What's the Heaviest Book You've Loved and Finished?

[NotQuiteCockney]

For me, it's Infinite Jest. I loved loved loved it, all 8 gazillion pages of teeny tiny footnotes about tennis.

I'm debating starting up with Gravity's Rainbow, or maybe Mason & Dixon again. I loved what bits of Gravity's Rainbow I got through, but I didn't get through much.

I know what you mean hatwoman. I have taught Levi's work for years but there are some passages which I just can't talk about in class (or have, by now, found ways of referring to very obliquely - e.g. 'the central paragraph of p.23' or whatever...) because if I try to talk about them I cry.

All you Levi-readers, I don't know if any of you managed to see 'Primo' last year. It's a play based on 'If this is a man' which was written and performed by Antony Sher (directed by Richard Wilson). I was lucky enough to see it twice (partly thanks to a lovely London-based friend who queued early in the morning for me to get last-minutes tickets for the National) but it seems that it is now out on DVD. A student whom I helped out of a tight spot has just given me a copy as a present. I haven't seen the DVD yet, but the play was wonderful. Very understated. Sher was very true to the 'spirit' of the book, iykwim.

Here's the Primo DVD

interesting that you teach it Ellbell. I've dug out my favourite quote for you. It's ironic given what I just said about my own cowardice.

I had dreamed, we had always dreamed, of something like this, in the night at Auschwitz: of speaking and not being listened to, of finding liberty and remaining alone. After a while I remained alone with the lawyer; a few minutes later he also left me, urbanely excusing himself.

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I thought I have read all the dickens books. I haven't read it but I am going to next trip to the library.

Long Walk to Freedom.. Nelson Mandela

I find Dickens unreadable

hatwoman: I teach Levi from an 'Italian Literature' point of view. Used to teach just 'If this is a man' but in my current job I teach pretty much everything! At first, when I used 'If this is a man' I was worried about teaching it as literature... as if it might devalue the message somehow. But I does work (though obviously we end up discussing a lot more than 'just' literature)

I am refraining from mentioning Dante on this thread, cos once I get started there's no stopping me. But... well... don't forget Dante!

[hi-jack alert] ellbell - any chance you can look at this thread here for me - not the first q but the one I ask Tamum about publishing? your thoughts would be v. appreciated many many thanks

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Have replied on other thread hatwoman.

If it is dicken, I will love it. Haven't read one et I didn't like. How could you not like dickens?