Books like

Books like Darkness at Noon

12 books with a reading profile close to Darkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler. Deep and thought-provoking; a moderate read.

1

Memoirs of Hadrian

by Marguerite Yourcenar

Also deep and thought-provoking · history, philosophy

Presented as a final letter from the aged Emperor Hadrian to his successor, Marcus Aurelius, the narrative reconstructs the life of a leader managing the Roman Empire at its peak.
2

Island

by Aldous Huxley

Also deep and thought-provoking · philosophy, literary

The story follows Will Farnaby, a cynical journalist who shipwrecks on the forbidden Pacific island of Pala.
3

A Passage to India

by E.M. Forster

Also deep and thought-provoking · history, literary

Set in the British Raj during the 1920s, the narrative centers on the relationship between Dr.
4

Notes of a Native Son

by James Baldwin

Also deep · history, literary

James Baldwin’s collection of ten essays analyzes the intersection of racial identity and social structures in mid-century America and Europe.
5

The Wall

by Jean-Paul Sartre

Also deep and thought-provoking · philosophy, literary

Sartre's collection takes its name from the title story, set during the Spanish Civil War.
6

Measure for Measure

by William Shakespeare

Also deep and thought-provoking · philosophy, literary

Duke Vincentio departs Vienna under a pretext of travel, leaving the puritanical Angelo to enforce long-ignored moral laws.
7

Metamorphoses

by Ovid

Also deep · philosophy, literary

Ovid’s hexameter narrative tracks the history of the world from its chaotic origins to the assassination of Julius Caesar.
8

Antigone

by Jean Anouilh

Also deep and thought-provoking · philosophy, literary

Jean Anouilh's play, first staged in occupied Paris in 1944, retells Sophocles.
9

Fathers and Sons

by Ivan Turgenev

Also deep and thought-provoking · philosophy, literary

Arkady Kirsanov returns from university to his father's estate in 1859, bringing his friend Yevgeny Bazarov, a medical student and self-declared nihilist who rejects authority, art, and tradition.
10

Season of Migration to the North

by Tayeb Salih

Also deep and thought-provoking · history, literary

After years of studying in England, the narrator returns to his village on the Nile in Sudan.
11

All the King's Men

by Robert Penn Warren

Also deep and thought-provoking · history, literary

The novel traces the political trajectory of Willie Stark, a cynical Southern lawyer who transforms into a populist governor by exploiting the grievances of the working class.
12

Henry IV, Part 1

by William Shakespeare

Also deep and thought-provoking · history, literary

King Henry IV struggles to maintain his throne while a rebellion led by the Percy family threatens the stability of England.

Get picks matched to your own reading on papr.

Get papr

Your library, beautifully understood.