The most depressing 12 books in world literature There are few better feelings than that of getting home

after a long day in order to pamper yourself with a good book and a cup of tea. What could possibly go wrong in such a scenario? Well, you may just lose your faith in humanity before finishing the last page, but thats a pretty common risk nowadays anyway. Thus, here is the most e !uisitely depressing material you could e"er read, while still enjoying e"ery page. #ophies $hoice by William #tyron. %source 1&. This story, probably one of the most memorable in recent literature, is narrated from the perspecti"e of a young man who tries to find his way in life, while battling the se ual frustrations caused by the prudishness of the time %late '(s&. )s unpleasant as that may seem , the depressi"e story is not his own, but that of #ophie, a lo"ely and troubled young *olish woman he starts to fancy, in spite of her relationship with a rich and short+tempered man that he befriends. ,ut #ophie is more than the se ual and delicate being he encountered the first time, actually being a sur"i"or of the -olocaust with a "ery grim story behind. ."en though the pace of the book is rather slow at first, the reali/ation youll make !uite soon %the actual choice #ophie had to make& will gi"e you the most intense state of hopelessness you ha"e e"er felt. #o prepare for an emotional rollercoaster and one of the most ama/ing books youll e"er read. 0lowers for )lgernon by 1aniel 2eyes %source 2&. 3eet $harlie. -e is a mentally challenged 42+year old man who li"es rather happily in his own little world until he becomes the first human test subject for a procedure meant to increase his intelligence. 5t surely did so for )lgernon 6 a super+intelligent mouse that ama/ed the world with its ability to e it ma/es. The procedure works, turning $harlie into a true genius, able to learn anything from foreign languages to complicated e!uations7 so what could possibly go wrong? Well, a lot of things apparently. #o prepare for a few tough lessons on happiness, success, kindness, feelings and a big sigh at the end. The 8ulag )rchipelago by )leksandr #ol/henitsyn % source 3& 9ust like in the case of the -olocaust and the diary of )nne 0rank, one cannot get a good understanding of the e"il caused by communists without reading this thick, chilling "olume. Wrote in the most natural style one could imagine, The 8ulag )rchipelago will gi"e you a claustrophobic feeling and will make you empathi/e with each and e"ery character presented in the book, hoping he or she will li"e until the end, which does not always happen. 5t is a truly essential work for understanding the true human spirit and the essence of the desire to sur"i"e, in spite of all hardships, whether by escaping into the Taiga or by memori/ing hundreds of poems, hoping to make them known someday.

The :irgin #uicides by 9effrey .ugenides % source 4& This short and less+known "olume of the author is the proof that one does not need the conte t of a totalitarian regime or a war to create a truly sad, yet hopeful story. #o browse through this book to find out about the ; teenage sisters imprisoned by their o"erly+conser"ati"e and protecti"e parents and about the boys who become fascinated by them, trying to find out their secrets. 5ne"itably, the first relationships de"elop and the arri"al of the prom can only mean more new feelings and risks for the teenagers. The tragedy that unfolds shortly after changes the small town and remains imprinted in the memories of the boys, now turned men. The 3aid #ilja by 0. .. #illanpaa %source 5& )lthough not particularly famous, this no"el is one of the most important creations of the 0innish writer, ha"ing a particular gloomy style, specific to many <ordic books. )lthough it was written in 0innish and the rhythm of the narration is peculiar, the book pro"es to be a "ery important historical no"el, presenting the effect of the =ed =e"olution in 0inland7 but this is just the background, as the no"el centres around the decay of the #almelus family7 its last sur"i"or, a li"ely and beautiful girl named #ilja, has to fight the atrocities and the prejudices around her while trying to find happiness. *repare to be saddened. 3etamorphosis by 0ran/ 2afka %source 6&. ."en though most of what 2afka wrote can be called depressing in a way, 3etamorphosis brings the same effect in just a few pages. The story of the young salesman who woke up one fine morning in order to disco"er that he had turned into a giant cockroach will make you !uestion a lot of things. #ome say it is an allegory for the -olocaust, while others consider it to be a protest against capitalism. Whate"er meaning, this is the kind of book that can make one cringe and sigh at the same time, especially when reali/ing that this remarkable and surrealist sacrifice actually pro"ed useful. The >"ercoat by <ikolai 8ogol %source 7& The short story of a poor clerk who starts a life of depri"ation in order to afford a new o"ercoat includes such a delicate analysis of the human mind that the reader can actually feel the hunger, cold and frustration of the main character. ,ut prepare for e"en stronger emotions as the brand new o"ercoat is stolen and the police do little to impro"e the situation. 5t may seem hard to belie"e that a coat lined with cat fur could break someones will. )nd yet it does and there is little hope left for the hero. The ending is haunting? literally. -unger by 2nut -amsun %source 8&. -unger is another gloomy <ordic book written by another notable <obel *ri/e winner. This time, the book presents the sad ad"entures of a young man who is

