|
I've long held the view that "classics" (not a name that I like, I prefer "greats") are those books which, whether or not they were best sellers, have durability and popularity with the reading public long after the author is dead. They may be badly written, or beautifully written, but to survive for a hundred, or even hundreds of years, after the author is gone is a sure sign that those books have hit a nerve in some way, give some welcome light into their readers' lives.
Which is, I suppose, why I seldom read Literary Prize-Winning books (unless they won that prize many years ago, and are still selling strongly). There is an Australian literary award, and last time I checked most were out of print, or selling in penny numbers for academic studies.
Taking Holmes for example: Conan Doyle was a slapdash writer, and many of the stories were mediocre, but Holmes still grips after all these years, while hardly anyone has heard of his many contemporaries (except of course readers of PD ebooks...)
|