Posts about Reading, Writing, and Literature
Hey everyone, sort of new here.
Wanna start off by saying I was a literature minor throughout college but have transitioned into being an editor for several literary magazines. I write a lot, but don't put anything out, as it's mostly for refinement right now.
I was trying to find a literary community on reddit. I think this subreddit is great, as anybody who reads is genuinely better off than anyone who doesn't (this is super controversial, but I'm maybe in the right place. Reading is magical to me, and easily the reason that I'm alive. I'm not gatekeeping reading, or judging those who don't, but it's simply the best thing in my life besides music).
What I've found is that the people here don't read the sort of things I see are common in literary circles. All of us in any group I've been in can list off short story writers we like, and most of us can list off specific short stories we care for. I understand that short stories are more of a craft thing, but even when we talk about our favorite books, they either tend to be part of the literary canon, or something extremely contemporary (which everyone immediately fixates on and writes down on hearing, for later reading).
I'm wondering, why is this gap so present in r/Books? 99% of the posts are about Y.A. literature, which I think is totally okay and good to read (hell, I LOVED twilight and hunger games), but I'm looking for more likeminded people when it comes to "reading that takes serious work, and isn't always enjoyable".
I read old Russian literature (Brothers K, Anna K, Crime and P, Life and Death of Ivan Ilyich). My favorite book is Moby Dick. I read a lot of David Foster Wallace (everything he's every written, a lot of it multiple times), Cormac McCarthy, Denis Johnson, Don DeLillo, and George Saunders. These are what I consider vital to the contemporary writers' breadth.
Where are the people who read this kind of shit? Is there a specific subreddit? Are we a dying breed? When I meet someone in real life who reads any of these authors, it's like finding a unicorn. I want to be able to replicate that experience online, so I can talk with someone who actually understands the insane writing that has been put out in the last couple centuries, and our conversations just flow smoother, almost easily.
P.S. This reads like a super pretentious shitpost, but I guarantee I am 100% serious. And I don't judge anyone who loves The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.