’Obvious’ classics not on our group shelf

[Klowey]

Ascanio wrote: "Darren wrote: "a dearth of world literature"

• Antal Szerb: borrowed this week.
• The Tartar Steppe: one of my favourites.

Some European classics from the period 1900-1950, not on the bookshelf:
..."

I've read or wanted to read many of those authors. If you nominate them, I will be likely to second.

[Klowey]

Ascanio wrote: "Greg wrote: "I am only familiar with half the names"

I too know nothing about some of them other than their name and reputation – it's a small list of big names, to explore little by little.

Terr..."

We had a buddy read on Robert Musil's The Man Without Qualities.

Cosmos is on my to-read list.

[Klowey]

J_BlueFlower wrote: "This is a great discussion! Thank you to everybody participating. Keep it going. As you probably guessed my interests are not only in popular classics. The top post was meant as a little bit of a p..."

I'm not sure who makes the final decisions for this group, but do you think it would be worthwhile to add a 4th category for classics not originally written in English?

[J_BlueFlower]

Klowey wrote: "I'm not sure who makes the final decisions for this group, "

Normally the moderators

Klowey wrote: "but do you think it would be worthwhile to add a 4th category for classics not originally written in English? "

No, as I wrote: should be in place of some of the other regular discussions, so we do not spread us too thin.

I suggest one month of new school nominations that is limited to book not originally written in English. If it is a success, maybe we can do it one or two times a year.

[Terry]

There are a lot of members who participate in Bingo and Buffet challenges. This is another place where the Mods could set categories of challenge topics related to what we have been discussing.

Such as — Read three books in translation. Read a Scandinavian novel published in the 20th Century. Read an Eastern European novel about the post WWII era. Read a classic book by a Southeast Asian writer (or other area of the world.)

Sometimes it is easier to enter unknown territory one step at a time. The Bingo and Buffet challenges give readers opportunities to expand their reading experiences, which is why they are so popular with this Group.

I agree that a group of interested readers could make a point of proposing a once a month Buddy Read. Since a lot of this Group’s members plan their next year’s reading in December, that would be an excellent time to set a schedule, at least for the first four months of the year.

Regarding nominations, if you think a book is largely unfamiliar to the Group, you might consider saying why you think the book is worthy, maybe give a link to an off-site review, list its awards, talk about its theme, etc., because sometimes the GR blurbs are very brief snd may not be convincing.

[Terry]

One more thing: If you feel frustrated by the lack of comments on a Group Read and want to elicit more reader comments, you could play literature professor and pose some simple open ended questions about the book under discussion.

Such as: How would you describe the book to someone unfamiliar with it? What would you say is the principal theme of the book? What motivates the action of the central character(s)? What symbols struck you as powerful? Was there a particular description that you liked? Can you relate the story to a personal experience in your own life? Were there references you didn’t understand? Did the book end in a satisfying way for you? Does the book prompt you to tead more by this author, or more on this topic? To what type of reader would you recommend this book?

(I am not, by the way, a lit prof!)

[Lynn, New School Classics]

Terry wrote: "There are a lot of members who participate in Bingo and Buffet challenges. This is another place where the Mods could set categories of challenge topics related to what we have been discussing.

Su..."

We have had Bingo and Challenge Buffet items that were specifically tied to a Geographic area or "in-translation". This year I focused on authors to allow more individualization. My idea this year was to clear out TBR lists. LOL we always say that's the goal. That being said, the looser categories have allowed for really varied book lists.

[Greg]

In another group I participated in, they had something called "World Tour" where it would rotate through members of different countries, and a member either from a country or someone with experience of a country would suggest a book from that country. Then, they would moderate the read. I think it was quarterly, four times a year.

Some of the books were hard to get in translation, but I did find out about books and authors that I had never heard of before. And often books were not hard to get at all, just unfamiliar to me. It was fascinating culturally; I learned a lot that way too.

Some choices were European (German, Hungarian, Catalonian), South/Central American (Argentinian, Columbian, Brazilian), Asian (Indonesian, Japanese, South Korean, Malaysian, Indian, Vietnamese, Sri Lankan). Caribbean (Cuban), Oceanian (Australian), Middle Eastern (Turkish, Iranian), and African (Nigerian).

Interestingly, I read Journey by Moonlight as part of one of those World Tour reads.

I imagine it was a lot of work for the guest moderators to moderate those reads though (and a lot of work to find the guest moderators too)! Eventually, it got to be too much and the World Tour reads stopped, but I did love it while it lasted!

