A Booky Meme - Take it from one who doesn't have a clue

The fabulously talented David Mohan has issued the below questions for a bit of a ponder. I don't have a huge amount of reading done, or indeed know anything much about what counts as a classic, but not knowing about stuff has never stopped me yabbering on about stuff before - so here's my tuppence:


1.Name some lost classics – books you love that you feel are undervalued or have been neglected.

Elizabeth Bowen's House in Paris is one I found amazing - exciting and dramatic, written in 1935 - is that old enough?

The Neverending Story too was a really great and memorable read, and I know the film will always have a place in the special shelf, but I'd say too few people get that step further to the pen and ink version.

(Is two some? this is hard)

2.Name the ‘great’ books you feel are overrated.

Great books? Maybe On the Road was a little too hyped by the time I got round to it, same goes for In Cold Blood - otherwise I tend to find old books survive for a reason.

Actually, now that I think about it Socrates discourses were a bit wordy and not very easy to get into (he'd never get published nowadays), but then that's not really a novel.

3. Name authors/books you feel are this age’s future classics. Books and authors that best speak our times and/or are just pure quality.

Jennifer Johnston is a pure pure genius. Colum McCann is getting there, but not fully there yet (I'm sure he'll be thrilled to hear I think he's getting there though). Paul Murray is really high quality and speaks very much from our times.

David's original post is here for those of ye who'd like to read a bit about it from someone who actually does know something about it.