Monday 4 June 2012

Book Challenge - Day 13

Day 13 – Your favourite writer


Since the post for Day 12 of the challenge was so short, I'll do day 13 today, as well. My favourite writer? There are so many of them. I love the wit of Oscar Wilde and philosophy of most Russian writers (if you allow me to make such a generalisation). One contemporary favourite is Finnish writer Sofi Oksanen. Many, many works written by Central- and East European writers make me lyrical. I could give you a long list of novelists and poets, whose work I admire deeply. And let's face it: a writer isn't better than his works.


But. One of my favourites is Czech writer and journalist Karel Čapek. I have not read many of his works,  but what I have read has impressed me and touched me. Generally, I'm not a great fan of sci-fi, but, very much like Bulgakov in his "The Fatal Eggs",  Čapek provides a satirical and ethical discussion of contemporary society through the use of science fiction.
Wikipedia tells us:
K.Čapek wrote with intelligence and humor on a wide variety of subjects. His works are known for their interesting and precise description of reality. Čapek is renowned for his excellent work with the Czech language. He is known as a science fiction author, who wrote before science fiction became widely recognized as a separate genre. Capek can be considered as one of the founders of classical, non-hardcore European science fiction which aims on possible future (or alternative) social and human evolution on Earth.
However, K.Čapek is comparable with Aldous Huxley and George Orwell as a speculative fiction writer, distinguishing his work from genre-specific hard science fiction.
Many of his works discuss ethical aspects of industrial inventions and processes already anticipated in the first half of the 20th century. These include mass production, nuclear weapon, and post-human intelligent beings such as robots or salamanders.
Čapek also expressed fear from social disasters, dictatorship, violence, human stupidity, the unlimited power of corporations, and greed. Capek tried to find hope, and the way out. Čapek's literary heirs include Ray Bradbury, Salman Rushdie, Brian Aldiss, and Dan Simmons.
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Day 14 – Favourite book of your favourite writer
Day 15 – Favourite male character
Day 16 – Favourite female character
Day 17 – Favourite quote from your favourite book
Day 18 – A book that disappointed you
Day 19 – Favourite book turned into a movie
Day 20 – Favourite romance book
Day 21 – Favourite book from your childhood
Day 22 – Favourite book you own
Day 23 – A book you wanted to read for a long time but still haven’t
Day 24 – A book that you wish more people would’ve read
Day 25 – A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 – A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 – The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 – Favourite title
Day 29 – A book everyone hated but you liked
Day 30 – Your favourite book of all time

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