There are novels so long as to look like encyclopedias: they are books for courageous readers, heavy to the point of making us cramps on the wrists, which intimidate for their length but often give surprising scenarios. Behind the amount of pages that engages us for weeks, sometimes months, a masterpiece often hides: here’s 10 “giants” of narrative That – for length, fame and density – can make us feel small in front of their immensity, but also incredibly enriched, if we manage to get to the bottom. Here is the list of the ten longer titles for the number of pages:
The giants of literature: what are the 10 longer novels ever written
Artemène ou le Grand Cyrus – Madeleine de Scudéry
Pages: About 13,095 (10 volumes)
Words: About 1,954,300
Considered one of the longest novels ever published (he was printed in ten volumes between 1649 and 1653) this Baroque novel is practically unknown todaybut in his time it was a best seller.
The story, set in an imaginary East, tells the adventures of the young prince Artemène, who tries to conquer the heart of his beloved, Cyrus, in a context of intrigues, battles and unpaid loves. As in the case of many writers forced to use a male pseudonym or to rely on a next relative, it was published under the name of his brother Georges, but today it is amply attributed to Madeleine.
With his (beyond) 13 thousand pages, the book is so long that some scholars suspect that not even the author has re -read it!
In search of the lost time – Marcel Proust
Pages: About 4,211 (Modern Library Classics edition)
Words: Estimate of about 1,267,069;
According to the guinness of primates, it is the longest novel ever written. Not a book, but a real one cathedral of memorycomposed of Seven volumes published between 1913 and 1927.
The protagonist, Marcel, tries to recover the lost time through the memories unleashed by smells, flavors and images, like the now legendary Madeleine. Of the seven published, volumes as “on the side of Swann”, “in the shade of the girls in bloom” and “Il Tempo found” are examples of deep and lyrical literature. But be careful: These are books that are not read lightlybecause the memory, time and complexity of human experience explore in depth. Proust’s writing, moreover, is intricate, with very long periods and profound reflections that require careful and meditative reading.
There are full hook editions that seem encyclopedias … but if the idea of having bricks in the hands of the bricks should not be of your taste, do not worry: the series also exists in the ebook version.
My struggle (Min Kamp) – Karl where Knausgård
Pages: About 3,600 (6 volumes written between 2009 and 2011)
We do not know the exact number of words of this hyperrealist autobiography that divided the criticism, alternatively defined “brilliant and narcissistic“In these pages, the Norwegian Karl where Knausgård tells everything about his life: childhood, adult life, trivial and deep moments, all through raw and emotionally honest writing that has fascinated millions of readers.
You will certainly have thought about it, reading it: the original title is identical to that of Hitler’s book (“Mein Kampf”), and this choice did not want: the author really wanted cause reflection on the weight of memory and personal history.
Man without quality – Robert Musil
Pages: About 1,774 (Paperback edition)
Also in this case it is complicated to make an overall estimate of the number of words: it is an unfinished novel (although Musil worked for this work for more than 20 years, he was unable to end it, and was published posthumously in 1943) which explores the crisis of identity in Europe of the early twentieth century. The protagonist, Ulrich, is a ignorant man, without ideologies and values, and cannot adapt to the world that is moving so quickly around him. He feels alienated, paralyzed, unrelated to what he sees and suffers passively. The text, which is also a mirror of the Austro-Hungarian decline, focuses above all in the comparison between individuality and community in a period in which European civilization seems to be in inexorable decline.
Philosophical, satirical and brilliant, Musil’s masterpiece is certainly not for many readers, because it requires patience and concentration.
Sir Charles Granison – Samuel Richardson
Pages: About 1,534 (Penguin Classics edition)
Words: About 915,000
Less known than Clarissa and Pamela, but equally monumental, this epistolary novel (written in 7 volumes between 1747 and 1753) tells the virtues of Sir Charles, virtuous and generous English gentleman grappling with love and duty. His impeccable character and his behavior are clearly contrasting with the other characters, who embody different facets of morality, not always so positive.
