Our Shared Shelf discussion

Hi, I am a new addition to the group and am currently reading The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera (I missed the announcement for January's novel).

Having recently travelled around Europe, I enjoy finding literature by authors from each country. Hungarian author Milan Kundera is a delight to read; the text introspective and fascinating.

I would highly recommend this text for this book club, and would love to hear any recommendations of European authors or books.

Rosie

Rosie wrote: "Hi, I am a new addition to the group and am currently reading The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera (I missed the announcement for January's novel).

Having recently travelled around ..."

My opinion is that it could have been added to the book suggestions thread instead. Kudos to you for wanting to discover a country by their written word, as written words have their own world and have much say about the one who wrote them as well as the culture they're a part of.

Hey there!

Please, consider suggesting this book (and any other as well) in this thread, so it won't be missed. Anyway, this one will be here in case if anyone want to discuss this particular book, so it would be very handy to change it's title maybe?

Thank you!

Thread moved to "Books Suggestions" section.

Hi Elena and Ash, thank you for your replies! Everything you mentioned has been noted.

Rosie wrote: "Hi, I am a new addition to the group and am currently reading The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera (I missed the announcement for January's novel).

Having recently travelled around ..."

Rosie wrote: "Hi, I am a new addition to the group and am currently reading The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera (I missed the announcement for January's novel).

Having recently travelled around ..."

France:
A Life by Simone Veil (she is an absolute feminist icon in France, she fought for the right of abortion for women in our country)
The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir (the "bible" of feminism)
The Cat by Colette
Bonjour Tristesse by Françoise Sagan

I do believe Kundera is Czech, rather than Hungarian. He is, however, a beloved author in Central Europe.

Kundera is indeed Czech born, but exiled to France and later adopted the nationality (: he has been on my to-read pile for years!
I recently bought The Solitude of Prime Numbers by the Italian writer Paolo Giordiano, and it comes highly recommended from my friend even if I haven't bought it yet.
A children's novel I adore by the German writer is Inkheart, which is actually part of a series. I recommend this one a lot! The writer, Cornelia Funke, has a lot of great books.
And even if England is a country with lots of novelists, I'd recommend Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell, it's so good!

I've already recommended these in other threads:
Christiane F, the story of a girl in West Berlin who became a drug addict and prostitute.
Anne Frank's diary - a Jew in the Netherlands and her family

Champions of Oneness by Janet Ruhe-Schoen.
Chronicles the early believers of the Baha'i Faith in the US working for the equality of women and men, the equality of the races between 1898 and 1921. Amity Conferences was a thing back then to talk about race unity(amity) among the Baha'is.
Great look at small groups of people throughout the country working hard for equality, even tho it was decades before the Laws were changed.
bahai.org

Rosie wrote: "Hi Elena and Ash, thank you for your replies! Everything you mentioned has been noted."

hi, and welcome!

Hi everyone! Thank you for these recommendations! I can't wait to research them all :D

Hi everyone! Thank you for these recommendations! I can't wait to research them all :D

Amrita Pritam seems pretty cool and well-known in India.

Belarus:
Bella Chagall (Jewish, lived in France and America; best known as the wife of painter Marc Chagall)
Svetlana Alexievich (Nobel prize winner)

Croatia: Slavenka Drakulić

Finland:
Johanna Sinisalo
Tove Jansson (the Moomins author!)
Minna Canth

Italy: Elena Ferrante

Mexico: Laura Esquivel

Poland: Joanna Chmielewska

Russia:
poets Anna Akhmatova, Marina Tsvetaeva (I was named after her)
Tatyana Tolstaya (a descendant of Tolstoy)
Zinaida Lindén (lives in Finland and writes in Swedish)
Lolita by Nabokov is controversial but definitely worth some feminist discussion (I've yet to read it myself)

Uruguay: Carmen Posadas

Marina wrote: "Belarus:
Bella Chagall (Jewish, lived in France and America; best known as the wife of painter Marc Chagall)
Svetlana Alexievich (Nobel prize winner)

Croatia: Slavenka Drakulić

Finland:
Johanna ..."

I've been centered in feminism in Latinamerica and México so thank you for all the recommendations because lately I've been searching different perspectives.

In México, I'd like to add Elena Poniatowska (she born in Poland, but live in México since the 30's o 40's and has the mexican nationality), Elena Garro and Rosario Castellanos.

I've already recommend Sandra Cisneros in other topics (she is chicana, mexican-american) and recently I discovered Julia Alvarez, who is american, but her parents are dominican and she lived in Dominican Republic many years in her childhood and youth.

Also, from Chile, there is the poet Gabriela Mistral and Isabel Allende.