Alex Preston's top 10 literary believers

[David]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/fe ... -believers

I've never read Franny and Zooey. Has anybody? (Thinks: Has Kris?)

[k-j]

Nope, though I've been meaning to for years. The only one off that list I've read is #7, which I enjoyed even though it consists of a single, 140-page paragraph.

[David]

I've read #2 and #5, being a bit of a slave to the classics.

[Nash]

I haven't read a single one of those, shameful!

I was hoping Pinkie was going to be in there from Brighton Rock, but he chose a Graham Greene that I haven't read.

[k-j]

As someone mentions in the comments to the piece, you could choose any Greene at random.

[David]

As someone mentions in the comments to the piece, you could choose any Greene at random.

This is true. I went through a phase of reading them in sixth form, and even then I noticed how many seemed to end in a haze of redemption.

[camus]

David, I have indeed read Franny and Zooey. For me a highly enjoyable slice of upper middle class intelligence going awry! Such subtle writing, brilliantly recognised characters, great dialogue.

I read it years ago and didn't "get" the underlying Zen vibe, but I did get the ongoing war against "phoniness" carried on from Catcher in the Rye which inevitably does for Franny and enables her "existential" breakdown.

There are certain elements within that one could suppose allude to buddhist chanting? I'll say no more. A book of many levels for such a wee thing.

Great read.

[camus]

I've read no others on the list though.

Well I say that, I read a certain portion of The Brothers Karamazov but have no recollection of it! Sort of got it mixed up with The idiot of which I again read a certain portion. I didn't get either mixed up with Crime and Punishment though, which i loved and did actually complete!

The only Grahame Green I've read is Travels with My Aunt which was a great book to wile away the hours on long uncomfortable train journeys across Thailand. It's great how a book can summon up intense feelings of past situations. Much like music I guess.

I always have a book with me. Always.