Woah. Just like that, we are already in the sixth month of the year. How time flies. The last five months felt like it zoomed past us. Nevertheless, I hope that the first five months of the year have been good for and kind to everyone. I hope everyone is doing well, in mind, body, and spirit. Reading-wise, the first five months of the year have been very prolific. I have already read about fifty-four books, way ahead of my initial goal of 80 books. Because signs point to another 100-book year, I recalibrated my Goodreads goal to 100 books. I just hope that I sustain the momentum I gained in the past two years.

For May, I drew my focus on works of European literature; this was after I spent two months reading exclusively the works of female writers, a journey that filled me with wonder and excitement. Meanwhile, European literature has been a fixture of my annual reading journey. There is just too much ground to cover. I held a brief European literature reading month last year to cover books on my reading challenges. I had the same goal this year although I focused on the works of Nobel Laureates in Literature, particularly at the start of May. I have already actually started this journey toward the end of April when I read consecutively three works of European Nobel Laureates in Literature: Doris Lessing, Herta Müller, and Annie Ernaux.

I carried this momentum over into a new reading month. Like in the case of women’s literature, reading the works of European writers – I switched to non-Nobel laureates toward the end of the month – filled me with anticipation. The journey reoriented me with writers I am already familiar with but whose oeuvre I haven’t explored in years like in the case of Hermann Hesse and Halldór Laxness. It also introduced me to writers like Knut Hamsun, Patrick Modiano, and Imre Kertész whose oeuvres I haven’t explored previously. Anyway, here is a look back to how my May reading journey shaped up. Happy reading!

Narcissus and Goldmund by Hermann Hesse

When I resolved to read the works of European Nobel Laureates in Literature, one of the names that immediately came to me was Hermann Hesse, a writer I first encountered through must-read lists. I liked the German 1946 laureate’s novels Siddhartha and Demian. However, it has been nearly five years since I read Demian; the time is ripe to revisit his body of work. It was for this reason that I included Narcissus and Goldmund in my ongoing foray into the works of European Nobel Laureates in Literature. Set in medieval Germany, Narcissus and Goldmund was originally published in 1930. The novel charted the fortunes of a young man, the titular Goldmund whose father sent him to a monastery called Mariabronn in the German countryside. He wanted to become a monk to atone for his mother’s sin. Narcissus, on the other hand, was the youngest teacher in the monastery. Despite being polar opposites, the two young men became friends. Narcissus helped unlock Goldmund’s memories and made him see a different perspective. Goldmund then left the monastery and set out on a journey to explore the world. This journey roused Goldmund’s passion, prompting him to emulate his mother’s storied life. The novel reminded me of Demian and Siddhartha. All three books involve two men who are polar opposites. One was a catalyst and one was unsure of who he was but a journey altered his perspective. Narcissus and Goldmund reminded me of everything good about Hesse’s oeuvre.

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Paris Nocturne by Patrick Modiano

Before this year, I had never explored the works of Patrick Modiano who I only encountered through the list of awardees of the Nobel Prize in Literature. The French novelist was the 2014 laureate. Since learning of him, I obtained two of his works, one of which was part of my 2024 Beat the Backlist Challenge. However, I mistook Paris Nocturne for The Black Notebook the book in the aforementioned challenge. Oh well. Still, I have no regrets about this one as it allowed me to explore a new world. Paris Nocturne was narrated by an unnamed man. While out on a walk, he was side-swept by a passing car. His injuries were superficial but he was rushed to the hospital by the car’s driver; he learned her name Jacqueline Beausergent, while waiting to be treated. The mysterious woman and her companion, however, were no longer there when he woke up. To compensate for his injury, they left money as compensation. However, the memories of the woman lingered. What ensued was a journey to find Jacqueline. Jacqueline, we learn, reminds the unnamed narrator of a woman who looked after him in his childhood. Thus commenced the narrator’s nocturnal meandering. The novel was moody and atmospheric and a sense of nostalgia hovered above it. The atmosphere reminded me a bit of Kazuo Ishiguro’s An Artist of the Floating World. The book was rather slender and a quick read. However, I was hoping it was longer. Nevertheless, it was an interesting literary experience.