Like others, I am quite booked a lot of time with other reads and with regular life stuff; so I couldn't participate if the reads were too often. But if there were occasionally a member from some country that wanted to moderate a buddy read / world tour read, I would like to join if it was a book I could get and if the timing worked.

[Greg]

Sara wrote: "I know it is frustrating when there is little participation for a book you really want to discuss, but one of the best discussions I had turned out to be pretty much just me and Greg. It was a discussion of The Wasteland and I'm not sure he got anything stunning from me, but boy did I get a LOT from him."

Oh believe me Sara, I got quite a lot from you in that buddy read too!

It has been wonderful being your reading friend over the years in our various groups. When I am not too absorbed with work, I so enjoy my time on Goodreads and it is people like you who make it such a joy to participate in!

[Kathleen]

Such an interesting thread--thanks J_Blueflower! Some great ideas here. I'd be very interested in exploring more international authors. I've only read two on Ascanio's list, and I definitely think they could be obvious classics:
Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis, and
The Saga of Gösta Berling by Selma Lagerlöf

One more international author I'd like to add that we're missing:
Memoirs of Hadrian by Marguerite Yourcenar

[Klowey]

J_BlueFlower wrote: "Klowey wrote: "I'm not sure who makes the final decisions for this group, "

Normally the moderators

Klowey wrote: "but do you think it would be worthwhile to add a 4th category for classics not o..."

That sounds much better. Good idea.

[Klowey]

Terry wrote: "There are a lot of members who participate in Bingo and Buffet challenges. This is another place where the Mods could set categories of challenge topics related to what we have been discussing.

Su..."

I really like those proposals. I am more likely to branch out when I can choose from within a theme or such. In fact I did that last year in the 2024 BINGO and ended up loving the book and so grateful to be nudged to read from that category.

[Klowey]

Lynn wrote: "Terry wrote: "There are a lot of members who participate in Bingo and Buffet challenges. This is another place where the Mods could set categories of challenge topics related to what we have been d..."

I noticed that change and you've been very successful for me. I'm even going to succeed in Challenge #1 - Old & New TBR Challenge, which I've never been able to do before. I'm using a lot of TBR books.

I also appreciated the Geographic area BINGO from a few years ago. It pushed me a bit and I was very pleased and like my choices; they were books I would not have otherwise read.

[Ascanio]

Greg wrote: "Then, they would moderate the read. I think it was quarterly, four times a year."

Sounds ideal! The frequency too.

Klowey wrote: "We had a buddy read on Robert Musil's The Man Without Qualities."

I was the one who suggested that book and kept the discussion going for the first month. Then something unexpected happened in my family that required my full attention, and I'm only now getting back to Goodreads.

[Franky]

I agree that there are some great suggestions about international author and their works, some I've forgotten about or wasn't aware of. I would definitely be interested.

[Klowey]

Ascanio wrote: "Greg wrote: "Then, they would moderate the read. I think it was quarterly, four times a year."

Sounds ideal! The frequency too.

Klowey wrote: "We had a buddy read on Robert Musil's The Man Withou..."

There was a participant who is now "Deleted User" who was so amazing. That wasn't you was it?

I was really depressed when he left. I kept and downloaded all of his comments to my local hard-drive. His name was "Fed" I think.

:(

When he left, my heart sank.

[Darren]

I have made a list of what I would consider "classic worthy" world-lit titles wot I've read
I wasn't going to post it as it wasn't my intention to make this thread all about world-lit or me-me-me, but if anybody's interested... ;o)

[Klowey]

Darren wrote: "I have made a list of what I would consider "classic worthy" world-lit titles wot I've read
I wasn't going to post it as it wasn't my intention to make this thread all about world-lit or me-me-me, ..."

I'd love to see it. I've been using this list:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bokklub...
mostly because I was both more interested in books on this list (than others) and this list wasn't limited by language.

And I've also used the books from this class, which I've listened to twice:

[J_BlueFlower]

Darren wrote: "I have made a list of what I would consider "classic worthy" world-lit titles , ..."

I am interested. Please post. If it is very long, maybe just the "most important" (whatever that means)

[J_BlueFlower]

Klowey wrote: "I've been using this list:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bokklub......"

Goodreads have a clean and locked version:
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/9...

