Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die discussion

I was intrigued by the discussion about over-representation of many authors on the 1001 books list. When an author has 10 incredible, life-changing books, it's worth reading all of them of course, but this eats up a lot of the room in the list that could have been used for more variety.

I was curious to see actually how many repeats there are and I was shocked to discover: In the 2008 version, there are just 518 authors (correct me if you get a different count!). I suppose it makes sense that someone who writes one incredible must-read would write others but this count opens up almost 50% of the slots for other authors in a must-read authors list.

So, I'm wondering... who would you add? Let's try to keep away, like the list, from non-fiction.

Me? I'd add:

519. Giovanni Boccaccio
520. Geoffrey Chaucer
521. William Shakespeare

I think a fair exchange would be to take off Erica Jong's Fear Of Flying and put back D"s Brother's Karamazov.

While this is by no means an exhaustive list, it is representative of fiction writers whose books I have in my library that either I have begun to read OR have yet to read (but have the intention of doing so in the offing) ---

1) Miguel de Cervantes
2) Leo Tolstoy
3) Colette
4) Agatha Christie
5) Maryse Conde (Guadeloupe)
6) Dante Alighieri
7) Elizabeth George
8) P.D. James
9) Alice Walker
10) E.L. Doctorow
11) Terry Pratchett
12) Nevil Shute
13) Vera Brittain
14) Julian Rathbone
15) Arnold Bennett
16) Virginia Wolff
17) John dos Passos
18) Jane Gardam
19) Cristina García
20) Jacqueline Carey
21) Thomas Mann
22) Erich Maria Remarque
23) Kingsley Amis
24) Curzio Malaparte
25) Dominque Maniotti (contemporary French writer)
26) Arthur Koestler
27) Anthony Powell
28) Alexander Kent (writer of naval fiction)
29) George Pelecanos
30) Achy Obejas
31) Gregor von Rezzori
32) Irène Némirovsky
33) Pete Hamill
34) Jane Gardam
35) Olivia Manning
36) José Saramago
37) Edward Marston (his Railway Detective Series of novels set in the mid-1800s)

38) Jaroslav Hašek ("The Good Soldier Švejk")
39) Angeles Mastretta (contemporary Mexican writer)
40) Joseph Roth

I think there could be a core list for all countries/nationalities and a supplement that is more regionally specific. The quality of the writing is critical, but so is the subject matter of each title selected.

This may not strike some of you as valid if you are reading as a writer and studying mainly style, but for those of us who read to expand our understanding of the world more than the development of the novel form, regional issues can be just as important.

Pretty nice list so far though!

Many of the selections in all (year version and different compilations) the lists seem a bit skewed at best.

William Shakespeare does appear at points, but the selections are questionable or at best picked randomly.

Charles Dickens is overly represented by comparison.

Graham Greene but not John LeCarre? LeCarre should be on the list if for no reason other than the Cold War era of literature is quite important and he has numerous elegant contributions. Sure it is 'popular' but no more so than Chuck Palahniuk or E.L. Doctorow.

Leaving Robert Penn Warren off the list with his both being a Pulitzer winner and one time Poet Laureate of the US has to be questioned.

A glaring error whether academic, social, cultural, political etc. is to not have included something by Federico Garcia Lorca.

A few more glaring omissions by author if not their important works

Leon Uris
Chaim Potok
C.S. Lewis
Charles Darwin - Origin of the Species - a must read
Richard Henry Dana - Two Years before the Mast
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin - aka Moliere
Sir Richard Burton (not the actor, the other one)
Edward Gibbon - Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
Ernesto 'Che' Guevara
Sun Yat-sen - Three Principles or Writings 'of'
Friedrich Nietzsche
Tacitus - The History or the Complete works
The History of the Peloponnesian War - Thucydides
Bernard Fall - Street without Joy or Hell in a very small Place
Clausewitz - Vom Kriege

I could add many more, these just came to mind with a quick search of the lists and finding what was missing.

The list is about what one should/need to read, not just about what is popular and 'friendly'.

CD wrote: "Graham Greene but not John LeCarre? LeCarre should be on the list if for no reason other than the Cold War era of literature is quite important and he has numerous elegant contributions. Sure it is 'popular' but no more so than Chuck Palahniuk or E.L. Doctorow...."

Smiley's People & The Spy Who Came in from the Cold have been on all three versions of the list. And Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy was included in the 2006 version.

Keep in mind the purpose of the 1001 books list is to explore the development of the novel (therefore including some short story collections, a few non-fiction memoirs, and a novel in verse), which is why so many important plays/non-fiction/poetry books such as Shakespeare, Moliere, Nietzsche, Darwin, etc., are not included.

Liz M wrote: "CD wrote: "Graham Greene but not John LeCarre? LeCarre should be on the list if for no reason other than the Cold War era of literature is quite important and he has numerous elegant contributions...Keep in mind the purpose of the 1001 books list is to explore the development of the novel "

The Boxall/Listology 2006 version at http://www.listology.com/list/1001-bo... doesn't contain Le Carre books other than as submitted by poster/commentators who question why he wasn't included. The 2008 Boxall version does contain two entries from Le Carre I find. Again pointing out the differences in these lists and sources.

