Programming is (should be) fun. ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MYzvQ1v8Ww&ab_channel=ACMSIGPLAN )

I've been programming for 52 years. I still program, basically because it IS fun. That said, it is only fun if you have an VERY high tolerance for frustration. Programs, like art, are only finished when you stop working on them. Literate programs have raised the bar for Pulizer-worthy programs.

Knuth, in Salon interview (https://www.salon.com/1999/09/16/knuth/), said

...Besides demonstrating the techniques of clear, efficient coding, Knuth has sought to bring a deeper sense of aesthetics to the discipline. "You try to consider that the program is an essay, a work of literature," he says. "I'm hoping someday that the Pulitzer Prize committee will agree." Prizes would be handed out for "best-written program," he says, only half-joking. ...

There are a few programming books I've re-read a few times, just for the joy of it, which is the essence of quality literature. These are:

Lisp In Small Pieces by Christian Queinnec. I believe this is the best programming book ever written.

The Art of the Metaobject Protocol by Gregor Kiczales and Jim des Rivieres. This is mind-expanding.

Let Over Lambda by Doug Hoyte. This is the very foundation of programming.

Every time I re-read these books I find more understanding and great intellectual pleasure. If there ever was a prize for the literature in the field of programming, these are my candidates.

If you have a potential candidate, please add it in the comments.