Top ten reads of the year
‘Twas a great year for reading! I managed to crank out 120 reviews this year, and some of those books were long, difficult, but rewarding reads. In nonfiction, I’ve really been enjoying the books of Peter Watson, a British intellectual historian who writes about the history of ideas—in science, philosophy, the arts, sociology, economics, psychology and more. He’s a superb summarizer, a captivating storyteller, and I always come away from one of his books with a long list of books and subjects that I want to pursue further. In fiction, I have made three major discoveries in the past couple years, three great novelists whose books I’ve only begun to dive into: Spanish author Vicente Blasco Ibáñez (1867–1928), Dutch author Louis Couperus (1863–1923), and German-Mexican author B. Traven (birth and death dates unknown). Their books ought to keep me busy for years. Listed below are my ten favorite books read this year (one “book” is actually a four-novel series), arranged chronologically by date of publication. Click on the titles below to read the full reviews.
The Cabin (La Barraca) by Vicente Blasco Ibáñez (1898)
Spanish author Blasco Ibáñez was not only respected in his native land but also enjoyed popularity and critical acclaim among English-language readers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. With The Cabin, a.k.a. The Shack, he delivers a short but powerful novel in a naturalist style similar to Emile Zola’s fiction. In an insular farming community in Valencia, Spain, a conflict arises between the local community and a family of newcomers. Blasco Ibáñez renders with authenticity and pathos the tragic escalation of events.
Spanish author Blasco Ibáñez was not only respected in his native land but also enjoyed popularity and critical acclaim among English-language readers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. With The Cabin, a.k.a. The Shack, he delivers a short but powerful novel in a naturalist style similar to Emile Zola’s fiction. In an insular farming community in Valencia, Spain, a conflict arises between the local community and a family of newcomers. Blasco Ibáñez renders with authenticity and pathos the tragic escalation of events.
The Small Souls series by Louis Couperus
Small Souls (1901)
The Later Life (1902)
The Twilight of the Souls (1902)
Dr. Adriaan (1903)
This four-novel saga by Dutch realist Couperus chronicles the lives and fortunes of the Van Lowes, an upper-class family living in The Hague. Their father, now deceased, was once the governor general of Java, Indonesia, and used to rub elbows with the king. His descendants, however, find themselves slipping down the ladder of status from the aristocracy to the bourgeoisie. This multi-generational story, with a large ensemble of characters, depicts realistic people facing life’s real problems. The reader can’t help but identify and get emotionally involved in the family’s affairs.
This four-novel saga by Dutch realist Couperus chronicles the lives and fortunes of the Van Lowes, an upper-class family living in The Hague. Their father, now deceased, was once the governor general of Java, Indonesia, and used to rub elbows with the king. His descendants, however, find themselves slipping down the ladder of status from the aristocracy to the bourgeoisie. This multi-generational story, with a large ensemble of characters, depicts realistic people facing life’s real problems. The reader can’t help but identify and get emotionally involved in the family’s affairs.
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse by Vicente Blasco Ibáñez (1916)
Here’s Blasco Ibáñez again with an epic novel written, published, and set during World War I. The story follows the lives and fortunes of a French-Argentine family. The first half takes place in Argentina, chronicling the family history in a style reminiscent of Gabriel García Márquez. The second half, which takes place in Europe, is a gripping and often brutal exposé of the horrific realities of the First World War. This is a novel about the civilian experience of the war; for a novel of the military experience, see the next selection, below.
Under Fire: The Story of a Squad by Henri Barbusse (1916)
Though not as well-known as Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front, this French novel, published a dozen years earlier, also presents a vivid and visceral depiction of the soldier’s experience of the war. The story follows a French squadron of foot soldiers, made up of working-class men with limited education. Based on some of his own experiences of the war, Barbusse presents an unglamorous, unheroic vision of war filled with blood, mud, and at times even mind-numbing drudgery. One of history’s great anti-war novels.
The Bridge in the Jungle by B. Traven (1928)
Traven is a German author who lived for some years in Mexico, where most of his fiction is set. In this case, an American drifter visits a friend in a small Central American village, where he happens upon a party thrown by the locals. The festivities are interrupted, however, by an unexpected human tragedy. Traven’s storytelling is a vivid immersion into the reality of life among the rural poor in a developing country. He is a leftist realist who depicts Latin America with authenticity, sensitivity, and empathy.
War with the Newts by Karel Capek (1936)
Mankind discovers an intelligent race of amphibians living under the sea, so naturally, what do we do? Exploit them! This dystopian sci-fi novel is an ingenious work of social commentary that satirizes imperialism, colonialism, capitalism, militarism, nationalism, the Nazis, American racism, slavery, British pompousness, the League of Nations, animal cruelty, environmental degradation, religion, and more. This is an ingenious work of satire filled with intelligent humor and ugly truths.
Hombre by Elmore Leonard (1961)
These days, Leonard is better known for his crime novels, but he got his start in westerns, a genre in which he is a modern master. Hombre is the story of John Russell, a mixed-race man who travels across Arizona in a stagecoach full of White passengers who look down on him for his background. When the coach encounters trouble, however, to whom do they turn to save their bacon? This riveting western was adapted into the 1967 film starring Paul Newman.
Blindness by José Saramago (1995)
In this apocalyptic sci-fi/horror novel from Portuguese Nobel laureate Saramago, humanity is hit with an epidemic of blindness. Because of the highly contagious nature of this malady, the stricken are herded into quarantine camps. This novel isn’t so much about blindness as it is about what happens to people when they are subjected to such extreme circumstances. Somewhat like a Holocaust novel, the story is an examination in how low humanity can be degraded while still remaining human. This is not a pleasure read, but it is gripping.
Ideas: A History of Thought and Invention, from Fire to Freud by Peter Watson (2006)
Peter Watson made it on my Top Ten list last year with his book The Modern Mind, an intellectual history of the 2oth century. His book Ideas is similar in approach but covers history from the dawn of mankind to the year 1900. This is a world history that’s not about wars or kings but rather about landmark ideas and developments in the arts, sciences, philosophy, and more. Watson demonstrates an encyclopedic knowledge in a variety of fields: history, science, literature, art, music, sociology, psychology, and archaeology, among other disciplines, making for an intellectually stimulating read.
Monsters by Barry Windsor-Smith (2022)
Barry Windsor-Smith, with his highly detailed, quasi-pre-Raphaelite style, has long been one of my favorite comic book artists. With Monsters, he proves that he is also a writer to be reckoned with. This dark and disturbing graphic novel involves a young man coerced into participating in an experimental military program. The story includes some genetic manipulation, so it’s not entirely removed from the sci-fi and superhero genres, but this graphic masterpiece rises above genre fiction and deserves to be regarded with the finest of contemporary literary fiction.
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