If the purpose of the list is to explore the development of the novel, then all of the Strindberg works alone should be excised. Beckett as a novelist was known for the merging of drama and the novel form but at heart, spirit and style still remained to the end a dramatist.

To dismiss plays as not part of the development of the novel would remove many elements such as dialogue from the form completely. Ergo the need for greater if not inclusion of the entirety of Shakespeare. And to assume that novels must be dark and dreary with no humor of course allows Moliere to be absent.

Many of the works included fall way outside of the novel form or are poetry by their very nature. The philosophic works that are included are representative at best or selected based on a preference/prejudice as opposed to solely being the best of the lot. Sartre without Nietzsche is silly. Rousseau without then seeing what Kant did is equally a failing in showing a line of development if that indeed was the purpose of the list.

The 'purpose' of the 1001 books does not seem at all to be primarily or solely about the development of the novel. Or at least in any references available through Goodreads, i.e. the Group Description of the both the 1001 list and the Goodreads group says in part this:

"1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die is a trove of reviews covering a century of memorable writing. Each work of literature featured here is a seminal work key to understanding and appreciating the written word."

The written word that is enjoyed by so many is not merely fiction but covers a wide range of subject, forms, and indeed the greatest works stand alone in their style and form. I will stand firmly behind my few randomly selected 'suggestions' for the authors and specific works as being candidates more than worthy for inclusions in books that should be read before one dies.

CD wrote: "Liz M wrote: "CD wrote: "Graham Greene but not John LeCarre? LeCarre should be on the list if for no reason other than the Cold War era of literature is quite important and he has numerous elegant..."

/signs, stamps and resubmits an extra copy

CD wrote: "The Boxall/Listology 2006 version at http://www.listology.com/list/1001-books... doesn't contain Le Carre books other than as submitted by poster/commentators who question why he wasn't included. The 2008 Boxall version does contain two entries from Le Carre I find. Again pointing out the differences in these lists and sources."

If people were questioning why he wasn't included on the list, they weren't paying very close attention.

#295 Smiley's People
#339 Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
#430 The Spy Who Came in from the Cold

I appreciate the suggestions that others include. I surely may never finish all the titles, but I agree the list is a guideline for understanding the written word in all it's forms, including some I have not studied or enjoyed. It will most definately take me out of my comfort zone. Stretch and Grow!!

Charity wrote: "CD wrote: "The Boxall/Listology 2006 version at http://www.listology.com/list/1001-books... doesn't contain Le Carre books other than as submitted by poster/commentators who question why he wasn't..."

The point is that there are 'official lists' or have been that were linked from Goodreads that previously did not contain some works. If the old links have all been purged, great!

One variant of the 2006 list, the one with the three John Le Carré books, contains eight Graham Greene entries . . . and this goes directly to the commentary of the original poster, Bucket, about disparity in representation of one author versus another. I am sorry that at this point we've chosen to dwell on the picky detail of the author I mentioned. It was just an omission that I used as an example from 'some' list versions of an author as or more deserving to be included.

Then I suppose I could just create my own 1001 list of books that should be read before death and build a website. Wouldn't be much different than a few directly or indirectly linked, and I wouldn't charge for 'the official full version' either.

It's all fun, right?

By all means, John Le Carré merits being on the list of "World's Best Writers of the 20th Century". Eric Ambler, too.

Epitaph for a Spy by Eric Ambler

CD wrote: "The point is that there are 'official lists' or have been that were linked from Goodreads that previously did not contain some works. If the old links have all been purged, great!"

I really have no idea what links you are referring to, but I was just supplying where the Le Carré books fell on the Boxall list. Regardless of what links/lists people post online, there IS an official list in each of the 1001 Books... editions. (Check out this post for several versions of the list, updated to include the 1001 series website.)

I agree that there are an overabundance of works by certain authors while others have been unfortunately (and foolishly) left off. The debate over the criteria for selection will never die...for any list. And, it is very enjoyable.

CD wrote: "Then I suppose I could just create my own 1001 list of books that should be read before death and build a website."

That would be pretty cool. I love seeing what other people consider to be worthwhile reads.

Hmmm - this topic did not at all go where I expected it to! Hope some of you are enjoying the ride!

My goal was basically to generate a list of authors (rather than titles) that aren't represented on the list that folks here feel 'should be read before you die.'

Thanks everyone for the names listed so far!

I would add Pearl Buck - if we were to do an author's list. =)

Sissy wrote: "I would add Pearl Buck - if we were to do an author's list. =)"

Most def!

A few other noteworthy writers ---

Gore Vidal
Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
James Baldwin
Jorge Amado
Winston Graham
André Malraux (won the Prix Goncourt - France's top literary award - for his novel "MAN'S FATE")

Richard Woodman
Anthony Burgess
Georges Simenon (perhaps the world's most prolific novelist; best known for his "Inspector Maigret" detective novels)

Sujata Massey (award winning novelist best known for her "Rei Shimura" series of crime novels)

I would also add

- Ivan Doig for his contribution to the modern Western novel

- Marion Zimmer Bradley,
- Terry Pratchett, and
- Neil Gaiman for the underrepresented fantasy genre

- Amy Tan and
- Nalo Hopkinson for issues of women of color

Agatha Christie
Neil Gaiman (for The Sandman graphic novels)
Chuck Palahniuk
Terry Pratchett
Irvine Welsh