Challenge: read a book about every country

[Grack21]

Do any of the Icelandic Sagas count? Cause they are all awesome.

I'd like to do this someday when i don't already have a billion books to read. Non fiction counts too, right?

And I've been meaning to read Les Mes for like, 15 years now, maybe I should do that.

[The Iceman of the North]

There's plenty of options for Norway, like the already mentioned Icelandic Sagas that's mainly about Norway. But one recommendation, although I haven't read them, are the Kristin Lavransdatter trilogy by Sigrid Undset (The Wreath, the Wife, and the Cross), historical fiction set in 14th Century Norway which Undset won the Nobel Price for back in 1928.

For Greenland, I'd rather recommend something more modern, like Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow by Peter Høeg, which is better considering which people have been living on the island for most of the past millennium.

[Liadin]

Do any of the Icelandic Sagas count? Cause they are all awesome.

I'd like to do this someday when i don't already have a billion books to read. Non fiction counts too, right?

Yes, provided it's of a decent length and tries to go in-depth. Basically any history book would count. Lonely Planet guides or picture books not so much.

And I see no reason you couldn't count the Icelandic Sagas if you wanted to.

There's plenty of options for Norway, like the already mentioned Icelandic Sagas that's mainly about Norway. But one recommendation, although I haven't read them, are the Kristin Lavransdatter trilogy by Sigrid Undset (The Wreath, the Wife, and the Cross), historical fiction set in 14th Century Norway which Undset won the Nobel Price for back in 1928.

This is on my TBR list. :)

[L’Age d’or]

You're right, the thread title really should be "read a book about every country," but I can't figure out how to change it. There's a group on Goodreads doing this that is much more interested in the author's country of origin than the setting of the novel, and I'm the opposite. (So long as people from that country aren't decrying the author as an ignoramus, I'm good with it.) But it could be done any way round really.

Heart of Darkness is a very well written novel and a must read IMO, but it has always been criticized for dehumanization of Africans, so if its the country you want to know about thats not the book to go for.

[Cylux]

Very interesting concept! I may have to take you up on it! =P

As an avid reader I am interested in many different cultures. Maybe I'll use some of the books you read as recommendations =)

[Vegan Rob]

May I suggest "Allah is not Obliged" by Ahmadou Kourouma for Ivory Coast

It's about child soldiers and is both very funny and very harrowing

[QuietColours]

I love this idea! I put together this just from going through my bookshelf:

United States: Many

Canada: Catseye, by Margaret Atwood

England: Many

Scotland: A Stranger Came Ashore, by Mollie Hunter

Wales: The Grey King, by Susan Cooper

Ireland: Do Penance or Perish, by Frances Finnegan

France: Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo

Germany: The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak

Italy: Daughter of Venice, by Donna Jo Napoli

Norway: Sophie’s World, by Jostein Gaarder?

Denmark: Number the Stars, by Lois Lowry

Greece: Oedipus Rex, or Edith Hamilton’s Mythology

Russia: Russian Fairy Tales, Collected by Aleksandr Afanasev, translated by Norbert Guterman

Japan: Shogun, by James Clavell

North Korea: Nothing to Envy, by Barbara Demik

Vietnam: When Heaven and Earth Changed Places, by Le Ly Hayslip

China: Chinese Cinderella, by Adeline Yen Mah

Nigeria: Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe

?Hungary: I Have Lived a Thousand Years, by Livia Bitton-Jackson

?Chile: Ines of My Soul, by Isanbel Allende

but I've always been more of a library person than a buyer, especially since I was in college; I've only just really started to buy books again. I'm going to have to go through my memory and see what I can find that I've read. I rejected all the "Horrible History" books I collected in late elementary school for this--somehow, they just didn't seem appropriate. I'd like a better China and Italy book as well--I'm sure I've read more books taking place in/about Italy. For China, I'd honestly just really like to find a readable comprehensive history. My list is definitely lacking in Africa and South America, so that's where I'll start first.

Thanks for this idea!

[Liadin]

but I've always been more of a library person than a buyer, especially since I was in college; I've only just really started to buy books again. I'm going to have to go through my memory and see what I can find that I've read. I rejected all the "Horrible History" books I collected in late elementary school for this--somehow, they just didn't seem appropriate. I'd like a better China and Italy book as well--I'm sure I've read more books taking place in/about Italy. For China, I'd honestly just really like to find a readable comprehensive history. My list is definitely lacking in Africa and South America, so that's where I'll start first.

