Ask HN: Good literature for a technical guy

#1

Post by m1k3r » Fri, Jun 18, 2010, 1:36 AM UTC

during the last year i've been reading complex and highly technical books, from programing to linear algebra and computational biology, i'm starting to miss some good literature, some recommendations?

Re: Ask HN: Good literature for a technical guy

#2

Post by c23gooey » Fri, Jun 18, 2010, 2:01 AM UTC

this was discussed not too long ago:

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226736

Re: Ask HN: Good literature for a technical guy

#3

Post by jackfoxy » Fri, Jun 18, 2010, 3:19 AM UTC

Articles about Apple censoring the illustrated Ulysses have made it to HN lately. It took Joyce 7 years to write Ulysses. Ken Kesey wrote Sometimes a Great Notion, a favorite of mine, in about 3 months. It struck me that Kesey touches on some of the same themes as Joyce. I consider it an overlooked masterpiece.

Re: Ask HN: Good literature for a technical guy

#4

Post by m1k3r » Fri, Jun 18, 2010, 3:41 AM UTC

c23gooey wrote: post #2

this was discussed not too long ago: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226736

Thanks!

Re: Ask HN: Good literature for a technical guy

#5

Post by m1k3r » Fri, Jun 18, 2010, 3:44 AM UTC

jackfoxy wrote: post #3

Articles about Apple censoring the illustrated Ulysses have made it to HN lately. It took Joyce 7 years to write Ulysses. Ken Kesey wrote Sometimes a Great Notion, a favorite of mine, in about 3 months. It struck me that Kesey touches on some of the same themes as Joyce. I consider it an overlooked masterpiece.

Thanks for the advice, i'll try to look for a copy of Ulysses at the library to give it a shot!! thanks!,

Re: Ask HN: Good literature for a technical guy

#6

Post by ghotli » Fri, Jun 18, 2010, 3:46 AM UTC

You're going to enjoy spending time with Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino. It's mostly metaphor, his writing style is quite vivid. The interactions of people and things in his fictional cities touch on many facets of what it is to be alive. It's short. You can read it in one sitting.

Re: Ask HN: Good literature for a technical guy

#7

Post by mquander » Fri, Jun 18, 2010, 3:52 AM UTC

I just happened across Hermann Hesse's The Glass Bead Game recently. For whatever reason, I had never read it before, and it's probably been my favorite book of the past six months. As a programmer, you may find yourself with a unique perspective on the Game.

Re: Ask HN: Good literature for a technical guy

#8

Post by [deleted] » Fri, Jun 18, 2010, 3:55 AM UTC

m1k3r wrote: post #5

jackfoxy wrote: post #3

Articles about Apple censoring the illustrated Ulysses have made it to HN lately. It took Joyce 7 years to write Ulysses. Ken Kesey wrote Sometimes a Great Notion, a favorite of mine, in about 3 months. It struck me that Kesey touches on some of the same themes as Joyce. I consider it an overlooked masterpiece.

Thanks for the advice, i'll try to look for a copy of Ulysses at the library to give it a shot!! thanks!,

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: Good literature for a technical guy

#9

Post by adrianwaj » Fri, Jun 18, 2010, 4:35 AM UTC

http://www.sacred-texts.com (not literature, but still interesting)

Re: Ask HN: Good literature for a technical guy

#10

Post by shipstar » Fri, Jun 18, 2010, 4:59 AM UTC

ghotli wrote: post #6

You're going to enjoy spending time with Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino. It's mostly metaphor, his writing style is quite vivid. The interactions of people and things in his fictional cities touch on many facets of what it is to be alive. It's short. You can read it in one sitting.

Heavily second the Italo Calvino recommendation. Although I love Invisible Cities, I think "If on a winter's night a traveler" is probably even better for the technically minded. It's somewhat recursive in structure, as the book is actually about reading itself. Highly recommended.