On February 2, 1882, the maestro of modernism, the Irish writer and poet James Joyce, was born., who wrote such cult things as "Ulysses", "Dubliners" and "Portrait of the Artist in his youth". Like any controversial author, he has both a sea of fans and the same sea of \u200b\u200bits opponents. Someone reads his books excitedly (as far as possible) and assures that an educated person who has not read Ulysses is nonsense. Someone throws the novel before reading even a hundred pages, and is affirmed in the opinion: complete nonsense.
In any case, in honor of the birthday man - five books that are as difficult to conquer as Everest.
Without it, any such list does not make sense by default. Although some readers believe that this whole huge, almost unbearable book also does not shine with meanings. This, of course, is not true. But it's hard to argue with the fact that not everyone is able to master "Ulysses", not to mention "Finnegans Wake". Yes, this book is not for everyone. Yes, it sounds like we're all snobs here, but you can't argue with the facts. Bloomsday - this is how you can briefly characterize the plot of the novel "Ulysses". Although, of course, one day in Bloom's life is still not the most important thing in the book. And what is really important is that everyone must decide for himself. As a last resort, one can always refer to the detailed commentary that accompanies many editions.
Detractors often claim that Umberto Eco is haunted by the fame of James Joyce. They say that this is precisely what caused the desire to use the richest metaphors, complex structures, non-linear forms and original style in their works. Right, this is nonsense. Although Eco's books do have all of the above. "Foucault's pendulum" is based on a detailed research work on topics like conspiracy theories, esotericism, religion, and more, more, more. To adequately deal with all this, you must either have the intellect of Senor Eco, or constantly keep Google at hand to make inquiries about unfamiliar concepts and hypotheses.
Jelinek is a very peculiar writer. For her originality, she even received Nobel Prize on literature. But if most of her books are still quite successfully read, then "Children of the Dead" is something with something. Neither The Pianist nor Lust are as dense and complex as this conceptual novel. The plot in it always flickers somewhere on the periphery, nothing more. And the semantic canvas invariably comes to the fore a la a very large and polythematic essay. It is here that Elfrida Jelinek mercilessly juggles innovative stylistic finds, creating a lacy fabric without dialogues, pauses and smooth plot transitions. A magical language that is not so easy to master.
One of the best novels of its time mercilessly breaks the boundaries of the genre, for which it gets into this list. Of course, it is still not as difficult to read as "Ulysses" or "Children of the Dead." The novel has a coherent and even exciting plot, several completely transparent ideas, accessible even to inexperienced readers who decide to immediately take on something powerful and large-scale. The pursuit of the White Whale is already a household word for the world of literature. Familiar even to those who have never read the novel. Its complexity lies in the fact that the book has many branches from the main plot - and the "whale encyclopedia", and reasoning, and semi-fantastic facts disorient the reader. But if you tune in to thoughtful mental work, the pleasure of reading will not keep you waiting.
We say: "postmodernism" - we think of Hess. We say: "The Glass Bead Game" - we think about postmodernism. The times in the novel are mixed up, but in short, we are talking about a certain future and a certain order of intellectuals from a fictional province, which then becomes a country. The essence of the very “bead game” in which the characters are engaged and which is included in the title of the novel is universal art. Creation of a metatext that synthesizes all branches of the art world into one whole magical brew. It is also difficult to explain in a few words the idea and plot of the novel, as it is to read it without having sufficient reading experience behind one's back. Of course, this is not the kind of book that should be taken in a playful mood or with nothing to do. But in itself it is from the category of must read.
If you have read one or more books from this list, share your impressions in the comments!
Surely you have come across books that you want to throw in a few pages, because nothing is clear in them. These are the ones you need to read in order to develop. Think of your brain as a muscle to be built. To do this, "lift weights" - read difficult books.
1. Before reading
Get rid of school thinking
At school we read to answer the teacher's questions. The results of the control confirm that we have read the material, and nothing more. Get rid of this approach to reading. Remember that now you are reading not for the teacher, but for yourself.
