The 6 books that made me study literature 

This video is very peaceful and as a fellow bookworm I really enjoyed how you talked about books that are clearly important in your life!

This is your first video I’ve ever seen. I hope to have a relationship with literature akin to yours. I’m learning to read again by reading for meaning and not just to consume the words on the page. I’m just starting, but you are inspiring to me. Thank you

I lecture on literature in college in Australia. I cannot tell you how excited it makes me to hear your journey and perspective. May it exceed your dreams!

I think the novel peaked everywhere -- Russia, England, France -- with the great 19th century novelists. Proust was just one of many. Remember, there were no movies; almost all artistic activity was focused on novels or plays. The public's attention was not divided.

This feels like a hidden gem and so genuine. I would love to talk about books to you or join your bookclub.

The way you got your copy of Faust is a central metaphor in your life so far. And what does it teach you? Never let impossible “coincidences” slip by you. The unexamined “big” coincidence NEEDS to be examined. As my life…longer than yours….has gone along I have found myself more and more losing faith in the concept of coincidence….

I share your love for Proust so deeply it forced me to comment for the first time in my life: I truly, truly wish for you to read the German version translated by Eva Rechel-Mertens if you can't find a French one anytime soon! I am currently abroad and I bought the same English edition you have and it feels a lot more... empty. I usually prefer English over German translations if I don't have enough access to the original language but this German translation struck so much more of a chord with me that I think it's definitely worth a re-read. Secondly, there is a really beautiful graphic novel adaptation by Stéphane Heuet that you might enjoy as well. I usually recommend it to people who are a little scared to dive into the books and I've converted everyone to liking Proust so far. But having read the book it's lovely nonetheless and the visual support made it a lot easier for me to read with my mediocre French. PS: Thanks for bumping up Faust in my reading list, I've been procrastinating the read 🤭

I'm glad the algorithm helped me discover your channel, I think you deserve a lot more subscribers. Your energy and love for books is inspiring. I would love to return to education for the cerebral stimulation around culture, wish you luck on your studies!

Thank you for reminder no.744 (and counting) that I MUST read Faust. I've scoured the wiki, reviewed translations, yet still it seems I need it thrown in my face 😅 I'll follow your story as if my own and do my duty in respect to Goethe. I've seen Kaufmann and Greenberg's translations highly recommended but would love any words you have on the topic (future video?). As someone 10+ years removed from formal education, and flirting with a dream of returning, your decision to pursue literature after similar circumstances is rejuvenating. Though, I fear I would lose the passion needed to make it through. I like chewing on text... slowly; carrying the words, thoughts, scenes in my subconscious and returning to them in different psychological states. I hope any similar thoughts for you may pass. I'll be here cheering you on to the last!

Hello! Comparative literature is when you read the books in the language they were written. So you have to read Proust in French, Shakespeare in Englsih and so on. Try to find the best books of universal literature and read them. I will give you some examples: Cervantes - Don Quijote de la Mancha, Dante - Divina Comedia, Shakespeare's plays, Ibsen's theater etc. Actually I was learning languages only to read these books on the language they were written. Best regards!

Wow i wish to take such a decision myself ! Studying literature in Vienna ... sounds like a dream

Thank the gods for all the lovers of great books! ... For an English-language translation of Faust, I want to recommend the translation of Martin Greenberg, the updated edition with an introduction by W. Daniel Wilson.

I loved seeing Faust in this collection, I definitely read it too early too. Goethe was such a versatile writer! He’s always inspired me to write in multiple genres. Good luck with your studies!

Literature definitely has her tender, dangerous arms around your heart. She's whispering: write, write, write. In the wondrous words of a commentator below - "Thanks for sharing your qualities." Radiant thoughts, lovely qualities.

This was the best ASMR video I've ever watched. Please make more videos about books where you read from them.

the Prust quote made me cry immediately. It’s just that I have the same feeling when my mother reads to me…he’sput it so beautifully in words. It made me decide that I need to record her voice her reading to me next time we meet.

Here, in Eastern Europe, we are so busy with politics and living, that we forget these treasures, what literature and intellectual beauty can give us. Thank you for help me to remember these treasures.

I don’t know if you’ve given any thought on becoming a literature professor or instructor, but I think you would be good at that. Great video.

