Surnames of English writers. English classics - a priceless pearl of world literature
Everyone knows the plot of Daniel Defoe's novel. However, the book contains many other interesting details about the organization of Robinson's life on the island, his biography, and inner experiences. If you ask a person who has not read the book to describe Robinson’s character, he is unlikely to cope with this task.
In the popular consciousness, Crusoe is a smart character without character, feelings or history. The novel reveals the image of the main character, which allows you to look at the plot from a different angle.
Why you need to read
To get acquainted with one of the most famous adventure novels and find out who Robinson Crusoe really was.
Swift does not openly challenge society. Like a true Englishman, he does it correctly and witty. His satire is so subtle that Gulliver's Travels can be read as an ordinary fairy tale.
Why you need to read
For children, Swift's novel is a fun and unusual adventure story. Adults need to read it to get acquainted with one of the most famous artistic satires.
This novel, let it artistically and not the most outstanding, definitely iconic in the history of literature. After all, in many ways he predetermined the development of the scientific genre.
But this is not just entertaining reading. It raises problems of the relationship between creator and creation, God and man. Who is responsible for creating a being who is destined to suffer?
Why you need to read
To get acquainted with one of the main works science fiction, as well as to experience complex issues that are often lost in film adaptations.
Difficult to select best play Shakespeare. There are at least five of them: “Hamlet”, “Romeo and Juliet”, “Othello”, “King Lear”, “Macbeth”. The unique style and deep understanding of life's contradictions made Shakespeare's works an immortal classic, relevant at all times.
Why you need to read
To begin to understand poetry, literature and life. And also to find the answer to the question, what is better: to be or not to be?
The main theme of English literature of the early 19th century was social criticism. Thackeray in his novel denounces his contemporary society with the ideals of success and material enrichment. To be in society means to be sinful - this is approximately Thackeray’s conclusion regarding his social environment.
After all, the successes and joys of yesterday lose their meaning when a well-known (albeit unknown) tomorrow looms ahead, which we all will sooner or later have to think about.
Why you need to read
To learn to relate more simply to life and the opinions of others. After all, everyone in society is infected with “fair ambitions” that have no real value.
The language of the novel is beautiful, and the dialogue is an example of English wit. Oscar Wilde is a subtle psychologist, which is why his characters turned out to be so complex and multifaceted.
This book is about human vice, cynicism, the difference between the beauty of the soul and body. If you think about it, to some extent each of us is Dorian Gray. Only we do not have a mirror on which sins would be imprinted.
Why you need to read
To enjoy the stunning language of Britain's wittiest writer, to see how much moral character may not match the appearance, but also become a little better. Wilde's work is a spiritual portrait not only of his era, but of all humanity.
The ancient Greek myth about a sculptor who fell in love with his creation takes on a new, socially significant meaning in Bernard Shaw's play. How should a work feel towards its author if this work is a person? How can it relate to the creator - the one who made it in accordance with his ideals?
Why you need to read
This is the most famous play Bernard Shaw. It is often staged in theaters. According to many critics, Pygmalion is a landmark work of English drama.
A universally recognized masterpiece of English literature, familiar to many from cartoons. Who, at the mention of Mowgli, does not hear Kaa’s drawn-out hiss in his head: “Man-cub...”?
Why you need to read
As an adult, it is unlikely that anyone will take up The Jungle Book. A person has only one childhood to enjoy Kipling's creation and appreciate it. So be sure to introduce your children to the classics! They will be grateful to you.
And again it comes to mind soviet cartoon. It's really good, and the dialogue in it is almost entirely taken from the book. However, the images of the characters and general mood the narratives in the original source are different.
Stevenson's novel is realistic and quite harsh in places. But this is a good adventure work that every child and adult will read with pleasure. Boardings, sea wolves, wooden legs - marine theme beckons and attracts.
Why you need to read
Because it's fun and exciting. In addition, the novel is divided into quotes, which everyone should know.
Interest in the deductive abilities of the great detective is still great thanks to a huge number film adaptations. Many people are familiar with the classic detective story only from films. But there are many film adaptations, but there is only one collection of stories, but what a one!
Why you need to read
H.G. Wells In many ways he was a pioneer in the science fiction genre. Before him, people were not at odds with, he was the first to write about time travel. Without the Time Machine, we would not have seen either the film Back to the Future or cult series"Doctor Who".
They say that all life is a dream, and a nasty, pathetic one at that, nap, although you still won’t dream of another one.
Why you need to read
To look at the origins of many science fiction ideas that have become popular in modern culture.
