Books on the Wall blog posts covering contemporary literature, contemporary authors, and everything in between.
This Aravinda Adiga quote comes from his Man Booker Prize-winning novel, The White Tiger. The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga Published in 2008, The White Tiger was the debut novel by Aravind Adiga. The story is told from the first-person perspective of Balram Halwai, a poor man from a rural village in India. Balram makes his way to Dhanbad and eventually New Delhi by working as a driver for a rich family involved in the dirty coal business. Slight spoiler alert: Balram kills his employer, steals his money, and becomes successful (while hiding) in the entrepreneurial hubbub of Bangalore. The novel […]
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Artists are often called the “antennae of the race.” Writers, painters, and musicians see things we normal mortals just can’t see. Sometimes it takes decades for the general public to understand what a truly gifted literary mind was trying to communicate. In this list, you’ll find ten of the finest authors from around the world, all of whom share one sad fact: they were only fully appreciated and made famous after death. Famous authors who reached posthumous fame 1. William Blake (1757-1827) Contemporaries called him mad. But today William Blake is universally recognized as a poetic and artistic genius. He was born in […]
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Today’s Margaret Atwood quote comes from Moral Disorder, a book of connected short stories. Moral Disorder by Margaret Atwood Published in 2006, Moral Disorder explores the lives and troubles of a Canadian family over six decades, especially the couple Nell and Tig. Most of the 11 short stories likely focus on Nell; seven are narrated as “I” and four are written from the third-person perspective of Nell. Although most readers assume that every story tells about Nell, the identity of characters isn’t often explicitly stated. The last two stories have been interpreted as autobiographical in nature, telling the story of Atwood caring for […]
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Although he lived a tragically short life, Oscar Wilde remains of the most beloved, and quotable, authors of all time. A quick search for Oscar Wilde quote turns up literally hundreds of results, each clever, funny, and horrifying in its own way. This particular quote comes Wilde’s play Lady Windermere’s Fan. Lady Windermere’s Fan by Oscar Wilde First produced in London in 1892, Lady Windermere’s Fan, A Play about a Good Woman is a four-act comedy that examines and satirizes the morals of English society. Like most of Wilde’s works, the play takes a playful, derisive tone toward the many […]
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Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi This quote comes from Yaa Gyasi’s debut novel Homegoing. Published 2016 to critical acclaim, Homegoing follows the lives of two half-sisters, Effia and Esi. Unknown to each other, the two sisters fall into divergent lives: one marries a European slaver, and one is captured and made a slave. The story bounces between the descendants of these two half-sisters, from the slave trade in Africa to the coal mines in Alabama and the NAACP. Each chapter follows a new character to give a detailed family history over nearly 250 years. Some characters are more complex and interesting […]
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This Ursula Le Guin quote comes from The Dispossessed: An Ambigious Utopia. The Dispossessed by Ursula Le Guin Published in 1974, The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia (frequently called just The Dispossessed) is an allegorical tale set in a dystopian future. Set in the same world as her earlier work The Left Hand of Darkness, this novel covers themes like capitalism, anarchy, freedom, and individualism. Upon publication, The Dispossessed won a handful of prestigious science fiction awards: Nebula Award for Best Novel (1974) Hugo Award (1975) Locus Award (1975) Nominee for John W. Campbell Memorial Award (1975) In fact, Le Guin is […]
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When most people think of Native American writing, their minds may be flooded with images from the colorful mythos that flourished all around North America before Columbus’s arrival. Archeologists and historians are still learning a great deal about these ancient Native American poets and their powerful works of spiritual literature. Unfortunately, far too many people think only of the past when they consider Native American writing, traditions, and culture. In reality, there are many contemporary Native American writers today who are powerful witnesses to and voices of the Native American experience in the 20th and 21st centuries. These diverse writers, poets, […]
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October is a month for all things ghastly, ghoulish, and, well, just plain weird. If you want to really get into the Halloween spirit, there are plenty of spine-tingling horror novels sure to spook the living daylights out of you. Do you want to know what they are? Ah, you are a brave reader, aren’t you? But beware, fair reader. These books have been known to drive perfectly sane men into the madhouse. We cannot take any responsibility for the nightmares you may experience after perusing these bloodcurdling books. Below you will find thirteen of the best horror novels ever […]
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Today’s Words Wednesday features a Jonathan Franzen quote from his essay collection entitled, fittingly, How To Be Alone. How To Be Alone by Jonathan Franzen Published in 2002, How To Be Alone is a collection of fourteen essays ranging in topic from the role of the novel in contemporary culture to the painful loneliness of Alzheimer’s. Many of the essays had been originally published in magazines such as Harper’s Magazine and The New Yorker. One of the essays, “My Father’s Brain,” was nominated for a 2002 National Magazine Award and was the basis for the character of Earl Lambert in his […]
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This Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie quote comes from her most recent novel, Americanah. Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Published in 2013, Americanah follows the lives of Ifemelu and Obinze, a young Nigerian couple who leave military-ruled Nigeria in search of better opportunity. Ifemelu ends up as a renowned blogger who writes about race in America; Obinze struggles as an undocumented immigrant in England. (Ifemelu’s blog, Small Redemptions of Lagos, is actually published on Adichie’s own website, though there are no posts.) Through the story of Ifemelu and Obinze, their life together and their lives apart, Americanah explores ideas of national, cultural, racial, and personal […]
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