Pardon my pedantry, but the author of “Walden” stated that his last name should be pronounced to rhyme with “furrow.” He occasionally made a pun on his name. When hired to survey land, he would promise his employer that he would do a “thorough - [the actual pronunciation]- job.”

Nicely done. Thanks for sharing. I read Walden when I was 15, and it helped me feel better about feeling estranged from society, even though I was actually popular. I just felt people tended to act weird in groups, especially adolescents. Now I am a high school teacher.

It’s so wonderful that you’re going to school and studying literature! I have a master’s degree in literature and would go back and get my PhD if I could. Good for you!❤

One of my favorite short stories I came across in John Pelan's THE CENTURY'S BEST HORROR FICTION Vol. 2. I wouldn't really call it a horror story, but it is a sort of science fiction, and that story is "I Am Nothing" by Eric Frank Russell. I can't vouch for Russell's other fiction, but this story is just priceless.... Thank you for your delightful video, by the way.

When I read Walden by H.D. Thoreau, I thought he was a brilliant writer desperately in need of an editor. Although, I think that about many writers. He seems to take forever to get to a point, by starting in the middle and working his way around. When does he ever do his laundry? He doesn't. He takes it to his mother. So much for self reliance. A rich boy playing poor by a pond and thinking about life. Some recommendations. Rainer Maria Rilke: Duino Elegies (Duineser Elegien) Herman Melville: Moby Dick Mark Twain: Roughing It; Tom Sawyer James Joyce: Ulysses; Finnegan's Wake [The more languages (and rivers) you know, the more you can appreciate it. If you try to understand it, you will fail. You must interpret it in stream of consciousness way. If you read it when taking LSD, that will quite a trip.] Homer: Illiad; Odyssey [A window into the ancient Greek world.] Thucydides: History of the Peloponnesian War [The father of modern historic story telling. Herodotus is great too, but is more ethnographical.]

Thank you for this I need to read some Thoreau! Also In Search of Lost Time. I'm currently reading Don Quixote. I studied Spanish literature at the university and had the opportunity to read a few chapters in English and Spanish. It's an amazing novel! So funny and intelligent and innovative. My favorite book is the Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolaño. I think it's the best Spanish-language novel since 100 Years of Solitude.

Nice to see Thoreau coming back from afar. The locals in Concord looked at him askance, and at his book hardly at all. I grew up a half hour's river skate from town. A pile of stones marks the site of his little house, and you were meant to add to it if you approved of Thoreau. My father was a giant and would heave the largest stone from the pile far into the forest, then go swim in the pond, even if it snowed. While he swam I would recover the stone and return it to the pile. Cold war.

Now in European literature I can make some suggestions: Ulysses, The Man Without Qualities, In Search of Lost Time, The Outsider, Nausea, Magic Mountain, Notes From The Underground, All Quiet On The Western Front, L'Enfer, Darkness At Noon, Man's Fate, The Immoralist, At Swim Two Birds, Hunger... you can add to this list, add female authors: it's your choice. Sorry to create a lot of reading for you to do!

9:26 this is such an excellent point that I don’t think a lot of people consider. There is so much that can be “lost in translation” so to speak, because there is a certain “flavor” that various different languages and cultures adds to the world that are totally unique from one another. Great channel! Cheers from America ✌🏻🇺🇸

I too love Thoreau. I love the variety of the books that have influenced you. I have tried to read Proust several times, but haven't got past the first few volumes. I think I will do it next year and make it my year long project. That way I can read it and some supplementary material eg a biography and some criticism. This year my project is reading the works of Shakespeare in chronological order of composition. It is interesting that although Shakespeare was English, his first translators and performers outside of England were the Germans in the early 17th century and reaching a flurry of interest in the 18th. Maybe it is a small recompense for the huge amount of German music that has influenced Britain. I have subscribed to your videos now.

Your passion for literature is so infectious! I loved listening to you talk about these 6 books, even more so because I've never read any of them (although I do own a collection of Henry David Thoreau that I've yet to get to). Thank you for sharing these and I hope you enjoy your time studying in Vienna ^^ I'm looking forward to your future content now that I've found you.

I love hearing about the books that impacted people. :) Thanks for sharing and good luck in Vienna!

