BEST BOOK

[avowedly-agnostic]

[quote= DamallaXagare] All other books are nonsense except the texts which even themselves contain abounding errors.

As i see, you will be a victim of "White Supremacy" . This is called Post-colonial Literature. Always avoid European literature, because they are all biased and inundated with falsifications. Their novels are tasteless and without lustre. There are few of them with amazing and prolific writing talent but majority of them are tasteless.[/quote]

As a student of English Literature, and one who is an avid reader, I find your comments to be little else than irrational nonsensical. I've never heard such utter and complete nonsense in my entire life!

What on earth do you mean European literature contains "abounding errors" ? Explain to us what these "abounding errors" that you mention are.

And what's this denunciation of English literature as "post-colonial literature" ? What on earth has Shakespeare's sonnets, or Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist, or Mary Shelly's Frankenstein got anything to do with European colonialism?

English literature is "inundated" with "biased falsifications" are they?
Please enlighten us ignorant folks regarding these alleged "falsifications".
I'm perplexed as to how fictional novels such as Hamlet and non-fictional philosophical works such as On Liberty can be "biased" and "inundated with falsifications"

I suspect it's nothing other than you trying to display to us your wide range of vocabulary. None of your flimsy allegations are based on any truth, nor do you substantiate your claims with empirical evidence. I strongly suspect you've never read any of the books fiction or other wise listed in this thread. You come across as an ignorant and uncultivated fellow with no appreciation for literature or the finer things in life. You're an absolute disgrace!

[DamallaXagare]

Postcolonial Literature was termed to tackle the influence of the colony on the people they colonized, and authors like Chinua Achebe , Wole Soyink and Nuruddin Farah who have written a handful of great literature for their respective home countries are about Postcolonial literature even though some of the works of Achebe was written while his country was still a colony, eg, Things Fall Apart. India has a wealthy of literature that one can drink from the fountain of their wisdoms but they are mostly held in contempt and ignored by authors who promote European literature like V. S. Naipaul, whose origin as the indentured servants of Indians who were brought to Trinidad during the slave trade comes into conflict with the content of his words. Such authors who depict their works as critics of the ways our lives are today and dismal circumstances we inflicted upon ourselves after Independence, due to the reasons for which they emerged as the cause of the exploitation of the colony, collect Nobel Prizes and all kind of awards. I think It is in the news, Nuruddin Farah condemned him as a “naïve” and “pandering to the European gallery”. This author Naipaul is a man who said that without Europeans going to his country of origin India and writing about their history and customs there won’t have been anything to write, therefore, we have to be grateful to them. This statement highlights of his disregard for the works of Narayan which preceded the pre-colonial era of his country.


Shakespeare’s works are great and I have read quite few of his plays and books. In fact, I have kept a collection of his works in my bookshelves and read it from time to time whenever I have chance for that classic literature. Tolstoy is a great author and many others.

But it all boils down to this, European Literature is depicted as literature of Privilege while yours is depicted as a literature of struggle and one that writes often of European superiority over you. Any person with rational calculation can understand the motive as to why we appreciate and love their literature whereby we despise ours? Mental Slavery. My views, however, reflect of the experiences i have encountered and even are held the same by a well known authors.

Have you read of "Snow falling on Cedars" ? This book would seem at first glance alright but in latter passages, you will come to realize how the author is depicting the Japanese (Japs--a deragatory name used during Internment) as inferior to whites, of course not in a manifest way. I read about this book almost 5 years ago.

[avowedly-agnostic]

First and foremost I appreciate your explanation regarding your previous comments; at least now we're able understand what it is you're reffering to.

History books are one thing and fictional novels, and philosophical books are another. Your qualm seems to be with historical accounts that are written in history books which portray colonisers as civilised people, and the people that they're colonising as savages. Such historical books are of a different genre however to fictional novels such as Shakespeare's and Charles Dickens' which is what this thread is cheifly concerened with.

There is no truth to your saying that all Europen literature are
intended to promote Western civilisation above all others. In fact None of the well-known and celebrated novels and plays mention a thing about cultures or civilisations.

Take Romeo And Juliet for example, or Hamlet, or Frankenstein, or any of the other well-known literary works that we in the west are accustomed to. They have absolutely naught to do with promoting western civilsation. They're all about universal concepts and exploring human sentiments such as love in Romeo And Juliet , revenge in Hamlet, acceptance in Frankensten etc.


[quote= DamallaXagare] European Literature is depicted as literature of Privilege while yours is depicted as a literature of struggle and one that writes often of European superiority over you.[/quote]

Again you seem to be referring not to fictional books, but rather historical books dealing with colonisation. I agree that some historical accounts dealing with colonisation are an absolute fraud. A good example of this is the misconception that portrays Christopher Columbus as a virtuous hero who found the American continent, when in reality he was far from being virtuous because he butchered the American Indians, and he didn't discover the Americas, because there aready were native Indians residing there when he arrived.

[quote=DamallaXagare] Any person with rational calculation can understand the motive as to why we appreciate and love their literature whereby we despise ours [/quote]

I suspect the chief reason why we're better familiar with western works of literature (particularly Englsih literature) more so than any other foreign literature is simply because we live in the west. It has absolutely nothing at all to do with being brainwashed by Europeans.