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World Light by Halldór Laxness

Exploring the works of Nobel Laureates in Literature allowed me to venture into worlds I had not expected to find myself and introduced me to writers I would not ordinarily encounter like Icelandic writer Halldór Kiljan Laxness, the 1955 Nobel laureate. After encountering him through online booksellers, my curiosity was piqued. I obtained a copy of two of his works; I read Independent People in 2020 and with World Light, I was hoping to expand my appreciation of his oeuvre. Originally published in 1969, the heart of World Light was Olafur Kárason, an orphan raised by a foster family. An outsider, he was bullied by the sons of his foster home while his foster parents treated him like a slave. The daughter, Magnina, sympathizes with him but also mocks him. It did not help Olafur’s case that he was also sickly. He found reprieve in poetry and literature. It was no surprise when, as an adult, Olafur pursued being a folk poet. Unfortunately, his works were deemed unsatisfactory. But Olafur was determined to become a great poet. In a way, World Light is a book about books that featured several Icelandic poets and writers. Another key element of the story, albeit subtly woven into its lush tapestry, was political discourses which reminded me of Independent People in its probe of Iceland’s socio-economic concerns. World Light is also verbose and reading it entails focus. Overall, World Light was another complex but insightful read that reeled me in from the onset.

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Hunger by Knut Hamsun

Apart from Laxness, another writer introduced to me by the Nobel Prize in Literature is Knut Hamsun, the recipient of the most prestigious literary prize in 1920. The Norwegian writer boasts a career that spanned seven decades and an oeuvre that includes a plethora of literary genres such as novels, short stories, plays, essays, and even a travelogue. All of these made me look forward to reading his works. I am kicking it off with one of his most renowned works, Hunger. Originally published in 1890 in Norwegian as Sult, Hunger is widely recognized as Hamsun’s first major literary work. It is set in Kristiania (present-day Oslo) in 1880 and charts the fortunes of an unnamed vagrant. Narrating the story from his perspective, he was wandering around the streets of Kristiania in pursuit of food. He, however, was no ordinary vagrant. He has intellectual and artistic inclinations but he struggles to write the perfect stories and essays. He also tends to give his money and clothes to children and vagrants in need. His friends shunned him believing he would only beg them for money. In this state of hunger, the unnamed man navigates the streets of Kristiania where he encounters an eclectic cast of characters. Despite the inequities he experienced and witnessed, he did not blame society. Rather, he blamed a divine being for his misfortunes. Hunger, at its heart, captures the struggles of a man with artistic inclinations but who also refuses to conform to the mainstream.

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The Good Terrorist by Doris Lessing

It has been some time since I first encountered Doris Lessing; for the longest time, I wanted to read her novel The Golden Notebook. However, it was only this year that I finally got a head start on her works. In April, I read her debut novel, The Grass is Singing. It was a slender piece but it provided glimpses into her works. I decided to read The Good Terrorist after I realized how there is very few female Nobel laureates there are. Further, I was hoping to expand my understanding of Lessing’s works. The titular good terrorist is Alice Mellings. A politics and economics graduate, Alice became a drifter in her mid-thirties, hopping from one commune to another, bereft of any ambition or personal goals. Nevertheless, she saw herself as a revolutionary who resisted fascist imperialism. While drifting, she came across a group of like-minded communists in a derelict London house; it was earmarked by the City Council for demolition. Nevertheless, Alice took it upon herself to renovate the house while her fellow occupants – they referred to themselves as Freeborn British Communists – were actively participating in demonstrations and pickets. It was no surprise that the novel brimmed with political discourse; the IRA and even the KGB were referenced in the story. It is also of note that the book was written in light of the 1983 bombing of the Harrods department store by the IRA. Overall, it was an interesting read with the dichotomies in Alice’s personality and demeanors providing it a compelling texture.

