There are always classics which I think I'll get around to reading, but somehow I never find the time. So I think the New Year is the perfect occasion to make a resolution to finally get to some of these classic books. I've made a list of 22 classics I'd like to read or reread in 2022 – since revisiting a classic is always a valuable experience and you can watch me discuss all my picks here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzubPftOsLE
Many of these books have a special anniversary coming up concerning their first publication or their author's birth or there's a new film/tv series being adapted from the book. 1922 seemed to be bumper year for Modernist fiction as “Ulysses” by James Joyce appeared for the first time in its complete version as well as the books “Jacob's Room” by Virginia Woolf, “The Wasteland” by TS Eliot and “The Garden Party and Other Stories” by Katherine Mansfield. The final instalment of “Middlemarch” by George Eliot also first appeared 150 years ago in 1872. The oldest book on my list “Moll Flanders” by Daniel Defoe first appeared 300 years ago in 1722.
I'd also like to read some classics from outside of England including “All About H. Hatterr: A Gesture” by G V Desani (which is often called the Indian “Ulysses”), “The Castle” by Franz Kafka, “The Real Story of Ah-Q and other tales of China” by Lu Xun and “Manual of Painting & Calligraphy” by Jose Saramago. I'm not promising I'll get to all of them, but it's a good reading list to start from. Are there any classic books you're planning to read this coming year?
