MADreads

Lost classics, part 1

April 1st, 2008 Gregg - Sequoya

Need to add more titles to your “To Read” list?  A while ago I stumbled across a great book called Lost Classics: Writers on Books Loved and Lost, Overlooked, Under-read, Unavailable, Stolen, Extinct, or Otherwise Out of Commission, in which famous authors list some of their favorite under appreciated and overlooked books.

In the book one of my favorite authors, John Irving, listed The Headmaster’s Papers by Richard A. Hawley as a lost classic, and while I personally wouldn’t call it a classic it was a very good read.

In The Headmaster’s Papers we follow the life of John Greeve, headmaster at Wells Academy.  John is old fashioned, a man of principles, but his world is falling apart; problems both profound and picayune are hounding him.  We follow John’s descent through his letters.  These letters give us an intimate portrait of life at the Academy, as well as showing us John’s struggles with a world that is changing.  This book should be depressing, but it’s not.  While Greeve’s battle is ultimately lost, his noble struggle to keep himself above water is inspirational.

Entry Filed under: Literary Fiction, Nonfiction