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SoBrief
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The Anatomy of Influence
by Harold Bloom • 2011
Literary influence is love with its guard up, and Shakespeare is still winning.
3.93
477
The Anatomy of Influence Summary
The Anatomy of Influence 91%
Literary influence is love with its guard up, and Shakespeare is still winning.
by Harold Bloom 2011
3.93
477 ratings
Aspects of the Novel
by E.M. Forster • 1927
A novelist dismantles fiction into its working parts: story, plot, and the characters who breathe.
3.80
5k+
Aspects of the Novel Summary
Aspects of the Novel 89%
A novelist dismantles fiction into its working parts: story, plot, and the characters who breathe.
by E.M. Forster 1927
3.80
5k+ ratings
The Iliad / The Odyssey
by Homer
We know nothing of Homer. So his epics became a mirror every civilization fills with itself.
4.07
84k+
The Iliad / The Odyssey Summary
The Iliad / The Odyssey 89%
We know nothing of Homer. So his epics became a mirror every civilization fills with itself.
by Homer
4.07
84k+ ratings
Why Bob Dylan Matters
by Richard F. Thomas • 2017
A classicist reveals the ancient texts hidden inside Bob Dylan's most famous lyrics.
3.74
1k+
Why Bob Dylan Matters Summary
Why Bob Dylan Matters 89%
A classicist reveals the ancient texts hidden inside Bob Dylan's most famous lyrics.
by Richard F. Thomas 2017
3.74
1k+ ratings
A Little History of Literature
by John Sutherland • 2013
Myths, money, and modernism: how literature got from campfire tales to your e-reader.
3.82
2k+
A Little History of Literature Summary
A Little History of Literature 89%
Myths, money, and modernism: how literature got from campfire tales to your e-reader.
by John Sutherland 2013
3.82
2k+ ratings
Preface to Shakespeare
by Samuel Johnson • 1778
Why Shakespeare's greatness survives his flaws: Samuel Johnson's landmark verdict from 1778.
3.62
376
Preface to Shakespeare Summary
Preface to Shakespeare 89%
Why Shakespeare's greatness survives his flaws: Samuel Johnson's landmark verdict from 1778.
by Samuel Johnson 1778
3.62
376 ratings
Shakespeare's Freedom
by Stephen Greenblatt • 2010
Shakespeare dreamed of absolute freedom; his entire career became a record of its limits.
3.83
175
Shakespeare's Freedom Summary
Shakespeare's Freedom 89%
Shakespeare dreamed of absolute freedom; his entire career became a record of its limits.
by Stephen Greenblatt 2010
3.83
175 ratings
Lezioni di letteratura russa. Gogol', Turgenev, Dostoevskij, Tolstoj, Čechov e Gor'kij nelle lezioni di un grande maestro
by Vladimir Nabokov • 1981
Nabokov on Russian masters: art alone matters, not message. Dostoevsky fails, Gogol soars.
4.26
2k+
Lezioni di letteratura russa. Gogol', Turgenev, Dostoevskij, Tolstoj, Čechov e Gor'kij nelle lezioni di un grande maestro Summary
Lezioni di letteratura russa. Gogol', Turgenev, Dostoevskij, Tolstoj, Čechov e Gor'kij nelle lezioni di un grande maestro 89%
Nabokov on Russian masters: art alone matters, not message. Dostoevsky fails, Gogol soars.
by Vladimir Nabokov 1981
4.26
2k+ ratings
Borges on Writing
by Jorge Luis Borges • 1973
Plausibility trumps truth, short stories hinge on a situation, and great poems arrive unbidden.
4.07
1k+
Borges on Writing Summary
Borges on Writing 89%
Plausibility trumps truth, short stories hinge on a situation, and great poems arrive unbidden.
by Jorge Luis Borges 1973
4.07
1k+ ratings
The Strength to Dream
by Colin Wilson • 1962
The crisis of modern literature is a failure of imagination, and the cost is human freedom.
3.93
123
The Strength to Dream Summary
The Strength to Dream 89%
The crisis of modern literature is a failure of imagination, and the cost is human freedom.
by Colin Wilson 1962
3.93
123 ratings
Dialogism
by Michael Holquist • 1990
All speech answers prior speech, all selves depend on others: the dialogic philosophy of Bakhtin.
4.09
88
Dialogism Summary
Dialogism 89%
All speech answers prior speech, all selves depend on others: the dialogic philosophy of Bakhtin.
by Michael Holquist 1990
4.09
88 ratings
Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five
by Curtis Smith • 2016
A writer unpacks the alien logic and buried grief inside Vonnegut's time-jumping anti-war classic.
