The most difficult literary works. The most complex literary works of the world: are you weak? "Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus" by Mary Shelley

On February 2, 1882, the maestro of modernism, the Irish writer and poet James Joyce, was born., who wrote such cult things as "Ulysses", "Dubliners" and "Portrait of the Artist in his youth". Like any controversial author, he has both a sea of ​​​​fans and the same sea of ​​\u200b\u200bits opponents. Someone reads his books avidly (as far as possible) and assures that educated person who has not read Ulysses is nonsense. Someone throws the novel before reading even a hundred pages, and is affirmed in the opinion: complete nonsense.

In any case, in honor of the birthday man - five books that are as difficult to conquer as Everest.

Without it, any such list does not make sense by default. Although some readers believe that this whole huge, almost unbearable book also does not shine with meanings. This, of course, is not true. But it's hard to argue with the fact that not everyone is able to master "Ulysses", not to mention "Finnegans Wake". Yes, this book is not for everyone. Yes, it sounds like we're all snobs here, but you can't argue with the facts. Bloomsday - this is how you can briefly characterize the plot of the novel "Ulysses". Although, of course, one day in Bloom's life is still not the most important thing in the book. And what is really important is that everyone must decide for himself. As a last resort, one can always refer to the detailed commentary that accompanies many editions.

Detractors often claim that Umberto Eco is haunted by the fame of James Joyce. They say that this is precisely what caused the desire to use the richest metaphors, complex structures, non-linear forms and original style in their works. Right, this is nonsense. Although Eco's books do have all of the above. "Foucault's pendulum" is based on a detailed research work on topics like conspiracy theories, esotericism, religion, and more, more, more. To adequately deal with all this, one must either have the intellect of Senor Eco, or constantly keep Google at hand to make inquiries about unfamiliar concepts and hypotheses.

Jelinek is a very peculiar writer. For her originality, she even received Nobel Prize on literature. But if most of her books are still quite successfully read, then "Children of the Dead" is something with something. Neither The Pianist nor Lust are as dense and complex as this conceptual novel. The plot in it always flickers somewhere on the periphery, nothing more. And the semantic canvas invariably comes to the fore a la a very large and polythematic essay. It is here that Elfrida Jelinek mercilessly juggles innovative stylistic finds, creating a lacy fabric without dialogues, pauses and smooth plot transitions. A magical language that is not so easy to master.

One of the best novels of its time mercilessly breaks the boundaries of the genre, for which it gets into this list. Of course, it is still not as difficult to read as "Ulysses" or "Children of the Dead." The novel has a coherent and even exciting plot, several completely transparent ideas, accessible even to inexperienced readers who decide to immediately take on something powerful and large-scale. The pursuit of the White Whale is already a household word for the world of literature. Familiar even to those who have never read the novel. Its complexity lies in the fact that the book has many branches from the main plot - and the "whale encyclopedia", and reasoning, and semi-fantastic facts disorient the reader. But if you tune in to thoughtful mental work, the pleasure of reading will not keep you waiting.

We say: "postmodernism" - we think of Hess. We say: "The Glass Bead Game" - we think about postmodernism. The times in the novel are mixed up, but in short, we are talking about a certain future and a certain order of intellectuals from a fictional province, which then becomes a country. The essence of the very “bead game” in which the characters are engaged and which is included in the title of the novel is universal art. Creation of a metatext that synthesizes all branches of the art world into one whole magical brew. It is also difficult to explain in a few words the idea and plot of the novel, as it is to read it without having sufficient reading experience behind one's back. Of course, this is not the kind of book that should be taken in a playful mood or with nothing to do. But in itself it is from the category of must read.

If you have read one or more books from this list, share your impressions in the comments!

Life without books is impossible. But not all of them are easy to read and understand. We offer you a list of books that are difficult to read because of the plot, style of writing or originality of the author of the work.

L. Tolstoy "War and Peace"

Many people and literary scholars consider this book best book of all time. But at the same time, most people didn't read it at all. Also, some people read it only to say they did it.