hungry most of the time, as the title says. With "ery few chances to make some money, he tries his best to sell his writing, but with little success. The book is filled with strategies on how to sur"i"e until the following day and sad scenes with the main character trying to sell his buttons for food. ,ut unlike other titles in this list, this one lea"es out some hope at the end so the readers can build whate"er endings they want. @ord of the 0lies by William 8olding %source 9& This is one of the books that made us all !uestion our basic good nature, as well as childrens innocence. The book starts with an unfortunate accident, which lea"es a group of boys capti"e on an apparently deserted island, allowing them to create their rules and sur"i"al strategies, while also trying to be sa"ed. The characters pro"e to be "ery resourceful, going way past their age both concerning their skills and cruelty as well. )n apparent innocent play leads to increased bullying, "iolence, delusions and one of the most shocking stories about human nature. )ll in less than 4(( pages. *obby and 1ingan by ,en =ice %source 10& This "ery short book can be a true tear+jerker. 5t presents the story of an A+year+old who refuses to let go of her imaginary friends7 2ellyanne becomes truly frantic as her friends get lost and tries her best to bring them back, stressing her family, who consider her too old for such childish thoughts. 5nitially her worries are dismissed by the adults, but as her health deteriorates as well, the entire town starts a desperate search for something they cannot see in order to make her wish come true before its too late. -ilarity and sad moments ensue, turning the short story of the young writer into one worth reading, especially for the powerful last scenes. )n )merican Tragedy by Theodore 1reiser %source 11&. 5n order to write this impossible+to+forget masterpiece, 1reiser made a lot of research on young men who had killed their lo"ers in order to escape an unwanted marriage or child. #o does $lyde 8riffiths. The "ery intelligent and charming son of a family of poor e"angelists, he would do anything to become rich and thus he uses his skills and lack of morality to go up the social ladder. -owe"er, an affair with a factory worker gets in his way, so $lyde decides to take radical measures. This book is known for making readers feel e"en worse as they get to empathi/e with the killer, which shows just what a master 1reiser was. The ,lue #now by *iotr ,ednarsky %source 12& >ne cannot possibly end such a list without e periencing the horrors of totalitarian regimes once again, more e actly those of the #iberian e iles during the period of the B##=. *etia, the little boy who narrates the story, has no one else to rely on but his beautiful and powerful mother, knowing nothing about his father, who was most

likely killed. Trying to find joy e"en in this tough en"ironment, *etia meets all sorts of unforgettable characters and learns about the hopelessness of the regime. >ne of the haunting scenes is that in which a fatherless boy hugs a 8ulag prisoner, so the two become father and son for a few minutes, before tragedy hits. ,ednarsky manages to write one of the most powerful recollections of the period due to the fact that he actually li"ed such e"ents as a child, which makes the entire perspecti"e e"en more depressi"e. #ource 1 httpCDDwww.enotes.comDtopicsDsophies+choice+william+styron #ource 2 httpCDDwww.cliffsnotes.comDliteratureDfDflowers+for+algernonDbook+summary #ource 4 httpCDDwww.nytimes.comDbooksDEAD(4D(1DhomeDsol/+gulag.html #ource ' httpCDDwww.sparknotes.comDlitD"irginsuicidesDsummary.html #ource ; httpCDDwww."!ronline.orgDarticlesD1E'(DspringDrothery+finnish+no"elsD #ource FhttpCDDwww.shmoop.comDmetamorphosisD #ource GhttpCDDwww.independent.co.ukDarts+entertainmentDbooksDre"iewsDbook+of+a+ lifetime+the+o"ercoat+by+nikolai+gogol+21G1E1G.html #ource AhttpCDDwww.independent.co.ukDarts+entertainmentDbooksDre"iewsDbook+of+a+ lifetime+hunger+by+knut+hamsun+1EA;;AE.html #ource EhttpCDDwww.sparknotes.comDlitDfliesDconte t.html #ource 1(httpCDDwww.teenink.comDre"iewsDbookHre"iewsDarticleD;1G;2FD*obby+and+ 1ingan+by+,en+=iceD #ource 11httpCDDwww.cliffsnotes.comDliteratureDaDan+american+tragedyDabout+an+ american+tragedy #ource 12httpCDDwww.frenchpubagency.comDTitle+1EE441+0iction+@iteratureD@es+ neiges+bleues.html

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