I'd say that reading some form of literature is essential for any man. Literature provides us with alternative perspectives to view the world. This allows us both to understand the world more accurately and to understand the way other people think, which makes navigating them easier.

The problem is that the arts have been seized by feminists and passive men. The process started in earnest way back in 1800 with a group of frilly men called the Romantics (though a few were alright), but there's still some good stuff as late as 1970. Some modern stuff is good too, but masculine artists today are constrained from speaking too much truth for fear of being no-platformed.

This thread is a place to discuss literature that's positively masculine. Don't be afraid to take risks with what you recommend as long as you back it up.

Hemingway is the obvious choice. For him I'd say the best selections are the novels The Old Man and the Sea and A Farewell to Arms, in addition to the short story "The Snows of Kilimanjaro". One of his central themes was what it means to be a man.

Washington Irving is a good read for Americans. He captures the spirit of early America in his comedy. "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is his best. Since it's usually presented as a horror these days, you'll be surprised how funny it is.

Fight Club is a must.

Ayn Rand may be a woman, but she'll whip any man into shape. In fact, that was the core of her project. Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead are her mainstays, but check out We the Living as well. The later is a semi-autobiographical novel that will help you understand the mentality of intelligent women. It's also a fantastic history of the early days of the Soviet Union. Her book of essays The Return of the Primitive is also a comprehensive history of the forces leading to the '60s hippie movement and an accurate predictor of where it would go.

As for Poets, Larkin is a great choice. He was one of the last conservative poets. He's absolutely disgusted with the modern world, though he can't help but participate in it (which I'm sure accords with perhaps a few of us). He can be a nasty piece of work, but his poems are transformative. I recommend "Church Going", "MCMXIV", and "This Be the Verse" to start in on him.

Jane Austen may surprise you. She's a social satarist who basically creates characters to make fun of. She has a particular way of thinking about people that you can really get a sense for in her descriptions. If you read her with an eye for comedy and the absurd (which you should always have when approaching British art), you'll be rewarded with a fresh way to read people in your day to day. Sense and Sensibility, Emma, and Persuasion are her more relevant works. Pride and Prejudice, her most famous, is also her personal least favorite, and for good reason. It's basically feminine wish fulfilment. Its valuable more as a piece for analysis than as a guide to humanity and the world.

American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis is a fantastic horror-comedy about masculinity gone horribly wrong. The movie doesn't do justice to the psycho's psychology, which is the real meat of the novel. Figuring out what's wrong with Patrick Bateman is the game more so than the bloodbath.

Don't forget the Bard. Shakespeare had a firm grasp on reality, maybe the firmest out of anyone we read today. Don't believe the modern readings of him that claim he's one of us. Shakespeare understands the range of ways to interact with the world and presents them all in his characters. If you can figure out the poetry he writes in (which doesn't take as long as you'd think), you'll be treated to some genuine revelations about the world you live in. Start with the plays you've never read before so that you can start fresh.

The Bible - I can't oversell this masterwork. If you're skeptical of it because you're skeptical of religious dogma, you need to forget what you know about it. Dogma has perverted it. The Bible is really a collection of the greatest and most enduring human stories. It contains in it stories about the nature of humanity, the rise and fall of nations, and the elusiveness of genuine morality. Check out Jordan Peterson if you need further convincing (Reality and the Sacred is the lecture I'd recommend).