One classic per country

Mention of Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children in "the next Classics"
thread got me thinking along slightly different but related lines.
Suppose someone wanted to compile a collection of modern firsts that
consisted of one book for every country. Which book would serve best
as the representative of its country?

Here are half a dozen suggestions off the top of my head, for
starters:

Gabriel Garcia Marquez, A Hundred Years of Solitude (Colombia)
Keri Hulme, The Bone People (New Zealand)
Umberto Eco, The Name of the Rose (Italy)
Haruki Murakami, Norwegian Wood (Japan)
David Guterson, Snow Falling on Cedar (Canada)
Milan Kundera, The Unbearable Lightness of Being (Czech Republic)

These aren't necessarily my personal favourites, just books I think
might be likely candidates should anyone, in twenty years' time, ask,
"What was that groundbreaking late 20th century novel by a writer from
X?". Would anyone like to add to the list or disagree violently with
it or offer alternative suggestions or start another similar list (one
novel for each state of the USA, perhaps?

John
http://rarebooksinjapan.com

You have an interesting idea. Some further suggestions:

Chile - Jose Donoso, The Obscene Bird of Night
Peru - Mario Vargas Llosa, Murder in the Cathedral
Argentina - Manuel Puig, The Kiss of the Spider Woman
Mexico - Carlos Fuentes, The Death of Artemio Cruz
Canada - either Robertson Davies, Fifth Business
or Margaret Atwood, The Blind Assassin
Japan - Kobo Abe, The Woman in the Dunes


Francis A. Miniter


John R. Yamamoto-Wilson wrote:

Mention of Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children in "the next Classics"
thread got me thinking along slightly different but related lines.
Suppose someone wanted to compile a collection of modern firsts that
consisted of one book for every country. Which book would serve best
as the representative of its country?

Here are half a dozen suggestions off the top of my head, for
starters:

Gabriel Garcia Marquez, A Hundred Years of Solitude (Colombia)
Keri Hulme, The Bone People (New Zealand)
Umberto Eco, The Name of the Rose (Italy)
Haruki Murakami, Norwegian Wood (Japan)
David Guterson, Snow Falling on Cedar (Canada)
Milan Kundera, The Unbearable Lightness of Being (Czech Republic)

These aren't necessarily my personal favourites, just books I think
might be likely candidates should anyone, in twenty years' time, ask,
"What was that groundbreaking late 20th century novel by a writer from
X?". Would anyone like to add to the list or disagree violently with
it or offer alternative suggestions or start another similar list (one
novel for each state of the USA, perhaps?

John
http://rarebooksinjapan.com

"John R. Yamamoto-Wilson" wrote...
David Guterson, Snow Falling on Cedar (Canada)

US author, so-so book set in Washington state. Also, Guterson's reputation
(and the value of his books) has dropped considerably, as he followed up
SFoC with two novels that have been less than enthusiastically received.

Fans of Robertson Davies (The Deptford Trilogy), Margaret Atwood (The
Handmaid's Tale), Alice Munro (The Moons of Jupiter), and Michael Ondaatje
(The English Patient) will be coming for your head shortly...


--
Jon Meyers
[To reply,
lose your way.]

US author, so-so book set in Washington state. Also, Guterson's reputation
(and the value of his books) has dropped considerably, as he followed up
SFoC with two novels that have been less than enthusiastically received.

Quite correct. And many people feel the book was overhyped from the start.
Which is why I'm always leery of collecting "classics" until time has winnowed
out the worst. You could collect the prize winners of one country or other --
there's always people who want a complete set of National Book Awards.

For the US, you could collect a set of the best of each region -- for each
region has very different outlooks. I'd go for Ivan Doig or Sherman Alexie
over David Guterson any day for the Northwest. Clyde Edgerton's Walking Across
Egypt or Rainey for the New South.

Anyone have suggestions for the great Midwest novel or East Coast or
California.




Regards,
Rosemary Jones,
co-author, Collector's Guide to Children's Books, v1-3
new in 2002: Boys & Girls Series Books
http://members.aol.com/lostlvs/

"Jon Meyers" wrote

Guterson's reputation (and the value of his books) has dropped
considerably, as he followed up SFoC with two novels that
have been less than enthusiastically received.

Fair enough (I haven't been tracking him), but Umberto Eco followed up
The Name of the Rose with Foucault's Pendulum, which got only a cool
reception and the one after that was the even more unimpressive The
Island of the Day Before. It's also arguable that Salman Rushdie
hasn't really published anything to match Midnight's Children, and
there are quite a few works which are regarded as classics whose
authors never managed to recapture the same brilliance in subsequent
publications. None of which proves I wasn't wrong about Guterson
(apart from the small matter of his nationality, of course!); Bridges
of Madison County took a dive as further books by Waller came out
(notwithstanding the fact that, like Name of the Rose and Snow
Falling, it was made into a successful film). There are imponderables
involved here, which is what gives these prediction threads their
edge!

Fans of Robertson Davies (The Deptford Trilogy), Margaret Atwood (The
Handmaid's Tale), Alice Munro (The Moons of Jupiter), and Michael Ondaatje
(The English Patient) will be coming for your head shortly...

Margaret Atwood. Yes, indeed. I should have thought of her.

John
http://rarebooksinjapan.com

"Jon Meyers" wrote in message
...
"John R. Yamamoto-Wilson" wrote...
David Guterson, Snow Falling on Cedar (Canada)

US author, so-so book set in Washington state. Also, Guterson's
reputation
(and the value of his books) has dropped considerably, as he followed up
SFoC with two novels that have been less than enthusiastically received.