Best wishes in your studies. I love Shakespeare, Thoreau and Proust, so I'm going to have to chase down your other favorites. First novel I read was Slaughterhouse 5 (that wasn't assigned to me in school). Another important book is The Hobbit, which as a teenager I read in a day, in a feat of reading. I have since gone through many authors and books, not sure what my other 4 would be. I really liked New York Trilogy by Paul Auster. I liked Hemingway and Philip Roth for a time. Murakami is a favorite. Been reading the poems of Mary Oliver lately. I really like the travel books of Bill Porter in China and his translations of Chinese poetry. Really appreciate your passion for literature, best wishes.

Very glad to introduce me.I am professor of English literature.I am from India.I love teaching literature.i love teaching European and Latin American literature.I l love teaching poets like Wordsworth and Keats .

I first read Thoreau when I was working at a call centre. Not as idyllic as the location of your reading, but I feel the same way about it.

Excellent choices! Good luck with your studies. When in Vienna, check out the bookshop/café PHIL in Gumpendorferstraße and Shakespeare&Company.

I have been meaning to read some of the books you mentioned for a long time now. This video definitely inspired to do it at the earliest. 🙂 And also loved the video as a whole. It felt more natural, like a chat. It was great.

I so appreciate how you discuss books concisely while providing enough information for to have something to go on. Thank you.

Thank you. I found it interesting hearing the books that have lead you to study literature. As a result of your vlog, I am inspired to read, ‘Walden’. I know you made a comment that you aren’t good at maths (in this case, reading the Roman numeral 17 and Roman numerals can be tricky to read at the best of times), but how amazing that you can speak and read in more than one language (and fluently). That, to me, is clever. Look forward to following your journey studying literature 📚

You're very interesting and intelligent... This was a pleasant vid to watch...I love Walden...I live quite close to Walden pond... It's not very big, but it's very peaceful in the summer... This can walk around the pound in less than an hour... The water is very clean and refreshing... Sadly you do hear the trains go by and it's obnoxious... Then when you leave the pond you can drive a short way into Concord and do some great sightseeing... It is a very nice summer day trip....👍

You have such a serene nature and a very calming voice. My German is not as good as it used to be but I am going to attempt The Visit in the German print. Sounds interesting.

Thank you ,your enthusiasm has made me order your first choice

So awesome that you go after your passions. I hope to see your own writings in a bookstore one day, may it be so! And i also have Faust on my to read list, I'm intrigued by the plot. So far my favorite books are The Merchant of Venice (Shakespeare) and The Prince (Machiavelli). If you enjoy philosophy i think you would really enjoy Cicero.

I was inspired to leave corporate business and study literature by Lawrence Durrell's 'The Alexandria Quartet'.

I came across this video yesterday and just wanted to let you know that I picked up Shakespeare's Sonnets at the library today! So glad I watched your video. All the best to you in your studies!

"Der Besuch der alten Dame" reminds me thematically of "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" by Ursula K. Le Guin.

Thoreau spoke of being a philosopher...He use to borrow Emerson's eastern texts which implies an ontological approach to Life.

That's so cool, i'm going to study "Komparatistik" at LMU Munic in October. So excited!!

Your video was calm and yet exuded enthusiasm. And such wonderful books you talk about. I loved Der Besuch der alten Dame which I first read some 40 years ago. Now that I'm retired, I have so much time to read some really life changing books. Hope you enjoy your studies.

Thank you for reminding me of a beautiful experience. My mother took me to the theatre in London, where we lived, when I was 12 , to see a performance of "the visit" which must be the book you mention. It was beautifully actef by Alfred Lunt and Lynne Fonteyne. It was wonderful and my real love for the theatre.

Your love for reading, so beautiful. I share it too. And you are right about Goethe being better in German. I read it in English and it was a decent book but, as I am learning German now, reading just the first page in German is 1000x better.

