Women's Classic Literature Enthusiasts discussion

It is now time for April nominations. This month will be a themed month and this idea was suggested by Mizzou, one of our members.

The theme is... Translated Fiction

Nomination Rules
1. Two nominations per person.
2. Classic books only (over 50 years old).
3. Book must have been written by a woman
4. To facilitate poll creation, please use a Goodreads link to add the nomination by clicking on 'add book/author' above the text box.
5. Please indicate whether or not you would be willing to lead the discussion if your nomination is chosen.
6. For this month only! Nominations must have originally been written in any language except English, and have an English translation. Please include the original language of the work when nominating.
7. Enjoy!

My first nomination is The Tin Flute by Gabrielle Roy. Original language was French. I can lead.

My second nomination is The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank. Original language was Dutch. I can lead in discussing this very relevant book.

I nominate The Wreath by Sigrid Undset. It was originally published in 1920, in Norwegian, and is set in fourteenth century Norway.

My second nomination is Half a Lifelong Romance by Eileen Chang. Original language was Chinese, and it was published in serialized form in 1948.

I can lead.

I would like to nominate Memoirs of Hadrian and I can lead if chosen.

I would also like to nominate The Tin Flute which was originally written in Canadian French

I don't know about other members of this group but I found it hard to find non-English female authors that have works more than 50 years from first published and that I could obtain from my library. Anyone found any lists?

I did find this author who was a top contender with Tolstoy for the Nobel prize.

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

Tracey wrote: "I don't know about other members of this group but I found it hard to find non-English female authors that have works more than 50 years from first published and that I could obtain from my library..."

It was difficult, but there are a few authors.

Tracey wrote: "I did find this author who was a top contender with Tolstoy for the Nobel prize.

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show..."

Since I already nominated The Tin Flute, do you want to nominate something by Eliza Orzeszkowa?

I agree that it was hard to find many books which fit the category that I have easy access to. I was wondering if Suite Française by Irène Némirovsky is eligible. I know it wasn't published until 2004 but it was completed prior to her death in 1942.

Laurie wrote: "I agree that it was hard to find many books which fit the category that I have easy access to. I was wondering if Suite Française by Irène Némirovsky is eligible. I know..."

Now that is an interesting question. I'll ask the other moderators.

I'd like to nominate Letters of a Peruvian Woman by Françoise de Graffigny. It's available in paperback (and there are quite a few used editions available in the UK at least) as well as ebook.

Laurie wrote: "I agree that it was hard to find many books which fit the category that I have easy access to. I was wondering if Suite Française by Irène Némirovsky is eligible. I know..."

The moderators have decided that this book does not qualify as a classic because we consider a classic to be a book that was published at least 50 years ago. This gives us enough time to look at the influence the book has had on literature. The best example is the works by Harper Lee. To Kill a Mockingbird would be considered a classic, but not it's sequel, Go Set a Watchman.

The poll will be available soon.

☯Emily needs to protest again wrote: "Laurie wrote: "I agree that it was hard to find many books which fit the category that I have easy access to. I was wondering if Suite Française by Irène Némirovsky is e..."

Ok I understand your reasoning, but it's a bit of a shame. Other than Anne Frank (which I have read a number of times) that is the only one I can get hold of.

Viv wrote: "I'd like to nominate Letters of a Peruvian Woman by Françoise de Graffigny. It's available in paperback (and there are quite a few used editions available in the UK a..."

This looks very interesting, Viv.

☯Emily needs to protest again wrote: "Laurie wrote: "I agree that it was hard to find many books which fit the category that I have easy access to. I was wondering if Suite Française by Irène Némirovsky is e..."

I understand. There is no way to know if anyone will read this book 40 years from now. Even though the author wrote it years ago, the book itself may not stand the test of time.