Which books are still being read a hundred years from now?

[Arnold]

Which books are still being read a hundred years from now?

Holland Park Press has published two Dutch classics in translation. These books are also still very popular in the original Dutch. They are Eline Vere (published in 1900) by Louis Couperus and Hedwig’s Journey (published in 1889 under the Dutch title of: Van de koele meren des doods) by Frederik van Eeden.

The number of Dutch novels that haven’t dated is much smaller than the number of English classics. Not only in absolute figures but also if we take into account the difference in size between these two languages. Dutch is of course a minor language but there also is another issue namely the frequent changes in spelling and grammar. Since the Second World War the Dutch language has been subjected to no less than four spelling revisions: in 1947, 1955, 1996 and 2006.

This in stark contrast to the English Language, in 1755, Samuel Johnson published the first comprehensive dictionary, his Dictionary of the English language. On the whole modern English has barely changed since this event. Actually we can go further back in time, most English speaking people still feel great affinity for the language of William Shakespeare (1564-1616), compare this to work by Joost van den Vondel (1587-1679), which for modern Dutch people is barely readable.

Eline Vere and Hedwig’s Journey gained a new lease of life by being translated into English. This happened because the original Dutch text was translated into English which means all the subtle period features are maintained. On the other hand when these books are re-published in Dutch they have to be transposed into modern Dutch.

Nonetheless irrespective of whether books starts their life in Dutch or English, why do certain books live on whereas other ones are pensioned off to the rubbish heap of history?

Eline Vere and Hedwig’s Journey belong to the established classics: think of Pride and Prejudice and Wuthering Heights. Novels about real people, we can identify with, novels that give an insight about the daily life of their characters. Not only that but which also tell us something about the universal truth of human nature, this never goes out of fashion.

An example are Ian McEwan’s novels, well, at least that’s my opinion. What about JM Coetzee’s work? Well he too, although, there is not the same affinity for all his books. I prefer Boyhood over Elizabeth Costello. The first one gets under your skin, the second one plays to the fashion of the day.

So the crucial question is: which books are still read a hundred years from now and most importantly why?

[Marja]

Arnold that is quite a difficult question, I think thrillers are less likely to still be read in a hundred years time from now. For a thriller the key ingredient is the plot, there to entertain its readers. All types of books should enthral but for a thriller it is the unique selling point. Take The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, it is the plot that underpins everything; Jesus had offspring. As if this matters. The main idea is flimsy and I expect that a hundred years from now, the novelty will have worn off.

There are thrillers that will still have a notable number of readers in 2110. However in most cases we are not talking about a novel that you would call a thriller. An example is Engleby by Sebastian Faulks. The plot may well be that of a thriller but its theme makes it a literary novel. Because it conveys a deeper meaning; Engleby gives us an insight into current society and the inadequacy of human beings, and yet it is thrilling too.

In other words, Dan Brown creates human imperfection through a motley collection of truths and half truths. In Sebastian Faulks’ novel deficiencies are part and parcel of the main character. Brown catches the spirit of the present-day but Faulks writes about its meaning. It is a matter of being fashionable versus substance.

[Dot Gloucester]

Hello Marja, interestingly your comments about Dan Brown reminded me of something.

Charles Dickens very much wanted to entertain and many of his books were serialised. Maybe unintentionally he created a body of evidence about wrongs of the industrial revolution. He was and remains successful, because he could write, enticed us to become engaged with his characters and so created lasting literature.

But for me the fact that my maternal grandfather (born 1882 died 1946) adored him has made a lasting impression even if I have never met this quite remarkable human being. Books and words were everything to him and now to me. During the Second World War after operation Market Garden, my grandparents’ home was in no men’s land and they were evacuated.

After the Netherlands was liberated they returned home. The first thing my grandfather did was to collect all his books, which were scattered around the house. Some even had been carried outside had been thrown in a nearby ditch and so on sunny days he sat in the garden, carefully drying out each book, page by page, using a ruler to turn the pages. He lives on through my mother’s vivid stories and he left the books he loved to read.

Yes my grandfather’s books exist to this day carefully looked after by his youngest daughter.