The complexity of the novel lies in the fact that it does not have a clearly defined protagonist and the main storyline. As a result, the reader wanders through the storylines that could have been separate books, and after that the reader feels that instead of reading one story, he has read many of these stories. And, of course, this is the kilkiness of the pages of the book. Not everyone can read more than 1200 pages.

A. Rand "Atlas Shrugged"

This is a dystopian novel in which the authorities are trying to control production more and more (General Motors, AIG, etc.), to use the labor of workers for the “public good”. In other words, he is trying to build socialism.

But there are many people who do not agree with this situation and decide to unite under the leadership of an unknown thought leader John Galt. They are trying to convey to the authorities that the economy and society will collapse without a motive for profit and the efforts of rational and productive representatives. The book closely reflects the philosophy of objectivism, which emphasizes that governments should not interfere in economic affairs.

G. Melville "Moby Dick"

Therefore, some Melville fans advise reading this book in an abridged version. And most of those who have read this book say that this book could have been made much shorter (no more than 200 pages) and still this book would be one of the most outstanding books in the world.

A. Solzhenitsyn "The Gulag Archipelago"

Solzhenitsyn's description of the persecution, imprisonment and torture of dissidents that took place in the Gulag forced labor camp evokes deep sympathy for those who experienced it first hand.

It cannot be said that this is an objective historical book or memoir. It is an endless web of stories that the author spins. And in this web, as in the usual one, it is very easy for an unprepared reader to get bogged down and confused. Yes, it causes many readers to show up without finishing.

U. Eco "Foucault's Pendulum"

Umberto Eco is a highly educated and well-read author who spent a lot of time in the library. This he demonstrates to his readers in his works, and he demands the same from them. The author admits that he deliberately and consciously saturates his books with many historical facts. Fans of the writer's work are advised to read his works with a dictionary in hand.

In the book Foucault's Pendulum, the author seems to mock the reader, making you feel like a real ignorant fool. In the middle of the book, U. Eco, realizing that you have already suffered enough, adds to the plot exactly what you can feel and understand thanks to perseverance.

N. Hawthorne "The Scarlet Letter"

Hawthorne's masterpiece is set in 17th century Puritan Boston. The story is about a married woman, Esther, who lives by herself because the man has been away for several years. Everything would be fine with this woman, but Esther has an illegitimate child. One day, she was caught by the priests of the church, while they were forcing sinners to wear a large bright red "A" on their clothes as a sign of sinfulness.

Even fans of this book will admit that you may need a dictionary to read, because you can easily get lost in the many and complex digressions from the main plot.

T. Eliot "The Waste Land"

"The Waste Land" is a modernist poem that consists of 5 parts, during which the author jumps very sharply from one character to another, travels to different places, moves in time and uses 5 languages: English, Latin, Greek, German and Sanskrit . And to understand this, the reader needs to rely only on his ingenuity and intelligence.

Eliot is a very well-read author and will not compromise with himself to convey his thoughts in a simpler way. Often, the author uses literary allusions to such authors as Homer, Sophocles, Dante Alighieri, Shakespeare, etc. There are many books and websites dedicated to this book that try to understand and describe everything that the author had in mind, but they do not really then it turns out.

W. Burroughs "Naked Lunch"

The story of how this book came to be is much more interesting than the book itself. Burroughs (a member of the so-called Beat Generation) lived in Tangier and became addicted to heroin. So he wrote the story. Then he cut the resulting book into pieces and assembled it again piece by piece, but in random order. Burroughs sent the result to his friend Alenn Ginzburg. Oddly enough, the book was published.

However, it is very difficult to read, because sometimes sentences just end without warning, and new ones begin quite unexpectedly. This is a book that needs to be read from start to finish to finally get the big picture. While this will be one of the most difficult books you will ever read, it is truly worth the effort and time.

W. Faulkner "The Sound and the Fury"

The book is about a family from the south who is trying to survive after the reformations that took place after the civil war.

The book is difficult to perceive because in the post-war period, writers always try to pay more attention not to the storyline, but to the experience, thoughts of the characters, the way they see and perceive the surrounding reality. So, the author, in order to better convey the randomness of the thoughts of the heroes, practically does not use punctuation marks.