Let's say you're reading a book about the Peloponnesian War. It is not so important to remember that there was once a conflict between Corinth and Corsica. Pay attention to the strategies of the opposing sides. Both cities fought for the support of Athens. But some arrogantly stated that Athens was indebted to them, while others listed all the advantages of cooperation with them. Guess who won?
Places, names, dates - all this is not so important. The lessons are important.
Look at the end
The goal of the reader is to understand why something happened. BUT what exactly happened, it doesn't really matter. Therefore, it is useful to know in advance the ending of the book or the main judgments of the author. Then during the time you will focus on two questions:
- What does it mean?
- Do I agree with this?
Usually the first 50 pages we just figure out what the author wants to say. Knowing this in advance, you will immediately move on to a more important stage - trying to understand if the author is right and how to apply the knowledge gained to your advantage. In addition, from the first reading you will notice the main clues that you would have missed without prior knowledge of the book.
See what other readers found important about this book. Determine its cultural value from the reviews. Think about how important it was to other people. Based on the reviews, get an idea of the main topics.
2. While reading
Read the introduction
You want to miss it, but don't. Otherwise, you will miss a lot of important things and have to re-read everything again. Be sure to read introductory articles, translator's comments, footnotes, and footnotes. All this will help to understand the ideas of the author and prepare for the perception of the book.
Don't hesitate to get this kind of help. You will need it when you read something complex.
Clarify what you don't understand
Don't pretend that everything is clear to you. Look for information about what you don't understand. For example, when you read about military history, it is important to represent the battlefield. See maps of the area for more information. Just don't get hung up on the details. Don't forget that you need to learn the basic lessons first.
Mark interesting places
Highlight all the places that interested you and made you think. If you don't have bookmarks or a marker handy, fold the corners of the pages.
Write in the margins the thoughts, feelings, and associations that a passage evokes. Do it right away, while you remember and while there is inspiration. Don't be afraid to ruin the book. With such notes, it will bring you more benefit.
3. After reading
Make statements
Return to the book a week or two after reading. Scroll through it and all the marked places on the cards. Arrange these cards by topic. This is a very convenient storage system for important thoughts. You can turn to them in any situation: when you are writing an article, solving a work problem, or experiencing life difficulties.
If you don't want to deal with paper cards, save your notes digitally.
Choose the next book from the bibliography of the previous one
Look through the footnotes and bibliography at the end of a book to find the next one. So you will strengthen your knowledge in one area.
Put what you read into practice
You have not in vain marked interesting phrases. Use them in conversations and. Use them at work and in Everyday life. Look to them for comfort and inspiration.
Do not forget why you read - to learn moral and practical lessons from the book. But one reading is not enough. To develop, put what you read into practice.
The more satisfaction you get from applying the acquired knowledge, the more you want to develop further.
Literary online magazine The Millions has compiled a list of the 10 most difficult books in history. The compilers of the rating did not stint on such epithets as "10 literary Everests, having conquered which, you will immediately feel your intellectual superiority over the average homo sapiens."
The compilers recommend approaching the reading of books from this list with caution, reminding the brave reader that the perception of these works can be quite difficult. Difficulties for the modern reader can be caused by the excessive volume of some of these works, the unusual syntax and the original structure of the text. Also, among the difficulties that lie in wait for the reader, an overly complex writing style, the authors' experimental work with the language, and simply the abstractness of the text were named.
The TOP 10 most difficult books compiled by the site are as follows:
1. "Nightwood" Djuna Barnes;
2. Tale of the Barrel by Jonathan Swift;
3. "Phenomenology of Spirit" Georg Hegel;
4. To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf;
5. The Memorable Life of the Maid Clarissa Harlow by Samuel Richardson
6. Finnegans Wake by James Joyce
7. "Being and Time" Martin Heidegger
8. Making Americans by Gertrude Stein
9. "Fairy Queen" Edmund Spenser
10. "Women and Men" by Joseph McElroy.
However, our reader (and translators) will not be scared by all these horror stories. Most of these books are available to our reader. Nightwood by Juna Barnes, The Making of Americans by Gertrude Stein, and postmodernist Josem McElroy with his Women and Men have not yet been translated.
