Did you listen to our 1920s book draft? Make your voice heard. Who drafted a stronger “roster” of books? Here are the results: Miss the episode? Listen now!
I have only just got around to listening to this episode. Really enjoyed it. However.... @HEIDIWHITE - on Ulysses, I stopped in my tracks on your comments on Joyce and I'm afraid I couldn't let it go ....(nothing to do with bias and my Irish family name!! :). I'd like to raise you Helen Searls lovely discussion at a conference I attended. Her session on Joyce examines the books magnificence and innovations https://tinyurl.com/2j43khdc . Even if you don't agree, I think you'll really appreciate her explanation.
I'm in the midst of listening to the podcast! So much fun and so many old favorites. I won't vote until after I'm finished. I'm curious why there wasn't a category for the Harlem Renaissance since it was such a significant literary movement. I know the categories are more general/broad but I'd love to see a list of Black authors in some of the categories. If there were such a category, what would be included?
Yes to a Harlem Renaissance category!!! And more black authors all around. We only have a half-story without them. I wonder if a difficulty for the 1920's would be finding whole books. Many of the HR writers were publishing poems and essays in the 20's, but their collections and novels didn't emerge as entire books until the 30's and 40's. You do have Langston Hughes's first two poetry collections at the end of the twenties, but the bulk of his work is in the next two decades. Same for Cullen, McKay, Hurston, and all the wonderful others. It would be interesting to talk about how the heart of the movement, the gathering of artists, was in the 1920's, but the book-length published pieces were in the 30's and after.
I found it so difficult to decide that I voted for Sean simply for leading out with A Moveable Feast. Well played. Father Brown and Pooh Bear were also solid choices.
Ulysses I get is definitely not for everyone and can drag for even 100 pages at a time (or however long that play in the red light district goes, among other chapters) but when Joyce is on he's just really tough to beat. The highs are so high.
I do think he would've been better off writing like a halfway normal person like he does in The Dead but his greatness imo is so tough to deny and I'd love to hear a fuller argument against.
It is so hard when some of my favourite authors (Sayers, Chesterton!) and some of my fave books (Kristin,Brideshead!) are on different teams! I’m going to think harder. Maybe employ math.
This is so hard because Sean has the A A Milne books that, as a mom of small children, I have read more than any others on the list and they are in my mind only rivaled by Narnia as far as children's books go. Also Jeeves which is the best in that category for sure. Heidi has so many solid choices too (Gentleman in Moscow is a favorite, and I prefer the Sun Also Rises to Gatsby). BUT David has the best mystery and also Death Comes for the Archbishop which I totally love, and most of the big names in 20s lit. It's so tight!
Not gonna lie, Heidi having The Blue Castle on her list had too much pull for me to turn away!! That is THE book I re-read when life feels like too much. I've lost count of how many times I've read it.
Very much enjoyed this podcast episode! Thanks y'all!
They're all great lists and it's so hard to choose, but looking at them as desert island reading lists, the one I'd most like to have with me is Heidi's list.
If Kristin Lavransdatter had not been in Heidi's list, I would have chosen David's group. Such a strong collection!! But...Kristin is my favorite ever and Undset always takes the cake for me. Go Heidi!
I have only just got around to listening to this episode. Really enjoyed it. However.... @HEIDIWHITE - on Ulysses, I stopped in my tracks on your comments on Joyce and I'm afraid I couldn't let it go ....(nothing to do with bias and my Irish family name!! :). I'd like to raise you Helen Searls lovely discussion at a conference I attended. Her session on Joyce examines the books magnificence and innovations https://tinyurl.com/2j43khdc . Even if you don't agree, I think you'll really appreciate her explanation.
Sean, you were robbed! Maybe it was the “about the ‘20’s” vote when you didn’t pick Brideshead Revisited.”
David wone with Gatsby and Death Comes for the Archbishop. I wanted to vote for Heidi but I just can't with Kristin. 😅
I'm in the midst of listening to the podcast! So much fun and so many old favorites. I won't vote until after I'm finished. I'm curious why there wasn't a category for the Harlem Renaissance since it was such a significant literary movement. I know the categories are more general/broad but I'd love to see a list of Black authors in some of the categories. If there were such a category, what would be included?
Yes to a Harlem Renaissance category!!! And more black authors all around. We only have a half-story without them. I wonder if a difficulty for the 1920's would be finding whole books. Many of the HR writers were publishing poems and essays in the 20's, but their collections and novels didn't emerge as entire books until the 30's and 40's. You do have Langston Hughes's first two poetry collections at the end of the twenties, but the bulk of his work is in the next two decades. Same for Cullen, McKay, Hurston, and all the wonderful others. It would be interesting to talk about how the heart of the movement, the gathering of artists, was in the 1920's, but the book-length published pieces were in the 30's and after.
Even though Billy Budd actually belongs to the 1890s, Sean is the clear winner in my mind.
I found it so difficult to decide that I voted for Sean simply for leading out with A Moveable Feast. Well played. Father Brown and Pooh Bear were also solid choices.
Ulysses I get is definitely not for everyone and can drag for even 100 pages at a time (or however long that play in the red light district goes, among other chapters) but when Joyce is on he's just really tough to beat. The highs are so high.
I do think he would've been better off writing like a halfway normal person like he does in The Dead but his greatness imo is so tough to deny and I'd love to hear a fuller argument against.
Many thoughts on this. One day maybe we'll do something specifically on Joyce.
The Dead was absolutely incredible and made me so sad to imagine the Joyce that could have been
We have to choose a roster, not select individual books to see who got the most points?
The other two lists have a couple of books I like, but Heidi had me at the Blue Castle. Gentleman locked it for me--the Count! I love him so much.
It is so hard when some of my favourite authors (Sayers, Chesterton!) and some of my fave books (Kristin,Brideshead!) are on different teams! I’m going to think harder. Maybe employ math.
I did it with math and Sean won. Even though overall as a whole, I prefer Heidi’s list. He had the most best picks per category.
This is so hard because Sean has the A A Milne books that, as a mom of small children, I have read more than any others on the list and they are in my mind only rivaled by Narnia as far as children's books go. Also Jeeves which is the best in that category for sure. Heidi has so many solid choices too (Gentleman in Moscow is a favorite, and I prefer the Sun Also Rises to Gatsby). BUT David has the best mystery and also Death Comes for the Archbishop which I totally love, and most of the big names in 20s lit. It's so tight!
Not gonna lie, Heidi having The Blue Castle on her list had too much pull for me to turn away!! That is THE book I re-read when life feels like too much. I've lost count of how many times I've read it.
Very much enjoyed this podcast episode! Thanks y'all!
Blue Castle and Enchanted April are the two books I probably recommend most frequently.
Yes, I love The Enchanted April as well! I just read that book for the first time last year and I have it on my list to re-read next year.
This is very very hard. Each list has one of my all-time favorite authors in it. 😬🤨😂
They're all great lists and it's so hard to choose, but looking at them as desert island reading lists, the one I'd most like to have with me is Heidi's list.
And the episode was very fun to listen to. And I was not at all influenced by the grave injustice done to Heidi.
It can only be an injustice if it breaks the rules lol
Voted Heidi, but David is a strong contender! (Sorry, Sean!)
If Kristin Lavransdatter had not been in Heidi's list, I would have chosen David's group. Such a strong collection!! But...Kristin is my favorite ever and Undset always takes the cake for me. Go Heidi!
Preach!