I’m an avid reader, and I read in three languages.
In English
My main reading language, and the one I've read the most books in. My taste is all over the place, from Russian classics in translation to high fantasy.
Fiction
- Leo Tolstoy War and Peace1869
- Fyodor Dostoevsky Crime and Punishment1866
- Jane Austen Pride and Prejudice1813
- J. R. R. Tolkien The Lord of the Rings1954–55
Non-fiction
- Edward Said Orientalism1978 One of the most important books that I think I’ve read in my life.
- Fred Brooks The Mythical Man-Month1975
اردو میں In Urdu
Mostly poetry: Ghalib, Mir and Faiz are my favourite poets. More recently I've got into prose too, reading Ismat Chughtai and Munshi Premchand.
- مرزا ہادی رسواMirza Hadi Ruswa امراؤ جان ادا۱۸۹۹Umrao Jaan Ada The Urdu novel I've enjoyed most so far.
- منشی پریم چندMunshi Premchand شطرنج کے کھلاڑی۱۹۲۴Shatranj ke Khilari · The Chess Players
- فیض احمد فیضFaiz Ahmad Faiz یاد۱۹۵۲Yaad · Remembrance A particular favourite.
-
علامہ اقبالAllama Iqbal
ساقی نامہ۱۹۳۵Saqi Nama
فریبِ نظر ہے سکُون و ثبات
تڑپتا ہے ہر ذرّۂ کائنات Fareb-e-nazar hai sukoon-o-sabaat,
tadapta hai har zarra-e-kainaat. Stillness and permanence are a trick of the eye; every particle of the universe is restless.
In German
The language I've most recently started reading in, so I'm working through the classics.
- Ödön von Horváth Jugend ohne Gott1937 Youth Without God
- Franz Kafka Die Verwandlung1915 The Metamorphosis
-
Friedrich Schiller
An die Freude1786 Ode to Joy
Especially these lines:
Laufet, Brüder, eure Bahn,
Freudig, wie ein Held zum Siegen. Run your course, brothers, joyfully, like a hero to victory. - Heinrich Heine Die Lorelei1824
- Karl Lappe Im Abendrot1818 In the Sunset Glow I particularly enjoy it in Franz Schubert's setting.