At present I am reading one more book in my "Islands of the World" category from 2014.  It's Living in the Maniototo, by Janet Frame, a New Zealander, but I'm listing it on my 2015 Classics reading challenge..

Bonnie, I'll be curious to lean what you think of her. I've been wanting to explore her poetry for a while now, but haven't got around to reading her, yet. Maybe for the 2015 challenge!

Janet

I re-read this and realized I should have clarified-- I was referring to Janet Frame...

j

A tentative list of categories for the 2015 World Lit Reading Challenge:

(1)  "Continental" -  North America; South America (includes Central America); Europe; Africa; Antarctica; Asia (includes "Near East"); and Australia (includes New Zealand)  See this one spelled out in the thread called Challenge for 2015, in my post of 11/11/2014.

(2)  Winners of important literary prizes (such as the Nobel)  from parts of the world outside the United States of America;

(3)  Literature (histories, memoirs, autobiographies, biographies) from parts of the world that were "colonies' at some time in their histories

(4)  Accounts of expeditions and voyages of exploration

(5)  Fiction or non-fiction accounts of immigrations and/or emigrations

(6)  Something of particular interest to the individual participant (thematic, geographical area, ethnic group, etc.)

Suggestions:  A participant may select as many categories as he/she wishes.

For example, if one chooses Category 1, he/she  could opt for a single continent, or two, or three, or four, or five, or six.  See this one spelled out in the thread called "Challenge for 2015" in my post of 11/11/14

Category 2 - Important prizes such as the Nobel Prize for Literature.  The Nobel has been awarded annually since 1901, and on four different occasions has been shared by two writers.   Twice the prize was declined---in 1958 by Boris Pasternak, of the USSR, and in 1964 by Jean-Paul Sartre, of France.  A participant could choose as many of the various works of these 117 authors as his/her interest prompts.

Category 3 - Former colonies:  at the participant's discretion.

Category 4:  Explorations of "new" parts of the world.......for instance, the location of the source of the Nile River, the  "Northwest Passage", an easier route to "the Spice Islands".

Category 5:  See a few suggestions for this category in the 'thread' called 2015 Reading Challenge, in my post of 11/06/14.

Category 6:  A "free choice" of the individual participant.  Some readers call this the "wild card" category..

Your list is fine with me. It allows plenty of freedom to adapt it to a participant's preferences. The idea, as I understand it, is to explore the world by literary means...be it by works written by a foreign author and/or merely reading about a foreign country. Yes?!

I like the list too. My only question has to do with the latter part of the "immigrations/emigrations" category: mightn't the phrase "implications for the course of human history" exclude contempory authors writing about contemporary immigration/emigration experiences? To my mind, everything after the word "emigrations" seems limiting and unnecessary...or am I misreading/misunderstanding (or just missing) something?

List looks good, lots of choices. I didn't get very far in the 2014 challenge, but would like to try to read these 2015 categories. Thanks, Bonnie, for putting this together.

Janet E

Thank you, Barbara, Kristin, and Janet---and Bon Voyage, mes amies!

Et vous aussi, Bonnie!!

J

2015 World Lit Reading Challenge

1.  Continental:  AFRICA -  A Man of the People, by Chinua Achebe; ASIA - Death in Midsummer, by Yukio Mishima

2.   Prize-winning: Your Fatwa Does Not Apply Here, by Karima Bennoune

3.   Former 'colony/colonies: The Blue Nile, by Alan Moorehead

4.   Voyage of exploration:

5.   Emigrant/Immigrant: The Bread Givers, by Anzia Yezierska; The Immigrant Experience: The Anguish of Becoming American,

      edited by Thomas C. Wheeler

6.   Personal choice: Living in the Maniototo, by Janet Frame (New Zealand)

(1)  "Continental" -  North America; South America (includes Central America); Europe; Africa; Antarctica; Asia (includes "Near East"); and Australia (includes New Zealand)  See this one spelled out in the thread called Challenge for 2015, in my post of 11/11/2014.

(2)  Winners of important literary prizes (such as the Nobel)  from parts of the world outside the United States of America;

(3)  Literature (histories, memoirs, autobiographies, biographies) from parts of the world that were "colonies' at some time in their histories

(4)  Accounts of expeditions and voyages of exploration

(5)  Fiction or non-fiction accounts of immigrations and/or emigrations

(6)  Something of particular interest to the individual participant (thematic, geographical area, ethnic group, etc.)