4.27
41
Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five Summary
Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five 89%
A writer unpacks the alien logic and buried grief inside Vonnegut's time-jumping anti-war classic.
by Curtis Smith 2016
4.27
41 ratings
The Naive and the Sentimental Novelist
by Orhan Pamuk • 2010
Why great novels put you in a trance even as you know every word is invented.
3.95
3k+
The Naive and the Sentimental Novelist Summary
The Naive and the Sentimental Novelist 89%
Why great novels put you in a trance even as you know every word is invented.
by Orhan Pamuk 2010
3.95
3k+ ratings
Gabriel García Márquez
by Michael Wood • 1990
The craft behind the curse: how magical realism, circular time, and prophecy hold Macondo together.
4.54
6k+
Gabriel García Márquez Summary
Gabriel García Márquez 88%
The craft behind the curse: how magical realism, circular time, and prophecy hold Macondo together.
by Michael Wood 1990
4.54
6k+ ratings
How to Read and Why
by Harold Bloom • 2000
Read selfishly, chase pleasure, and recover the irony that academic jargon banished.
3.61
4k+
How to Read and Why Summary
How to Read and Why 88%
Read selfishly, chase pleasure, and recover the irony that academic jargon banished.
by Harold Bloom 2000
3.61
4k+ ratings
Bowie's Bookshelf
by John O'Connell • 2019
Ziggy Stardust, the Thin White Duke, and 98 other books: the shelf that built David Bowie.
3.73
2k+
Bowie's Bookshelf Summary
Bowie's Bookshelf 88%
Ziggy Stardust, the Thin White Duke, and 98 other books: the shelf that built David Bowie.
by John O'Connell 2019
3.73
2k+ ratings
Bandersnatch
by Diana Pavlac Glyer • 2016
Ruthless critique and a wager over pints: the creative collision that built Middle-earth and Narnia.
4.28
1k+
Bandersnatch Summary
Bandersnatch 88%
Ruthless critique and a wager over pints: the creative collision that built Middle-earth and Narnia.
by Diana Pavlac Glyer 2016
4.28
1k+ ratings
How Fiction Works
by James Wood • 2008
How do novels create the illusion of a thinking mind? A master critic explains the techniques.
3.99
8k+
How Fiction Works Summary
How Fiction Works 88%
How do novels create the illusion of a thinking mind? A master critic explains the techniques.
by James Wood 2008
3.99
8k+ ratings
Nonconformity
by Nelson Algren • 1996
Real writing means siding with the damned, risking obsession, and refusing to comfort.
4.07
268
Nonconformity Summary
Nonconformity 88%
Real writing means siding with the damned, risking obsession, and refusing to comfort.
by Nelson Algren 1996
4.07
268 ratings
Discovering the Hidden Wisdom of the Little Prince
by Pierre Lassus • 2014
Beneath the fable, a secret self-portrait: his wife in the rose, his despair in the desert.
3.31
51
Discovering the Hidden Wisdom of the Little Prince Summary
Discovering the Hidden Wisdom of the Little Prince 88%
Beneath the fable, a secret self-portrait: his wife in the rose, his despair in the desert.
by Pierre Lassus 2014
3.31
51 ratings
Poetics
by Aristotle
Plot is everything. Character is secondary. The ancient blueprint for a tragedy that devastates.
3.83
30k+
Poetics Summary
Poetics 88%
Plot is everything. Character is secondary. The ancient blueprint for a tragedy that devastates.
by Aristotle
3.83
30k+ ratings
The Translator's Invisibility
by Lawrence Venuti • 1994
The smoother a translation reads, the more it erases the foreign culture and the translator's labor.
3.79
272
The Translator's Invisibility Summary
The Translator's Invisibility 88%
The smoother a translation reads, the more it erases the foreign culture and the translator's labor.
by Lawrence Venuti 1994
3.79
272 ratings
The Art of Intimacy
by Stacey D'Erasmo • 2013
Fiction's real intimacy lives in the subjunctive, the white space, and the shared glance.
3.93
248
The Art of Intimacy Summary
The Art of Intimacy 88%
Fiction's real intimacy lives in the subjunctive, the white space, and the shared glance.
by Stacey D'Erasmo 2013
3.93
248 ratings
Julio Cortázar
by Robert Brody • 1976
The novel that made the reader an accomplice: its mechanisms and meanings, fully decoded.
4.37
8k+
Julio Cortázar Summary
Julio Cortázar 88%
The novel that made the reader an accomplice: its mechanisms and meanings, fully decoded.
by Robert Brody 1976
4.37
8k+ ratings
Who We're Reading When We're Reading Murakami
by David Karashima • 2020
Your Murakami was crafted by translators who cut, reshaped, and sometimes rewrote him; this is how.
