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8 Great Anthologies I Read in 2021 (so far!)

A List

By Annie KapurPublished 3 years ago • 5 min read
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8 Great Anthologies I Read in 2021 (so far!)
Photo by Elisa Calvet B. on Unsplash

Anthology books can be a challenge for some people as some require quite a solid and long narrative in order to get fully engrossed in the story. But I'm not just talking about stories here, I'm talking poetry, I'm talking about everything that constitutes as literature (yes, even essays) rolled up into an anthology because sometimes, if the anthology is good enough - you can get lost in it after all.

Since COVID-19 has ravaged our planet, anthologies can be a way of reading without having to invest. If you're not used to reading for a long amount of time, I always say, start off with an anthology of something you enjoy. This gives you small bites of literature in a larger book that, by the time you've finished it, can give you a great insight into where to go next in terms of whether you want a novel, a play or simply just another anthology.

But, what is an anthology?

The dictionary defines an anthology as:

'a collection of poems or other pieces of writing/literature...'

So, with that in mind, let us now take a look at the top 8 anthologies I have read in 2021 so far. They are going to be in no particular order.

8 Great Anthologies I Read in 2021 (so far!)

Selected Poetry and Prose by Edward Thomas

This book completely overwhelmed me. I loved the amount of emotion and romanticism in the descriptions and the way in which we get to enjoy the prose and poetry together as well as being separate in the anthology. This is because Edward Thomas's prose style is so very poetic as well as his poetic style being as free as prose. It is a beautiful mixture between the two in one text.

Check out my full review here.

Selected Essays by George Orwell

George Orwell was not just a keen essay writer, he proves he was also a keen reader and analyst of literature as well. He wrote critiques on Dickens and Henry Miller, as well as a critical piece on HG Wells. I was fascinated to learn that George Orwell was a writer on so many different topics and really enjoyed his readiness to talk about his love of the author HG Wells and his philosophies.

Check out my full review here

Let Me Tell You What I Mean by Joan Didion

Different times, different places - same woman. Joan Didion as we know, is a heroine of essay writing and her essays on everything from feminist theory all the way to music and culture have inspired generations of women to come. Honestly, in this book I was fascinated to learn more about her own life than I had learnt in any of her other books before. She lets us know about how long it really took her to get to where she is today. I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed this book, really I can't.

Check out my full review here.

Mercies by Anne Sexton

Everything Anne Sexton ever wrote seemed to be written from a very personal eye. It seemed to be written with a hand that had experienced things that they did not want to experience. A mind that was so filled with thoughts and depression that one day, one was going to overcome the other in battle. Each different switch turns another one off and whilst I read Anne Sexton the one thing I was always thinking was 'how much of this is actually her...not a character, not her mind, not a fiction - but her?'

Check out my full review here.

The Paris Review Interviews

From Maya Angelou to Ernest Hemingway, from Raymond Carver to Joh. Irving to EL Doctorow and Susan Sontag. There are many, many authors that the Paris Review has interviewed, questioning them about things like their writing style all the way down to what they like to drink. Each of them have something fascinating to say about their creative process. From Hemingway who knows exactly what he is doing emotionally, to Sontag who adds political theory into her writing, with Maya Angelou's honorary name as an international treasure to Kazuo Ishiguro and his Nobel Prize for Literature. They are all so damn fascinating.

I didn't write a review for these because I don't want to spoil them for you. Read them all.

Bestiary by Julio Cortazar

Philosophical Fantasist is not a nickname you hear too often, but that definitely applies to Julio Cortazar here. His short stories though they may be difficult to physically understand, do require a second reading in order to really get into the more existential themes. I am often struck by the fact that upon first reading I only gave this book 3/5, but after a re-read session, I would probably give it a 5/5. This is purely because of the understanding. The more you read it, the more you uncover its strange and wild secrets within.

Check out my full review here.

Voices from Punjab by Anita Goyal and Aastha Singhania

Fifteen different life stories set over different time periods but all have something in common - all of them are of Punjabis. I was extremely excited to read this since I too, am of the same background - I too, am Punjabi. I didn't expect to see so many women with PhD and OBE after their names at all and honestly, when I was done reading it, I went back just to take a look at the women and their titles one more time. It was really refreshing to see.

Check out my full review here.

The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Mariana Enriquez

In this book are many gruesome and psychologically disturbing stories, including one about two girls who fall for the same man, this man eventually starts to see a different woman and after this, tension and drama ensue to create one very disturbing short story. From a dead baby to a group of dogs, this short story collection is something to be admired in the world of psychological horror. It's very advanced in its concepts of what we fear most inside our own heads.

Check out my full review here.

Conclusion

As we can see, there are many great anthologies out there and they can be a good change from novels for a while or can be ideal for someone who doesn't have time to sit down with a whole novel and wants to read still. There are thousands of great options in the world of anthologies, whether you're getting used to a writer's style or whether you're trying out short stories after reading things like "Lord of the Rings" and want to go to the other extreme. It is a great way to read.

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About the Creator

Annie Kapur

190K+ Reads on Vocal.

English Lecturer

🎓Literature & Writing (B.A)

🎓Film & Writing (M.A)

🎓Secondary English Education (PgDipEd)

đź“ŤBirmingham, UK

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