Wherein We Elect Our Favourite Novels of 1956

Voting for The Lonely Londoners, which is both an evocation of a London long gone and still pretty OTM about a lot of the recent arrival to the town experience. Really glad Selvon's work is getting reprinted more these days.

Also very good: The Black Obelisk, which I read when I was going through a Weimar novels phase and am quite surprised to learn was written long after the fact! Makes it even more problematic that Remarque's chronicles of Germany's moral decline and fall never seem to mention anti-semitism much. Also enjoyed Temple Of The Golden Pavillion, though to be honest I'm not sure it totally lives up to its bonkers outline.

This era seems very fertile for children's fiction - side product of the baby boom?

The Key by Junichiro Tanikzaki
The Temple Of The Golden Pavillion by Yukio Mishima
Zama by Antonio di Benedetto

Going for Zama

The Lonely Londoners is great. Never read anything of Selvon’s that I disliked.

Just here to register my hatred for The Last Battle and specifically the ending. Fucking diabolical.

I keep thinking taht I am going to hit a point where i will have just read loads from each year and still not got there.
So maybe my reading over teh last few decades has been more widely spread out.
Or maybe its different books from the years listed than are listed.
Have read 3 or 4 of these though. I think i read most of the Bond either after having inherited early copies from my uncle or picked them up in jumble sales.
Definitley read teh nelson Algren
THink I've read the Camus.
Still not sure what of teh Narnia books I've actually read. I remember there being a box set around when I wasa preteen

& seen a few films.
Not sure If I've read 101 Dalmatians too though may have done. Does it change much or does it count twice if I've seen both films

Oh & hopefully got the Misunderstood cover of teh Morris West appearing in the mail tomorrow

Just here to register my hatred for The Last Battle and specifically the ending. Fucking diabolical.

― Scamp Granada (gyac),

when Reepicheep greets them, I melt a little.

I've only read the bester and I doubt it's the best 'ere.

i rate it higher than the demolished man and it's full of great touches, like the mazes. the underground jail but makes this hard for me to read though (see also the weirdstone of brisingamen and cryptonomicom)

shrinking man was on TV the other day and has great practical effects, like a 10 ft pencil and the bit where he looks to be back to normal size, sat on a sofa when a cat walks past the window is pretty perfect

Anyone have opinions on Romain Gary? All I really know is he was a monster to Jean Seberg and made a terrible movie with her.

fifty shades of gary

Anyone have opinions on Romain Gary?

His writing manages to turn a somewhat interesting life into (mercifully) forgettable tedium.

Going with The Fall, once my favourite Camus.

This is Giovanni's Room for me.

I had to read The Fall in a class. Kind of a nauseous (heh) book, and I don't know that I would enjoy rereading it, but I also don't think I would have developed my abiding interest in the moral dilemmas of post-war French society without the formative influence of Camus. Not seeing much else here that sparks joy, although I suspect Zama would be up my alley (I've owned a copy for a couple of years that I've never touched)

I think Shrinking man was actually on tv here last night. I wondered if it was the same thing.
Hoped it might be on again soon cos I saw one scene towards teh end.

This is Giovanni's Room for me.

― Vanishing Point (Chinaski)

Right on. Very surprised I had to read this far down the thread to see someone else saying it. It's a no-brainer for me.

Sadly never read that one. I voted for Train to Pakistan, which I don't remember the details of clearly but do recall being strongly affected by

A jolt to have Matheson, Bester & Vance lined up like that, if you are nerdcore enough to recognize them as Grand Masters of Fantasy & Science Fiction. Vance is the overt Fantasist at tymes; the other two always have at least some sort of Scientific Romance as launching pad. Can't quite remember if The Shrinking Man the novel shares w The Incredible Shrinking Man flick the exposure of Man to nuclear pollution, a result more of bomb tests than Hiroshima and Nagasaki, I think, but either way, that's life, so deal with it, as the Man does, in the methodical Matheson way, with cosmic realization at end not so much allegorical as organic experience continued, at least for now.
The Stars My Destination is prob even better or more to my taste, a richer broth, a headier brew, but as always will go w best remembered, so for this year it's Matheson again.

Ending of the Shrinking Man film is so trippy that I can only imagine it must come from the novel.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Wherein We Elect Our Favourite Novels of 1957