While Galsworthy is still read and known, in part from the BBC television series based on the Forsythe Saga, his books are typically not worth a great deal of money to book collectors, and in fact, sell for less now than they did 80 years ago. His first, pseudonymous work, From the Four Winds commonly commanded prices of more than $500 in the early 30's, a fair bit of money today, and a small fortune at the time. In 1932 Galsworthy had won the Nobel Prize for literature, and signed, limited editions of many of his works were highly sought by book collectors. To Let is the final installment in Galsworthy's Forsythe Saga, one of the most important and well regarded works of the time. John Galsworthy's To Let is of special note for some dubious reasons in the world of book collecting. The novel was quite popular, but there was a backlash in Midwestern small towns, and it was even banned in Alexandria, Minnesota. Portraying a realistic view of small Midwestern town life in the face of a progressive, feminist character was a bit much to ask of the general reading audience. Lewis was awarded the 1921 Pulitzer Prize for Literature for Main Street, but then rejected by the Board of Trustees.
Our tie for 1920 was Sinclair Lewis' Main Street: The Story of Carol Kennicott.
The book was well received, making the best-seller list in 1921 while making Wharton a household name, a notable accomplishment for a female writer of that time. Set in New York in the 1870's, The Age of Innocence is a gentle commentary on the culture of the elite urban class, with particular focus on the often difficult transition from Victorian tradition to a more egalitarian modernism. Making history in 1920, Edith Wharton was the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for her novel The Age of Innocence Considering that women were only granted the right to vote in the United States that same year, Wharton's novel came a time of great social upheaval for America.
0 kommentar(er)
