Books About Being a Loser
Thread: Books About Being a Loser
Shotbybothsides
I need a book to read that focuses on a big loser; I want a classic. Confederacy of Dunces is out of the question because that's already on my backlog. Thanks.
Ekimhtims
I am an alien on a training mission.
Knut Hamsun's "Hunger" (1890) might fit the bill.
Sounds like it's right up my alley.
Fantastic...I guess, if losers are your thing eh. Oh well, we all have our reasons. Another really really great read, and certainly a classic, is Ivan Goncharov's "Oblomov." A little more modern title might be Michel Houellebecq's "The Possibility of an Island." As no man is an island, but that the title character is looking for it in a weird futuristic clone filled world, might make him a loser, but no Oblomov that's for sure.
And seriously folks, contribute your titles, there's got to be more.
Last edited by Ekimhtims; 03-24-2019 at 01:16 PM.
Ecurb
"The Art of the Deal" by Donald Trump.
ennison
Do either of those last two titles even qualify as literature? Well, maybe in general. Was expecting more learned reading in response to the original request.
I had to edit my post.
Last edited by Der Prozess; 03-27-2019 at 09:37 PM.
Do they? Well that'd be a matter of my opinion. The word literature did not appear in the question. "Learned" reading indeed! You read yours, I'll read mine; you can be sadly-truly-deeply-
serious (Is that even a word!) I'll just enjoy reading.
"Journalism is unreadable; literature is unread." -- Oscar Wilde
Hey Hey Ennison, shotbybothsides wanted a "classic," which by most definitions is somewhat particular, but sadly you missed out on the humor of my post...about your title and the trump book being literature in "general" in the...."general literature" section. I haven't read "The Diary of a Wimpy Kid," but even so I hadn't suspected that the protagonist was a "big loser," but I stand corrected if that is the case. I have no judgement either of your opinion or reading material, it's all good. Hadn't meant to offend.
Thanks. The Wimpy Kid series is children's "literature". It features an archetypical loser in graphic form and is very funny. Most of the humour will fly over the heads of the readership consuming it but they get great pleasure out of the bits that they do "get". I did reply with my tongue a bit in my cheek. Fact is that apart from "Diary of a Nobody" and "The History of Mr Polly", I can't think of many writers who dealt with this subject. Both Wells and Grossmith found humour in the idea. Is Lucky Jim about a loser? Probably. It too is comic. The novels of Tom Sharpe are full of the unsuccessful as are the novels of J P Donleavy. Again they both both treat being a loser as funny. But as I don't know what age Shotbybothsides is, I wouldn't want to recommend Sharpe and Donleavy. I guess I've just done so though.
Edward St Aubyn's Patrick Melrose novels might qualify. The central character is a heroin addict who is cheated out of his inheritance and then wrecks his marriage. Personally, I think they are masterpieces.
AuntShecky
Inexplicably Undiscovered
next door to the lady in the vinegar bottle
Why on God's good earth would I ever want to read anything about a loser? But I sure as hell could write one.
PeterL
Voice of Chaos & Anarchy
In one of the branches of the multiverse, but I don't know which one.
The Quincunx is about a real loser who even drops the ball when everything should go his way. I was expecting a different ending, but I lost on that.
https://www.amazon.com/Quincunx-Char.../dp/0345371135
Last edited by PeterL; 04-02-2019 at 07:29 PM.
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