These literary works, while spanning all genres of written art, all share the common quality of greatness. These books may change your life; I suggest you find the time to read them before it's too late. In case you're wondering, I have read all of these books myself, and the descriptions are taken from my own interpretations of them.
Against Nature, J.-K. Huysmans, 1884
A work of decadence and depravity, of perverse pleasures and exoticism, that describes the tastes and habits of a wealthy man isolated by his sensual extravagence. A tale of corruption, yearning, disillusionment, and idealism whose intense prose enchants and horrifies. An alarmingly-influential piece of anti-Naturalism literature.
The Prophet, Kahlil Gibran, 1923
Gibran's masterful piece of Biblical-style poetry. The profound words of a mystical thinker are presented as responses to inquisitive followers with eloquent prose and philosophic insight. Gibran examines the spiritual quest to attain Life's ultimate fulfillment.
The Closing of the Western Mind, Charles Freeman, 2002
A comprehensive history of the development of early Christian doctrine and the decline of the Greek intellectual tradition. Freeman examines the theological disputes to establish orthodoxy among the early Church leaders, the stifling of doctrinal debate and dissent by these leaders for political and personal reasons, and the struggle between Church and State influence within a weakened Roman Empire. An in-depth and readable study of the writings, iconography, and spirituality of the ancient world and how the loss of reason and the rise of faith initiated the Dark Ages in the West.
The Sound and the Fury, William Faulkner, 1929
A poetically-surreal narrative of a dysfunctional Southern family set in a fabled Mississippi county. Faulkner uses interior monologues to explore a tragic world of betrayal, theft, incest, vulnerability, destiny, and adolescent exploration as seen through the eyes of three brothers.
The Art of War, Sun Tzu, c 5th century BC
An ancient analysis of war and strategic thinking. Sun Tzu develops a timeless and effective philosophy of tactics, power, maximization, advantage, and ruthless simplicity. A widely-studied resource for success in military, political, and business situations.
The Master and Margarita, Mikhail Bulgakov, 1940
A flamboyant satire of fantasy, political parable, power, corruption, and love, and featuring Satan, Pontius Pilate, and Jesus Christ as characters. An outrageous and poignant comedic masterpiece on morality, inspiration, and debauchery, the plot revolves around a struggling writer and his beautiful mistress. The book was suppressed in the Soviet Union for twenty-six years.
The Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka, 1915
A short story of dehuminization in a disturbing and isolated world. A powerful illustration of alienation and control in a work-motivated, bureaucratic society of busy, anxious gain for no purpose. Kakfa argues that unquestioned obedience to strong, materialistic forces will warp the spirit and harm the happiness of the individual.
A Discourse on Inequality, Jean-Jacques Rosseau, 1764
Rosseau seeks to prove how civilization has corrupted the happy, enlightened state of natural man by enabling wealth, privilege, and social power to destroy the basic freedom and equality of the average citizen in a modern state. An important work of the Enlightenment, and an influential text for the Founding Fathers.
Germinal, Emile Zola, 1885
A novel of suffering, strength of will, and unrest set in French coal-mining settlements. Zola describes the perilous and exploitative conditions of the miners, and illustrates with gripping realism the illness, hunger, uncertainty, and the omnipresent poverty of the miners and their families perpetuated by the all-consuming capitalistic system of the late Industrial Age.
The Selected Writings of Guillaume Appollinaire, 1971
A dynamic collection of Guillaume Apollinaire's (1880-1918) sensually-descriptive and tragic poetry, translated and with an introduction by Robert Shattuck. This work includes Apollonaire's late Symbolist-era verse, prose, notes, and ideograms, along with a brief biography by Shattuck.
Devil's Dictionary, Ambrose Bierce 1911
The title is meant to be ironic. A collection of definitions in alphabetical format. Bierce's explanations of the ideas, objects, events, and mores of the human experience are constructed with satirical wit and biting cynicism. The wicked humor of the work illustrates the hypocrisy and corruption that Bierce struggled against in his time.