3.71
477
Who We're Reading When We're Reading Murakami Summary
Who We're Reading When We're Reading Murakami 88%
Your Murakami was crafted by translators who cut, reshaped, and sometimes rewrote him; this is how.
by David Karashima 2020
3.71
477 ratings
A Swim in a Pond in the Rain
by George Saunders • 2021
Seven Russian classics, read one line at a time, reveal the hidden machinery of great fiction.
4.53
26k+
A Swim in a Pond in the Rain Summary
A Swim in a Pond in the Rain 88%
Seven Russian classics, read one line at a time, reveal the hidden machinery of great fiction.
by George Saunders 2021
4.53
26k+ ratings
How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read
by Pierre Bayard • 2020
Not reading is a creative strategy, not a failure. A French critic makes the case.
3.44
5k+
How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read Summary
How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read 88%
Not reading is a creative strategy, not a failure. A French critic makes the case.
by Pierre Bayard 2020
3.44
5k+ ratings
History of English literature
by Edward Albert • 1923
From Beowulf to Eliot: the full sweep of English literature, century by century.
3.90
257
History of English literature Summary
History of English literature 88%
From Beowulf to Eliot: the full sweep of English literature, century by century.
by Edward Albert 1923
3.90
257 ratings
Science Fiction
by David Seed • 2011
How space voyages, aliens, and time travel turned science fiction into the literature of ideas.
3.31
554
Science Fiction Summary
Science Fiction 88%
How space voyages, aliens, and time travel turned science fiction into the literature of ideas.
by David Seed 2011
3.31
554 ratings
The Well-Educated Mind
by Susan Wise Bauer • 2003
A classical education for play readers: what the best seats in the house still hide.
4.00
4k+
The Well-Educated Mind Summary
The Well-Educated Mind 88%
A classical education for play readers: what the best seats in the house still hide.
by Susan Wise Bauer 2003
4.00
4k+ ratings
Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible
by Linda Wagner-Martin • 2001
Nathan Price never narrates: inside the five-woman chorus that indicts a missionary's arrogance.
4.31
308
Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible Summary
Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible 88%
Nathan Price never narrates: inside the five-woman chorus that indicts a missionary's arrogance.
by Linda Wagner-Martin 2001
4.31
308 ratings
Book Lust
by Nancy Pearl • 2003
What to read next, organized not by genre but by how you feel right now.
3.77
4k+
Book Lust Summary
Book Lust 88%
What to read next, organized not by genre but by how you feel right now.
by Nancy Pearl 2003
3.77
4k+ ratings
The Poetry of Pablo Neruda
by Pablo Neruda • 1951
How love, exile, and revolution forged a Nobel laureate whose poetry still crosses every border.
4.43
21k+
The Poetry of Pablo Neruda Summary
The Poetry of Pablo Neruda 88%
How love, exile, and revolution forged a Nobel laureate whose poetry still crosses every border.
by Pablo Neruda 1951
4.43
21k+ ratings
Why Read Moby-Dick?
by Nathaniel Philbrick • 2010
The whale is America: a historian on why Moby-Dick is the novel our present moment demands.
3.78
5k+
Why Read Moby-Dick? Summary
Why Read Moby-Dick? 88%
The whale is America: a historian on why Moby-Dick is the novel our present moment demands.
by Nathaniel Philbrick 2010
3.78
5k+ ratings
Letters on Cézanne
by Rainer Maria Rilke • 1907
One poet's letters on Cézanne: how seeing becomes the artist's hardest and most honest work.
4.16
957
Letters on Cézanne Summary
Letters on Cézanne 88%
One poet's letters on Cézanne: how seeing becomes the artist's hardest and most honest work.
by Rainer Maria Rilke 1907
4.16
957 ratings
The Lonely Voice
by Frank O'Connor • 1961
The short story speaks for the outsider the novel was never built to see.
3.89
246
The Lonely Voice Summary
The Lonely Voice 88%
The short story speaks for the outsider the novel was never built to see.
by Frank O'Connor 1961
3.89
246 ratings
About Writing
by Samuel R. Delany • 2006
The sentence, not the world, is science fiction's true unit of meaning. A master explains why.
4.26
459
About Writing Summary
About Writing 88%
The sentence, not the world, is science fiction's true unit of meaning. A master explains why.
by Samuel R. Delany 2006
4.26
459 ratings
William Faulkner
by André Bleikasten • 2017
His family, his affair, his South, his demons: Faulkner's novels were his life recast as myth.
