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I am nothing in my soul if not obsessive.

- Donna Tartt, The Secret History

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11/11 - Dostoevsky's birthday! 🎂🪓

The mystery of human existence lies not in just staying alive, but in finding something to live for.

- Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

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Does such a thing as 'the fatal flaw,' that showy dark crack running down the middle of a life, exist outside literature? I used to think it didn't. Now I think it does. And I think that mine is this: a morbid longing for the picturesque at all costs.

- Donna Tartt, The Secret History

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'It comes to this,' Tarrou said almost casually; 'what interests me is learning how to become a saint.'

'But you don't believe in God.'

'Exactly! Can one be a saint without God?—that's the problem, in fact the only problem, I'm up against today.'

- Albert Camus, The Plague

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Perhaps it was more painful to think of a guilty man than of a dead man.

- Albert Camus, The Plague

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...there are more things to admire in men than to despise.

- Albert Camus, The Plague

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I'm not a main character. Rather, I always envy the main character.

- Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint

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They knew now that if there is one thing one can always yearn for and sometimes attain, it is human love.

- Albert Camus, The Plague

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When a war breaks out, people say: 'It's too stupid; it can't last long.' But though a war may well be 'too stupid,' that doesn't prevent its lasting. Stupidity has a knack of getting its way; as we should see if we were not always so much wrapped up in ourselves.

- Albert Camus, The Plague

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What is my life for and what am I going to do with it? I don't know and I'm afraid. I can never read all the books I want; I can never be all the people I want and live all the lives I want. I can never train myself in all the skills I want. And why do I want? I want to live and feel all the shades, tones, and variations of mental and physical experience possible in my life.

- The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath

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There’s something good about unpleasant memories: they make you think you’re happy when a moment before you were convinced of the contrary.

- Erich Maria Remarque, The Night in Lisbon

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©️ Art by Ronja-L-art

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a bunch of relatively unpopular classic books that nearly no one talks about, but definitely should coz they're really interesting:

• "flotsam" by erich maria remarque:

published in 1939, the novel follows several migrants who fled germany at the time of national socialism. the book starts with the main characters, ludwig kern and josef steiner, being picked up by the austrian police and facing deportation due to the lack of passports. throughout the book, the characters will illegally cross the borders of countries, live in the constant fear of being deported, and try not to lose hope during such hard times. even though "flotsam" contains a bit similar story lines with more famous books of remarque ("the night in lisbon" and "triumph arch"), it is important to note that "flotsam" was written before them. that's why it is my favourite book by remarque.

• "the gadfly" by ethel voynich:

the novel is set during the turbulent period of revolt and upheavals in Italy in the 1840s, when austria ruled the country. arthur burton, an english catholic, goes to italy to pursue a career in priesthood and joins a revolutionary organization. however, after being betrayed by the priest, he renounces religion and discovers radical ideas.

• "in search of the castaways" (fr. les enfants du capitaine grant) by jules verne:

the book chronicles the search for captain grant. lord and lady glenarvan of scotland get in touch with mary and robert, captain grant's young children, via a newspaper ad after discovering a bottle the captain had thrown into the sea after the shipwreck. together, they decide to conduct the rescue personally after the government declines to send out a team. tons of dangerous adventures await them and the readers in this expedition. geography and history lovers will find it captivating. i would also like to recommend "a captain at fifteen" by the same author, but be warned that it has a lot of trigger moments, since it primarily deals with the issue of slavery in africa. (thanks to my parents who bought me this book when i was only 12 without knowing about its scary moments 😃)

• "osceola the seminole, or, the red fawn of the flower land" by mayne reid:

i highly recommend this one to enjoyers of historical fiction, especially if you're interested in american history. reid's evocative writing captures both the wild grandeur of the area and the nuanced interactions between the native americans and the settlers. moreover, this book will introduce to you osceola, a real historical figure, who led the seminole resistance.

• "nobody's boy" ('sans famille) by hector malot:

a gripping tale about an orphan named remi who, due to his foster parents' financial difficulties, is farmed out to a traveling street performer. "nobody's boy" travels from village to village performing his act, while a lot of unexpected turns occur in remi's life. this was one of my favourite books in my childhood, and i recommend reading "romain kalbris" by malot as well.

• "the pale horse" and "sad cypress" by agatha christie:

dame agatha christie is one of my all-time favourite authors. she is truly the queen of mystery. however, while some of her books are very popular, there are quite obscure ones. even though "the pale horse" and "sad cypress" are my favourites among christie's mysteries, i hardly see anyone mentioning them. so i highly recommend checking them out, you will definitely be fascinated by the final plot twists in both of them. you can also check out "cat among the pigeons" by christie for dark academia vibes.

p.s. i will add more books to this list in the future if i recall other obscure books that i've read or read a new one.

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To learn and think; to think and live; to live and learn: this always, with new insight, new understanding, and new love.

- The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath

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What is hell? I maintain that it is the suffering of being unable to love.

Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

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I think I could stand anything, any suffering, only to be able to say and to repeat to myself every moment, 'I exist.' In thousands of agonies - I exist. I'm tormented on the rack - but I exist! Though I sit alone in a pillar - I exist! I see the sun, and if I don't see the sun, I know it's there. And there's a whole life in that, in knowing that the sun is there.

- Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

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