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Sophia Basaldua-SunLes Miserables, by Victor Hugo, is a 1400 page novel that defies description. Originally published in serial form, I read the Everyman’s edition, which described it as the story of Jean Valjean, and insofar as his story anchors the narrative throughout, that is an accurate description. But the novel is really epic in proportion, weaving many characters lives together while trying to capture the moment of revolution and the lead up to it. It is a deep reflection on society and humanity, starting from a reflection on the impact that those who act selflessly can have on the community around them, the corrupting rather than reformative power of the modern carceral system, how a cruel society creates the very people it identifies as aberrations. While its digressions can at times become tedious, the narrative overall is captivating, propulsive, and in terms of its social commentary, remains deeply relevant to our society today. Perhaps because, despite our striving, we remain in the modern era that Hugo wrote about. I’ll be spending the next two months on this momentous novel. Come along if you like. QOTD: Have you read Les Miserables? <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/worldliterature?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#worldliterature</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/Frenchliterature?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Frenchliterature</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/cozyread?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#cozyread</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/VictorHugo?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#VictorHugo</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/currentread?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#currentread</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/whatimreading?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#whatimreading</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/bibliophile?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#bibliophile</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/classicnovel?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#classicnovel</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/classicliterature?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#classicliterature</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/comparativeliterature?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#comparativeliterature</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/complit?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#complit</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/comparativelit?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#comparativelit</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/classicbookstagram?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#classicbookstagram</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/lesmiserables?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#lesmiserables</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/bookstagram?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#bookstagram</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/booklover?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#booklover</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/theleveragedphd?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#theleveragedphd</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/bookstagrammer?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#bookstagrammer</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/pleasureread?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#pleasureread</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/studyinspo?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#studyinspo</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/booksbooksbooks?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#booksbooksbooks</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/bookflatlay?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#bookflatlay</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/classicscommunity?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#classicscommunity</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/bibliophile?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#bibliophile</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/bigbooks?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#bigbooks</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/academicaesthetic?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#academicaesthetic</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/grayacademia?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#grayacademia</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/darkacademia?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#darkacademia</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/academiaaesthetic?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#academiaaesthetic</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/cozyaesthetic?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#cozyaesthetic</a>

Sophia Basaldua-SunI’m sure you all have seen the TikTok debates about whether books are political or not. In the case of José Rizal and his body of work, his two novels were not only resoundingly political and anticolonial, but Rizal himself was executed by the Spanish colonial regime in the Philippines not because he was a part of the planning of the Philippine Revolution of 1896 (He was not), but because of his novels. The military claimed his novels had incited the revolution. Imagine being such a powerful storyteller that a corrupt state decides to execute Yu on the grounds that your novels moved people to action. That is the power of storytelling and literature. Of course, this story remains deeply resonant and relevant not only to the Philippines, but in the U.S., where efforts to ban books rage on, revealing how threatened some officials feel by the power of storytelling even as we’re told that studying literature is frivolous. Remember José Rizal, and take some comfort in knowing the power of words and the power of communication to effect change. There is undoubtedly more to be said about the relationship between the novel and the nation, but I’ll leave this month’s series at: I hope you’ll consider reading Rizal. <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/worldliterature?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#worldliterature</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/Filipinoliterature?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Filipinoliterature</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/cozyread?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#cozyread</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/joserizal?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#joserizal</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/currentread?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#currentread</a> <a 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Sophia Basaldua-SunInterrupting my usual programming to say that I read my first ever graphic novel/memoir/anything! Thanks to <a class="u-url mention" href="https://pixelfed.social/tenspeedpress" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@tenspeedpress</a> for sending me This Beautiful Ridiculous City by Kay Sohini, which finally prompted me to engage with this genre. As a former urban literary scholar this was a return to my urban literary roots, and just a beautiful representation of the city overall. Full disclosure that Kay and I were at Stony Brook University doing our Ph.D.s in different lit departments around the same time. We’ve worked together before (she invited me to present on an MLA panel on careers back when I was about a year into my new life in publishing). Reading books by people you know (even tangentially) is always a unique experience because you’re seeing the world through the eyes of someone that you’ve met, engaged with. It’s just a really different experience than reading works by a stranger (which is the majority of my reading). What is really stunning about this work is that it isn’t just a book, it’s a beautifully conceived object. The artwork and color palette are stunning. I immediately felt like I’ll definitely reread and return to this book to take in the visuals and the nuances of the story. It’s also a book I could see leaving out on my coffee table, or some other flat surface that needs a little life. It’s so vibrant, and a book I could see myself just thumbing through casually to brighten my day. It deals with serious life challenges, but I think the seriousness and introspection of the work is offset by the brightness and vibrancy of the artwork. 10/10 would recommend. (And believe it or not I read a TON and don’t recommend or post about a large percentage of what I read). QOTD: have you read any graphic books? <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/bookstagram?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#bookstagram</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/bookstodon?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#bookstodon</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/booksbooksbooks?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#booksbooksbooks</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/booklover?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#booklover</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/bibliophile?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#bibliophile</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/bibliophilelife?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#bibliophilelife</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/graphicmemoir?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#graphicmemoir</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/bookreview?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#bookreview</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/bookreviewer?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#bookreviewer</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/bookish?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#bookish</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/bookishlife?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#bookishlife</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/bookishlifestyle?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#bookishlifestyle</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/bookflatlay?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#bookflatlay</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/bookdecor?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#bookdecor</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/phdlife?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#phdlife</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/postdoclife?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#postdoclife</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/theleveragedphd?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#theleveragedphd</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/academicaesthet?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#academicaesthet</a>

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