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Group Reads Discussions > Auto-da-Fé

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message 1: by Bahram (new)

Bahram | 7 comments Hi everyone,
Has anyone read Elias Canetti’s translated novel - Auto-da-Fé to English?
I’m truly struggling!


message 2: by Gary (last edited Mar 05, 2024 06:58AM) (new)

Gary | 1 comments Hey...I have a first edition of "Auto-da-Fe"! But then again, I love novels that tend toward the surreal, the paranoid, and the insane, and I definitely loved this one for those reasons. My suggestion for books like these is to just let it flow...don't worry about "figuring things out" or trying to make sense of what the author is writing...just read it...if you get hung up, just move on, and by the end of the book, a meaning of some sort will arise, and frankly, that's all I need...I'm not a literary critic, I'm just a book-enjoyer...but if it makes you feel any better, I'm about 75 pages from the end of "The Obscene Bird of Night" by Chilean novelist Jose Donoso, and I'm in the same position that you are with "Auto-da-Fe"...the book is completely nuts, but I've gotten through it by suspending all expectations and judgments and just reading it...hope that helps!


message 3: by Rosemarie (new)

Rosemarie | 3953 comments I've only read the original German version and it truly a unique book. I would just let it flow, as Gary said.
It's a very memorable book with some very strange happenings.
It's also a strangely satisfying read, at least in German.


message 4: by George P. (new)

George P. | 116 comments I read it about five years ago. I thought it was very unconventional but it did keep my interest and five years later I still remember a good bit of it so that shows it made a memorable impression.


message 5: by Rosemarie (new)

Rosemarie | 3953 comments Unconventional is an accurate description of the book, George.


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