Partially translated The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser and Finnegans Wake by James Joyce are probably the most difficult to translate of all the books on the list.
The list itself is probably intended to interest the reader by the method of "contradiction". If this book is difficult, why not master it? At least for himself. Yes, and the usual ratings of the level of “what to read to look well-read” have already set their teeth on edge. The list, of course, is far from complete, and it was compiled for the English-speaking reader. Probably, soon we should expect other lists of the most difficult books to read. First of all - Russians ...
See also:
* 39 books that explained Russia
* One hundred books for Tula schoolchildren
*
You were given a life sentence and there is only a piano in the cell? Then we have something for you... From Liszt to Scriabin - 10 of the most technically complex pieces ever written for piano.
1. Franz Liszt - La Companella
The work La Campanella, which means "bell" in Italian, is a piano transcription of the violin piece of the same name by Niccolò Paganini. The etude is considered one of the most difficult compositions ever written for the piano. The texture of "Campanella" includes huge jumps in the left hand, while the right gets complex passages at a very fast pace.
In this video, virtuoso pianist Lang Lang plays this piece so easily, as if it were not much more difficult than "Dance of the Little Ducklings".
- Maurice Ravel - "Night Gaspard" ("Night Visions")
When Ravel was working on the Gaspard de la Nuit suite, he deliberately wanted to make it the most technically difficult piece in the piano repertoire. He said that when writing, he was guided by Balakirev's Islamey, wanting to surpass him in complexity. One of the leading pianists said that playing this piece "is like solving endless quadratic equations in my mind".
- Kaikhosru Sorabji - Opus Clavicembalisticum
Playing this piece is even more difficult than pronouncing its title. Opus Clavicembalisticum consists of 12 actions with a total duration of more than 4 hours. The composer himself described his composition as follows: "The last 4 pages are as disastrous as everything I have ever done - harmony stings like nitric acid, and counterpoint grinds like the mills of God."
- Conlon Nancarrow - "Etudes for Mechanical Piano"
The works for mechanical piano by the American composer Conlon Nancarrow are some of the most deliberately complex, frantic pieces of music in the piano repertoire. They are designed to be played on a mechanical instrument, not played by live pianists. But that doesn't mean no one has tried...
- Fryderyk Chopin - Etude Op. 10 no. 4
Unlike Chopin's tender nocturnes, this etude leaves the pianist no opportunity to rest. Marked presto con fuoco (fast, with heat), it requires an extremely fast pace and constant mobility in both hands.
Daria, Jam`s cool piano teacher:
“The hardest part of playing this piece for me was the coda, after which there is a crazy passage all over the keyboard up and then down. By the end of the story, you are usually exhausted, but here the climax falls on the last page. And, of course, like any study, No. 4 took a lot of time to develop the necessary technical skills.”
- Charles Valentin Alkan - Concerto for solo piano
Alkan's concert is rarely played live, and for good reason. An epic 50-minute job requires unprecedented technique and physical endurance. Alkan's melodies are not as pleasant and catchy as those of Chopin or Liszt, but he certainly knows how to best demonstrate virtuoso technique.
- Alexander Nikolayevich Scriabin - Piano Sonata No. 5
Alexander Scriabin's Fifth Sonata makes the most of the technical capabilities of both hands, but the main load falls on the pianist's brain. The sonata was received with bewilderment by many contemporaries. For some of them, it became the line from which they refused to accept the composer's work.
- Igor Fedorovich Stravinsky - 3 fragments from "Petrushka" for piano
3 fragments from "Petrushka" are called one of the most difficult piano compositions. All parts include numerous glissandos, tremolo and fast 2-octave shifts. As they say, it's not for the faint of heart.
- Sergei Sergeevich Prokofiev - Piano Concerto No. 2
The second piano concerto is Prokofiev's most dramatic work. Of particular difficulty is the cadenza of the first movement, which consists of three steps and requires the pianist to make frequent and wide leaps with both hands. And yes, it lasts a full 5 minutes followed by 2 more intense parts.