If you ask any average person to name some English writers, he will probably be confused and will be able to remember, at best, one or two names. Although in fact he knows at least ten, he simply does not realize that the homeland of many popular authors is Famous English writers are Daniel Defoe, H.G. Wells, Robert Louis Stevenson and many others. Familiar names? We know and remember the books of these authors from childhood.
Modern English writers are also represented by a whole galaxy famous names: JK Rowling, Joe Acrombury, Stephen Fry, Jasper FForde - it is simply impossible to list all the authors. And if you also remember the classics, such as William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, etc., then you begin to understand that the inhabitants of our country read mainly the works of Russian and English wordsmiths.
1. John R. R. Tolkien is a famous English writer whose books are recommended for all categories of readers. Moreover, you should not limit yourself exclusively to “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit”. You might like it better a little fairy tale“Farmer Giles of Ham” - in addition to dragons and heroes, there is a fair amount of humor in it.
2. Arthur Conan Doyle is an English writer who created the most popular detective of all time. It is interesting that the author himself did not like his main character, but readers fully appreciated the talent and intelligence of Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street and his permanent partner, Dr. Watson. Conan Doyle wrote a lot of books about Sherlock, there were even more different imitators and all kinds of sequels, but it’s still better to read the original source.
3. Lewis Carroll is an English writer who created the most unusual fairy tale. Many people believe that Alice in Wonderland is a book exclusively for children. In fact, both a child and an adult will be able to appreciate and love it very much in their own way. original work, which found a calling a decade after its publication.
4. Agatha Christie is the queen of the detective novel, and is also the most popular and best-selling writer in all the years of the existence of the printed word. The works of Agatha Christie are considered classics, and they are certainly worth reading for all lovers of detective stories, as well as simply connoisseurs of good books.
5. George Orwell is an English writer who gave the world the best dystopia. " Barnyard" and the novel "1984" - books that can make a person rethink the whole the world. One quote is “all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others,” and the reader already looks at the people around him differently.
6. Jane Austen, who gave the world the most wonderful “women's” novel. Despite criticism immediately after the book's release, where the work was called boring and mediocre, Pride and Prejudice is considered the best book by millions of readers.
These six writers were chosen randomly, and the numbers do not reflect any ranking or top - the proposed authors are very different and cannot be compared with each other.
Nick Hornby is known not only as the author of such popular novels as Hi-Fi and My Boy, but also as a screenwriter. The writer’s cinematic style makes him very popular in adapting books by various authors into film adaptations: “Brooklyn”, “An Education of Sentiments”, “Wild”.
Formerly an ardent football fan, he even took his obsession to autobiographical novel"Football fever."
Culture is often a key theme in Hornby's books; in particular, the writer does not like it when pop culture is underestimated, considering it to be limited. Also, the key themes of the works are often the hero’s relationship with himself and others, overcoming and searching for himself.
Nick Hornby now lives in the Highbury area of North London, close to his favorite football team's stadium, Arsenal.
Doris Lessing (1919 - 2013)
After the second divorce in 1949, she moved with her son to London, where at first she rented an apartment with a couple lung woman behavior.
The topics that worried Lessing, as often happens, changed during her life, and if in 1949-1956 she was primarily occupied social issues and communist themes, then from 1956 to 1969 the works began to be worn psychological character. In more later works The author was close to the postulates of the esoteric movement in Islam - Sufism. In particular, this was expressed in many of her science fiction works from the Canopus series.
In 2007, the writer was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Worldwide success and the love of millions of women brought the novel “Bridget Jones's Diary” to the writer, born from the column that Helen wrote in the Independent newspaper.
The plot of "The Diary" repeats in detail the plot of Jane Austen's novel "Pride and Prejudice", right down to the name of the main male character - Mark Darcy.
They say that the writer was inspired to write the book by the 1995 TV series and especially by Colin Firth, since he migrated without any changes to the film adaptation of “The Diary.”
In the UK, Stephen is known as an esthete and a great original, driving around in his own cab. Stephen Fry incomparably combines two abilities: to be the standard of British style and to regularly shock the public. His bold statements about God confuse many, which, however, does not in any way affect his popularity. He openly gay- Last year, 57-year-old Fry married a 27-year-old comedian.
Fry does not hide the fact that he used drugs and suffers from bipolar disorder, about which he even made a documentary.
It’s not easy to define all of Fry’s areas of activity; he jokingly calls himself “ British actor, writer, king of dance, prince of swimsuits and blogger.” All of his books invariably become bestsellers, and interviews are analyzed for quotes.
Stephen is considered a rare owner of a unique classic English accent; an entire book has been written about the art of “speaking like Stephen Fry”.
