A book that has changed your life
I'm almost convinced that a persons moment is defined by the book that struck him or her at one particular point of his or her life. When I was younger (I'm in my thirties now) I used to read Herman Hesse with great passion and now, in spite of being an excellent writer, I think he's one of those authors who are to be read at a certain period of your life.
What book has changed your life and why?
Re: A book that has changed your life
I´ve heard about The Life of Pi, I would like to put my hands on it. The books that have changed my life so far are those by Ucranian Brazilian resident Clarice Lispector, I know for sure they have been translated in many languagens and recently in Spanish Argentina> trying to translate the titles here . One apprenticeship or The book of pleasures or joys, A life breath, The apple in the dark...
Saludos a todos!
Re: A book that has changed your life
I am a reader of Salinger. The Catcher in the Rye follows me forever; and I was just delighted with Franny and Zoe.
I'll never forget Phoebe and her role in the story, though. I guess people should build one little Phoebe inside. For life!
Saludos,
Eliana
Re: A book that has changed your life
This may sound funny but Cujo by Stephen King changed my life. I read that book at a very young age and it captivated me in way, that no fictional novel to this day has done. It was my first and is my favorite Stephen King novel.
Re: A book that has changed your life
Maria Laura, two very good books and movies! Have you seen/read Pride and Prejudice? Another one to enjoy...:)
Re: A book that has changed your life
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Ecuanime
This may sound funny but Cujo by Stephen King changed my life. I read that book at a very young age and it captivated me in way, that no fictional novel to this day has done. It was my first and is my favorite Stephen King novel.
For me it was the movie Jaws. Being from Hawaii we spent a lot of time at the beaches. I had no fear of the water until I saw that movie! Afterwards and even now I am mindful of going too far out. I am always within running distance of escaping should I see Jaws!!!
Re: A book that has changed your life
For me it was Rayuela (Hopscotch) by Julio Cortazar. If you haven't read it, I recommed you to do it!
Re: A book that has changed your life
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
I was very impressed!
Re: A book that has changed your life
Quote:
Originally Posted by
barbyeary
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
I was very impressed!
I really loved that book! I think that Charlie's character, and the way this book is written, help us to understand and feel the conflict between the being, the wish of being and the lost, and how the lost of that "thing that made us special" can affect our way to see and experience the world.
Many books changed my life: Memoirs of a Geisha, The little prince, Oscar Wilde's anthology (Oscar Wilde ♥)
What kind of books do you like @barbyeary?
Re: A book that has changed your life
In my case, it was an author, Oscar Wilde.
I absolutely love his stories and how he uses language to mock the British society of the time.
He made such an impact on me that - long story short - I'm an English translator now :)
Re: A book that has changed your life
Quote:
Originally Posted by
agustinab
In my case, it was an author, Oscar Wilde.
I absolutely love his stories and how he uses language to mock the British society of the time.
He made such an impact on me that - long story short - I'm an English translator now :)
I completely agree with you, Wilde's stories are marvelous. And his life! My heart breaks in two each time I think of him and Bosie (Bosie hater here!)
Re: A book that has changed your life
Quote:
Originally Posted by
AnabellaG
I completely agree with you, Wilde's stories are marvelous. And his life! My heart breaks in two each time I think of him and Bosie (Bosie hater here!)
I read different genres of books. I love all books by Remarque.
My favorite books:
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
Three Comrades by Erich Maria Remarque
The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
The Minds of Billy Milligan by Daniel Keyes
The list goes on and on)
Re: A book that has changed your life
The book that changed my life was definitely 1984.
I read it when I was camping in a lonely beach in Patagonia. And I didn't want to come back to the big city after that. Too much people watching me, LOL
Re: A book that has changed your life
I can also add "Gulliver's Travels"
I't's an acid satire of society barely known as an innocent book for boys.
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Re: A book that has changed your life
Absolutely had a tectonic shift in my teen years with Demian by Hermann Hesse. (Just like the starter of this POST)
Quote:
I'm almost convinced that a persons moment is defined by the book that struck him or her at one particular point of his or her life. When I was younger (I'm in my thirties now) I used to read Herman Hesse with great passion and now, in spite of being an excellent writer, I think he's one of those authors who are to be read at a certain period of your life.
What book has changed your life and why?
Going back to the book, it helped me understand the change that has to be made, the subtle shifts in boy-girl dinamics, and the relationships that were and about to be.
http://www.english-spanish-translato...r-life-29a.jpg
Re-reading it now seems like a lifetime of growing up has been done, some chapters are not as interesting as they were back then.
It's not as timeless as "The Little Prince"[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry] or "Being There"[Jerzi Kosiński] but it's just like the theme of the post states, a book that made a Before and After.
Re: A book that has changed your life
I'm with Agustina and Santiago here.
1984 blew my mind and it's still eerily relevant today.
And Oscar Wilde was simply incredible with his satire of British society and Victorian values. "The Importance of Being Earnest" is lough-out-loud fun, "The Picture of Dorian Gray" is decadent and daring, and "De profundis" will make you think what in the world happened to Oscar's head to end up writing such a thing.
Re: A book that has changed your life
"Lettres Persanes", Montesquieu.
For any traveller, this is the book you want to have. One of the first "travelling novels" written by one of the greatest philosopher. This book had a huge impact on the first "backpackers" who were crossing Europe by land, to get to India. If you like to share and discover new culture, you'll probably love it.
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I couldn't agree with you more, francot!
Re: A book that has changed your life
Quote:
Originally Posted by
francot
I'm with Agustina and Santiago here.
1984 blew my mind and it's still eerily relevant today.
And Oscar Wilde was simply incredible with his satire of British society and Victorian values. "The Importance of Being Earnest" is lough-out-loud fun, "The Picture of Dorian Gray" is decadent and daring, and "De profundis" will make you think what in the world happened to Oscar's head to end up writing such a thing.
I've discovered Wilde when I was a child and a copy of "The Canterville Ghost" fell into my hands. I couldn't ever imagine that it would be the start of an endless romance. Even short stories like "The happy prince" are beautiful, rich and deep.