Quixotic Book Club of New York City

Maude Hutchins was born to wealthy parents in New York City and brought up by her grandparents after being orphaned at a young age. She had an aptitude for painting, drawing, and sculpture. She attended Yale University, earning a degree in fine arts. She married a powerful husband, Robert Maynard Hutchins, who went on to become the President of the University of Chicago. At times, Maude and Robert held the image of a golden couple, similar to Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald; in reality, the marriage was estranged and tumultuous.

Maude wrote shocking and scandalous novels. At times, dismissed as erotica, her literature has experienced a revival and new appreciation today.

Hutchins' best-known work is Victorine, the story of a teenage girl's polymorphous journey of exploration and awakening. We read the novel and discussed it in the group in 2022. The discussion was an excellent one, and we agreed to continue to explore Hutchins and delve into other neglected works. If you are interested, but unfamiliar with Hutchins, I suggest you read Victorine (a quick read) and see if this is for you.

After reading a few more Hutchins novels, I believe there is solid literary merit to "A Diary of Love", a touching story of a sickly/invalid young girl and her coming of age. I'm confident we'll have a great discussion.

The novel is hard to find, so posting early. Scouring libraries and used bookshops will pay dividends. Please post any good sources of the novel in the comments.

An Amazon link:
https://a.co/d/hz2V2zS

Thrift Books:
https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/a-diary-of-love_maude-hutchins/9818574/all-editions/?resultid=d7329937-1591-4d36-962a-4e72e7c1de28

Posting early so people can scour other used book sites online

Our beloved Garden survived to another summer so we come back to discuss great literature and support it! :-)

We return to one of our group's favorite writers, Zora Neale Hurston.

in 1925/1926 she wrote two highly acclaimed short stories, "Sweat" and "Spunk". Please come to the meeting having read both.

"Sweat" is considered one of her most powerful, and portrays the abusive and strained relationship between a washerwoman named Delia and her philandering husband, Sykes.

"Spunk" is set in the same all-Black Florida town as "Sweat," the story centers on a love triangle and explores themes of masculinity and violence through the characters of Joe Kanty, Lena Kanty, and the titular Spunk Banks.

Sweat:
chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.soarnorthcountry.com/images/upload/sweat-zora-neale-hurston.pdf

Spunk:
chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://loa-shared.s3.amazonaws.com/static/pdf/Hurston_Spunk.pdf

Every summer, we try to include at least one novel that is geared towards children but interesting to revisit as an adult. One of our best discussions was reading Alice in Wonderland.

Next up, Watership Down.

Richard Adams' 1972 classic is set in southern England telling the tale of a community of anthropomorphized rabbits who seek a new home when their warren is destroyed. The novel evokes epic themes and can be read on a variety of levels.

Read whichever version you can get a hold of. I'm reading a beautiful version from Scribner:
https://a.co/d/d6jMmSH

Lastly, while a quick read, do not underestimate the length of the novel, which is almost 500 pages in most editions.

For this meeting please read Combray; Part 1. 64 pages in the Moncrieff translation.

Our group has spent 5 years on a deep journey into a nebulously self-constructed western-lit canon. Beyond the obvious greats, we have waded into unchartered waters, discussing hidden treasures by the likes of Maude Hutchins, James Ross, Sandor Marai, James Hanley, Boris Vian, Jessie Redmon Fauset, Raymond Radiguet, and Lafcadio Hearn, to name a few.

The reader planning to read Proust for the first time may approach with trepidation, but reflecting on our group's past, it's striking that there is no correct course, sequence, or navigation to get to Proust and his life's work, À la recherche du temps perdu, which itself is an exploration of "the past" and that which can be grasped, felt or recaptured for a fleeting instant. Proust felt the effort worthwhile and tackled it in his 4,000-page novel split into seven volumes.

Whether you are first-time reader of Proust, or a re-reader, join us for Volume One; Swann's Way. We'll read the first volume as a group and decide how to eventually tackle the following six.

I expect this series of 5 meetings to discuss Swann's Way to be oversubscribed. Just RSVP, even if you are initially on the waitlist, and the regular readers/participants will be prioritized a spot.

There are two acclaimed translators for Proust: C.K. Scott Moncrieff and Lydia Davis. I'm reading the Moncrieff version but do your own research and select the translation you prefer.

Here is a link to the full Moncrieff box set:
https://a.co/d/iumU7XP

Feel free to simply buy volume one - we are just going to cover "Swann's Way" this summer. It will also be available in any library.

Here is a version of Swann's Way on Gutenberg:
https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/7178/pg7178.txt