7 Books Which Debuted 100 Years Ago, Give or Take…

You may have heard of James Joyce's short story/novella "The Dead." It's included in this collection.

The story of Philip Carey, a sensitive orphan born with a club foot who is eager for life, love and adventure. After a few months studying in Heidelberg, and a brief spell in Paris as a would-be artist, he settles in London to train as a doctor where he meets Mildred, the loud but irresistible waitress with whom he plunges into a tortured and masochistic affair. There is no more powerful story of sexual infatuation, of human longing for connection and freedom.

Before becoming the patron of Lost Generation artists, Gertrude Stein established her reputation as an innovative author whose style was closer to painting than literature.

There are enough Swiftian touches in Akutagawa to show his hatred of stupidity, greed, hypocrisy, and the rising jingoism of the day. But Akutagawa's artistic integrity kept him from joining his contemporaries in easy criticism or naive introspection. What he did was question the values of his society. This Rashomon is also a basis for Kurosawa's legendary film adaptation.

Yes, this is the basis of a certain beloved animated movie. However, it's also Salten's allegory of human nature and survival. You'll feel like you just read the original Grimm fairy tales: a little surprised, and wondering where those cute animals are.