous author and you will win notable awards. Wishing you success in all aspects of your life either work , study , person life . Good luck to you your dearest ones ( grub gott ) in German means good luck.

Notes from the Underground is shorter.

I appreciate you saying that you would have liked to meet with David Foster Wallace. I didn't know him but those who did and even those of us who read him and listen to his interviews understand that this was a very special person (sounds trite or precious but words fail here), one whose presence and absence is felt constantly now. I was shocked at his passing, like losing an old friend. I composed a tribute to him on my guitar in 2008 (I say "composed" but it was mostly a spontaneous outpouring, not well recorded or performed particularly well, but I decided to leave it that way) and decided to repost since you mentioned him. The link is here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Q930xUEcSNU.html

Are we willing to call chocolate a Drug??!!

Lots of music to follow up on.

You should do ASMR videos

Congrats on the 1k subs! I'm now one of them. I like your book reviews but hope you don't mind if I'm also for the unintentional ASMR vibe 😅