Tags
Albert Camus, art, becoming smarter, books, Camus, David Lynch, favorite book, Franz Kafka, hell is other people, James Joyce, Jean Paul Sartre, Kafka, literature, Metamorphoses, microcosm, No Exit, quotes, random, reading, Salvador Dali, Sartre, surreal, surrealism, The Plague, Ulysses
I love to read and I always have a book on my bedside table, handbag or in my hand. Unlike many avid readers I don’t indulge in more than one book at a time and I always finish any story I have started, the one exception is James Joyce’s “Ulysses“. But anyone who has tried or even succeeded at reading this universal masterpiece will, I believe, concede that it is not that easy to get into let alone understand. However it is on my bucket list and one day I will read it from start to finish, like it or not.
I rarely read a book more than once as I have a good memory and find I get easily bored when I know how the story ends, and since there are more books in the world than I will ever be able to read I think it is a good investment of my time to read as many new books as possible. I average at a book a week but there was a time when every two or three days I would be in the book store, buying fodder for my passion.
I was 18 or 19 when I discovered Albert Camus, Franz Kafka and Jean Paul Sartre and fell in love. I devoured their books and developed a readers-crush on Sartre literally gorged on everything he had written, even got my boyfriend infected. My favorite book of his was and is “No Exit” , a surreal tale about death and the source of the famous and often overused quote “Hell is other people”. But Camus’s “The Plague” was another firm favourite as was Kafka’s “Metamorphoses”. I loved the way these writers and thinkers didn’t stick to the rules of this world and created new ones that applied to the microcosm and universes they imagined, even if they were a little disturbing.
Now, I know that reading is meant to be good for you, helps you practices your imagination, increases your vocabulary and communication skills but I was surprised to recently read that surreal stories could help you become smarter. I stumbled upon an old article from 2009 saying that because our mind wants to understand how things work, tries to find the logic and structure in our environment that reading surreal tales challenges our brains. By forcing the cognitive mechanisms in our brains to search for patterns and try to understand what does not make sense we tap into our creative potential and enhance our learning ability. But not only reading these surreal tales does this, watching David Lynch films or looking at Salvador Dali’s art can have the same effect.
I am not sure if dipping into the world of surrealism has really made me smarter but I do think that by reading about unexplainable worlds, I look out for the unusual, quirky and a little weird. Finding happiness in those moments that are not the norm and loving those truly wacky experiences.
I believe that Kafka said it best:
Many a book is like a key to unknown chambers within the castle of one’s own self.
Hawkruh said:
If you’ve given up on reading “Ulysses”, take an evening and watch the movie “Oh Brother, Where Are Thou?” It stars George Clooney … it is one of my favorite movies and is loosely based on Ulysses. Check it out!
jensine said:
Oh I’ve seen the movie, but it’s not the same and I think my difficulty lies in very small print and the stream of words
Hawkruh said:
Understandable …. streams of words lose me too.
jensine said:
🙂 yes I sometimes just drowned
circlesunderstreetlights said:
La Peste / The Plague by Camus is on my to-read list – I’m lucky in the sense that I can read it twice to see which version I prefer. I bought my Dad the English copy and he wasn’t a fan but I’ve heard good things from everywhere else…
I can well imagine surrealist writing would make you smarter. It pushes you to think and construct images with your mind rather than laying everything out for you.
You’ve tempted me to try Kafka!
x
jensine said:
oh do … and I loved loved the Plague, Kafka isn’t as beautiful in his writing but paints a much harsher picture but in a way his topics suit that style and I enjoyed reading hi … now Sartre, in my books ayway, I adore
jotsfromasmallapt said:
Well done, J. I find the same visceral experience you derive from imaginative reading…when looking at surrealist or expressionistic art…
(Meet at the corner cafe…3ish…coffee and eccles cakes…my treat!)
jensine said:
oohhh cake i the afternoon is some true delight
riatarded said:
Kafka does say it best 😉
elliebloo said:
We share the same passion. I agree, reading is well worthy of our time.
jensine said:
🙂
newsofthetimes said:
Ooh, great quote! I wish I could read that quickly. I need to make more time for books – I love them so much but they frequently only get about 15-20 minutes before bed.
jensine said:
well I do most of my reading in bed .. but the there are buses etc and I grab a few minutes here and there, and I don’t sleep that much 🙂
newsofthetimes said:
Ahhh…I see. Sleeping is my downfall! 🙂 Need to work on that…
jensine said:
well I have been lazy this week, so maybe sleeping is only one side of not getting things done … oopss
retrocharmstar said:
I’m almost ashamed to admit that even though I studied Latin & Greek language and culture for about 7 years I have yet to read this book. I’ll add it to my list. Thanks!
jensine said:
you are welcome … but I bet you have read hundreds that I haven’t 🙂
girl in the hat said:
I own a copy of Finnegan’s Wake as a joke.
I remember a wonderful picture of Marilyn Monroe reading Ulysses. Great shot.
Kafka rocks.
jensine said:
Finnegan’s Wake is good, Dubliners better … and MM was underestimated
Lisa at fLVE said:
I read Kafka in college but it’s been so long that I need to reread it. Great posts and blog. 🙂
jensine said:
thanks so much, glad you enjoyed
Captain Sweatpants said:
I don’t think I could live without having at least one book on the go. But I have to confess I’ve never really tried Kafka, but you may have just convinced me to give him a go…
jensine said:
oh do … or Sartre … love him s much but only as an author, think he was a bit of a pig of a man
realityinprogress said:
I never finished Ulysses either but reading your post just now makes me want to give it another try. And I looove Dali!
jensine said:
yes one day we will all read Ulysses and feel really clever
Fototype said:
The Burrow, and Mouse Folk are two of my favourite works; I love the strange, tense worlds Kafka created.
jensine said:
I read them in German and am not sure what their titles are but as I have read most of his work I bet I enjoyed them too … and yes the way Kafka pulls at the impossible till it unravels is a joy to read