Reading ...

Coping with never-ending "must-read" lists

Like many readers, my tastes in books are eclectic. Depending on my mood, I may lose myself in mysteries or historical novels, as well as try to keep up with the new hot writers who have caught the attention of well-known book reviewers.

Recently, I decided to read a few books on my long overdue must-read list. This included finally reading such classic literary fiction as Mann’s Der Zauberberg in German and the English translation, The Magic Mountain; Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina and War and Peace, Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment, and Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita in translation.

My personal library is full of books I bought but didn’t finish reading for whatever reason or get around to reading at all. I’ve now decided to clear the decks, so to speak. My wife and I regularly take out books from our local library , but my home library calls more urgently and take priority, especially my many books in German. Two books I began, but never finished are Elias Canetti’s Die Blendung (the title translated not into English but with Auto Da Fé in Portuguese, referring to ritual or public penance during the Portuguese and Spanish inquisitions). Literally translated into English, the title would be “The Blinding” or “The Dazzling,” but as I read the book in German, the Portuguese title is most fitting.

As if this book isn’t enough of a challenge, I’ve also resumed reading the first volume of Robert Musil’s unfinished masterpiece, Der Mann Ohne Eigenschaften, or The Man Without Qualities, as translated into English. Stylistically, reading neither Canetti nor Musil are as demanding as Mann is. The bigger challenge is the small font and tight leading in both books. My bifocals get a workout reading just 10 pages at a time. Since Die Blendung is only 414, which would probably be close to 800 pages in a more readable page layout. The first volume of Der Mann Ohne Eigenschaften consists of two books and weighs in at 1041 pages with its small type. I’m confident I can finish reading it this time around, the question how long will it take?

The second volume, which still resides on the book shelf is another plus 2160 pages in small type, comprising manuscript drafts and notes for Musil’s unfinished third book and sections of the first volume cut during the German Nazi regime. It will be a much greater challenge, considering everything else on my to read lists. Wish me luck.