Every artist has their magnum opus–the greatest work of their career. For Nobel Prize winner John Steinback, this was East of Eden. Set in the fruitful lands of Salinas Valley, the novel follows two families whose destinies intertwine, and explores…
Every artist has their magnum opus–the greatest work of their career. For Nobel Prize winner John Steinback, this was East of Eden. Set in the fruitful lands of Salinas Valley, the novel follows two families whose destinies intertwine, and explores…
Franz Kafka was a master of depicting the political and existential troubles of the 20th century. His works deal with isolation, hidden desires, and pointless bureaucratic processes that continue to govern our lives. However, in all of their bleakness, Kafka’s…
“To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark.” The spark Victor Hugo ignited in the literary world made him one of the greatest French writers. He was among the leaders…
Aldous Huxley is most famous for his novel Brave New World, but the English writer produced a substantial body of work throughout his prolific career. Apart from novels, Huxley wrote short stories, poetry, non-fiction work, and even numerous screenplays. He had…
Three shots fired in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963 changed the world. President Kennedy was assassinated and there was no going back. Or was there? Stephen King’s gripping story about a teacher who goes back in time to stop…
Neil Gaiman once said that he was “like sushi, I’m something only a few people like.” Then, “gradually you get to this point where an awful lot of people like sushi, and suddenly, sushi kind of works.” Gaiman’s books definitely…
Virginia Woolf had long been occupying a minor spot in the modernist literary canon when her work found its way to a new audience and received much overdue recognition in the second half of the 20th century. She was…
S. E. Hinton’s debut novel The Outsiders is a timeless story about teenage rebellion. Told from the perspective of the young protagonist Ponyboy Curtis, the novel depicts the conflict between two gangs that differ in social status—the working-class Greasers and…
Frank Herbert’s 1965 book Dune is one the most influential novels of the 20th century. It shaped the contemporary science-fiction genre and impacted various forms of art and entertainment. The story set in a futuristic interstellar society touches on many…
The 18th century was a prolific time in European literature as it saw the development of the modern novel as a literary genre. Although it is hard to say with certainty which work is considered the very first novel written…