We need this thread. Here is what I'm finishing now. It's an alternative history type novel which talks about the miracles Jesus pulled off, as well as Judas' betrayal and what actually caused it.
It's pretty sardonic, humorous and thoughtful.
It reminds one of Bulgakov and The Master and Margarita, but it's less magic, more dirty and realistic and even more dense with philosophical digressions and different narrating techniques.
Btw, Pekić is among the most impressive Serbian writers. He was highly prolific and his seven-tome work "Zlatno runo" (The Golden Fleece) is considered to be a European masterpiece in the league of "In Search of Lost Time", "Joseph and His Brothers" and "The Man Without Qualities". Read any work of his, you'll be challenged and impressed.
Any good Eng translations?
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Not all works have been translated but "The Time of Miracles", "How to Quiet a Vampire" and "Rabies" have been translated I think.
You can check out a list of all of his writings with short commentaries and translations on the site his wife created: borislavpekic.com
More info about the Golden Fleece: kustu.com
Apparently it has only been translated in French, but "Hodočašće Arsenija Njegovana" has been translated by the NYBR: nyrb.com
What counts as 'obscure' ?
Anything underrated or underappreciated. Especially if it's unique and incomparable.
'underrated or underappreciated' by this board, or by critics at large?
Well, I haven't seen that many really unpopular books on this board, so both. It's more a thing of popularity than positive or negative critical reception, or both of those combined. Obscurity is more of a "this book/movie/album is really good and almost (or even) no one I know has ever even heard of it" thing.
Fair enough, I wasn't trying to bust your chops or anything I just don't post here much and didn't know if there would be some supposedly-obscure book everyone knows about or something.
Anyway, to actually contribute:
This isn't really super obscure or anything but the book "Forgotten Soldier" by Guy Sajer is easily in my top 2 or 3, and possibly the best book I've ever read. Especially if you like reading a war memoir you will probably love this book. But I know of no other book which talks about suffering in such great quantities, so directly, and so frankly, while at once none of the excitement of life is lost anywhere. I think Celine said something like, "the deepest realization of humanity is war and illness, those endless nightmares." Its something like that, you live a whole life through this man's experience of the war.
Maybe it isn't obscure but its definitely underrated. Its one of the only books where I finished it, and put it down and felt like I was looking at life differently immediately afterward, and forever since. I think it isn't ranked high on many critics's lists because its a 'war book'. But I think about this book daily, and many of the things the author says in it are truly unforgettable in how shocking and candid they are.
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W-what's this book about?
Sounds good.
Book that recently had that effect on me was Train Dreams. Truly a modern classic.
Sigrid Undset is Veeky Forums as fuck
Also Sienkewicz gets an occasional mention here.
I've read "In Desert and Wilderness" by Sienkwicz as a child, but it was too descriptive and boring for me back then. I've heard great things about Quo Vadis which I have but can't seem to decide to read it.
I didn't even think you were. Thanks for the contribution, seems really interesting.
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Read it earlier this year. Same feeling here, it has changed my view on certain aspects of life.
I thanked the Lord I was not born and sent to die on the eastern front.
>mann
>obscure
literally kys
bump