Books by Laurence Sterne
La vida y las opiniones del caballero Tristram Shandy
by Laurence Sterne, translated by Javier Marías
“Incluir a De nasis en mi lista ha sido, ahora me doy cuenta, mi forma de poder acabar nombrando la novela de Laurence Sterne, que no sólo fue y sigue siendo muy importante para mí, sino que, encima, es una especie de talismán personal; necesito que esté ahí en las ocasiones que lo merecen, como ésta misma.” Read more...
“It’s ostensibly an (auto)biography but it refuses ever to get to the life of the subject. The birth of Tristram Shandy and his actual development as an adult are constantly being hijacked by stories about his parents, about his uncle, Toby, who’s a very charismatic veteran from a war in Europe. There’s also Toby’s servant, the Corporal Trim, who’s a funny character, and the local obstetrician, Dr Slop. There’s Susannah, the maidservant, and Parson Yorick, who’s a very famous, colourful character. There are endless digressions with lots of sex jokes, like when Tristram gets an accidental circumcision after a window sash falls on him when he’s a child. It was denounced as highly scandalous and shocking at the time, including by Samuel Johnson, who famously said, ‘nothing so odd will do long’.” Read more...
Sophie Gee, Literary Scholar
Interviews where books by Laurence Sterne were recommended
The Best 18th-Century Novels, recommended by Sophie Gee
There’s nothing in modern works of fiction that wasn’t already there in the great novels of the 18th century, argues Sophie Gee, a professor of English at Princeton University and co-host of the Secret Life of Books podcast. She talks us through five of her favourites, from the irrepressible Moll Flanders to the melancholic beauty of Sense and Sensibility.
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1
La Bibliothèque invisible
by Stéphane Mahieu -
2
Mirabiblia: Catalogo ragionato di libri introvabili
by Paolo Albani & Paolo della Bella -
3
The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman
by Laurence Sterne -
4
Nueva Enciclopedia
by Alberto Savinio -
5
The Afternoon of Mr. Andesmas
by Marguerite Duras
Enrique Vila-Matas on Books that Shaped Him
Enrique Vila-Matas on Books that Shaped Him
‘I like to show some restraint when it comes to making things up…’ The Spanish novelist Enrique Vila-Matas discusses the role of risk in writing, the ‘crisis of the novel’, and five books that have shaped his own work. (You can also read this interview in the original Spanish.)
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1
La Bibliothèque invisible
by Stéphane Mahieu -
2
Mirabiblia: Catalogo ragionato di libri introvabili
by Paolo Albani & Paolo della Bella -
3
La vida y las opiniones del caballero Tristram Shandy
by Laurence Sterne, translated by Javier Marías -
4
Nueva Enciclopedia
by Alberto Savinio -
5
The Afternoon of Mr. Andesmas
by Marguerite Duras
Enrique Vila-Matas discute Los libros que le influyeron
Enrique Vila-Matas discute Los libros que le influyeron
‘Me gusta mostrar cierta moderación cuando se trata de inventar cosas …’ El escritor español Enrique Vila-Matas discute la importancia del riesgo en la escritura, la ‘crisis de la novela’, y cinco libros que han influenciado su propia escritura
