Classic Author Focus: James Baldwin

First, a little side note. My fellow moderators have suggested I do a short piece on the process for posting member reviews because of a few issues I've had. When I first took over this function, I found a huge backlog of reviews, but I was able to catch up on that over time, and …

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Classic Author Focus: Sigrid Undset

A friend recently blogged about Kristin Lavransdattar, which gave me the idea for my next focus post. Although Sigrid Undset is known mostly for that powerful depiction of of medieval life in Norway, she was also the author of contemporary realistic novels. Her novels written later in life were informed by her conversion to Catholicism. She is …

Classic Author Focus: Dorothy Whipple

As a schoolgirl, Dorothy Stirrup published more than forty stories in the "Children's Corner" of the Blackburn Weekly Telegraph. Later, she became a successful and popular novelist, short story and children's book writer, whose work reflected the concerns of her time. Because her novels were almost all set in Nottingham or Blackburn, where she lived all …

Classic Author Focus: Emilio Salgari

If you believe his own accounts of himself, Emilio Salgari was a great adventurer, who sailed the Seven Seas, traveled all over the North American continent, explored the Sudan, and romanced an Indian princess. In truth, Salgari was a fabulist, who flunked out of a nautical technical institution and never traveled any further from home …

Classic Author Focus: Ann Radcliffe

When I asked for suggestions for the classic author to feature next, one of the first responses was from Jillian, who suggested Ann Radcliffe as being appropriate for the season. I thought so, too. Not much is known about her life, however. I found more about her influence on literature. She was notable for combining …

Classic Author Focus: Charlotte M. Yonge

For the last Classics Club Spin, I read The Heir of Redclyffe by Charlotte M. Yonge. I was surprised to find out that Yonge, whom I had never heard of, was just as popular in her time as Dickens or Thackeray. In fact, The Heir of Redclyffe was her first successful novel, and it was …

Your Classics Club Survey Results

First, before I go into my article, take a look at the new layout of the blog. We were looking for something lighter and more modern. We hope you like it. We plan a few more changes, which will happen over time. * * * A few weeks ago, we posted a survey the results …