Nice list! It's hard with the kids' books, and I'm a library person too (can I count Number the Stars when I didn't remember that it took place in Denmark?). On the Italy thing--I feel like I've read lots of Italy, but that must be because so many books taking place mostly in England have Italy sequences (and so many fantasy authors like to borrow cultural elements from Italy). Can't think of a single title that took place primarily in Italy.

[valacirca]

For The Philippines: Noli Me Tangere and/or El filibusterismo (this is the sequel)

[nerf]

I really like the idea, let's what I got of the top of my head

Italy- many (being from there and stuff)

France- some Dumas, some Balzac

Spain- the fencing master, alatriste saga by Perez-reverte

UK- many

USA- many

Japan- many (Does Ishiguro count?)

China- Dream of the Red Chamber by Cao Xueqin

Hong kong- Tai-pan by James Clavell

Malaysia- Tigers of malaysia series by Salgari

Congo- heart of darkness by Conrad

Russia- Night's watch series by Luk'anjenko

Sweden- The knight templar trilogy by jan guillou

Finland- The Best Village in the World by Arto Paasilinna

Iran- whirlwind by Clavell

South africa, Zimbabwe- many by wilbur Smith

India- Kim, the jungle books by kipling

Netherlands- The Silver Skates by Mapes Dodge

Hungary- The Paul Street Boys by F. Molnar

Egypt- river god and some others by Wilbur Smith

Polinesia, Hawaii- South sea tales by Stevenson

Greece- some classics, Talos's shield by Valerio Massimo Manfredi

Canada- white fang by Jack London (Yukon is in Canada right?)

Greenland- Odinn's Child by Tim Severin

Cuba- The old man and the sea by Hemingway

Arabia- Arabian nights anthology

Germany- "tod und Teufel" (I don't know the english title, in Italy is known as "the devil in the cathedral") by F. schatzing

Belgium- Niccolò rising by Dorothy dunnet

Ireland- red branch by Morgan Llewellyn

Afghanistan- Lie down with lions by ken Follett

Singapore- King rat by clavell

not bad, all in all, some of them just take place in those countries, but I left out those that encompasse a lot of countries (Il Milione by Marco Polo for example or Jack aubrey saga by P. O'brian)

but I definitely have a lack in south america...

[QuietColours]

Nice list! It's hard with the kids' books, and I'm a library person too (can I count Number the Stars when I didn't remember that it took place in Denmark?). On the Italy thing--I feel like I've read lots of Italy, but that must be because so many books taking place mostly in England have Italy sequences (and so many fantasy authors like to borrow cultural elements from Italy). Can't think of a single title that took place primarily in Italy.

I don't see why not--it's definitely a story about the Danish people during World War II. I think the problem with a lot of the Italy books I've read are just too speculative; for whatever reason, it's not a country I focus on in more historical fiction. I have read a decent amount of Caesar, Virgil, Cicero, and Ovid. Would those count?

[Grack21]

For Ancient Greece, Gene Wolfe's Latro in The Mist is a must.

[gronkie]

I'd definately recommend Cry the Beloved Country by Alan Paton for South Africa. Laurens van der Post's books on Southern Africa are worth a read as well.

[automne]

Most of the books I read are set either in my own country or in the UK/US.

Here are wo books I'd like to recommend:

Benny and Shrimp by Katarina Mazetti (Sweden)

The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy (India)

[Ormond]

I really disagree with the idea of using the Bible for Israel, anything set in the Roman Empire for Italy, or even the Sagas for Iceland. I certainly wouldn't recommend somebody read Gilgamesh with the idea that it was an "Iraqi" book, either. When you get more than 1000 years in the past you are talking about such different worlds that I don't think you are necessarily understanding the culture of the modern countries at all by reading books set way back then.

A few added suggestions:

Congo-Brazzaville (not the former Zaire): Little Boys Come From the Stars by Emmanuel Dongala.

Turkey: The Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafak or Bliss by Zülfü Livaneli.

Indonesia: This Earth of Mankind, Child of All Nations, or The Girl From the Coast by Pramoedya Ananta Toer.

Somalia: Links by Nuruddin Farah.