WORKED COLLENCE DROPPED AT ❤❤❤❤

" In America, a very rare thinker by the name of Henry Thoreau existed. When he was close to death an old aunt of his, a religious old lady, who thought Thoreau was not religious because he never went to church or read the Bible, she came to him and asked compassionately, “Henry, have you made your peace with God?” Lying on his death-bed, Thoreau opened his eyes and said, “I didn’t know we’d ever quarreled. What is there to make peace about?” Henry Thoreau was not the type of man to quarrel with God. He never went to church because it wasn’t necessary. If there is no quarrel, then what is the point of going to court? He never made a mantra of God’s name; he never said a rosary. None of this was necessary because a continuous hymn to God was being sung within him. Henry Thoreau was an incomparable flower among men. He was always calm and unperturbed and never quarreled with God. So how could he pray? Whom would he worship? Whom would he adore? The quarrel between you and God disappears when you are at peace. Otherwise, you would be in conflict twenty-four hours a day. And the more you are in conflict, the more agitated you will become. How can a tree that quarrels with the earth remain calm and tranquil? Its roots are in the earth! Its roots are buried in the earth! Are you fighting with the earth? Are you fighting with your own roots? If you are, uneasiness will become your natural state. Then you will be disturbed; you will be perplexed and confused. If they fought with the earth the trees would go mad. The earth is the womb… No sooner does God come to your door than everything is suffused with calm. A new kind of intoxication pervades your body, your soul, your every heartbeat. The beauty of that intoxication is that it is a thousand times more intoxicating than wine, and yet there is no trace whatsoever of the unconsciousness caused by wine. This is its beauty."

You are gonna j'adore diving into and delving further amongst Shakespeare, his outpourings are a lifetime's beholding of joy for all of us, and he, primarily, is the reason I feel blessed that English is my language.

A beautiful video. Thank you for sharing your influences. Funny enough I was reading a love sonnet book only yesterday that included both Shakespear sonnets you spoke about! I loved sonnet 30, but I remember the one you read. I have recently finished A La Research du Temps Perdu and loved Proust's project. However it is his first volume I loved so much. I'm glad you loved it too. It is just so beautiful and so far apart from anything else I have read. I tried it in the French, but my language skills were not quite up to it. Although I could see that it is amazing in the original language. Good luck with your degree.

really enjoyed watching this (and this channel for first time), whilst having a delicious and extremely slow breakfast… it has inspired me and filled me with energy. Made me reflect on my love for languages and european literature…

Ich habe Die Besuch der alten Dame gelesen . Auch Goethes Faust. Thoreau , Proust, nicht . Shakespear I have loved all my life even when I understood very little of it as a teenager. It sounds so good. The Friesian author i have never heard of

Felt touched by you and your intimate connection with books. First, Faust literally thrown at you in the bookshop, and later leaping at you from your bookshelf -through a cloud of LSD- shouting, ‘Do you remember loving me?’ Ha! I read Faust when in high school. Thought I could do it only in one way: at night under candlelight and reading it from a yellowed second hand book in the Gothic script. Didn’t understand a thing, but loved it. In passing you mentioned that you speak Dutch. Good of you! I’m from Holland. Just saying. Be well ~ Filip

Immer schön zu sehen, wenn sich andere auch zum Studium einer der Literaturwissenschaften entschließen (fange jetzt im WS auch mit Germanistik an, nachdem ich meine bisherige Jugend hauptsächlich damit verbracht habe, die Weltliteratur zu einem guten Teil durchzulesen😂)

As you speak German, I hope you have read Austrians Arthur Schnitzer and Stefan Zweig. From France at same time as Proust, I greatly prefer Céline. It is good to began with the first, "Journey to the End of the Night". Best to read it in French. I had never read a book at all like it and still haven't.

Thank you very much, I study German and German literature and this was so great video ❤

Thank you. wonderful. I had a try with Proust some number of years back. Perhaps I wasn't in the right, receptive mind. Hearing you read it, it felt a perfect kind of beauty that I could go on listening to forever, happily. And thank you for speaking English for the sake of those of us, what is the word? shipwrecked here with this language. I fell asleep watching TV once and when I woke up everyone was starting at me. They said I was speaking German. How could they know it was German? It was probably gibberish. None of us knows German. Which is such a shame, given how closely related these languages are. Even more so with Frisian, perhaps. Fascinating that you have a book of poems, of poetry, written in Frisian. My goodness. Have a wonderful day and be well and happy.

I read Thoreau and Emerson in high school. I was too young to appreciate them. I was a prolific reader then, but I didn't have much the patience for that kind of writing though somehow I had the patience for poetry.

I've done my Master of Arts in English literature. I've read and studied English, European, Latin American and Indian literature for the last 15 years. I've never heard of the first and the last book the girl discussed here. Goethe's _Faust_ wasnt that unique as the idea of a man selling his soul to the devil had already been dealt with by the English Renaissance playwright Christopher Marlowe in his play, _Doctor Faustus._ I'm glad I got here. Thank you.

I enrolled once on a correspondence course on literature. One thing I was required to do was read a book 4 times. It was a big book that I didn't like much and I am a slow reader. I gave up. I couldn't handle it.

What an interesting and relaxing video. I loved hearing your thoughts about the books :) It is so cool that you decided to go to university to study literature. What made you decide not to go to university when you came out of high school? I'm just interested because I feel like we have a way too linear idea of education and that stories like yours are important to show a different pathway you could take. I can totally see you as a university professor one day and you very much sound like an artist/poet/writer in the way you talk. How special is the book of your partner's grandfather (I am Dutch by the way so I was surprised by the mention of Frisian). It is also very precious that people in both your families love languages and literature. Was that something you talked a lot about with each other or is it more something you know about them. Have a lovely day!

The algorithm led me to your video. Hope your studies go well.

A diverse selection of writers and mediums. As somebody keen on drama, it was refreshing to see that a play had such a profound influence on you. One of my favourite plays which I highly recommend is 'God of Carnage' by Yasmina Reza. Best of luck in Vienna.

you talking about how certain books changed you - i know exactly what you're talking about, i feel the same! to me is mainly Hamlet and Notes from the Underground by Dostoyevsky

I enjoyed this so much!

Such a lovely vlog, so chill. I love that you read brief excerpts of the works. I look forward to future postings. 😊

There is film of the story of your first book which starred Ingrid Bergman and Anthony Quinn.

I am so glad that I came across your channel and I am surprised that I did not see it sooner. I love how immersed you are with your subject matter and the works that you covered and how you covered them are just amazing! I have read The Visit, Faust, and Shakespeare's Sonnets and discussed the three on my channel. The Visit is probably my favorite of the three, because it was something that I thought a lot about and how it is reflective of the flaws within human nature. Claire has definitely become vain and a cruel woman, but her actions do speak truth to the way that society operates and by all means a society of flawed individuals. The response of the media really stuck out and is a demonstration about how much of a show society really happens to be. While Faust did not stick with me as much, I am familiar with the concept and how it is played out. I really like Shakespeare's sonnets on the basis that Shakespeare was best as a writer and his way of crafting words rather than his storytelling. I would like to revisit Walden by Henry David Thoreau, for I read it for college and want to refamiliarize myself with his writing and his way of thinking. Thoreau was a champion of independent thinking and a college instructor of mine actually has a picture of Thoreau as his icon when signing onto his computer. Speaking of college instructors, I, too, took a Shakespeare class and my instructor is a contributor and panelist on my channel. We went over the romances, or the later plays, as well as The Two Gentlemen of Verona. I am planning to reread Hamlet for a Roundtable Read on my channel. You really made me inclined to look into Proust and in particular In Search of Lost Time. I have heard different things about him and really need to pick him up at some point. I would want the entire collection, though. I am glad that you are pursuing a literature degree and wish you all the best with your pursuit. I hope you are able to obtain a job where you can fulfill your dreams and work with literature in any which way your heart desires. Thank you for sharing and I will watch more videos from your channel! -Josh

I loved your authentic exposition. Thank you very much.

This is a solid list! Happy reading.

Great video, I read The visit today, it really was quite fascinating with all the painful realities convoluted in that humor. I am really looking forward to more recommendations.

This what is needed more often-someone who has studied a subject giving their opinion about what you should spend your time on.

so calming to listen to you! defintely love the atmosphere of the video

I believe the word you are looking for is "auditing" - when you sit in on the class, but don't have to do the tests or homework.

I finally finished reading In Search of Lost Time a couple of years ago. After several false starts over half a century, I finally finished it. It is about memory. As an old guy I can testify to the fact that we can time travel through memory. I think the opening scene states it even better than the scene with the Madeleine. The narrator, waking up in his room, is waking up in every room he has ever woken up in, sifting through one and then another until he joins the present. There is another similar scene in a later volume where when walking down the hallway of his hotel in Balbec, he recalls all the different times he has walked down the hallway, the differences in the light and in the routine. The unreliable narrator in Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five operates similarly; Billy Pilgrim becomes unstuck in time, and we, through him, have quite the time figuring out the real timeline. I find another echo of this in Wallace Stevens' poem Metaphors of a Magnifico: Twenty men crossing a bridge into a village, ... . Talking about our reading is about memory and making connections between our memories, the author's memories, other authors' memories, the viewers' memories. Enjoying your channel. Thank you.

