Spoiler: It’s not an exaggeration, they really give a knot in the brain
Some books are like marathons. Not those with hydration and crowd, but those that test the boundaries of the mind.
There is work that is not enough to have time – you need to have a monk patience, philosopher curiosity and, preferably, a good dictionary nearby.
In this selection, we gathered six books that are practically literary puzzles.
They are cultured titles, awarded, worshiped by… and also abandoned by thousands of readers halfway. Not for lack of quality, but for excess of complexity.
If you have tried to read any of them and crashed, rest assured: even the geniuses sweat to reach the end. Now, if you read and understood… Congratulations, your Qi must be very high.
6 books that only the smartest can read until the end:
1. Ulisses — James Joyce
We started with the final boss of difficult literature. “Ulysses” is the Everest of the complicated books.
Joyce Reimagina Homer’s odyssey in a single day in Dublin, but with so much stylistic boldness that you will want to reread the same paragraph five times (and will not be sure of what you read).
With 18 chapters, each written in a different way, the reading looks like a marathon in which the route changes all the time – sometimes it has philosophical obstacles, sometimes a river of puns and neologisms. It’s dense, it’s brilliant, it’s tiring. And if you came to the end, you probably also understood the meaning of life.
2. In search of lost time – Marcel Proust
Seven volumes, more than four thousand pages and a rhythm that makes the turtle seem hurrying. “In search of lost time” is in no hurry. And the reader cannot have either.
Proust plunges deep into the memories, sensations and everyday details with a level of detail that challenges even the most focused.
Phrases that last an entire page? We have.
A paragraph that analyzes the emotional impact of a cookie? Also. But those who cross this journey find transformative reflections – and perhaps a new way to see the world.
3. The magic mountain – Thomas Mann
Imagine going to visit a sick relative and end up in seven years in the sanatorium. This is what happens with Hans Castorp, protagonist of “The Magic Mountain”. But instead of action, the reader receives an intense dose of philosophy, politics, medicine, love and the concept of time diluted in the air of the Alps.
The book is an endless conversation between deep ideas, as if each chapter were an existential seminar. It takes breath and too much willingness to accompany the debates. But those who survive the climb reaches one of the highest peaks in 20th century literature.
4. Finnegans Wake — James Joyce
Yes, he again. If “Ulysses” was already a challenge, “Finnegans Wake” is a secret boss that not everyone dare to face.
Joyce simply invents a new way of writing, with words that look like dreams – or nightmares.
The text mixes languages, mythology, puns, sounds and symbols in a chaotic flow that few dare decipher. Some scholars spend their lives trying to understand – and yet disagree with each other.
Reading this book is more a sensory experience than a traditional reading. And honestly, no one knows for sure what is happening.
5. The man without qualities – Robert Musil
This book is the literary equivalent of a doctoral dissertation with over 1,700 pages. Robert Musil builds a deep and philosophical analysis of European society before World War I, entitled to long digressions on ethics, science, politics and identity.
Ulrich, the protagonist, is a cold and critical observer who seems to live in a world where everything is questionable – even the very sense of making sense.
The reading is dense, almost physical of so heavy. But those who insist, discover an intellectual portrait of a very rich time on the edge of collapse.
6. The rainbow of gravity-Thomas Pynchon
Want to feel lost? Try to read “the rainbow of gravity.”
With over 400 characters (yes, you read right), fragmented plots, technical digressions and an acid mood, Pynchon delivers a postmodern work that challenges any linear reading form.
Set at the end of World War II, the book mixes science, mysticism, psychology and conspiracy, all packed by a narrative that seems to play with the reader all the time.
Understanding each reference is almost impossible, but each paragraph keeps a puzzle – and sometimes a genius surprise.
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