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Buddenbrooks by Thomas Mann

My first encounter with German writer and 1929 laureate Thomas Mann was his novel, The Magic Mountain. It was when I had a little inkling about the Nobel Prize in Literature. However, it would take me nearly a decade to finally explore his oeuvre; The Magic Mountain was part of my 2023 reading journey and was also the 1,100th novel I read. This takes me to Buddenbrooks, his critically acclaimed debut novel that earned him the Swedish Academy’s nod. Originally published in 1901, Buddenbrooks is a family saga charting the fortunes of the titular Buddenbrooks family. Their story commences in 1835 when they moved to a new home in Lübeck in north Germany following the success of their trading firm, helmed by the patriarch Johann Buddenbrook Senior. The opening pages of the novel introduce other members of the family such as Antoinette, the matriarch; Johann Junior (Jean), the heir apparent, his wife Elizabeth and their children Antonie (Tony), Thomas (Tom), and Christian. Over the following decades, the novel follows their rise and fall, exposing even the skeletons in their closets. Palpably, familial dynamics were at the fore of the story with the conflict between personal desire and family duties a major theme. Meanwhile, the backdrop vividly captured the changes seizing 19th-century Germany. While Mann preferred to be recognized by the Swedish Academy for The Magic Mountain, Buddenbrooks is certainly a literary feat that reels readers in. And yes, the family was inspired by Mann’s own.

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Detective Story by Imre Kertész

From Germany, my foray into the works of European Nobel Laureates in literature next took me to Hungary. Recognized by the Swedish Academy in 2002 “for writing that upholds the fragile experience of the individual against the barbaric arbitrariness of history,” Imre Kertész was the first Hungarian writer to receive the recognition. With his novel, Detective Story, Kertész is a welcome addition to a growing list of Hungarian writers whose oeuvre I have explored. Interestingly, Detective Story was set in an unnamed Latin American country. This did not preclude Kertész from exploring a familiar subject in his literary landscape: the legacy of authoritarianism. The titular detective was Antonio Rojas Martens, a former interrogator for the secret police. Following the overthrow of the authoritarian regime, he was promptly arrested. He then narrates his story while awaiting trial for multiple counts of murder. The novel takes the form of a confession, charting his rise from “honest flatfoot” to ingenuous “new boy.” His story focused on his monitoring of the activities of Federigo Salinas, a prosperous liberal department store owner, and his son Enrique, a university student yearning to join his country’s radical liberal underground. Alternating with Martens’ account were sections of Enrique’s personal journals Martens forcefully acquired. The book had its strengths and sustained my interest, somehow. However, I feel like it was a little constrained. Something was lacking which would have made everything fall into place.

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The Black Notebook by Patrick Modiano

After a slight bleep, I finally was able to get it right. As I have mentioned, I have listed French writer and Nobel laureate Patrick Modiano’s The Black Notebook on my 2024 Beat the Backlist Challenge List. Regardless, I have no qualms about reading Paris Nocturne. Patrick Modiano, the recipient of the prestigious literary award in 2014 was cited “for the art of memory with which he has evoked the most ungraspable human destinies and uncovered the life-world of the occupation.” In a way, The Black Notebook shares similar characteristics with Paris Nocturne, at least where the nostalgia-laden atmosphere is concerned. Both books also underlined the quality of Modiano’s prose that the Swedish Academy lauded. The Black Notebook opened with a man who went out for a walk. However, this man – who we eventually learn was named Jean – was not walking alone as he was accompanied by his memories of the past. It was 1960s Paris where Jean was still in his youth. He met several characters who he listed in the titular black notebook; he also took note of their conversations. Amongst those he encountered, one character in particular stood out. When he first met her, Dannie was shrouded in a veil of mystery. She was involved with members of the “Montparnasse gang.” When their paths first crossed, Jean was in his “age of encounters.” Jean’s nocturnal meanderings reminded me of Paris Nocturne. The Black Notebook had a slim plot, if at all. However, the atmosphere and the mood that Modiano creates draw readers in.

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The Cave by José Saramago

After nearly a month, I wrapped up my foray into the works of European Nobel Laureates in Literature with José Saramago’s The Cave. I was planning to read a different Saramago novel, Blindness but unfortunately, I was unable to obtain a copy of the book so I settled with the only other Saramago book I have on hand. After The Double and Raised From the Ground, The Cave is my third novel by the Portuguese writer. Originally published in 2000 in Portuguese as A caverna, The Cave is the first novel Saramago published after he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1998. The novel is the story of the trio of Cipriano Algor, his daughter Marta, and his son-in-law Marçal. In his mid-sixties, Cipriano was a professional but freelance potter living in the Portuguese countryside; his daughter assisted him. He sold his products to the Center, literally the center of commerce. His son-in-law works for the Center as a security guard. The Center, a large complex in an anonymous city, is a powerful force as it dictates which products will sell and which will not. It can unilaterally cancel any order like in the case of Cipriano. Meanwhile, Marçal was about to earn a promotion as a residential guard. This will grant him a flat at the center which can house the trio. This means that Cipriano must move to the city and leave his countryside home and profession. In a way, the novel was a scathing commentary about capitalism, making The Cave yet another compelling read from Saramago.

