What would I put on a GB list if I could choose any reading for any reason from our 77 years of lists?
A Year of Epic Poetry! I would begin with The Epic of Gilgamesh. I would include Homer’s two poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey. Virgil dovetails nicely with Homer, so the Aeneid is next. Beowulf, too, makes the list. Would I also include Milton’s Paradise Lost? Maybe.
How about a year of drama? My dream list would include Shakespeare, the Restoration plays, modern plays, to name a few. I couldn’t leave out Greek drama, both tragic and comedic.
Instead of a genre, maybe I choose a theme. Women throughout literature, history, philosophy, and political writings. The novels of Willa Cather, the political writings of Hannah Arendt, Lorraine Hansberry’s plays.
A year of Humor! How fun would that be? Humor in novels, plays, and political humor. Jonathan Swift and Voltaire figure prominently on my humor list. Oh — and Aristophanes, of course.
What would your list look like if you could choose any writing? Would you pick your favorites across all genres, would you choose a theme, a single author or a single genre? Contact me. I’d love to see your ideas.