The Knight in the Panther's Skin is a Georgian medieval epic poem, written in the 12th century by Shota Rustaveli:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Knight_in_the_Panther%27s_...
Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?
111–120 of 175 posts
Re: Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?
#112This is more a question, in terms of Sci-Fi are people familiar with China Miéville? Perdido Street Station, Embassytown, and The City and the City are classics, Perdido Street Station might be the best fiction I have ever read. Dark stuff
Re: Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?
#11319th Century Russian literature is almost unknown to US.
- Dostoevsky
- Bulgakov
- Sorokin
- Tolstoy
- Chekhov
Re: Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?
#114Re: Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?
#115The Steppenwolf, by Herman Hesse. It's supposedly about the author himself in 1920s Germany, also about depression, existentialism, and recovery, in a surreal context.
(hence, my user name)
Re: Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?
#116Amatka by Karin Tidbeck. This short book had the strangest vibe. I guess I would describe the book as if the lovechild of P.K. Dick and Margaret Atwood went to a Nordic country, stayed for 20 years, all the while doing weird stuff with fish and a dictionary.
Despite my colorful synopsis, seriously, the book delved into language, its use, meaning, permanence, delivery, and evolution. Perfect for these crazy days in US politics.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0716GNTTG/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?...
Re: Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?
#117How about Agatha Christie and P.G. Wodehouse novels (fiction)? Asking, not saying (whether they are relatively unknown in the US). They are very popular in India, and of course must be so in the UK, since both authors were from there. A lot of subtle humor (British-style, mainly about the aristocracy's ways, but fun to read) in the Wodehouse books. And Christie has many good novels in the detective genre. I actually…
Anecdotal, but Agatha Christie popped up in the required reading more than a few times for me from grades 6 through 10 (ages 12 though 16). I went to an average public school in the Midwestern U.S. Wodehouse is new to me; I appreciate the recommendation.
Interesting that you had it as early as grade 6.
You're welcome.
Re: Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?
#118Because predictions are an important part of all planning:
Superforecasters by Philip Tetlock and Dan Gardener, accompanied by the good judgement project at goodjudgement.com and gjopen.com.
Re: Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?
#119Russian schools of science fiction, "established" by Ivan Efremov and Strugatskie brothers, produced many great pieces of literature. One of my favorites is "A billion years before the end of the world" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Definitely_Maybe_(novel) .
Let me add
Karel Čapek "War with the Newts"
Re: Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?
#120If by "great" you mean influential, then definitely India's epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata would fit the bill IMO. Wikipedia has this to say about Mahabharata: > The Mahābhārata is the longest epic poem known and has been described as "the longest poem ever written".[7][8] Its longest version consists of over 100,000 śloka or over 200,000 individual verse lines (each shloka is a couplet), and long prose pass…
But if by “great” you mean a lot of fun to read, then I’m skeptical. I grew up with these stories since my mother and grandmother told them as bedtime stories. As I learned to read I picked up the comic book versions (known as Amar Chitra Katha) and later the novels.
As far as the stories themselves go, they’re pretty drab. The plot is predictable, dialogue is meh, characters (apart from 2) are more like caricatures than real people, the morals are as subtle as bludgeons, they drag on for no reason. I would not recommend them to anyone.
That’s not to say they’re not important books. They were and are influential. Today’s books might be better but they owe a debt of gratitude to the classics. So in some ways reading the Mahabharata today and complaining it isn’t great is similar to complaining that Seinfeld Isn’t Funny. Plus I will say, at least half a billion people love these stories and worship the characters as Gods. If that makes you curious, pick them up.