A singular story that was born from a need for Richardson: create a moral hero in response to the libertines of the eighteenth -century narrative. The result? A book that some find edifying, others … interminable.
War and Peace – Lev Tolstoj
Pages: About 1,440 (Signet Classics edition)
Words: About 587,287
Who knows no war and peace of Lev Tolstoy? The great masterpiece of Russian writing narrates the events of the Bolkonskij and Rostov families during the Napoleonic wars, but it is also a philosophical and psychological work. In his more monumental work, Tolstoy explores destiny, history and human nature through characters such as Pierre, Andrej and Natasha, who confront each other with love, war and the search for a meaning in life.
Not everyone knows that Tolstoy rewritten the work Ben seven timesand perhaps it is also this desire for perfection by its author that makes war and peace one of the milestones of world literature, as appreciated as he is feared for his depth.
The right guy (A Suitable Boy) – Vikram Seth
Pages: About 1,504 (Orion Pub Co edition)
Words: About 591,552
Published in 1993, the novel is set in India Post-Independence, and follows the events of a mother who seeks her “right” husband for her daughter, the 19 year old lata Mehra, who has different options in front of him, each of whom represents a different type of “right boy”. But his inner journey and the search for authentic love are intertwined with the political and cultural issues of the time, making the book the social and political fresco of a country in transformation.
Clarissa – Samuel Richardson
Pages: Over 1,500 (full version)
Words: Almost 1 million
Published in 1748, it is one of the first examples of epistolary novel. Clarissa is a young woman who tries to escape family pressures and attention of the libertine Lovelace, in a dramatic and tragic crescendo.
The novel is long and complex, but it is also a fascinating reflection on the nature of freedom and seduction, as well as on the strength of the individual in the face of manipulation and suffering. Some readers of the eighteenth century wrote to the author pleading change the endingbut he, imperturbable, does not give in.
Bragelonne’s Viscount – Alexandre Dumas
Pages: About 1,283 (full edition)
Last chapter of the Moscowtar trilogy, Bragelonne’s Visconte follows the adventures of Of Artagnan and companions in the years of the Restoration.
The book is famous for the intertwining full of action, intrigues and romantic developments, but also for the introspection of the characters, who must deal with the passage of time and moral choices. The figure of D’Artagnan, now older than the first two books of the trilogy (“The three musketeers” and “twenty years later”), continues to be a symbol of loyalty and courage, but the novel also marks the end of the events that protagonists the most famous and valiant musketeers of all time.
Infinite Jest – David Foster Wallace
Pages: 1.079 (Back Bay Books edition)
Words: Estimates between 269,000 and 577,000
Published for the first time in 1996, Infinite Jest soon became a Cult novel.
Set in a dystopian future where time is sponsored by companies and a mysterious video recording can cause lethal addiction, this book is perhaps the most precious among those written by the author, and is loved by criticism for its ironic, labyrinthine and brilliant tone, and also for the numerous cultural, literary and philosophical references.
The Piece noteslong and numerous, are an integral part of the narrative, so if you decide to read it … you will not be able to jump!
The Story of the Vivian Girls, in What Is Known As The Realms of the Unreal – Henry Darger
Out of competition because never published, however it deserves to be mentioned this manuscript … of over 15,000 pages! Written and illustrated secret From Henry Darger, a chicago custodian who lived in the last century, the novel was discovered only after his death. The work, which tells the epic battle between angelic children and evil tyrants in a fantastic and disturbing world, is accompanied by Hundreds of hand drawings And collage: an authentic case of outsider art.
All the books we told you about are narrative universes that require time, patience and dedication. Some tell entire lives, others put the reader in crisis, but all of them have one thing in common: offer deep, often transformative experiences. And if the size frightens you … there is always theebookwhich weighs as much as a smartphone but can contain the entire “Babel Library” (a literary invention by Borges: an infinite labyrinth of books that contains every possible combination of words).
