Grief

"The art of losing isn't hard to master," wrote poet Elizabeth Bishop. Perhaps she meant that we will all face loss at some point in our lives. In this collection, we have brought together texts that take up the universal experience of grief.

The English Patient

by Michael Ondaatje

Publication year 1992

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes War, Memory, The Past, Race, Community, Grief

Tags Historical Fiction, Military & War, World History, Classic Fiction, Romance, World War II

The English Patient (1992) is a historical romance novel by Canadian writer Michael Ondaatje. The novel explores the relationships between four dissimilar people living in an abandoned Italian monastery at the end of World War II. The eponymous English patient—actually a Hungarian count burned beyond recognition—tells Canadian nurse Hana the story of his forbidden romance with British amateur cartographer Katharine Clifton as their small team attempted, several years earlier, to map North African deserts. Using... Read The English Patient Summary

The Fall of the House of Usher

by Edgar Allan Poe

Publication year 1839

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Fear, Grief

Tags Horror & Suspense, American Literature, Gothic Literature, Classic Fiction, Romanticism, Education, Education, Mystery & Crime Fiction

American author Edgar Allan Poe wrote the Gothic short story “The Fall of the House of Usher” in 1839. It first appeared in Burton’s Gentleman’s Magazine and later in Poe’s collection of short stories Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque in 1840. Poe is considered a founding figure of US Gothic and Romantic literature. He is best known for his poetry, including "The Raven" (1845) and "Annabel Lee" (1849), and short stories such as "The... Read The Fall of the House of Usher Summary

The Far and the Near

by Thomas Wolfe

Publication year 1935

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Appearance & Reality, Loneliness, Aging, Grief, Nostalgia, Beauty

Tags Modernism, Education, Education

“The Far and the Near” by American author Thomas Wolfe was first published in 1935. The story is set in rural America in the early 20th century and tells of a train engineer who passes the same cottage on his route for over 20 years. When the engineer retires, he visits the people who live in the cottage for the first time. The story explores themes such as The Relentless Passage of Time, Idealized Perception... Read The Far and the Near Summary

The Final Four

by Paul Volponi

Publication year 2012

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Teamwork, The Past, Grief

Tags Sports, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

The Final Four is a 2012 young adult novel by Paul Volponi. The book portrays the semifinal of a prestigious college basketball tournament, exploring the lives of four of the players.Other works by this author include Black and White, Rikers High, and Rucker Park Setup.Plot SummaryThe Final Four tells the story of the Michigan State Spartans and the Trojans of Troy University, two college basketball teams who reach the semifinal of the Men’s NCAA Basketball... Read The Final Four Summary

The Fire This Time

by Jesmyn Ward

Publication year 2016

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Grief, Justice

Tags Black Lives Matter, Creative Nonfiction, Race & Racism, World History, Social Justice, Politics & Government

The Fire This Time is a contemporary anthology responding to America’s turbulent racial climate. Jesmyn Ward, associate professor of English at Tulane University, edited the anthology. She has won numerous awards for her fiction writing, and in this book she seeks to present a collection of writing poetry from varied voices to illustrate the current moment and imagine a possible future. The book, which contains 14 essays and four poems, was published in 2016. In her... Read The Fire This Time Summary

The Fisherman

by John Langan

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Guilt, Memory, Mental Health, Death, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Colonialism, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Trauma & Abuse

The Fisherman, a 2016 novel by John Langan, blends realism with ripples of folklore, fantasy, and literary horror to craft an ominous saga of a fishing trip gone wrong. Set in the lonely reaches of New York’s Hudson River Valley, Langan’s story embraces the grotesque as it bestrides two narrative streams: a contemporary account of grief, guilt, and cosmic horror, and an embedded tale about strange events plaguing the construction of the Ashokan Reservoir in... Read The Fisherman Summary

The Five People You Meet In Heaven

by Mitch Albom

Publication year 2003

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Death, Religion & Spirituality, Aging, Fate, Friendship, Forgiveness, Memory, Childhood & Youth, The Past, Family, Hate & Anger, Love, War, Grief, Marriage, Fathers, Nostalgia, Hope, Mothers

Tags Inspirational, Magical Realism, Religion & Spirituality, Grief & Death, Modern Classic Fiction, Fantasy, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

The Five People You Meet in Heaven is a novel by best-selling writer Mitch Albom. Published in 2003, it sold more than 10 million copies and appeared on the New York Times bestseller list. In 2004, the story was adapted into a made-for-television movie starring Jon Voight. In 2018, Albom penned a follow-up called The Next Person You Meet in Heaven. The novel follows the story of Eddie, a man who believes his life was... Read The Five People You Meet In Heaven Summary

The Friend

by Sigrid Nunez

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Grief

Tags Animals, Modern Classic Fiction

The Friend by Sigrid Nunez is a postmodern novel reflecting on grief and loss. As revealed in the penultimate chapter, it is essentially a novel within a novel, charting the imagined relationship between the narrator and a dog left behind by a friend who recently killed himself. Through her relationship with the Great Dane, the unnamed narrator comes to terms with the unexpected and tragic loss, and she analyzes the complexity and emotional effects of... Read The Friend Summary

The Garden of Love

by William Blake

Publication year 1794

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Guilt, Memory, Grief, Nostalgia, Conflict, Apathy, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Good & Evil, Wins & Losses, Appearance & Reality

Tags Lyric Poem, Religion & Spirituality, World History, British Literature

... Read The Garden of Love Summary