Books you don't have to read, but you should definitely consider it.

  Patria      Today we will break away from classical literature a little bit to look at a very contemporary but really unusual novel and already, after a very short time since its creation, a very important one. This book was written in response to specific events. Events that should never happen, the very thought of which fills a person with sadness and deep regret, and which constitute a large part of the contemporary history of a certain nation that is part of the territory of present-day Spain. We are talking about the Basque nation, in which one of the most disgusting groups in history - ETA (Euskadi Ta Askatasuna - Basque Country and Freedom) - has been formed as a result of growing separatist sentiment, which has divided and still divides Basque society. Today's entry will be devoted to a book by Basque author Fernando Aramburu, Patria.           Released in 2016, it quickly attracted attention and in a few moments became a ...

  Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde      Today we are going to deal with a very short book because (depending on the edition) it has just over 100 pages, but just because it is short doesn't mean it's worse. On the contrary! This novel is a perfect example that quality is not equal to quantity. The theme of today's entry is a holding in suspense, another absolute classic - Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.      Written by the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson and published for the first time in 1886, the novel very quickly achieved great commercial success and became one of its bestsellers. It is characterized by a balanced, but tense story to the very end. The style of writing itself is rather plain, it is one of those books that can be read as a rest from some fancy, experimental literature, from which your head hurts after a long reading. This is light and pleasant lecture, and if we take into account its quality, we get something that...

  Candide   I had a dilemma about what to write in today's post, given that the previous one was dedicated to "The Picture of Dorian Gray", I thought maybe I should choose something less "obvious".  However, while making my choice, I realized that when trying to get into a discussion with someone about today's book, hardly anyone confirms that they have read it and some have not even heard of it! It's a great pity, because it's a really great, funny and valuable novel, apart from the fact that it's an absolute classic of literature (it's also quite short).  Today's topic is "Candide".     Candide is an philosophical novel, written in the Age of Enlightment by the French philosopher Voltaire, for the first time in 1759. The work is a parody of romantic and adventure novels of its era, it is saturated with irony and often sarcasm, and is a criticism of society aimed very often at the most influential of it's parts, like monarc...

  The Picture of Dorian Gray    I would like to dedicate my first official theme entry to a novel that is absolutely unique, not only because of how wonderful this piece of art is, but also because of how much impression it made on me when I first read it as a teenager, so this post will be quite personal. Today, we will discuss a book which, on the one hand, is an expression of an aesthetic approach to the art of the author himself, art not bound by the need to be useful, but also being a smuggled in a sophisticated way, a kind of autobiography. Ladies and gentlemen - "The Picture of Dorian Gray".    Released on June 20, 1890, it is the first and only novel by the Irish author, Oscar Wilde. At the beginning it appeared in "Lippincott's Monthly Magazine" as the main publication in this edition, immediately provoking a wave of huge criticism and outrage, but in my opinion it is very good. Great works often arouse controversy. The mannered society o...

   I think we are all aware of the significant role played by literature in human history. Monumental works form the basis of whole cultures, on their basis whole philosophical currents were formed, and iconic authors and their texts created the identity of nations around the world.  However, literature has many facets, it does not always come into being for lofty purposes, sometimes it is caused by the release of emotions, or just a whim. According to aesthets, art should be created for art's sake, because utility takes away its beauty. The Icon of Irish Literature, Oscar Wilde, in response to a letter from his fan who asked him to explain the sentence "All art is quite useless" that the author included in the preface to his best known novel "The Picture of Dorian Gray", replied :  Art is useless because its aim is simply to create a mood. It is not meant to instruct, or to influence action in any way. It is superbly sterile, and the note of its pleasure is ste...