Also in this novel, Faulkner uses italics to indicate a transition to particularly significant moments from the past.

J. Joyce "Finnegans Wake"

Finnegans Wake is considered the most difficult book to understand and read. Yes, and Joyce himself is considered one of the most difficult authors to perceive. Joyce pays a lot of attention to the form of the story and language - the book is full of neologisms, metaphors, puns and old slang expressions.

Some scholars believe that the book was written as an unsolvable hoax, there are even many books and websites to help readers decipher the incomprehensible text, but it is still a very difficult task.

For many of us, reading literary works ended happily at the level school curriculum. For others, books are almost the main joy in life. It is amazing to watch how intricately the canvas of letters is woven into surreal lives with such real experiences. But there is not only women's novels and detectives who are "swallowed" in one sitting but leave no trace. Serious literature requires a special approach, and in some way - perseverance. It is not so easy to get through the jungle of Sartre's existentialism or Dostoevsky's polyphony. The quality of the technical translation from German into Russian, for example, also plays a role. Therefore, a rating of the most difficult books to understand and read has recently been created. Agree, you can look at it from the other side: “challenge accepted, dear writers”!

TOP difficult books for the most daring

To master the texts below, you need remarkable willpower. Reading these works can be not only difficult, but even unpleasant! But the power of thought, of course, is amazing.

1. Djuna Barnes wrote the novel "Nightwood", which has been repeatedly recognized as one of the greatest books ever written by a woman. This novel is filled with monologues, descriptions, ideas and reflections. Gothic style is not for everyone, so take heart.
2. Tale of the Barrel, written by Jonathan Swift, demonstrates what most book lovers hate: a huge amount of obscure words. Outdated concepts and phenomena provoke a situation where the text of links seems to be larger than the work itself.
3. If you are a real intellectual, pondering the meaning of being, then the philosophical battle between Kant and Hegel is pure honey for you. The idealistic position of the latter, demonstrated by him in the folio Phenomenology of the Spirit, will make you think a lot.
4. The amazing Gertrude Stein, the author of the well-known term “lost generation”, wrote quite good works herself. "The Making of the Americans" is one of them. The text will seem boring and painful, but it's like aged wine - time-tested.

These books are just a small part of a larger story. Each of them will surely leave its mark on your soul and influence the worldview. And if you want to make your own translations or editing, in order to simplify the perception of the text, you can contact special services. Learn new things!

Literary online magazine The Millions has compiled a list of the 10 most difficult books in history. The compilers of the rating did not stint on such epithets as "10 literary Everests, having conquered which, you will immediately feel your intellectual superiority over the average homo sapiens."

The compilers recommend approaching the reading of books from this list with caution, reminding the brave reader that the perception of these works can be quite difficult. Difficulties for the modern reader can be caused by the excessive volume of some of these works, the unusual syntax and the original structure of the text. Also, among the difficulties that lie in wait for the reader, an overly complex writing style, the authors' experimental work with the language, and simply the abstractness of the text were named.

The TOP 10 most difficult books compiled by the site are as follows:

1. "Nightwood" Djuna Barnes;
2. Tale of the Barrel by Jonathan Swift;
3. "Phenomenology of Spirit" Georg Hegel;
4. To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf;
5. The Memorable Life of the Maid Clarissa Harlow by Samuel Richardson
6. Finnegans Wake by James Joyce
7. "Being and Time" Martin Heidegger
8. Making Americans by Gertrude Stein
9. "Fairy Queen" Edmund Spenser
10. "Women and Men" by Joseph McElroy.

However, our reader (and translators) will not be scared by all these horror stories. Most of of these books is available to our reader. Nightwood by Juna Barnes, The Making of Americans by Gertrude Stein, and postmodernist Josem McElroy with his Women and Men have not yet been translated.

Partially translated The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser and Finnegans Wake by James Joyce are probably the most difficult to translate of all the books on the list.

