Musings Vol. 2
The best books I read in 2020, the forgotten female writers of the 20th century & recommended online reading
Hi! Long time, no talk here. I totally do not want to talk about deadly illnesses and how the government owes us money so let’s talk about books instead!
The best books published in 2020
Narrowed down to a top 15…one day I’ll be able to stomach a top 10. Of all the new releases I read in 2020, these were my favorite, in no particular order.
1. Miss Aluminum by Susanna Moore
2. Boy Parts by Eliza Clark
3. Daddy by Emma Cline
4. Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
5. Sleepovers by Ashleigh Bryant Phillips
6. Vernon Subutex 2 by Virginie Despentes
7. The Superrationals by Stephanie LaCava
8. The Jakarta Method by Vincent Bevins
9. The Lightness by Emily Temple
10. F*ckface: And Other Stories by Leah Hampton
11. Suppose a Sentence by Brian Dillon
12. Four by Four by Sara Mesa
13. Alice Knott by Blake Butler
14. I Hold a Wolf by the Ears by Laura Van Den Berg
15. The Book of Moods by Lauren Martin
Rediscovering the forgotten women writers of the 20th century
Isabelle Huppert in Malina (1991), based on the book by Ingeborg Bachmann
If you follow me on Instagram, you know I have been gushing over Tove Ditlevsen’s The Copenhagen Trilogy, released last week by FSG in one translated volume, though each of the three books are available separately, with equally stunning covers. I was left inspired, touched, and completely enamored with Tove Ditlevsen after reading. So much so, that I couldn’t believe her work was just now being translated in English; the books seem destined to become classics. It’s important to note that in Denmark, Ditlevsen’s work is widely celebrated and even taught in schools, but the English-speaking world has been long deprived of her talent. I immediately ordered Ditlevsen’s only other available translated work, The Faces. It’s going to take a couple weeks to get to me as it is for sale exclusively overseas. In the meantime, to satisfy my craving for more European women in chaos, I began reading Susan Taubes’ 1969 novel, Divorcing. I had been hunting it down for quite some time, but it was always so expensive on secondhand sites, as the book had been out of print for decades; sheer delight when I realized this fall it was being reissued by NYRB! Leonara Carrington, the Mexican-British writer and surrealist artist, had her 1974 novel The Hearing Trumpet recently reissued as well, and I bought a copy this past week.
I’ve found myself wondering what other hidden literary genius has been lost to time, memory, or has never been translated. As I am wont to do with my assorted and ever-changing small obsessions, after finishing The Copenhagen Trilogy I went on a deep dive of the women writers, specifically of the 20th century, that remain largely unknown to most readers. I combed through blogs, publisher backlists, Goodreads, my own shelves, publications like The Paris Review and the London Review of Books, bestseller lists from decades past, and academic journals and databases (thank you to my little brother for his university access credentials!). The likes of Toni Morrison, Joan Didion, Annie Ernaux, Zora Neale Hurston, Clarice Lispector, Agatha Christie, Isabel Allende, etc. are celebrated for the enduring force of their work, and rightfully so, but I’d like to take some time to step out of the tunnel vision induced by bookstagram, repeated reading lists made up of the same fifteen writers, and media think-pieces alike, that leave so much artistry and hidden aptitude behind. The British Library, aka the national library of the United Kingdom, recently announced that they would be reissuing a series of books throughout this year from out-of-print British female novelists; I’d add this series to the reading list below as all of the editions are from modern 20th century writers in need of new audiences. You can find the series here.
What I found in my search could fill reading lists to the end of time, but I wanted to at least share some that I found particularly curiosity-sparking. For now, I’m limiting my search to 20th century fiction novelists and short story writers. The term “forgotten” is also subjective in its use here. I foraged for writers that met various criteria such as not having heard of them prior, having a low volume of reviews and shelf-adds on Goodreads, or having been specifically reissued by publishers for the purpose of rediscovery. However, I wanted to make sure the reading list had books that one can at least find for reasonable prices on common and accessible websites like Booskhop, Abe, Book Depository, Thriftbooks and Amazon. As such, the books are either still in print, reissued, or used copies are seemingly plentiful. I would love for you to share with me any 20th century female writers you feel don’t get their due on bookstagram or the wider literary world, or the lost writers you believe deserve a light on their work once again. DM me on Instagram, email me, leave a comment, put out the call for recs to your own insta-friends, whatever is easiest. I hope to form some sort of shareable/editable-at-large reading list. Do I need a hashtag? Is that lame?
