by caio

Writers, editors and critics share their thoughts on great pieces of canonical literature that, frankly, just aren't all that. James Joyce, particularly, shows up a lot.

I especially like Elif Batuman's commentary:

"My view is that the right book has to reach you at the right time, and no person can be reached by every book. Literature is supposed to be beautiful and/or necessary—so if at a given time you don't either enjoy or need a certain book, then you should read something else, and not feel guilty about it."

I've tried four times now to read Guimarães Rosa 'chef œuvre' "The Devil to Pay in the Backlands". Didn't get past page 180. The book has 600. Perhaps some other time.