Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die discussion

Use this Topic to discuss books you are reading or that fit the 3rd Scavenger Hunt task.

Task 3: Posthumously speaking, read a book that was either published after the author’s death, or narrated by a character who is deceased.

Some books that *may* have been posthumously (please verify before use):

A Confederacy of Dunces
Persuasion
Suite Française
The Trial
Dark As The Grave Wherein My Friend Is Laid
Northanger Abbey
The Master and Margarita
The Good Soldier Švejk
The Book of Disquiet
Confessions
Billy Budd, Sailor
2666
The Third Policeman
The Castle
The Way of All Flesh
Dream of the Red Chamber
Bouvard and Pecuchet
Between the Acts
Amerika
The Leopard
The Sea of Fertility (final book published posthumously)
Delta of Venus
In Search of Lost Time (final book published posthumously)
The Nun
Everything That Rises Must Converge: Stories
Tirant lo Blanc
Jacques the Fatalist
Blaming

Dead Narrators

The Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas has a deceased narrator.
The Third Policeman

Diane wrote: "Some books that *may* have been posthumously (please verify before use):

A Confederacy of Dunces
Persuasion
Suite Française
The Trial
[book:Dark..."

From the Goodreads page: "BILLY BUDD, Melville's posthumously published novella, is a classic tale of innocence, evil, and murder..." It wasn't published until 1924, a few decades after Melville's death in 1891.
I think this is the one I'll read, I already have a copy, about 75 pages. It was originally published as "Billy Budd, Foretopman". It was only in the first edition of "1001 Books...".
PS: I learned that my early edition was not as well edited as the later one, titled "Billy Budd, Sailor", so I switched to that, $1 on kindle.

I just finished The Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas by Machado de Assis.

I'm probs going to do The Good Soldier Švejk

One could make an argument for Interview with the Vampire since the story is narrated by a vampire. :D

Just finished The Trial by Kafka. And what a trial it was to get through this story!

I'm reading The Island of Doctor Moreau by HG Wells. The story was discovered by the narrator's nephew and heir.

Lianne (The Towering Pile) wrote: "One could make an argument for Interview with the Vampire since the story is narrated by a vampire. :D"

LOL :D

I'm planning to read The Trial for this one, my final Kafka on the list.

The Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas has actually been near the top of my TBR list for a while now. It was the obvious choice for this task.

I am reading Everything That Rises Must Converge: Stories by Flannery O'Connor for this task. This collection of short stoties was published posthumously in 1965.

Just finished Billy Budd, Sailor by Herman Melville. A poignant story but perhaps overly extravagant vocabulary.
That's three tasks I've finished on the Scavenger Hunt, so I've gotten a faster start than I did last year.

I'm so excited! I just finished The Chess Story by Stefan Zweig for a different challenge and decided to read about the author. Turns out Zweig mailed the book to his publisher only days before he and his wife committed suicide. So, although it was published in the same year of his death, it was most definitely published after he had passed!

Amanda wrote: "I'm probs going to do The Good Soldier Švejk"

Still going to read this book this year, but after having to space out my larger books, I'm going to swap it for something smaller I can accomplish sooner.

Labyrinths: Selected Stories & Other Writings has a story called "The Garden of the Forked Paths" in it that is narrated by a deceased character through an account he wrote right before he is executed.

Going to read that next month

Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen was published after the suicide of the author, H. Beam Piper.

Among other issues, he thought it was his best work, and was depressed over its failure to sell. It in fact had two bidders: his agent/lawyer, who must have been sloppy with his submissions, had suffered a heart attack, and no one was authorized to deal with it, or even let Piper know.

As a result of the confusion, it sold separately to Ace Books and the science fiction magazine Analog, where it ran as two stories under separate titles -- neither form being a reprint of the other, which makes bibliographic notices tricky.

It was part of a series, found in Paratime Police: Complete Sci-Fi Series: Police Operation, He Walked Around the Horses, Last Enemy, Temple Trouble, Genesis, Time Crime, Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen & Down Styphon

It has at least one sequel by another writer than I know of -- there may have been others.

Ian wrote: "Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen was published after the suicide of the author, H. Beam Piper.

Among other issues, he thought it was his best work, and was depressed over its failure to sell..."

It's not a LIST book so unfortunately it doesn't count.

Ellinor wrote: "Ian wrote: "Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen was published after the suicide of the author, H. Beam Piper.

Among other issues, he thought it was his best work, and was depressed over its fai...

It's not a LIST book so unfortunately it doesn't count....."

But interesting, nonetheless 🤣

I finished Kristen Lavransdatter, named after the main character, a medieval Norwegian.

I read The Book of Disquiet by Fernando Pessoa for this challenge.