The Book of Forgotten Authors
So begins Christopher Fowler's foray into the back catalogues and backstories of 99 authors who, once hugely popular, have all but disappeared from our shelves. Whether male or female, domestic or international, flash-in-the-pan or prolific, mega-seller or prize-winner - no author, it seems, can ever be fully immune from the fate of being forgotten. And Fowler, as well as remembering their careers, lifts the lid on their lives, and why they often stopped writing or disappeared from the public eye. These 99 journeys are punctuated by 12 short essays about faded once-favourites: including the now-vanished novels Walt Disney brought to the screen, the contemporary rivals of Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie who did not stand the test of time, and the women who introduced us to psychological suspense many decades before it conquered the world. This is a book about books and their authors. It is for book lovers, and is written by one who could not be a more enthusiastic, enlightening and entertaining guide.
Reviews
Fiona Coffey@bibliofi
This book was interesting! Kind of pretentious, which put me off a bit.
Kyra Ann Dawkins@kyra_ann_writes
The Book of Forgotten Authors was a refreshing change of pace from what I've been reading recently. In truth, I bought it at first in a quaint independent bookstore in my hometown to diversify my Goodreads want-to-read list. Though I did add a few of the books mentioned to that ever-growing catalogue, Christopher Fowler surprised me with interesting snapshots of the authors' lives beyond their works. After reading this book, I feel prepared to become a more well-rounded reader, venturing beyond my favorite authors and genres to explore something new and perhaps to help revive something forgotten.
Liam Byrne @tvtimelimit
Lina M Pitz@leens