/lit/ - Literature

>>10304459
I really like this one. Not a fan of the newer paperback cover with the gold mountain.

I have pinpointed the exact date of the death of American literary culture.

I recently read about Matt Kahn, who is reading every novel to reach the number one spot on the Publishers Weekly annual bestseller list, starting 100 years ago in 1913. The complete list is here: http://kahnscorner.blogspot.ca/2013/02/100-years-94-books.html

One date jumps out at you: in 1977, Tolkien's The Silmarillion(!) was #1 in the U.S.

Take a look at the authors before that date: Pearl S. Buck, John Steinbeck, Philip Roth, E.L. Doctorow, Boris Pasternak, Sinclair Lewis, Winston Churchill, Eric Maria Remarque, Margaret Mitchell.

Then look after: Stephen King, Tom Clancy, Robert Ludlum, John Grisham, Dan Brown, E.L. James. In 1983, a Star Wars novel was the most read book in the United States.

What the fuck happened?

Hello there, I've been thinking about reading Silmarillion for a while now.
However i've heard some mixed reactions to it.
Is it readable or garbage?

This is about 150,000x better as an audio book. the book is formatted as though the stories were told orally. you need a nice baritone British guy reading this shit to you for it to sound good.

I've read on wikipedia that this book has received lots of negativity for several reasons. Is it worth reading, or should I look for something else? I'm thinking about reading the Lord of the Rings books in my house, but I'd also be interested in some related reading such as this.

Not even trolling. I might as well have read a phone book. Silmarillion is names names names names names. I finished it just so I would be able to say "I managed to read Silmarillion." There was nothing else that made me want to continue reading.

It's like I'm really reading the Bible. Cool story about hating allegory, bro.

The Silmarillion, however do keep in mind that critics are usually split about this one and this IS NOT a read for everyone.

About why - It is a complex book, which dwells deep on her own mythology. It is showing almost everything you can see in a fantasy in the most polished and shined example. It does not stretches itself( for example it will tell you something in two chapters( flawless execution) for which some authors could go on and on and for three to four novels), nor is it too short. It has a really good mix of characters and those characters are not busts in museums, you can feel them. Overall it got everything right.

But as I said, critics are usually split about this one and it is not an easy read.

I wish to read this, but do I need to read Fellowship-Return of the king?