Books for an intellectual teenager

[Mr Larrington]

While it's always good to have read the classic must-reads, nearly all the suggestions above are a bit... old.

Although not completely up to the minute, but still with relevancy to the current political situation, I would recommend Kurkov's Death and the Penguin, and also the sequel Penguin Lost. One of the Shallots, who is seemingly on a mission to read everything, just gave Death and the Penguin 5/5 which, from her, is high praise indeed.

Kurkov can be a bit hit and miss but both his peng-tomes got full marks from this Unit.

[Karla]

Some great suggestions, especially Cormac McCarthey and Daphne du Maurier.

I'd also suggest some John Le Carre - Tinker Tailer Soldier Spy and the Spy Who Came in From the Cold are the obvious ones, but I think the Honourable Schoolboy is even better.  Plus The Constant Gardener or A Most Wanted Man if he wants something a bit more uptodate and not Cold War based (although we are heading that way again).

I'd have suggested Le Carre, except ISTR Citoyen saying that he read loads of it in his own teenage years, so I didn't bother.  I didn't think that much really happened in THS so I'd recommend Smiley's People instead but all the others are good suggestions - though I prefer his latest A Delicate Truth to AMWM.

Thomas Pynchon - Gravity's Rainbow.  This one is a test.  If he can make his way through it on the first reading then he's got perseverance.  Tell him to keep a notebook and draw flow charts.  It helps.

I've read a couple of his this year; I think it will take me another year to work my courage up to attempt GR!  For something a little less labyrinthine than Pynchon, Neal Stephenson is good: I'm a fan of Cryptonomicon.

[Mr Larrington]

Big fan of Cryptonomicon too but I wouldn't recommend The Baroque Cycle to anyone unless I really disliked them.  A lot.

[pcolbeck]

Big fan of Cryptonomicon too but I wouldn't recommend The Baroque Cycle to anyone unless I really disliked them.  A lot.

I liked the Baroque Cycle a lot.

[citoyen]

While it's always good to have read the classic must-reads, nearly all the suggestions above are a bit... old.

True, but not necessarily a bad thing. I always encourage him to try more recent stuff too but when you're that age, there's a strong urge to tick off all the 'classics'. Which is fine - a good grounding in the classics often helps to put modern literature in context.

[citoyen]

I'd have suggested Le Carre, except ISTR Citoyen saying that he read loads of it in his own teenage years, so I didn't bother.

Well remembered. Although I haven't given him any Le Carré yet. Maybe I should.

[Karla]

Big fan of Cryptonomicon too but I wouldn't recommend The Baroque Cycle to anyone unless I really disliked them.  A lot.

Yeah, that too 

[IanN]

Neal Stephenson is good: I'm a fan of Cryptonomicon.

That's my next trip to the book shop sorted! I loved Snowcrash, Diamond Age less so, but gave up two pages into Quicksilver and never went back.

+1 for Murakami

If he's into dystopias (Orwell / Huxley) then perhaps Nabokov - Bend Sinister.

[citoyen]

If he's into dystopias (Orwell / Huxley) then perhaps Nabokov - Bend Sinister.

He's currently reading The Handmaid's Tale, so... Good tip.

[ian]

Ah, Pale Fire by Nabokov, which is odd but brilliant. I've no idea what it was about. I'm not sure anyone else does, other than it's metameta.

If it helps, Jess, south London's only vampire librarian, once had to use a copy of Sartre's Being and Nothingness to bash the brains out of entire roomful of zombies. Zombies being so slow and useless meant she had time to read it first.

[Mr Larrington]

Ah, Pale Fire by Nabokov, which is odd but brilliant. I've no idea what it was about. I'm not sure anyone else does, other than it's metameta.

Is that better than being post- or trans- whatever?

[T42]

Camus: The Stranger.  If he's really intellectual, get it in French.  The Plague ain't bad neither.

[Bledlow]

I recall that The Prince was on every would-be-intellectual teenager's reading list when I was one.

I believe he has already read that one.

Maybe I should just get him a black polo neck sweater and a packet of Gauloise for Christmas.

Along with the Sartre & Camus books recommended? 

[Asterix, the former Gaul.]

'The Satanic Verses'.