The Next Best Book Club discussion

Bizzarrely, I couldn't find an american literature list on goodreads (great american novel isn't the same thing) so i recently made one. Go and vote.
http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/23...

Thanks.

FYI - Anais Nin was not American. Don't know if it makes a difference to you, but she was French.

Born in france but emigrated to america. She was an american citizen when delta of venus was published.

I suppose - though when I think American literature I think primarily of American writers (Steinbeck, Hemingway, O. Henry, Poe, Twain, etc.). I was under the impression Delta of Venus takes place primarily in Paris, so for that reason I consider it more Parisian than American. American citizen or not I always put Nin in a different (more worldly) category - more as a French woman living and writing in America than just an American writer... like you can take the woman out of France but you can't take France out of the woman.

Nice list. I didn't think I'd read many American authors, but I've read 24 of that list.

El wrote: "I suppose - though when I think American literature I think primarily of American writers (Steinbeck, Hemingway, O. Henry, Poe, Twain, etc.). I was under the impression Delta of Venus takes place ..."

ok. You don't just have to criticise the list btw. Can vote on it too if you like. I'm sure it could do with a little O'Henry (whoever that is).

You too petra, the more ppl vote, the better the list gets.

Certainly not a criticism, Killthepopular. I was only trying to figure out how Nin fit into the list. I do recommend O. Henry to you then, just because you haven't read him and you seem to be interested in American Lit. His strength was short stories (many with an ironic slant), so you can read him rather quickly.

i've read sixteen of these books but where is Theodore Dreiser and Betty Smith, James Fenimore Cooper, Louisa May Alcott, Mark Twain, Pat Frank, Truman Capote, Raymond Chandler, Steinbeck, Hemmingway, Poe, Lardner, Poe, Dashiell Hammett, Herman Wouk ~ this could turn out to be an enormous list of American authors! We need to add more American classics!

Rosemary wrote: "i've read sixteen of these books but where is Theodore Dreiser and Betty Smith, James Fenimore Cooper, Louisa May Alcott, Mark Twain, Pat Frank, Truman Capote, Raymond Chandler, Steinbeck, Hemmingw..."

Actually Poe, twain, steinbeck, hemingway and hammett are already on this list.

If you think there are authors missing from the list then go and vote for them! You can add whichever books you want by using the "find/add books to list" box in the top right.

sorry, i was in a flu-induced haze of discombobulation! How dare I not see those authors. Anyway, I will add authors as soon as I'm coherent again.

Just bumping this thread back up. There's still only like 14 voters on this list in comparison to the British list (106 voters), the russian list (162) and the French list (141).
Is this the way you guys represent your nation's literature? Hm? is it? Gonna let those Limeys, Russians and Frenchies beat you after all the trouble you've had with them in the past?

(Ahem)list junkie (ahem)

;)

Killthepopular wrote: "Gonna let those Limeys, Russians and Frenchies beat you after all the trouble you've had with them in the past?"

I almost just want to say yes... :)

Killthepopular wrote: "Is this the way you guys represent your nation's literature?"

Doesn't need to be represented. It speaks well enough for itself...without having to be listed.

Maybe i am a list junkie. Either way, it just goes against my own sense of propriety tht there should be these other lists and not an american one when probably most of my favourite books have come from america.

And re: list junkie; the fact that this group has 2 separate discussion forums dedicated to lists suggests tht i'm not the only person around here who likes lists.

Oh dear... Killthepopular, I certainly hope your post was in jest, as mine was. I did not mean to come across as sarcastic... I was trying to be funny, though sometimes it just does not translate properly.

Limeys? did I miss something and now it's ok to call names?

WHat? Limeys is a well-known nickname for the brits, deriving from the fact tht we supposedly ate loads of limes at sea to stave off scurvy. It's certainly not an offensive one. Just vaguely derogatory. Like "yank".

OK