The most difficult book you've ever read?

[joe blowe]

Hitchens is a great writer. Try listening to the audio book - he narrates.
His other book is 'God is not great'. Very good.
He is fighting cancer now and last time I looked, the prognosis was not good. I wish him well.

[Cato]

Some from the top of my head.

Mein Kampf, read it three times and never really got the gist of it. So I tossed my copy into the trash can with a happy grin, like all tabloids deserve.

The Enneads of Plotinus.

The Republic of Plato.

The Age of Reason of Paine, when I first read it. Now it's like an old friend.

The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, which I first encountered in my middle teen years. So, about 20 years ago. It was hard for me to grasp then, but is easy for me to grasp know.

The Egyptian Book of the Dead, translated by E.A. Budge.

The Bible, which I was reading a good 30+ years ago as a wee lad and I still can't make heads nor tails of.

etc.

[Gamera]

This one and most of the books written by José María Arguedas. The way he mixes Spanish with Quechua and elements of amerindian culture in his writings makes it difficult for me to understand it, so I have to re-read every paragraph in many cases.

[Breedingvariety]

Word difficult implies it was hard to understand. So the more difficult book is the harder it is to understand it, to the point of complete inability to make sense of it. So the most difficult book would be book you didn't understand at all. But at the same time there is an assumption there was something to understand by superior intelligence than yours. There is an assumption of readers failure and writers authority. But the assumption may be wrong and you couldn't understand the book not because of your lack of intelligence or lack of knowledge in the field, but because of writers inconsistency. Then the book wasn't difficult, it was dribble.

I have never read a difficult book. Either because I consider I lack required knowledge and should read something more basic, or I deem a book not worth my time for whatever reason.

[Eldritch]

Hmmm, okay. Is "challenging" any better? Whether it's intellectually, emotionally or whatever.

[anonymaus]

Is "challenging" any better?

That's easier to answer: Rule of the Bone by Russell Banks.

Wanted to open my fucking wrists after the first chapter. Did not read further.

[Eldritch]

That's easier to answer: Rule of the Bone by Russell Banks.

Wanted to open my fucking wrists after the first chapter. Did not read further.

But that was also your answer for most "difficult" book,

[anonymaus]

But that was also your answer for most "difficult" book,

Reading just that one chapter scarred me so badly as to post it twice.

[Fortis in Arduis]

Some books on yoga theory by Sri Aurobindo.

Sometimes these things are best left to people with real intellect.

[Troll's Puzzle]

I got sleepy every 4 pages & a light headache while reading. took a long time to finish. didn't learn much. must try again sometime. not looking forward to it