Fans of Robertson Davies (The Deptford Trilogy), Margaret Atwood (The
Handmaid's Tale), Alice Munro (The Moons of Jupiter), and Michael Ondaatje
(The English Patient) will be coming for your head shortly...

I'd be inclined to put Alistair MacLeod's NO GREAT MISCHIEF up there on the
shortlist for Canada as well, or Guy Vanderhaege's THE ENGLISHMAN'S BOY.

Barbara Roden

'The Riders' by Tim Winton, Australia.

---

"Francis A. Miniter" wrote
You have an interesting idea. Some further suggestions:

Chile - Jose Donoso, The Obscene Bird of Night
Peru - Mario Vargas Llosa, Murder in the Cathedral
Argentina - Manuel Puig, The Kiss of the Spider Woman
Mexico - Carlos Fuentes, The Death of Artemio Cruz
Canada - either Robertson Davies, Fifth Business
or Margaret Atwood, The Blind Assassin
Japan - Kobo Abe, The Woman in the Dunes

Francis A. Miniter


John R. Yamamoto-Wilson wrote:

Mention of Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children in "the next Classics"
thread got me thinking along slightly different but related lines.
Suppose someone wanted to compile a collection of modern firsts that
consisted of one book for every country. Which book would serve best
as the representative of its country?

Here are half a dozen suggestions off the top of my head, for
starters:

Gabriel Garcia Marquez, A Hundred Years of Solitude (Colombia)
Keri Hulme, The Bone People (New Zealand)
Umberto Eco, The Name of the Rose (Italy)
Haruki Murakami, Norwegian Wood (Japan)
David Guterson, Snow Falling on Cedar (Canada)
Milan Kundera, The Unbearable Lightness of Being (Czech Republic)

These aren't necessarily my personal favourites, just books I think
might be likely candidates should anyone, in twenty years' time, ask,
"What was that groundbreaking late 20th century novel by a writer from
X?". Would anyone like to add to the list or disagree violently with
it or offer alternative suggestions or start another similar list (one
novel for each state of the USA, perhaps?

John
http://rarebooksinjapan.com

(David Anderson) wrote in message . com...
'The Riders' by Tim Winton, Australia.

---

"Francis A. Miniter" wrote
You have an interesting idea. Some further suggestions:

Chile - Jose Donoso, The Obscene Bird of Night
Peru - Mario Vargas Llosa, Murder in the Cathedral
Argentina - Manuel Puig, The Kiss of the Spider Woman
Mexico - Carlos Fuentes, The Death of Artemio Cruz
Canada - either Robertson Davies, Fifth Business
or Margaret Atwood, The Blind Assassin
Japan - Kobo Abe, The Woman in the Dunes

Francis A. Miniter


John R. Yamamoto-Wilson wrote:

Mention of Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children in "the next Classics"
thread got me thinking along slightly different but related lines.
Suppose someone wanted to compile a collection of modern firsts that
consisted of one book for every country. Which book would serve best
as the representative of its country?

Here are half a dozen suggestions off the top of my head, for
starters:

Gabriel Garcia Marquez, A Hundred Years of Solitude (Colombia)
Keri Hulme, The Bone People (New Zealand)
Umberto Eco, The Name of the Rose (Italy)
Haruki Murakami, Norwegian Wood (Japan)
David Guterson, Snow Falling on Cedar (Canada)
Milan Kundera, The Unbearable Lightness of Being (Czech Republic)

These aren't necessarily my personal favourites, just books I think
might be likely candidates should anyone, in twenty years' time, ask,
"What was that groundbreaking late 20th century novel by a writer from
X?". Would anyone like to add to the list or disagree violently with
it or offer alternative suggestions or start another similar list (one
novel for each state of the USA, perhaps?

John
http://rarebooksinjapan.com


Great idea...

Nigeria-- Chinua Achebe THINGS FALL APART
India-- Roy- GOD OF SMALL THINGS or Seth SUITABLE BOY
South Africa-- Nadine Gordimer THE CONSERVATIONIST
Germany-- Patrick Suskind PERFUME THE STORY OF A MURDER
Spain- Arturo Perez-Reverte THE DUMAS CLUB....


I haven't read it but I've heard that
SEE UNDER: LOVE by David Grossman is wonderful-- maybe he would fit under Israel


David Holloway, Bookseller

I would suggest 'Man Alone' by John Mulgan instead of 'The Bone People' Keri
Hulme for New Zealand.

--
Shirley Arabin
Mount Maunganui, New Zealand .

"

Anyone have suggestions for the great Midwest novel or East Coast or
California.

For East Coast my best guess would be Jonathan Lethem's "Motherless
Brooklyn". After reading it I found copies of his earlier works and we are
planning a trip east to, hopefully, get them signed. I felt the same way
about Peter Blauner when I read "Slow Motion Riot" and five books later I am
still waiting for him to a blockbuster.

For California my wife recommended Grafton's "A is for Alibi" but I don't
see that going up in value from where it already is. Paula Woods' "Inner
City Blues" is worth watching.

I wish I had a name for the Midwest. My current favorite local (Cincinnati,
Ohio) writers are a husband and wife team who write under the name Cathie
John.
http://www.cathiejohn.com/index.html I won't say they are the next Hammett
or Chandler but they are fun reads in locations and about events I have
heard about all my life. As soon as I find Jeffery Marks
http://www.jeffreymarks.com/ at a book signing I can attend I will start
reading his historical fiction. Hw and I both grew up in the part of
Southern Ohio where almost every building old enough has a historical marker
explaining what Ulysses S Grant did there.

Does anyone else have a hometown favorite writer? Even though you know they
will never be a Faulkner or Hemingway?

Tim Crawford