Slowness
Milan Kundera (1995)
Through his portrayal of two tales of seduction
separated by more than 200 years, Kundera links
“slowness” with memory, and hence encourages us
to reduce the pace of our lives in order to truly live
our lives and appreciate them. The following quote
captures the inherent beauty of this novel:
“The man hunched over his motorcycle can
focus only on the present instant of his flight; he
is caught in a fragment of time cut off from both
the past and the future; he is wrenched from the
continuity of time... in other words, he is in a state
of ecstasy; in that state he is unaware of his age,
his wife, his children, his worries, and he has no
fear, because the source of fear is in the future,
and a person freed of the future has nothing to
fear.”
Guns, Germs & Steel
Jared Diamond (1997)
Through Guns, Germs and Steel Diamond
attempts to explain just why it is that some
civilizations have survived, and succeeded in
conquering others. He argues against the idea
that any domination is due to forms of intellectual,
moral or inherent genetic superiority, but is due
rather to geographic differences such as prime
agricultural land, and genetic differences such
as the development of resistance to endemic
diseases. All in all, it is a global account of the rise
of civilization and provides an explanation for the
development of humans across the globe.
Heart of Darkness
Joseph Conrad (1899)
A reading of Heart of Darkness is essential
to understanding the depth and complexity
associated with colonialism and imperialism on the
African continent. The story of Charles Marlow’s
journey as an ivory transporter down the Congo
River is in part an exploration of the definition of a
”civilized” man versus a “barbarian”. Conrad paints
an intrinsically harsh picture of colonialism and
justifications for it. However, Marlow’s objectification
of Africans within the novel is cause for concern
and reveals the imbedded nature of racism.
One Hundred Years of
Solitude
Gabriel Garcia-Marquez (1967)
This reverential and comical novel tells the
story of the rise and fall of Macondo through
the multi-generational history of the Buendía
family. It is a vivid and brilliant account of life
and death exposing the variety of human
experience. Garcia-Marquez effortlessly weaves
the personal with the political, and the amazing
family at the centre of the tale provides an
allegory for the history of the human race. The
skill of this author lies in the deep impression his
characters have upon our lives and the intense
sadness we feel when we reach the end.
Jitterbug Pefume
Tom Robbins (1984)
If you choose to read only one book out of
this list, pick this one. You either “get it” or you
don’t. If you’re not hooked within the first few
chapters, move on – this book is not for you.
The Little Prince
Antoine de Saint-Éxupery (1943)
If your parents didn’t read this book to you as
a child, you have been done a great injustice.
This poetic tale, although arguably only a
children’s book, makes several profound
observations about life as a whole and about
human nature at its simplest. A young prince
from another world falls to earth and meets a
pilot stranded in the desert. While the plot is
simple, the novel exposes the narrow-minded
perspective we come to adopt as adults, and
the inherent open-mindedness of children
which is ultimately invaluable to everyday life.
Similarly, this book teaches that enlightenment
can be gained from exploration and a key
sense of curiousity.
Zen and the Art of
Motorcycle Maintenance
Robert Persig (1974)
Quality and small things matter. Summed up in
the following line from the novel: “Sometimes it’s
a little better to travel than to arrive.”
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