Never too Late to Read Classics discussion

It may seem early, but it's time to start thinking about what we're going to read in 2026.

The format is the same- a pair of classic authors that have something in common to be read over a period of two months.

In order to encourage diversity, authors from Great Britain, Canada and the United States do not fit this category. We read them in many of our other categories.

This year there will be no official carry-overs from previous years, but feel free to browse any of the previous nominations for inspiration.

Please feel free to suggest as many pairs as you like in this our preliminary round.

I'll start the suggestions with this couple:

Sacher Torte Anyone?
Two authors who lived in Vienna: Arthur Schnitzler and Joseph Roth
Original Language: German

Not early at all, I've been waiting for it! 😊

I've come up with the following pairs:

1) The Sverbeyevs' Literary Salon
Two authors who lived in 1830s Moscow: Nikolai Gogol (an Ukrainian author) and Mikhail Lermontov (a Russian author)

2) Let's Go to Mexico
Two authors who lived in Mexico-City: Juan Rulfo (a Mexican author) and Gabriel García Márquez (a Colombian author)

3) After the War
Two authors who fought in WWI: Henri Barbusse (a French author) and Erich Maria Remarque (a German author)

Two authors who suffered from tuberculosis: Franz Kafka and Albert Camus.

(I'm sorry for choosing an illness as the thing in common. I so want to read more of them.)

Haha- illness in common. Well I'm okay with it as I'm interested in both of them. And. I have a sad one too:

Two authors lost too soon to the Holocaust:

Bruno Schulz and Irène Némirovsky

Very much interested in the Mexico nomination too! (I'm interested in sachertorte too but I don't know those authors ;)

Also, how about French poets:

Francis Ponge and Arthur Rimbaud

Piyangie wrote: "Two authors who suffered from tuberculosis: Franz Kafka and Albert Camus.

(I'm sorry for choosing an illness as the thing in common. I so want to read more of them.)"

I think they also have in common of how they question the big stuff, a bit of depth but existentiolaism comes to mind.

I also want to read more of their works and am interested in this pairing.

great suggestion Piyangie.

Piyangie wrote: "Two authors who suffered from tuberculosis: Franz Kafka and Albert Camus.

(I'm sorry for choosing an illness as the thing in common. I so want to read more of them.)"

I agree with Piyangie. Kafka and Camus for me, too.

Thanks so far for the creative suggestions.

Here's another one:
Two French authors of faith: Georges Bernanos and François Mauriac

Thanks, Jen, Anisha, and Luis.

Jen wrote: "Haha- illness in common. Well I'm okay with it as I'm interested in both of them. And. I have a sad one too:

Two authors lost too soon to the Holocaust:

Bruno Schulz and [author:I..."

Great choice!

Rosemarie wrote: "Thanks so far for the creative suggestions.

Here's another one:
Two French authors of faith: Georges Bernanos and François Mauriac"

Can I add them, too?

Of course, Luis.

This is a preliminary list of ideas.

Rosemarie wrote: "Of course, Luis.

This is a preliminary list of ideas."

Obrigado!

Another idea in line with others I've read and loved for these challenges:

Women Writers Under WW2 Fascism: Alba de Céspedes and Nathalie Sarraute

De Cespedes was a Cuban-Italian writer whose work is currently having a strong revival with new English translations from major publishers. Due to fascist censorship, she has had literary work banned and been arrested for antifascist radio broadcasting work too. Her work is originally written in Italian.

Sarraute is another very cross-cultural writer I've just learned of- a French Russian writer and lawyer whose life was endangered due to her Jewish background. In France she went into hiding and, according to the GR bio, lost her work as a lawyer and divorced her husband in order to protect him from the same persecution. Her work is originally in French.

This is not to say that their literature is overtly political. That point is just about how their personal backgrounds relate to one another.