- György Ligeti - "Devil's Ladder"
Well, what is the list of the most difficult works for piano without Ligeti. The etudes of this Hungarian composer frighten novice pianists. Of particular horror is the "Devil's Ladder", and not at all because of the name. The work is a masterpiece of dynamics, which develops from pianissimo to 8(!) forte.
Music section publications
"The most difficult thing is to earn the trust of musicians"
Kultura.RF publishes an exclusive interview with six conductors - Pyotr Gladysh and Dmitry Matvienko, Arif Dadashev and Arsenty Tkachenko, Alexander Khumala and Sergey Akimov. They told the readers of the portal about their vocation, about the qualities that an orchestra leader should have, and about the difficulties of the profession.
Petr Gladysh
As a cellist I have worked in various orchestras with many conductors of various levels, ages and nationalities. But there was one conductor's quality, which always immediately won you over. When it manifested, I always wanted to meet halfway, give everything one hundred percent. This quality is solidarity. This is when the conductor feels like a part of the team, understands the specifics of the instruments and the technical difficulties that may be associated with them, empathizes with the musicians, worries about their physical condition, does not bring the orchestra to exhaustion during rehearsals and at the right time gives the musicians the opportunity to save themselves in order to save strength for the performance. When he does not formally, but sincerely sympathizes that someone has a toothache, and someone's child is sick, and understands that we are all living people and we are all "in the same boat." This kind of conductor will be accepted in any team. Such an attitude cannot be portrayed or tried to be copied: musicians feel hypocrisy very well and will immediately figure it out.
I am happy, I am really lucky in life: I work with a conductor who does not divide the orchestra into superiors and subordinates and who treats each orchestra member with sincere respect and interest. And the support that the orchestra gives in turn is really worth a lot. Such a sense of comradeship is a rarity both in a musical group and in any other.
In those pleasant moments when you conduct such pearls of classical music as, for example, Adagietto from Mahler's fifth symphony, or the third part of Tchaikovsky's string serenade, or the third part of Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade, you begin to feel this inexpressibly beautiful sound. It is tangible, you feel how the soft and warm sound of the orchestra flows under your fingers, and you physically feel its density. At such moments, the wand is automatically sent to the remote control.
Third movement of Mahler's Fourth Symphony.
The difficulty for a novice conductor, in my opinion, is as follows. Training in educational institution- this is homework with a score in front of a mirror and conducting in a class with two accompanists. And so, it means that you have been studying for so long, achieved the “ideal gesture” and finally, for the first time in your life, impatiently went out to the orchestra! And ... you understand that the pizzicatos of the strings were not played together at your show, the introductions of the wind instruments are not always obtained together, but the brilliant accelerandos that were so convincing in the imagination at home in front of the mirror - here they are generally performed very reluctantly and cost you a lot of effort . That is, for more coordinated actions in a large team, the conductor needs some other means.
As one great conductor said, "conducting is an experience". Education is sleepless nights with scores in front of a mirror, and classes in the classroom with a professor and accompanists, and conducting a string orchestra, and, finally, working with a large symphony orchestra. The difficulty is that there is a whole abyss between these steps - and a novice conductor must be ready to step there.
Everyone goes through this stage, of course. The main thing is not to succumb to excessive reflection at the right moment and step by step approach the heights in this very difficult, but insanely interesting profession.
Dmitry Matvienko
What qualities should a conductor have?
There are obvious qualities that any person leading a group of people should possess - will, charisma, diplomacy. In the case of the conductor's profession, it is difficult to list everything.
To better understand music, a conductor must be a fanatic of his craft, have a broad outlook, know foreign languages. And another obligatory component is luck. Over the past decade, competition has grown significantly, as can be judged at least by the number of applications for conducting competitions. It is very important to get to the right place at the right time and prove yourself to the maximum.
- What do you personally prefer to conduct - with your hands or with a stick?
I don't think there's much difference between wand control and no wand control. It doesn't matter exactly how and with what help you influence the musicians. It is important that they feel you, breathe with you, then you can not conduct at all. There should be a special relationship, that invisible contact that happens with the closest people, when you don’t need to say anything, but everything is clear.