Taiwan: A Thousand Moons on a Thousand Rivers bu Xiao Lihong.

India: Nectar in a Sieve by Kamala Markandaya.

Peru: Who Killed Palomino Molero? or other novels by Mario Vargas Llosa.

Iraq: The Last of the Angels by Fadil Azzawi.

Israel: Shira by Shmuel Agnon; Fima by Amos Oz; The Saturday Morning Murder (and the rest of the mystery series featuring detective Michael Ohayon) by Batya Gur

Albania: The File on H by Ismail Kadare.

[Datepalm]

I really disagree with the idea of using the Bible for Israel, anything set in the Roman Empire for Italy, or even the Sagas for Iceland. I certainly wouldn't recommend somebody read Gilgamesh with the idea that it was an "Iraqi" book, either. When you get more than 1000 years in the past you are talking about such different worlds that I don't think you are necessarily understanding the culture of the modern countries at all by reading books set way back then.

Agreed. I wouldn't count really historical historicals like Wilbur Smith for Egypt either. I'm not sure where exactly the cutoff is, but its more recent that Ancient Egypt.

[nerf]

I really disagree with the idea of using the Bible for Israel, anything set in the Roman Empire for Italy, or even the Sagas for Iceland. I certainly wouldn't recommend somebody read Gilgamesh with the idea that it was an "Iraqi" book, either. When you get more than 1000 years in the past you are talking about such different worlds that I don't think you are necessarily understanding the culture of the modern countries at all by reading books set way back then.

I don't agree, ancient Rome Is Italy at its core, was and is so influencial on the subsequent history and literature that is impossible to extricate it from the Italian culture and ethos, same goes for the Bible, hebrews ARE the people from the Bible, just like the arabian culture is indissolubly connected with the Quran.

I admit that something like Wilbur Smith's novels are more of a stretch, but if they convey a sense of history of a place, they're fair game, as far as i'm concerned (I never even knew what Rodhesia was before picking up one of those books)

Edit: ok, after re-reading the OP, I think I may have widened the scope a little bit, I assumed that a book set in a certain country would have been enough, if it has to be "about" a certain country I have to revisit my criteria, but I stand by my earlier statements, ancient history, but relevant country-wise, should be fair game (more so than books only set in that country)

thoughts?

[Liadin]

Edit: ok, after re-reading the OP, I think I may have widened the scope a little bit, I assumed that a book set in a certain country would have been enough, if it has to be "about" a certain country I have to revisit my criteria, but I stand by my earlier statements, ancient history, but relevant country-wise, should be fair game (more so than books only set in that country)

I think it's sort of a sliding scale. In my mind, a book that conveys a strong sense of place is enough, whether or not it's intended to "introduce readers to the country" or whatever. I would not count a book where the country is just a generic backdrop for a murder mystery or romance or whatever.

That's why I'm still hesitant about counting Number the Stars, even though it does take place in Denmark--because I don't remember the Denmark thing, I must not have learned anything about the country, and I remember the book as sort of a generic occupied-WW2 background that might with a few tweaks have taken place in Poland or wherever. It's been years so I might be being totally unfair to the book and just skipped over all the Denmark stuff because I was an ignorant kid--but that's where I'm drawing the line between a book that "took place" in a country and a book "about" the country. A couple of the books I listed are a bit frivolous, but I'm still using them because they had a strong sense of place. Of course, you can draw the line wherever you like in your own reading. :)

[Liadin]

Can you kill two birds with one stone? Like, if you read Midnight's Children can you cross India and Pakistan off of the list?

I haven't read Midnight's Children, but my inclination is to say no--a book can only be primarily set in one country, and allowing multiples heads you toward the "Around the World in 80 Days" slippery slope--where do you draw the line? Another of Rushdie's books, Shalimar the Clown, has a significant chunk of the book set in France, but don't you think EB would put me on ignore if I listed it for France and figured that was the only book I ever needed to read about his country? :P

[Liadin]

Hmmm...this makes things more challenging, but you're probably right. Do they have to be either regular literary fiction or at least minimally spec-fic like Hundred Years of Solitude, or can one, for example, use Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell for the UK?

I would count Jonathan Strange because it's a very English book, even though it does present an alternate-history England. Although I would question how it happened that you never read any other books set in England. :laugh: