'Gonna Write a Classic...'

A thread in homage to Adrian Gurvitz*

Photo by Gülfer ERGİN on Unsplash

This Sunday, my essay was all about what makes a book become a ‘Classic’, and the different language used around this.

I also related this back to an undergraduate assignment which asked us to revise the criteria for the Nobel Prize for Literature, explaining our rationale behind it, and then asking us to choose the best novel of the twentieth century from a shortlist of four novels.

I thought it would be interesting to ask you, my lovely readers and subscribers, to do something similar!  Don’t worry- no assignments are involved- I’d just like to know your thoughts on the following:

Which book would you nominate to be considered a future classic from the 20th or 21st century?

You can go rogue here!  It doesn’t need to be ‘High Literature’; you just need to be able to justify the reasoning behind your choice of book.  It could be a genre title, a graphic novel, a collection of short stories, a poetry collection, or even a book of nonfiction. 

I’ll kick it off by choosing Joan Didion’s Slouching Towards Bethlehem essay collection (although I could realistically choose all of her essay collections) and my reasoning is that the essays tackle the cultural and personal landscape of the time it was written, as well as its universal significance.

I can’t wait to read your suggestions! Maybe we can all find some new, great reads 😀

*Apropos of nothing, I haven’t been able to get this 1982 song by Adrian Gurvitz- ‘Classic’- out of my head since I started researching for my essay last week, which was one of my mother’s favourites at the time, and which has been driving my husband mad.  Enjoy the 1980s smashing haircuts if you choose to watch it! (Warning: it’s catchy…)  You’re welcome 😀