An excellent list. Maybe a bit to the Dostoevsky-Dostoevsky-Dostoevsky-side. As far I can see the top book we have not read is The Complete Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen. We have read a one or a few of those. Top one we have not at all read is 31. Pippi Longstocking. Actually that is pretty good.

[J_BlueFlower]

It is funny though: 29 of those books were written in English....

[Klowey]

J_BlueFlower wrote: "Klowey wrote: "I've been using this list:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bokklub......"

Goodreads have a clean and locked version:
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/9......"

Very nice.

[Darren]

my list is books I've actually read and liked, so maybe a bit biased, but I've seen a lot of them on other "proper" lists:

* indicates "most important" (whatever that means)

* Shahnameh
* Monkey
* Story of the Stone, The

* Betrothed, The Manzoni, Alessandro 1840
* Crime of Father Amaro, The Eca de Queiros, José Maria de 1875
* La Regenta Alas, Leopoldo (aka "Clarin") 1884
* Viceroys, The De Roberto, Federico 1894
* Fortunata and Jacinta Pérez Galdós, Benito 1887
Dom Casmurro Machado de Assis, Joaquim Maria 1899

* Jakob von Gunten (aka Institute Benjamenta) Walser, Robert 1909
* Gate, The Soseki, Natsume 1910

Grand Meaulnes, Le - Alain-Fournier, Henri (1913)

* Kristin Lavransdatter - Sigrid Undset (1920-22)
Alberta And Jacob Sandel, Cora 1926
Twelve Chairs, The Ilf, Ilya 1927
Les Enfants Terribles - Cocteau, Jean (1929)
* Pather Panchali ("Song Of The Road") Bandyopadhyay, Bibhutibhushan 1929

Foundation Pit, The Platonov, Andrei 1930
Cheese - Elsschot, Willem (1933)
* They Were Counted - Banffy, Miklos 1934
Quiet Flows The Don, And Sholokhov, Mikhail 1934
* Tartar Steppe, The - Buzzati (1938)

Darkness At Noon - Koestler, Arthur (1940)
Near To The Wild Heart Lispector, Clarice 1943
Long Ships, The Bengtsson, Frans T. 1941/45
Death Of Virgil, The Broch, Hermann 1945
Bridge On The Drina, The Andric, Ivo 1945
Kingdom Of This World - Carpentier, Alejo (1949)

Moon And The Bonfires, The Pavese, Cesare (1950)
Palm-Wine Drinkard, The Tutuola, Amos 1952
Unknown Soldiers Linna, Vaino 1954
Tree Of Man, The - Patrick White (1955)
Voyeur, The - Robbe-Grillet, Alain (1955)
* Devil to Pay in the Backlands, The - Rosa, João Guimarães (1956)

* Life And Fate - Vasily Grossman (1960)
God's Bits Of Wood - Sembene, Ousmane (1960)
Death of Artemio Cruz, The - Fuentes, Carlos (1962)
Woman In The Dunes, The - Abe, Kobo 1962
Hopscotch - Cortazar, Julio 1963
Mulatta and Mister Fly, The - Asturias, Miguel Ángel (1963)
Z - Vassilikos, Vassilis (1966)
Moscow Stations - Yerofeev, Venedikt 1969

Roadside Picnic - Strugatsky brothers (1972)
Flounder, The - Grass, Günter 1977
Life Before Us, The ("La Vie Devant Soi")- Gary, Romain (1975)
* Life: A User's Manual ("La Vie Mode d'Emploi") - Georges Perec (1978)
Bend in the River, A - Naipaul, V. S. 1979

Stone in a Landslide - Barbal, Maria (1985)
Extinction - Thomas Bernhard (1986)
Sorrow Of War, The - Ninh, Bao (1987)
Anthills Of The Savannah - Achebe, Chinua (1987)
Cities Of Salt - Munif, Abd al-Rahman (1988)
Oscar And Lucinda Carey, Peter 1988

Death And The Penguin Kurkov, Andrey 1996
Savage Detectives, The - Bolaño, Roberto (1998)

Feast Of The Goat, The Llosa, Mario Vargas (2000)
Persepolis Satrapi, Marjane (2003)
Hummingbird's Daughter, The Urrea, Luis Alberto (2005)

[spoko]

J_BlueFlower wrote: “I suggest one month of new school nominations that is limited to book not originally written in English. If it is a success, maybe we can do it one or two times a year.”

I would heartily agree with this approach, but also include Old School. Maybe stagger them—set them six months apart? Or if it ends up being twice a year, then three months apart?