Bookworms January 2024 list: why do we read fiction?

When I was 17 years old, I met a friend at highschool that was a bookworm like myself, so we naturally gravitated towards each other and started discussing literature. After a while, he surprises me with the revelation that he never read fiction, because he meant that only non-fiction teaches something, while fiction is just for entertainment and time-passing.

This month's list is a late reply to this claim. For one of my present book club meetings, I chose five titles that, in my eyes, are five absolute masterpieces of fiction literature, because of their originality and thought provoking content, mastery and artistic use of the written language, and width in geographical and historical context. They both entertain, teach you and make you wonder.    

So, here is the list:

1. Das Parfum: Die Geschichte eines Mörders [Perfume - The Story of a Murderer] (Patrick Süskind, Germany, 1985)

    - This is, until now, the best debut novel from an author I have ever read. Superbly well written, it is a blend of sexuality, sensuality and sensoriality. It follows the life of Jean-Batiste Grenouille, a serial killer, in 1700's France. The writer uses one (usually forgotten) sensorial modality as the guiding thread through the story: the nose. Adapted to the big screen in 2006, with Ben Whishaw, Dustin Hoffman and Alan Rickman in the main roles. This novel is now chosen as recommended highschool reading in Germany.  

2. Il Nome della Rosa [The Name of the Rose] (Umberto Eco, Italy, 1980)

    - The perfect novel. Competing with the previous title as one of the best debut novels I read, this thriller/crime/philosophy lecture/historical novel chronicles a murder mistery in a 14th century medieval monastery in northern Italy. With 50 million copies sold worldwide and inclusion on the list of Le Monde's 100 books of the century, this book challenges the minds of the readers in a medieval crime puzzle, where the importance of literature and the written word is set on focus. Also made into a famous movie, maybe Sean Connery's best career performance.  

3. Un viejo que leía novelas de amor [The old man that reads love stories] (Luís Sepúlveda, Chile, 1989)

    - One of the best short novels I have ever read. This is a short read (it can be read in one go in two or three hours), it comprises many different conflicts (man vs nature, progress vs tradition, material richness vs poverty, etc) in a very concise and thought provoking book. The language used is poetic and brutal(ly honest), the end result is touching and beautiful. A subtle essay on ecology, class society, colonialism, existentialism and poverty, both material and intellectual. Also an homage to south american fiction literature, which is often overlooked in the western literary world. Adapted to the movie theatres in 2001.  

4. O evangelho segundo Jesus Cristo [The Gospel according to Jesus Christ] (José Saramago, Portugal, 1991)

    - A (blasphemous) fictional first-hand account of the life of Jesus, covering the blind-spot of the canonical new testament gospels: Jesus youth. (Nobel prize winner) Saramago is a master of irony and satire, an atheist anarcho-comunist known for his (sarcastic) sharp mind. From very humble origins, this self-taught journalist and writer transgresses the basic rules of punctuation by applying a literal stream of consciousness writing style, where single sentences can last for several pages and characters speech intermingle. A challenge, but it will certainly make you think. An existentialist masterpiece, about religion, free will and societal expectation.   

5. λυσιστράτη [Lysistrata] (Aristophanes, polis Athena, 411 BC)

    - The only theater play on this list, from the founder of comedy in western literature. Lysistrata is an athenian woman fed-up with the long-lasting military conflict between Athens and Sparta. She decides to take matters in her own hands and gathers the women of Athens in the Acropolis. Here she tells them of her plan to end the war. (Very) vulgar, but witty, thought-provoking, unfortunately still applicable to our times, 2400 years after its debut. A reflection about gender-roles, pacifism and (the advantages and limitations of) democracy. For an (entertaining) introduction to the works of Aristophanes (with a bit of spoilers), see here.  

No matter which one of the books the book club decides to choose, I recommend reading all of these five works, because they are all world literature canon.