We stan an intellectual legend
If you’re part of the BTS ARMY, you’ll know that Namjoon seeks inspiration from the arts (it’s no wonder he’s full of words of wisdom). He’s always been an avid reader and has recommended a fair few titles over the years, from dystopian novels to philosophical non-fiction.
Do you want to know what he’s read, as well as the books that inspire BTS’ concepts? Here’s a list of everything I could find. If you want to read these books with fellow ARMYs, check out the BTS Book Club. Happy reading!
Classic Fiction & Modern / Cult Classics
Albert Camus - The Stranger
Ryu Murakami - Almost Transparent Blue
Franz Kafka - The Metamorphosis
J.D. Salinger - The Catcher in the Rye
Douglas Adams - The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
William Golding - Lord of the Flies
George Orwell - 1984
Henry David Thoreau - Walden
Banana Yoshimoto - Kitchen
Yukio Mishima - Confessions of a Mask
Hermann Hesse - Demian (Inspired Blood, Sweat and Tears music video)
Ursula K. Le Guin - Those Who Walk Away From Omelas (Inspired Spring Day music video)
Contemporary Fiction
Haruki Murakami - Kafka on the Shore, Norwegian Wood, The Wind-up Bird Chronicle, Killing Commendatore 1 & 2, IQ84
Jojo Moyes - Me Before You
Han Kang - Human Acts
Cho Nam-Joo - Kim Ji Young Born 1982
Hitomi Kanehara - Snakes and Earrings
Shin Kyung-Sook - Please Look After Mom
Julie Maroh - Blue is the Warmest Colour (RM mentioned the movie adaptation on a V-Live)
Becky Albertalli - Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda (RM shared a song from the soundtrack of the movie adaptation Love, Simon so this totally counts)
André Aciman - Call Me By Your Name (V said he enjoyed the movie adaption on a V-Live so I think this counts)
Non-Fiction
Martin Gayford - A Bigger Message: Conversations with David Hockney
Erich Fromm - The Art of Loving
Andrew Solomon - The Noonday Demon
James R. Doty - Into the Magic Shop
Tony Porter - Breaking Out of the Man Box: The Next Generation of Manhood
Ray Kurzweil - The Singularity is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology
Michael J. Sandel - Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do?
Hwang Kyung Shin - Eleven O’Clock at Night: 120 True Stories & Innocent Lies
Murray Stein - Jung’s Map of the Soul: An Introduction (Inspired Map of the Soul: Persona)