Julian Barnes is called a "chameleon" British literature. He is excellent at creating works that are different from each other without losing his individuality: eleven novels, four of which are detective stories, written under the pseudonym Dan Kavanagh, a collection of short stories, a collection of essays, a collection of articles and reviews.
The writer was repeatedly accused of francophony, especially after the publication of the book “Flaubert's Parrot,” a kind of mixture of a biography of the writer and a scientific treatise on the role of the author in general. The writer's attraction to everything French is partly explained by the fact that he grew up in the family of a French teacher.
His novel “The History of the World in 10 ½ Chapters” became a real event in literature. Written in the dystopian genre, the novel seeks answers to a number of philosophical questions about the essence of man, his past, present and future.
A favorite of children and adults around the world, the restless Paddington Bear was “born” in 1958, when Michael Bond last moment Before Christmas I realized that I forgot to buy a gift for my wife. Out of hopelessness, the author, who had already written many plays and stories by that time, bought his wife a toy bear in a blue raincoat.
In 2014, a film was made based on his books, where London became one of characters narration. He appears before us like eyes little guest from dense Peru: at first rainy and inhospitable, and then sunny and beautiful. In the picture you can recognize Notting Hill, Portobello Road, streets near Maida Vale station, Paddington station and the Natural History Museum.
Interestingly, the writer now lives in London just near Paddington station.
Rowling went from social benefits to the author of the best-selling book series in history, which became the basis for films, which in turn are recognized as the second highest-grossing franchise.
As Rowling herself said, the idea for the book came to her during a train trip from Manchester to London in 1990. .
Neil Gaiman is called one of the main modern storytellers. Hollywood producers are lining up for the film rights to his books.
He also wrote scripts himself more than once. His famous novel Neverwhere was born from just such a script for a mini-series filmed at the BBC in 1996. Although, of course, the opposite is more often the case.
Scary tales Neil is also loved for the fact that they blur the lines between intellectual and entertaining literature.
The writer is a winner of prestigious awards; many of Ian’s works have been filmed.
The writer's first works were distinguished by cruelty and great attention to the theme of violence, for which the author was awarded the nickname Ian Macabre. He was also called the black wizard of modern British prose and a world-class expert on all types of violence.
IN further creativity all these themes remained, but seemed to fade into the background, running like a red thread through the fate of the heroes, without lingering in the frame themselves.
The writer spent his childhood on the run: he was born in Czechoslovakia into an intelligent Jewish family. Due to her nationality, his mother moved to Singapore and then to India. Almost all of the writer’s relatives died during the Second World War, and his mother, having married a British military man for the second time, raised her children as real Englishmen.
Stoppard became famous for the play “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead,” a reimagined tragedy of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” which, under Tom’s pen, turned into a comedy.
The playwright has a lot in common with Russia. He visited here in 1977, working on a report about dissidents who were being held in psychiatric hospitals. "It was cold. Moscow seemed gloomy to me,” the author shares his memories.
The writer also visited Moscow during the production of a play based on his play at the RAMT Theater in 2007. The theme of the 8-hour performance is the development of Russian political thought of the 19th century with its main characters: Herzen, Chaadaev, Turgenev, Belinsky, Bakunin.
The selection includes the most famous works English writers. These are British novels, detective stories and stories popular with readers around the world. We didn't stop at one genre or time. There is science fiction, fantasy, humorous stories, dystopias, children's adventures and other masterpieces from the Middle Ages to the present. The books are different, but they have something in common. All of them made a tangible contribution to the development of world literature and art, reflected national characteristics UK residents.
Famous English writers
The phrase " English literature"brings to mind a whole series of names. William Shakespeare, Somerset Maugham, John Galsworthy, Daniel Defoe, Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters, Charles Dickens - the list could go on for a long time. These writers are the luminaries of English classics. They have gone down in history forever, and more than one generation of book lovers will admire the subtlety and relevance of their works.Let's not forget about Iris Murdoch, John le Carré, JK Rowling, Ian McEwan, Joanne Harris, Julian Barnes and other talented contemporary English writers. Another shining example gifted author - Kazuo Ishiguro. In 2017 this famous British writer Japanese origin received Nobel Prize on literature. The selection includes his novel about touching love and sense of duty “The Remains of the Day.” Add and read. And then be sure to watch the excellent film adaptation - starring Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson - “At the End of the Day” (dir. James Ivory, 1993).
