The concept of the “kafkaesque” is often poorly defined and understood. In the simplest terms, something is kafkaesque if it reflects the themes explored in Franz Kafka’s fiction; namely, those of bureaucracy and the confusing—often nonsensical—rules, behaviours, and mannerisms of our modern existence. These themes criticise law, social niceties, and capitalism, amongst other things. Stories …
Japanese Literature
Discover the wonderful world of Japanese Literature
This is the era of the weird woman! Sad girls and weird girls, rise up—we’re taking over the world of good fiction. What’s a weird girl, you ask? Weird woman fiction is literature that’s written by women, usually featuring unlikeable protagonists with odd behaviours. It may have a horror or thriller tint, or it may …
The murder-mystery genre is seeing something of a renaissance at the moment. So many great authors and translators are tackling the genre from new angles. These authors owe an impossible debt to the works of Agatha Christie, but they are also undeniably paving their own paths and taking us on a mind-bending journey with them. …
Novellas provide a special kind of reading experience, and require their own kind of skill to craft. Shorter than a novel (but still often expected to carry the same narrative heft) and longer than a short story, novellas are exciting in their uniqueness. They can be re-read more easily and therefore provide more thematic satisfaction …
Lesbian authors are paving the way when it comes to genre and boundary pushing, writing dark and toxic love stories and unlikeable women protagonists. When looking at lesbian novels and the art put out by lesbian authors, you see the darkest kinds of gothic fiction, as well as the brightest dedications to love and kindness. …
Throughout history, the written word has been a vessel for expressing knowledge, wisdom, love, conviction, hatred, and empathy, as well as a gateway to imagination and the places that can lead to. For that reason, succinct quotes about reading can inspire and comfort bookworms and appreciators of language and the written word. For many, reading …
While literary fiction is a relatively broad genre (if it can be called a genre at all), and a relatively young definition, there is still a great wealth of literary fiction books out there. Here you’ll find some of the best literary fiction books ever written, some of which are beloved classics from the 20th …
The twentieth century saw the publication of many of the greatest works of literature ever written. All around the world, writers were inventing entire genres, pushing boundaries, blending fiction and philosophy, and so much more. Many of the great novels that we call modern classic books today were written in the 20th century. And beyond …
Declaring anything one of the best books of all time is a bold statement that we are sure will be met with plenty of disagreement from fellow readers. That said, what you’ll find amongst these very best classic books are novels that have stood the test of time and become beloved, well-studied, well-revered works of …
Historical fiction is a brilliantly broad genre of fiction, with the potential to span so much of human history and culture. Because of this fact, many of the best historical fiction books come from far and wide — from Latin America to Japan, and everywhere in-between. But, of course, the UK has a particular affinity …