Nathan Hobby’s blog

I feel so lucky to have seen so many good films in 2007. I loved living close to a good cinema for the first time in my life. And I am more convinced than ever that cinemas are the place to watch film. There’s something so asocial and boring about a city of people sitting in their own air-conditioned castles watching DVDs on home cinema systems. Give me the ruined grandeur of an old cinema any day. 

1. The Science of Sleep
A true translation of the magic of dreams and a sweet but smart romance.

2. Atonement
A moving and beautiful drama about love, fiction and redemption.

3. Death At A Funeral
The funniest film I’ve seen in years.

4. Pan’s Labyrinth
A dark and violent parable. 

5. Amazing Grace
I was inspired.

6. Noise
Engaging Australian police drama.

7. The Prestige
Elaborate and surprising steampunk thriller.

8. 28 Weeks Later
Scary thriller authentically post-apocalypse.

9. The Lives of Others
It’s rare for a film this long to hold my attention so utterly.

10. Across the Universe
An enchanting vision of a mystical sixties.

The first list I paid any attention to was this one from Modern Library, released in 1998. In 2002, I was intimidated by how many my friend Tim had read and how many I hadn’t. Now a couple of times a year I read books from the list. It has been widely criticised because of its lack of women writers and its American focus. Fair criticisms - it is really a list of the 100 greatest American male novels written before 1960, with a couple of extras.

I only recently discovered how the list was chosen, and it made me like it less - nine writers were asked which, of a list of 400 books (published in the Modern Library) they would recommend. The books were ranked by numbers of recommendations.

That is a very limiting way to make a list! And yet I’ve made some amazing discoveries from the lists - books which have become favourites of mine, including John Updike’s Rabbit series; John Cheever’s Wapshot Chronicles and Graham Greene’s The heart of the matter.

I think the Board’s choice of James Joyce’s Ulysses as number one is a good one. It is one of my favourite novels, and an incredible literary accomplishment. I think it shows what it is to be alive better than anything else written in the twentieth century.

I have now at least begun reading 42 of the books, up from 25 back in 2002.

Being aware of the list’s limits, I would recommend it. (But you should totally ignore the Readers’ List. It is a victim of vandalism by fans of Ayn Rand, L. Ron Hubbard etc - internet freaks who think distorting the list will make more people read their crazy books. They’re probably right.)

http://www.randomhouse.com/modernlibrary/100bestnovels.html

I spend a lot of time looking over lists of the greatest books ever written. I take notice of award winners. I listen to critics.

Unpopular things. My friends regard me as either stupid or obsessive.

 But critical opinion does matter. Critics are generally good readers who have read a lot and have informed opinions. I tend to enjoy highly recommended books. There are times I don’t; there are a number of critical darlings I just can’t abide - but I certainly have a good success rate.

They are subjective - but that doesn’t make them just a matter of taste. The amazing things about humans is our ability to share language and taste through the medium of culture. The books on many of the ‘greatest’ lists compiled have managed to appeal to many people for many years. So they might appeal to you too.

I’m going to start a series of posts on different lists available and how I’ve found them.

1. Patrick White - Voss

2. Gillian Mears - The mint lawn

3. Patrick White - The tree of man  

4. Tim Winton - The turning

5. Morgan Yasbincek - liv

6. Tim Winton - Cloudstreet

7. Greg Egan - Axiomatic

8. Peter Carey - Illywhacker

9. Simone Lazaroo - The world waiting to be made

10. Peter Goldsworthy - Maestro

When I was a teenager, I thought favourites were forever and whenever I was taken by someone new, I thought it was because my taste up until then had been inferior.  I’ve stopped trying to get outside time now. My favourites are dependent on the stage of my life. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

1. Paul Auster

2. Ian McEwan

3. John Fowles

4. John Christopher

5. Philip K. Dick

6. John Updike

7. James Joyce

8. Thomas Hardy

9. Raymond Carver

10. Siri Hustvedt

11. Cormac McCarthy

12. Donna Tartt

13. Graham Greene

14. Hans Koning

15. J.D. Salinger

16. J.M. Coetzee

17. Jorge Luis Borges

18. Rick Moody

19. Angela Carter

20. Tim Winton

21. Geoff Nicholson

22. Jorge Luis Borges

23. Thomas M. Disch

24. Robert Silverberg

25. Patricia Highsmith

26. Gillian Mears

It’s based on me loving several works by that author - not just a single work. I feel bad I haven’t connected with more women writers, but that will come as I make a better effort to read them - affirmative action. I loved Lionel Shriver’s Kevin and Carol Shield’s Stone Diaries in the last month; I need to seek out more of their writing.