Suggestions:  A participant may select as many categories as he/she wishes.

For example, if one chooses Category 1, he/she  could opt for a single continent, or two, or three, or four, or five, or six.  See this one spelled out in the thread called "Challenge for 2015" in my post of 11/11/14

Category 2 - Important prizes such as the Nobel Prize for Literature.  The Nobel has been awarded annually since 1901, and on four different occasions has been shared by two writers.   Twice the prize was declined---in 1958 by Boris Pasternak, of the USSR, and in 1964 by Jean-Paul Sartre, of France.  A participant could choose as many of the various works of these 117 authors as his/her interest prompts.

Category 3 - Former colonies:  at the participant's discretion.

Category 4:  Explorations of "new" parts of the world.......for instance, the location of the source of the Nile River, the  "Northwest Passage", an easier route to "the Spice Islands".

Category 5:  See a few suggestions for this category in the 'thread' called 2015 Reading Challenge, in my post of 11/06/14.

Category 6:  A "free choice" of the individual participant.  Some readers call this the "wild card" category..

(1)  "Continental" -  North America; South America (includes Central America); Europe; Africa; Antarctica; Asia (includes "Near East"); and Australia (includes New Zealand)  See this one spelled out in the thread called Challenge for 2015, in my post of 11/11/2014.

(2)  Winners of important literary prizes (such as the Nobel)  from parts of the world outside the United States of America;

(3)  Literature (histories, memoirs, autobiographies, biographies) from parts of the world that were "colonies' at some time in their histories

(4)  Accounts of expeditions and voyages of exploration

(5)  Fiction or non-fiction accounts of immigrations and/or emigrations

(6)  Something of particular interest to the individual participant (thematic, geographical area, ethnic group, etc.)

A participant may select as many categories as he/she wishes.

1)  "Continental" -  North America; South America (includes Central America); Europe; Africa; Antarctica; Asia (includes "Near East"); and Australia (includes New Zealand):
So Long a Letter  by Mariama Ba-Senegal-DONE
The Harp in the South  by Ruth Park-Australia
On the Golden Porch  by Tatyana Tolstaya-Russia-short stories

(2)  Winners of important literary prizes (such as the Nobel)  from parts of the world outside the United States of America: The Old Capital  by Yasunari Kawabata-Japan-(Nobel 1968)DONE

(3)  Literature (histories, memoirs, autobiographies, biographies) from parts of the world that were "colonies' at some time in their histories

The Ten Thousand Things  by Maria Dermout (1955-Dutch)

(4)  Accounts of expeditions and voyages of exploration BEFORE the mapping of the globe was completed

The Far Traveler:Voyages of a Viking Woman   by Nancy Mane Brown-nonfiction

(5)  Fiction or non-fiction accounts of immigrations and emigrations, the reasons for them and their implications for the course of human history

The Boat of Longing   by O. E. Rølvaag

(6)  Something of particular interest to the individual participant (thematic, geographical area, ethnic group, etc.)
to be decided

(1)  "Continental" -  North America; South America (includes Central America); Europe; Africa; Antarctica; Asia (includes "Near East"); and Australia (includes New Zealand)  See this one spelled out in the thread called Challenge for 2015, in my post of 11/11/2014.

          Europe:  Chronicle in Stone - Ismael Kadare (Albania, WWII)

          South America:   The Third Reich - Roberto Bolano (Brazil)

(2)  Winners of important literary prizes (such as the Nobel)  from parts of the world outside the United States of America;

          A House for Mr. Biswas - V. S. Naipaul  (Nobelist - 2001)

(3)  Literature (histories, memoirs, autobiographies, biographies) from parts of the world that were "colonies' at some time in their histories

(4)  Accounts of expeditions and voyages of exploration

(5)  Fiction or non-fiction accounts of immigrations and/or emigrations

(6)  Something of particular interest to the individual participant (thematic, geographical area, ethnic group, etc.)

         I have mid to late 20th century European lit on my shelf, such as:

         Invisible Cities - Italo Calvino

         Book of Disquiet - Fernando Pessoa (This may take all year)

         something by Danilo Kis

A participant may select as many categories as he/she wishes.