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White Teeth by Zadie Smith

With no more works of European Nobel Laureates in Literature, I finally turned my focus to other works of European writers. I commenced this with Zadie Smith’s White Teeth. It was through must-read lists that I first encountered the British writer. However, it has been a while since I read my first novel by Smith; I was not a fan of On Beauty which I read back in 2019. Despite this forgettable first encounter, I was willing to give her oeuvre a chance. This opportunity came five years later with White Teeth which I just learned recently was her debut novel. The heart of the novel is the Bangladeshi Samad Miah Iqbal and the Englishman Alfred Archibald “Archie” Jones and their families. Archie and Samad shared the same fate of having served in a British Army tank battalion during the Second World War. While fighting in Bulgaria, they forged an unlikely friendship. The story then slowly crawled into the future, introducing the two characters’ families and their individual stories; their families are intertwined. In a way, White Teeth shares similarities with On Beauty. Both charted the fortunes of two families and their unlikely fates have intertwined. Both also had a very intellectual approach to storytelling. Despite this, I liked White Teeth better. There is just something about White Teeth that reeled me in. It covers a lot of seminal subjects such as racism, the patriarchy, and even feminism. The motley crew of interesting characters also kept me tuned in. Overall, White Teeth is a satisfying read.

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Reading Challenge Recaps
  1. My 2024 Top 24 Reading List: 10/24
  2. 2024Beat The Backlist: 6/20; 52/60
  3. 2024 Books I Look Forward To List: 2/10
  4. Goodreads 2024 Reading Challenge: 54/100*
  5. 1,001 Books You Must Read Before You Die: 7/20
  6. New Books Challenge: 2/15
  7. Translated Literature: 20/40

*Updated my Goodreads goal from 80 to 100.

Book Reviews Published in May
  1. Book Review # 509: Brooklyn
  2. Book Review # 510: Orlando: A Biography
  3. Book Review # 511: Life, the Universe and Everything
  4. Book Review # 512: The Siege of Krishnapur
  5. Book Review # 513: The Casual Vacancy
  6. Book Review # 514: The Sense of an Ending

A flurry of activities in May has kept me away from my desk. For one, I climbed Mt. Apo, the highest mountain in the Philippines. We also had our yearly company outing. As such, I didn’t have a very productive writing month. I guess this was a momentum carried over from April. Things slowed down because I was idle most of the time due to the oppressive summer heat. Despite this, I am glad I was able to find time and complete six book reviews, well below my target of ten book reviews. Regardless, six is still a decent number. I was also able to make a dent in my 2023 pending book reviews. I now have just five pending reviews from March 2023. I still have a lot of catching up to do but I am glad with my progress. If only I can keep this momentum going. I am crossing my fingers that I get to complete all of my March 2023 pending reviews this June. However, my mantra is still to take it one step at a time.

June outlook. For the sixth month of the year, I will still be focusing on the works of European writers. I have quite a lot of books in my ongoing reading challenges belonging to this vast part of the literary world. I was able to make steady progress in May but I am hoping I get to explore more of Europe through these books. I am currently reading my third novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky, Devils; the last time I found myself in his territory was back in 2018. On top of this, I am also looking at reading Dostoevsky’s Poor People which is also a part of my 2024 Beat the Backlist Challenge.

Other books I have lined up this June include George Eliot’s Adam Bede, Alexandre Dumas’ The Three Musketeers, Péter Nádas’ A Book of Memories, László Krasznahorkai’s Baron Wenckheim’s Homecoming, Karl Ove Knausgård’s The Wolves of Eternity, and Fredrik Backman’s Beartown. All of these books are part of my 2024 Top 24 Reading List. From the looks of it, I have quite a challenge before me for these books are all thick. Regardless, I am looking forward to this challenge. I can’t also wait to immerse myself into this eclectic mix of literary classics and contemporary literature.

How about you fellow reader? How is your own reading journey going? I hope you enjoyed the books you have read. For now, have a great day. As always, do keep safe, and happy reading everyone!