Brave New World and 1984, among the most cited books

Brave New World and 1984, among the most cited books

A reader recalls that when he was fifteen he borrowed a book from his older brother, one he had from high school, and ended up reading the author’s entire oeuvre. Another confesses that he rereads the same title every summer, during his siesta, and has done so for years. Asked about their best book—or, more precisely, the book they are fondest of—a good number of readers have kept agreeing on a handful of titles: dystopias about totalitarianism, adventure novels and political essays. The question seemed innocent. The answers, not so much.

Dystopias against totalitarianism: the most repeated titles

Among the most cited works are Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley, and 1984, by George Orwell. It is no coincidence: much of the list revolves around the same subject. One reader says he read it young and noticed how “things moved” in his head, and argues it should be required reading for any teenager, “to protect yourself against any hint of totalitarianism.” Others describe it as much more than a book, and as an exercise in meditation.

The political vein does not stop at fiction. There are The Road to Serfdom by Friedrich Hayek, On Power by Bertrand de Jouvenel, The True Believer by Eric Hoffer and Civil Disobedience by Thoreau. The pattern is clear: those who choose these titles are not looking for escape, but for defenses. The dystopia, here, works as a self-protection manual.

From Sinuhe to science fiction: the novel as refuge

The second block is purely narrative. The Physician, by Noah Relleniton, and The Egyptian, by Mika Waltari appear—a work that opens with the protagonist himself confessing that he writes for himself, already tired of gods and pharaohs—. Alongside them, A Confederacy of Dunces accumulates devotees who have it in paper, PDF and ePub, and someone even jokes about asking a slave to read it as an audiobook.

Science fiction also has its place: Flowers for Algernon, by Daniel Keyes, and The Carpet Makers, which one reader highlights for its surprising ending. Another confesses to being unable to choose a single title: he settles on ten.

Science, history and even self-help: essays sneak onto the list

Not everything is narrative. A Short History of Nearly Everything, by Bill Bryson, opens the door to popular science, joined by Serendipity, about accidental discoveries in science, and Modern Art, by Giulio Carlo Argan. Some add a World Historical Atlas and warn that it requires some prior general knowledge.

The more ideological essay completes the picture: Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins and The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene. Self-help appears with 12 Rules for Life. And among Spanish classics, Samaniego’s Fables and The Count Lucanor.

The Spanish classic and the off-key note

School memories appear more as trauma than vocation. One reader says he hated reading because at school he was stimulated “in a super useful and intelligent way” with the Cantar de Mio Cid in Old Castilian; an adventure book, years later, gave him back his love of reading.

And, of course, politics sneaks in through the back door. Among the serious recommendations appears, as a nod, a “Manual de resistencia” attributed to the prime minister. It is the only concession to an easy joke on a list where a good part of the most cited titles agree on something quite serious: almost all of them warn about the same thing.

The best book, according to one reader, was written by him

Because that is the disconcerting detail. When it seemed the list would close with Huxley and Orwell at the top, someone answers without hang-ups: his best book is one he made himself, and he says so “literally.” No dystopia can compete with that.