- What is the most difficult piece to perform with an orchestra, in your opinion?
There is no division in this profession into simple works and complex ones. However, many conductors consider the most difficult piece to be the one they currently have in production. And I understand them. You can study the symphonies of the Viennese classics just as endlessly as you can study the works of composers of any style, be it Bruckner, Debussy or Stockhausen.
If we are talking about the technical side of the issue, then there will also be no division as such: the beginning of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony is no easier than the beginning of Tchaikovsky's Sixth Symphony or Britten's War Requiem.
- What is the most difficult thing for you in the conductor's profession?
In the profession of any musician, and conductor in particular, the most difficult task is the realization of one's ambitions and ideas.
Now is a time when it is extremely difficult to follow the path of a true artist. They try to squeeze as many concerts and performances as possible out of orchestras in a season, so even first-rate conductors are rarely given more than three or four rehearsals per program. Although orchestra players can quickly learn musical notation, this is not enough for deep immersion in music. And one often has to ask oneself the question that professor of the Moscow Conservatory Gennady Rozhdestvensky asks applicants: “Why do you want to do this?”
Arif Dadashev
What qualities should a conductor have?
Musical taste, decency, will, objectivity, sense of humor.
- What do you personally prefer to conduct - with your hands or with a stick?
It seems to me that the hands as a whole are a more expressive tool for contact with the orchestra.
- What is the most difficult piece to perform with an orchestra, in your opinion?
I cannot answer this question unambiguously. Every piece of music is complex in its own way. The performance of any composition is a joint creative search of the conductor and the musicians of the orchestra.
- What is the most difficult thing for you in the conductor's profession?
The most difficult thing is to earn the professional trust of the musicians, because during the performance the conductor and the orchestra must be one. It is at this moment that a miracle takes place - the birth of music.
Arsenty Tkachenko
What qualities should a conductor have?
Of course, you need to be a leader and have charisma in order to interest the artists of the orchestra. And of course, you need to know a lot - after all, it is very important to win the respect and professional trust of musicians.
- What do you personally prefer to conduct - with your hands or with a stick?
In any case, the wand is a continuation of the hand - they can be said to be one. However, conducting with a baton makes gestures more varied and clear, especially at moving tempos.
- What is the most difficult piece to perform with an orchestra, in your opinion?
It all depends on the class of the orchestra and the conductor. I think that with the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia the most difficult work will turn into the most interesting preparation for the concert. And the result will be brilliant.
- What is the most difficult thing for you in the conductor's profession?
My credo is to convey to the public our musical ideas and emotions associated with the work with the orchestra. Listeners in the hall should not remain indifferent. In this case, there is a miracle called Music - when without words we can experience the deepest feelings.
Alexander Khumala
Patience, diligence, firmness of character.
- What do you personally prefer to conduct - with your hands or with a stick?
I think that the presence or absence of a conductor's baton is not important for the musicians of the orchestra. But if he conducts without a head - without a clue about what he is doing - it is quite difficult for musicians. So I choose the head.
- What is the most difficult piece to perform with an orchestra, in your opinion?
For me, the most difficult thing to conduct is the music of Mozart. And The Rite of Spring by Stravinsky is a technically difficult work.
- What is the most difficult thing for you in the conductor's profession?
Probably the most difficult thing in the profession of a conductor is to understand that it is impossible to perform a work exactly as the composer intended it to be. And at the same time strive for this ideal at the cost of his whole life.
Sergei Akimov
- What personal qualities must have a conductor?
The ability to love and an impeccable sense of rhythm.
- What do you personally prefer to conduct - with your hands or with a stick?
I perfectly understand people who prefer to conduct without a baton. However, for me, the wand is not only an extension of the hand, but also a “magic pen” with which I illustrate the works.
- What is the most difficult piece to perform with an orchestra, in your opinion?
It hasn't been written yet.
- What is the most difficult thing for you in the conductor's profession?
To be youreself.
Photos provided by the Moscow State Academic Philharmonic.