A reading list to get you started:
The books already on my shelves that I’ll be starting with over the next couple months: Divorcing by Susan Taubes (currently reading). The Hearing Trumpet by Leonara Carrington (starting next). The Faces by Tove Ditlevsen (also starting next). Blue in Chicago by Bette Howland. Three by Ann Quin. Broderie Anglaise by Violet Trefusis. Abigail by Magda Szabo. Malina by Ingeborg Bachmann. Love, Anger, Madness by Marie Vieux-Chauvet. Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner. First Love & Look for My Obituary: Two Novellas by Elena Garro. La Batarde by Violette Leduc.
The books I’ve already read and highly recommend: Your Blues Ain’t Like Mine by Bebe Moore Campbell. The Piano Teacher by Elfriede Jelinek.
More books I’m excited to discover: The Flagellants by Carlene Hatcher Polite. Hôtel Splendid by Marie Redonnet. White Rat by Gayl Jones. Savage Coast by Muriel Rukeyser. Bad Girl by Vina Delmar. The Living Is Easy by Dorothy West. Sleep Has His House by Anna Kavan. Gorilla, My Love Toni Cade Bambara. Tomboy by Nina Bouraoui. Scarlet Song by Mariama Bâ. Alberta and Jacob by Cora Sandel. Plum Bun by Jessie Redmon Fauset. The Promise by Silvina Ocampo. Ingratitude by Ying Chen. Ship of Fools by Katherine Anne Porter. Insel by Mina Loy. The Light Years by Elizabeth Jane Howard. Gentleman's Agreement by Laura Z. Hobson. The Wave by Evelyn Scott. Miss Nobody by Ethel Carnie Holdsworth. Last Words from Montmartre by Qiu Miaojin. Free Day by Inès Cagnati. Artemisia by Anna Banti.
Recommended online reading
What If You Could Do It All Over? by Joshua Rothman — A beautiful and meditative piece about how our alternate selves haunt us.
Hillbilly Elegy Is an Accidental Camp Masterpiece by Patrik Sandberg — I have beef with Hillbilly Elegy, so I enjoyed this take on the campy film adaptation of the book.
In Fashion, Who Will Cancel the Cancelers? by Rachel Tashjian — If you pay attention to the happenings of the fashion world, and perhaps even if you don’t, you’ll likely have heard of the Diet Prada Instagram account. I started following a couple years ago and enjoyed their content that focused on analyzing trends and calling out blatant copycats. However, I’ve watched their account slide into a more…messy, way of approaching things, and in 2020, I ended up unfollowing. This is a great look into some of the issues DP has faced recently and asks important questions about their own accountability; plus, I love anything Rachel Tashjian writes.
Washington’s Secret to the Perfect Zoom Bookshelf? Buy It Wholesale. by Ashley Fetters — I’m dying to now know which celebrities and pundits actually bought their shelves curated and wholesale solely for the purpose of a Zoom background.
THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL: 2020 by Dean Kissick — It’s hard to find year in review essays that aren’t annoying, this is one of them.
Mine for Yours by Dennis Cooper — All of Cooper’s favorite reads, art, films, and internet happenings of 2020 (we share two of the same favorite books of the year so that means I am very much so a cool person).
Rachel Rabbit White, in Her Boudoir by Nico Walker — Love them. Obsessed with them. Very excited for the film release of Cherry.
Good Boys by Honor Levy — Big fan of Honor Levy’s flash fiction that was published at different outlets this summer.
Losing the Narrative: The Genre Fiction of the Professional Class by James McElroy — Long, but worth it. Clever use of metaphor between storytelling/literature and the state of culture, the workplace, and politics.
One of My Friends Is in Her Flop Era (It’s Me) by Harron Walker — #mood