Dangling Man (Saul Bellow) or Fictions (Jorge Luis Borges)

Remember you only have to read one of the books, there will be a group to discuss each on the night.

At the end of every meeting we vote for two new books to discuss for the meeting after next. It would be great if you could prepare your own suggestions to nominate on the night. This could be any kind of book e.g. novel, non-fiction, biography, but ideally it should be less than 400 pages long.

September's books:

Dangling Man (Saul Bellow): The debut novel by Saul Bellow, presented in the form of a journal kept by the protagonist, Joseph, over a period from December 15, 1942, to April 9, 1943. Set against the backdrop of World War II, Joseph is caught in a limbo between civilian life and impending military service after resigning from his job. Rather than embracing the leisure time he anticipated, he finds himself paralyzed, plagued by an existential crisis and feelings of alienation. His attempts at self-discovery are complicated by his increasingly strained relationships with friends, family, and lovers, leading to a profound identity crisis.

The novel explores Joseph's inner turmoil as he grapples with questions of morality, purpose, and the essence of freedom. The novel is recognized for its introspective narrative and has become a significant work that reflects the psychological complexities of its time while foreshadowing themes explored in Bellow’s later writings.

Fictions (Ficciones) (Jorge Luis Borges): The seventeen pieces in Ficciones demonstrate the whirlwind of Borges's genius and mirror the precision and potency of his intellect and inventiveness, his piercing irony, his skepticism, and his obsession with fantasy. Borges sends us on a journey into a compelling, bizarre, and profoundly resonant realm; we enter the fearful sphere of Pascal's abyss, the surreal and literal labyrinth of books, and the iconography of eternal return. To enter the worlds in Ficciones is to enter the mind of Jorge Luis Borges, wherein lies Heaven, Hell, and everything else in between.

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We will be meeting again in October, when we will be discussing Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and The People in the Trees by Hanya Yanagihara.