4.23
13
William Faulkner Summary
William Faulkner 88%
His family, his affair, his South, his demons: Faulkner's novels were his life recast as myth.
by André Bleikasten 2017
4.23
13 ratings
101 Amazing Facts about J.K. Rowling
by Holger Weßling • 2019
From welfare to a billion dollars: the backstory of Hogwarts in 101 digestible facts.
101 Amazing Facts about J.K. Rowling Summary
101 Amazing Facts about J.K. Rowling 88%
From welfare to a billion dollars: the backstory of Hogwarts in 101 digestible facts.
by Holger Weßling 2019
Make Believe
by Mac Barnett • 2026
How the most daring literature ends up for eight-year-olds, and what adults can learn from them.
4.38
3k+
Make Believe Summary
Make Believe 88%
How the most daring literature ends up for eight-year-olds, and what adults can learn from them.
by Mac Barnett 2026
4.38
3k+ ratings
Q's Legacy
by Helene Hanff • 1985
A professor's lectures led to a London bookshop, twenty years of letters, and accidental fame.
4.05
2k+
Q's Legacy Summary
Q's Legacy 88%
A professor's lectures led to a London bookshop, twenty years of letters, and accidental fame.
by Helene Hanff 1985
4.05
2k+ ratings
Letters To A Young Poet
by Rainer Maria Rilke • 1929
A young officer asked Rilke for writing advice. The poet replied: stop asking. Go inside.
4.27
125k+
Letters To A Young Poet Summary
Letters To A Young Poet 88%
A young officer asked Rilke for writing advice. The poet replied: stop asking. Go inside.
by Rainer Maria Rilke 1929
4.27
125k+ ratings
On Writing
by Ernest Hemingway • 1984
Write true, cut hard, and the reader will feel what you never said.
4.02
5k+
On Writing Summary
On Writing 88%
Write true, cut hard, and the reader will feel what you never said.
by Ernest Hemingway 1984
4.02
5k+ ratings
The Wisdom of the Heart
by Henry Miller • 1941
Modern men are half-alive and call it progress. The cure starts when the thinking stops.
4.03
663
The Wisdom of the Heart Summary
The Wisdom of the Heart 88%
Modern men are half-alive and call it progress. The cure starts when the thinking stops.
by Henry Miller 1941
4.03
663 ratings
Papa Hemingway
by A.E. Hotchner • 1955
From Paris to Cuba, a trusted friend documents the fourteen-year unmaking of a literary giant.
4.20
3k+
Papa Hemingway Summary
Papa Hemingway 88%
From Paris to Cuba, a trusted friend documents the fourteen-year unmaking of a literary giant.
by A.E. Hotchner 1955
4.20
3k+ ratings
The Poet's Guide to Life
by Rainer Maria Rilke • 2005
Rilke's letters become a field guide: how to turn solitude and loss into a deeper life.
4.12
368
The Poet's Guide to Life Summary
The Poet's Guide to Life 88%
Rilke's letters become a field guide: how to turn solitude and loss into a deeper life.
by Rainer Maria Rilke 2005
4.12
368 ratings
The Greatest Minds and Ideas of All Time
by Will Durant • 2002
Genius, not economics, is the engine of history: a tour of the minds that built civilization.
3.72
3k+
The Greatest Minds and Ideas of All Time Summary
The Greatest Minds and Ideas of All Time 88%
Genius, not economics, is the engine of history: a tour of the minds that built civilization.
by Will Durant 2002
3.72
3k+ ratings
The Facts
by Philip Roth • 1988
A master of fiction tries to write the straight truth about his life, and discovers why he cannot.
3.70
1k+
The Facts Summary
The Facts 88%
A master of fiction tries to write the straight truth about his life, and discovers why he cannot.
by Philip Roth 1988
3.70
1k+ ratings
Invisible Ink
by Brian McDonald • 2010
Forget formulas: the deep craft of story is a hidden framework of theme, pain, and dramatic irony.
4.38
2k+
Invisible Ink Summary
Invisible Ink 88%
Forget formulas: the deep craft of story is a hidden framework of theme, pain, and dramatic irony.
by Brian McDonald 2010
4.38
2k+ ratings
Conversations with Orhan Pamuk
by Orhan Pamuk • 2024
A fictional love affair, a real museum, and a Nobel laureate's lifelong argument with his city.
4.00
1
Conversations with Orhan Pamuk Summary
Conversations with Orhan Pamuk 88%
A fictional love affair, a real museum, and a Nobel laureate's lifelong argument with his city.
by Orhan Pamuk 2024
4.00
1 ratings
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