Herta Muller's Reading List

The 2009 Nobel laureate and author of the recently translated "The Fox Was Ever the Hunter" had no books of fairy tales as a child: "The only 'fantastic' stories came from religion class."

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By the Book: Herta Muller (2016)

NYT By the Book column (2016-07-14).

Source: www.nytimes.com

A Horse Walks Into a Bar

David Grossman · Buy on Amazon

"An anguish-ridden self-portrait of a standup comedian in Israel. Even if the surface cleverness seems somewhat at odds given the deep biographical despair, the book has won me over."

For a Song and a Hundred Songs

Liao Yiwu · Buy on Amazon

"It has all the exactitude of documentary prose, but the language is so poetic I was left speechless."

The White King

Gyorgy Dragoman · Buy on Amazon

Adventures in Immediate Irreality

M. Blecher · Buy on Amazon

"His most beautiful book is the novel "Adventures in Immediate Irreality," about a melancholic youth in the Romanian provinces who despairs that one cannot escape the existence one is born into. He was a highly original precursor of the existentialists."

Secondhand Time

Svetlana Alexievich · Buy on Amazon

"Anyone who wants to understand Russia should read this book. It describes the impact of Stalinism and Communism up to the present day, the paralyzing effect on society and the servility of the population that enables people like Putin to destroy all attempts at democratization."

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