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Six Literary Works That Make for Better Business

Jan 27 2012

Back to: Classic Lit Helps Reading People

Ryan Blair and Nothing to Lose
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Classic Business Fiction
Based on the studies presented in the article, any work of literature that deeply explores the human condition will make it's reader better at business.

But as an entrepreneur, there's just not enough time in the day to wade through A Telltale Heart or Leaves of Grass.

Click through this list for some recommendations of great literature that deal specifically with the lives of those in business.

—by Michael del Castillo
Death of a Salesman
Arthur Miller

After a business trip goes wrong, salesman Willy Loman’s mental state begins to degenerate as he laments his son Biff’s lack of accomplishment. Willy encourages Biff to pursue a career in business, and in order to pacify his father, he agrees, but neither Biff nor Willy end up satisfied.
Bright Lights, Big City
Jay McInerney

The unnamed protagonist of this novel gets caught up in the 1980s New York fast lane and has difficulty striking a balance between the job that allows him to stay in New York and the destructive lifestyle he finds himself living. Written in the second person, McInerney’s classic gives a unique perspective of New York business culture.
Something Happened
Joseph Heller

This New York author’s second novel follows middle manager Joe Slocum as he anticipates a promotion. The accentuated stream-of-consciousness style takes on a new meaning as Slocum begins to doubt his own sanity, making for an interesting study of the theory of the mind.
The Jungle
Upton Sinclair

With a journalist’s eye for accuracy, Sinclair tells a story of corporate corruption and its effects on the working class. Originally published in 1905, the novel remains fresh with its timeless portrayal of the human condition.
JR
William Gaddis

Born in New York City, Gaddis’ father was a Wall Street insider and politician and his mother was an executive at the New York Steam Corporation. With an inborn insider’s intuition, Gaddis here tells the story of an 11-year-old boy who hoards a fortune in penny-stock holdings using nothing but a pay phone and postal money orders—a true modern-day entrepreneur.
Turn of the Century
Kurt Andersen

This long-time New York author tells the story of a successful TV-producer husband and entrepreneur wife trying to strike a balance between work and life who end up battling each other as executives in a media empire. Andersen’s third novel is due to come out in the summer of 2012.
Read On…
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