The list itself is probably intended to interest the reader by the method of "contradiction". If this book complicated - why not master it? At least for himself. Yes, and the usual ratings of the level of “what to read to look well-read” have already set their teeth on edge. The list, of course, is far from complete, and it was compiled for the English-speaking reader. Probably, soon we should expect other lists of the most difficult books to read. First of all - Russians ...

See also:
* 39 books that explained Russia
* One hundred books for Tula schoolchildren
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You were given a life sentence and there is only a piano in the cell? Then we have something for you... From Liszt to Scriabin - 10 of the most technically complex pieces ever written for piano.

1. Franz Liszt - La Companella

The work La Campanella, which means "bell" in Italian, is a piano transcription of the violin piece of the same name by Niccolò Paganini. The etude is considered one of the most difficult compositions ever written for the piano. The texture of "Campanella" includes huge jumps in the left hand, while the right gets complex passages at a very fast pace.

In this video, virtuoso pianist Lang Lang plays this piece so easily, as if it were not much more difficult than "Dance of the Little Ducklings".

1. Maurice Ravel - "Night Gaspard" ("Night Visions")

When Ravel was working on the Gaspard de la Nuit suite, he deliberately wanted to make it the most technically difficult piece in the piano repertoire. He said that when writing, he was guided by Balakirev's Islamey, wanting to surpass him in complexity. One of the leading pianists said that playing this piece "is like solving endless quadratic equations in my mind".

1. Kaikhosru Sorabji - Opus Clavicembalisticum

Playing this piece is even more difficult than pronouncing its title. Opus Clavicembalisticum consists of 12 actions with a total duration of more than 4 hours. The composer himself described his composition as follows: “The last 4 pages are as disastrous as everything I have ever done - harmony stings like Nitric acid, and the counterpoint grinds like the mills of God.

1. Conlon Nancarrow - "Etudes for Mechanical Piano"

The works for mechanical piano by the American composer Conlon Nancarrow are some of the most deliberately complex, frantic pieces of music in the piano repertoire. They are designed to be played on a mechanical instrument, not played by live pianists. But that doesn't mean no one has tried...

1. Fryderyk Chopin - Etude Op. 10 no. 4

Unlike Chopin's tender nocturnes, this etude leaves the pianist no opportunity to rest. Marked presto con fuoco (fast, with heat), it requires an extremely fast pace and constant mobility in both hands.

Daria, Jam`s cool piano teacher:

“The hardest part of playing this piece for me was the coda, after which there is a crazy passage all over the keyboard up and then down. By the end of the work, you are usually already exhausted, but here the climax falls on last page. And, of course, like any study, No. 4 took a lot of time to develop the necessary technical skills.”

1. Charles Valentin Alkan - Concerto for solo piano

Alkan's concert is rarely played live, and for good reason. An epic 50-minute job requires unprecedented technique and physical endurance. Alkan's melodies are not as pleasant and catchy as those of Chopin or Liszt, but he certainly knows how to best demonstrate virtuoso technique.

1. Alexander Nikolayevich Scriabin - Piano Sonata No. 5

Alexander Scriabin's Fifth Sonata makes the most of the technical capabilities of both hands, but the main load falls on the pianist's brain. The sonata was received with bewilderment by many contemporaries. For some of them, it became the line from which they refused to accept the composer's work.

1. Igor Fedorovich Stravinsky - 3 fragments from "Petrushka" for piano

3 fragments from "Petrushka" are called one of the most difficult piano compositions. All parts include numerous glissandos, tremolo and fast 2-octave shifts. As they say, it's not for the faint of heart.

1. Sergei Sergeevich Prokofiev - Piano Concerto No. 2

The second piano concerto is Prokofiev's most dramatic work. Of particular difficulty is the cadenza of the first movement, which consists of three steps and requires the pianist to make frequent and wide leaps with both hands. And yes, it lasts a full 5 minutes followed by 2 more intense parts.

1. György Ligeti - "Devil's Ladder"

Well, what is the list of the most difficult works for piano without Ligeti. The etudes of this Hungarian composer frighten novice pianists. Of particular horror is the "Devil's Ladder", and not at all because of the name. The work is a masterpiece of dynamics, which develops from pianissimo to 8(!) forte.