Just recently I've been getting into classic lit and literary fiction. My favourite authors I've found are Dostoevsky, Kafka and Camus. The reason I like them so much is because of how introspective they are. Large portions of their books are devoted to the character reflecting on how they feel and you really get into their heads. This is especially true with Dostoevsky who goes on large rants/monologues very often.
I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations for authors who have this introspective style that I like, but aren't depressing like the authors I've mentioned. Not that they can't be hopeful at times, but I'd like to read someone who can write introspectively but who has uplifting, positive vibes.
Basically, I'm looking for authors who have similar writing styles to Dostoevsky, Camus and Kafka but who are happier. Can anyone help?
by No-Replacement-1136
2 Comments
Victoria Goddard! If you’re open to very long books, I highly recommend her book [The Hands of the Emperor](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/af2bba9c-8f41-4a3e-b87a-8532a44ccb67). It’s a beautifully written slice of life book about the personal secretary to the emperor of the world, with a heavy focus on platonic relationships.
A few suggestions:
– Anna Karenina by Tolstoy. It has a famously tragic ending, but the book as a whole is lively, colorful, and mostly upbeat.
– Jane Austen, obviously.
– Most anything by RK Narayan except The English Teacher. The Bachelor of Arts and Waiting for the Mahatma are both good.
– Check out some of the magical realists: Borges’s Fictions, anything by Isabel Allende, and Little, Big by John Crowley.