Back to the Classics Challenge 2015

Back to the Classics Challenge 2015
1 January - 31 December 2015

In December 2014, Karen K. from Books and Chocolate called the Back to the Classics Challenge 2015, and when I came across it by mere chance about two months later, I didn’t need to think twice about signing up. I enjoy reading the classics and I love bringing literary gems back into the light from the unfathomable depths of oblivion. In fact, twentieth-century classics get much room here on my blog anyways and so it didn’t even cost me much extra time or effort to come up with reviews for the different categories of this challenge.

In the beginning I didn’t mean to cover all twelve categories because my review focus on Edith’s Miscellany is on adult fiction published from 1900 through today. This is because I seldom read nineteenth century classics or non-fiction, and as for children’s books and plays, they never make it on my TBR lists unless by mistake. However, in summer I changed my mind. My goal now was to contribute two books to every category, one originally written in English and one available in English translation (if I could, I read the original version, though)… and as you can see I did it!

Two thirds of the reviews of the classics below have appeared here between February and December. Those that didn’t fit into this blog I published on Lagraziana’s Kalliopeion.

And here's my final list with direct links to the book reviews for all 12 categories twice over:

1. 19th Century Classic: »»» José Maria de Eça de Queiroz: Cousin Bazilio (1878) – book notice on Lagraziana's Kalliopeion
   »»» Maria Edgeworth: Helen (1934) – book notice on Lagraziana's Kalliopeion
2. 20th Century Classic: »»» Cora Sandel: Alberta and Jabob (1926)
   »»» Leon Uris: The Angry Hills (1955)
3. Classic by a Woman: »»» Isak Dinesen (aka as Karen Blixen): Winter’s Tales (1942)
   »»» Margaret Irwin: The Galliard (1941)
4. Classic in Translation: from the Arabic »»» Naguib Mahfouz: Midaq Alley (1947)
   from the Japanese »»» Uno Chiyo: Confessions of Love (1935)
5. Very Long Classic: »»» Franz Werfel: The Forty Days of Musa Dagh (1933) – 965 pages of actual text in the German edition, certainly less than 900 pages in English translation
   »»» Ayn Rand: The Fountainhead (1943) – 681 pages of actual text according to my count
6. Classic Novella: »»» Annemarie Schwarzenbach: Lyric Novella (1933)
   »»» Evelyn Waugh: The Loved One (1948)
7. Classic With a Name in the Title: »»» Elsa Morante: Arturo's Island (1957)
   »»» Truman Capote: Breakfast at Tiffany's (1958)
8. Humorous or Satirical Classic: »»» Anatole France: Penguin Island (1908)
   »»» Sylvia Townsend Warner: Mr. Fortune's Maggot (1927)
9. Forgotten Classic: »»» Ramón del Valle-Inclán: Autumn and Winter Sonatas (1902/1905)
   »»» Enid Bagnold: The Happy Foreigner (1920)
10. Non-fiction Classic: »»» Fanny Lewald: A Year of Revolutions. Fanny Lewald's Recollections of 1848 (1850) – book notice on Lagraziana's Kalliopeion
    »»» Bertrand Russell: The Problems of Philosophy (1912) – book notice on Lagraziana's Kalliopeion
    
11. Children's Classic: »»» Astrid Lindgren: Mio's Kingdom (1954) – book notice on Lagraziana's Kalliopeion
    »»» Rudyard Kipling: Kim (1901) – book notice on Lagraziana's Kalliopeion
    
12. Classic Play: »»» Molnár Ferenc: Liliom (1909) – book notice on Lagraziana's Kalliopeion »»» Samuel Beckett: Endgame (1956) – book notice on Lagraziana's Kalliopeion