Literary awards and film adaptations
Almost all books from this selection have been awarded world awards. literary prizes: Pulitzer, Booker, Nobel and others. The novels “1984” by George Orwell, “The Picture of Dorian Gray” by Oscar Wilde, and the comedies and tragedies of Shakespeare cannot be included in any book list from the series “Books Everyone Should Read” or “ Best books of all times."These works are a treasure trove of inspiration for directors, producers, and screenwriters. It’s hard to imagine that if Bernard Shaw had not written the play “Pygmalion,” we would not have seen the stunning transformation of Audrey Hepburn from an illiterate flower girl into a sophisticated aristocrat. It's about about the film "My wonderful lady"(dir. George Cukor, 1964).
From modern books and their successful film adaptations, pay attention to The Long Fall. Nick Hornby wrote an ironic novel about the relationship between good human communication and the desire to live. The film of the same name with Pierce Brosnan and Toni Collette (dir. Pascal Chomel, 2013) turned out to be soulful and life-affirming.
Geographical information
Geographical confusion often arises when compiling such lists. Let's figure it out. England is an independent country that is part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland along with three other countries: Scotland, Ireland and Wales. However, the term "English literature" includes the masterpieces of writers native to the entire United Kingdom. Therefore, you will find here the works of the Irishman Oscar Wilde, the Welshman Iain Banks, and the Scotsman Ken Follett.The selection of English writers and their works was impressive - more than 70 books. This is a real book challenge! Add the books you like and immerse yourself in a slightly prim, but so elegant world!
McEwan masterfully combines a laconic narrative style with an unpredictable ending. Its story centers on two friends, the editor of a popular newspaper and the composer composing the Millennium Symphony. True, practically nothing remained of their friendship, only hidden anger and resentment. It is worth reading to find out how the confrontation between old comrades ended.
In this collection we have included the most English novel writer, in which he tries to explain what good old England is. The events take place on the island-attraction of White, where all sorts of stereotypes about the country are collected: the monarchy, Robin Hood, The Beatles, beer... Indeed, why do tourists need modern England if there is a miniature copy that combines all the most interesting things?
Victorian love story poets of the 19th century century, which is intertwined with the history of modern scientists. A book for the intelligent reader who will enjoy the rich language, classic stories and numerous allusions to cultural and historical phenomena.
Coe for a long time composed jazz music which affected him literary creativity. “What a scam!” akin to improvisation, this is a bold and unexpected novel.
Michael, an average writer, gets the opportunity to tell the story of the rich and very influential Winshaw family. The problem is that these greedy relatives who have taken over all areas public life, poison the lives of other people and do not inspire sympathy.
If you've seen Cloud Atlas, this is an incredible complicated story invented by David Mitchell. But today we recommend that you take up reading another, no less interesting novel.
"Dream No. 9" is often compared to best works. A young boy, Eiji, comes to Tokyo in search of the father he has never met. In eight weeks in the metropolis, he managed to find love, fall into the clutches of the yakuza, make peace with his alcoholic mother, find friends... You have to figure out for yourself which of this happened in reality and which in a dream.
“Tennis Balls of Heaven” is a modern version of “The Count of Monte Cristo”, supplemented with new details and meanings. Although we know the plot, it is simply impossible to stop reading.
Main character- student Ned Muddstone, for whom everything in life is going better than ever. He is handsome, smart, rich, well-mannered, from a good family. But because of a stupid joke from envious comrades, his whole life changes dramatically. Ned finds himself locked in a mental hospital, where he lives with only one goal - to get out in order to take revenge.
The novel about the life of 30-year-old Bridget Jones is popular all over the world. Thanks in part to the Hollywood adaptation starring Renee Zellweger and Colin Firth. But mostly because of the eccentric and so charming Bridget. She counts calories, tries to quit smoking and drink less, experiences failures in personal life, but still looks to the future with optimism and believes in love.
There are books in which you forgive the simplicity of the plot, the banality of the scenes, and stupid coincidences simply because they have soulfulness. "Bridget Jones's Diary" is that rare case.
The story of the boy with the scar is real cultural phenomenon. The first book "Harry Potter and philosopher's Stone"was rejected by 12 publishers, and only the small Bloomsbury, at its own risk, decided to publish it. And it was right. " " was waiting resounding success, and Rowling herself is the love of readers around the world.
Against the backdrop of magic and enchantment, we are talking about familiar and important things - friendship, honesty, courage, readiness to help and resist evil. That's why Rowling's fictional world captivates readers of all ages.
"The Collector" is John Fowles' most frightening and at the same time exciting novel. The main character, Frederick Clegg, loves collecting butterflies, but at some point he decides to add a cute girl, Miranda, to his collection. We learn this story from the words of the kidnapper and from the diary of his victim.