Great list. I recently acquired the NYRB paperback of Swann’s Way, as well as OWC Faust 1 & 2.

Literaturstudium wäre mein Traum! 💚 freu mich, dass ich deinen Kanal gefunden habe und dich auf diesem Weg begleiten zu dürfen! Schönes, entspanntes Video. 🌸

I love your video, voice and content. I wished I could drop a hit of LSD while reading Dostoevesky. I can only imagine

The camera getting in and out of focus is a little disturbing, but to be honest your voice and words have no need for petty details like lense alignment. By the way, I'm living in France myself, and À la recherche du Temps Perdu is available second hand in most book stores pretty cheap !

I used to find reading anything other than graphic novels very difficult. It wasn't until recently that I realized I was going about it all wrong. Most books I struggled to read in the past I just wasn't very interested in to begin with. It was after having this epiphany that I decided to take up literature again and I've been absolutely devouring book after book now. The ones that helped to shift my perspective include How To Rap by Paul Edwards, Be Water, My Friend by Shannon Lee, A ClockWork Orange by Anthony Burgess, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey, and The Book On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are by Alan Watts. If you're someone who struggles to read, I implore you to consider trying again. Pick one of your favourite interests (be it sports, movies, music, science, art, etc), and find a paperback on that. You'd be surprised how effective this one correction can be to help you read again. And if you just don't have the patience or suffer from a disability, there are plenty of audio books to choose from as well

Very engaging stories of a great love of literature, thank you.

Thank you for sharing your love of Books. Your Channel is wonderful. I just discovered it Yesterday. I suscribed and I will go and watch all of your vidéos. You have such a soft calming voice. I love listening to you. ❤

I loved listening to you. It was almost therapeutic. I too enjoy and love literature. I have been meaning to read 'Faust' for a long time. And curious to try 'In Search of Lost Time'. I loved the Shakespeare sonnet that you read - I had not heard of it before. I know you will find 'Hamlet' incredible. It is my favourite Shakespeare play. One recommendation from me: 'The Scarlet and the Black" by Stendhal - French. It really absorbed me. Best wishes as you set out on your Literary voyage. 😊❤

David Lodge's "Small World"

I loved this video. I loved your commentary and stories.

i am excited to have found this channel, i am interested in everything you listed, and your story about how you got Goethe`s Faust was so funny!!

Thank you for these recommendations! you're so lovely, best of luck in your new career! i read the pledge for Dürrenmatt and really loved it!

@20:00 you mention Shakespeare and "Strange Loops"... Are you familiar with Prof Douglas Hofstadter's book Gödel Escher Bach. He uses the term "strange loop" as well. Im curious if you know where it originates. I thought it was with Hofstadter but the way you used it suggests to me that it may be more prevalent in the culture than i am aware... What are you referencing when you say that?

5:45 "Yes, I do" 😍

Love your channel Maria, love to see that you keep posting videos about things you love! Thanks for doing that, I enjoy watching them. :)

In a world where a lot of people don’t pursue their curiosity or passion, I’m always inspired by people who just decide to do it. Good for you! Enjoy the journey!

Your videos are so peaceful... And motivate me to study...

Lovely content, soothing voice! But @18:05, don't you dare to quit in the middle of a Shakespeare's sonnet! That may bring calamity and sundry curses, milady! 😂

I am Frysian too! So glad I found you 😊

Thank you for the book recommendations, a fantastic video and good luck with starting your studies💕

Hi Maria, thank for your great work. Your video are really amusing. I feel relaxed and joy while listening and I crave it to get more talks. One thing i want to ask you is that, what is the secret of your articulation and ability to talk details about something in such a way you catch the attention of the people. give us some tips and experiences that you have. thanks

Loved your relaxing approach: you seem to have all the time in the world. Have you thought of doing Best books of Eurpean literature? I'd love that. 😊