For me, The Unbearable Lightness of Being-Milan Kundera; On Earth we are Briefly Gorgeous-Ocean Vuong; Love in the Time of Cholera-Gabriel Garcia Marquez. The most tragic, painful, human suffering can be presented and these writers present it in the most excruciatingly beautiful prose.
On Earth we are Briefly Gorgeous-“A woman stands on the shoulder of a dirt road begging, in a tongue made obsolete by gunfire, to enter the village where her house sits, has sat for decades. It is a human story. Anyone can tell it. Can you tell? Can you tell the rain has grown heavy, its keystrokes peppering the blue shawl black?”
What is the beauty for you?
This kind of broke me. My dad loved Faulkner so much, and especially As I Lay Dying. During my late teens, he would talk to himself, as though he was William Faulkner, when he was drinking and writing. He was so funny and so eloquent. It was as if he was channeling William Faulkner. I loved it so much.
My favorite English teacher in college was from Oxford, MS and told about seeing Faulkner standing on the sidewalk around the square staring at the courthouse with a tall glass of whiskey in his hand. Everyone knew not to bother him because he was writing.
I’m pleased to hear that! Your dad and Faulkner know where it’s at lol. Nothing like writing with a glass of whiskey at your side.