

Ask HN: Good literature for a technical guy - m1k3r

during the last year i've been reading complex and highly technical books, from programing to linear algebra and computational biology, i'm starting to miss some good literature, some recommendations?
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jackfoxy
Articles about Apple censoring the illustrated Ulysses have made it to HN
lately. It took Joyce 7 years to write Ulysses. Ken Kesey wrote Sometimes a
Great Notion, a favorite of mine, in about 3 months. It struck me that Kesey
touches on some of the same themes as Joyce. I consider it an overlooked
masterpiece.

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m1k3r
Thanks for the advice, i'll try to look for a copy of Ulysses at the library
to give it a shot!! thanks!,

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jackfoxy
Actually I was recommending "Sometimes a Great Notion".

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exline
I'd highly recommend anything by Vernor Vinge. He is a science fiction writer
who's other job was a computer science professor at San Diego State
University. One of the best professors I had at school and one of my favorite
authors. There are bits and pieces of programming sprinkled though out his
books that only software developers can really appreciate.

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ghotli
You're going to enjoy spending time with Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino.
It's mostly metaphor, his writing style is quite vivid. The interactions of
people and things in his fictional cities touch on many facets of what it is
to be alive. It's short. You can read it in one sitting.

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shipstar
Heavily second the Italo Calvino recommendation. Although I love Invisible
Cities, I think "If on a winter's night a traveler" is probably even better
for the technically minded. It's somewhat recursive in structure, as the book
is actually about reading itself. Highly recommended.

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mquander
I have a soft spot for _The Castle of Crossed Destinies_ , whose imaginative
structure I'm sure would appeal to any systematic kind of mind.

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mquander
I just happened across Hermann Hesse's _The Glass Bead Game_ recently. For
whatever reason, I had never read it before, and it's probably been my
favorite book of the past six months. As a programmer, you may find yourself
with a unique perspective on the Game.

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c23gooey
this was discussed not too long ago:

<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226736>

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m1k3r
Thanks!

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adrianwaj
<http://www.sacred-texts.com> (not literature, but still interesting)

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arrogantrobot
"Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad. Apocalypse Now was based on this book.
Fairly short and very good.

