1962 and Literature

1962 was a very good year for literature. We've already profiled Ken Kesey and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

Other outstanding works include Madeline L'Engle's timeless (pun intended) classic juvenile science fiction story A Wrinkle in Time. I read that one as an eleven-year-old, one of the first true science fiction books I ever read. Needless to say I've read many more since.

Another fiction work from 1962 was Shirley Jackson's We Have Always Lived in the Castle. A dark and unconventional story, it too was has stood teh test of time and was recently on a best 1000 books of all time list. I read that one at twelve and have recently re-read it. Thoroughly enjoying it both times.

Finally, in the realm of nonfiction icons, stands Rachel Carson's Silent Spring. Also first published in 1962 and just as relevant today as it was 50 years ago. Just look at the environmental disasters in China in the name of industry and profit.

I encourage anyone to read these classic pieces and share their insights with friends and neighbors.

Two Classic 50-Year-Olds

One of two classic humorous, yet with dark undertones, turns 50 this year.

Ken Kesey wrote One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest based on his experiences as an employee in a psychiatric ward. His book, and the subsequent movie starring Jack Nicholson, captured the institutional madness (pun intended) of the psychiatric asylum system.

The book is an engrossing read, one of the first books I couldn’t put down. The movie is a classic, being inaugurated as one of the 100 best movies of all time in 1991.

The second book, also 50 years old, is Catch-22, the crazy anti-war book which coined a new term in the English lexicon from its title alone. It was another book I could not put down when I first read it in the early 1970s.

Both are highly recommended. Their story and their message are as valid now as then. And their writing is phenomenal.