[DamallaXagare]

"Again you seem to be referring not to fictional books, but rather historical books dealing with colonisation. I agree that some historical accounts dealing with colonisation are an absolute fraud. "




Agnostic, "Snow Falling on Cedars" is a just a novel, written as fictional but the story is about a Man (Ishamael) who falls in love with an Asian girl whom they grew up together in an Island. The story depicts the Asians as just Americans with polished Western political thought and custom , and it vehemently attacks the notion to conjoin Regular Asian with Asian American, which was the reason the Internment came about. The subliminal message looks like this, "How can we let down people who have submited to our ways of live, embraced our western culture by speaking and eating just like us". It is like as if it is denying in totality their heritage and begging for acceptance in order to remove them from the circumstance under which they were forced to be isolated from "White Supremacy".

I agree i shouldn't lump literature with history but do remember literature combines customs, history and greatness of a certain society, with also subjects like their political ills, struggle and etc. I love reading so as to learn from what these books offer, but I do not allow myself to be brainwashed to the extent of never appreciating the sources of other literatures in the world: Asia, Africa, and the Arab world.


I just want that we appreciate what our country and history stand for. I am now having a book written in Somali with a hard cover over 200 pages. It title, "Garbaduubkii Gumeysiga" "The Shackles of Colonialism" written by a nationwide acclaimed and internationally known author, Faarax M.J Cawl. I ordered it through the "the interloan library" From Boston University to Seattle.

[Gacalisa]

damall. i have heard of Nurrudin Farax, in fact i had this one book, which is edited by this one guy, dont know him, which is suppose to be an analysis of his works, and the topics he disscussed.

I skipped through it, because i was using it as a reference to a folklore class i took. he kinda in a way, gave a brief summary to his novels, by analysing it. it was good, though i didnt fully read it, to see a white guy doing a study on a somali novelist, that was not his only book he wrote in analyzing Farah, in fact there about three of them.

[DamallaXagare]

Gacalisa, Nuruddin is ahead of his time even though he seems to show lots of faults in his writings. He writes sometimes ofweird things unknown to our culture. I don't know of his Islamic faith but sometimes you would think of him as an Apostate. He is also known for his pro-feminism. He likes women and tries hard to advocate for their equality with men. There are many writers who review the works of great writers. They provide an easy avenue to learn from analytical point of views from their summary essays backed by picking special quotes of the author (in this case Nuruddin)and clarifying some hidden aims and points.

Gacalisa reading will make you well informed and knowledgeable but you have to diversify what you read and not focus on only the thing that fascinates you most.
Do you read history books. Some fictional novels have true historical context.

In the future, after i am relieved of the academic load on my shoulder, i will try to research on these books in the link. I am not going to buy them. The link shows you of the best diverse literature from all over the world. Then, I will probably check them at the library.


http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/br ... 34-5992640

[Gacalisa]

Damall. the reason he writes a lot of things that are unkown to our culture is he is mulit-cultural, and does just claim one or two cultures, he has been to most of the continents, and many countries. He tries to blend all the cultures he encounters with in his books, but he stills come back to the somali culture, to kind of let the readers know of his homeland.

yes i do read history books, but mostly Islamic, Arabic, African histories. i am trying to now read books on the history christianity, and undestand how these people think and why.

have you read "the things they carried" by Tim O'Brian. Its realiy good if you want read non-fiction that depicts real history. It about the soldier of the vietnam war, its a good read, and straight forward. He talks about what he been through in the war, but uses false names for real people, becuase he does want to name the real people. kind of telling a real story and using fake names.

[DamallaXagare]

No i haven't read it. I am really a naive when it comes to reading books outside my academic field. I often like to read history books altho my reading on subjects like Islam and religion in general is not that fully developed. I have taken a course of religious studies and it was really interesting. One thing that makes you widen the horizon of your knowledge from any course you take regardless of its importance as to how relevant it is to your field, great many things after which you realize and admire the effort of learning as a result, is the recommendations of the instructors about the further reading title $ subjects should you want to expand the fundamental knowledge you have so far acquired.

I think one becomes more mature and erudite by devoting more time to cultivating yourself inside books as our brother Avowedly agnostic implied. And you will see yourself developing as you grow up with interest and passion for knowledge. You are in that path sister.

Heinrich Mann and his brother Thomas Mann are two great writers that i have accustomed to reading their books.

Yes Nuruddin studied in India. His first book was the "Crooked Rib" in 1970 after graduating as a student of Literature and Philosophy

I will check that one.

[Samatr]

buug oo dhagaha bakeyle ku sawiran yihiin aan ka helay shalaytoole.

[DamallaXagare]

There is one that was translated from Somali by Andwerizki "Shabeel Nagood" "Leopard among the women’" Check that one.

[Gacalisa]

if you like creative non-fiction, you should read this books called "fast food Nation", and "why do people hate America", they are amazing. the fast food one talks about how fast food practically runned and rules not only the US, but the world. the why do people hate america one talks about basically why people hate america, using both the west and east perspectives. its amazing the things Americans thing of Muslims and Arabs. both of the books were for classes i took.

i hardly read books that dont obtain to my filed aswell. i want get outside of the box.

[Shankaroon_614]

Hmmm..the best books I have read are "The lovely Bones," "Things Fall Apart," "To Kill a Mockinbird," "Grapes of Wrath," "Beloved," "Cry my beloved country." And the best play I have ever read is "Hamlet." Damn that was a great play.

However, I had to read all of them for class .

[Shankaroon_614]

Oh I almost forgot, another good book I read is " Things are happen for a reason," " Why are most guys so skinny and most women big?" and " Qabiil nagadaaya" by a somali author.

Sike sike sike sike.....LOL, I just made up those books, but I really wish there were ones like those. *Hmmmm*

[Gacalisa]

Has any one read "Native son" by Richard Wright?

its amazing good, but whicked.

[Nabeela]

Nah i haven't read that one.


Right now I'm reading a book called "Time to Kill" a true story. Is a very interesting book.