Classics Considered was born out of my childhood love for classic literature, going back to when my mom read Jules Verne to me and I breathlessly watched Wishbone on public television.
I was 17 when I started this blog (then under a different name), on the cusp of an obsession with Nathaniel Hawthorne and Franz Kafka. Mostly friendless in college, I spent a lot of time in the campus library. I also began taking courses from a remarkable professor, a Cold War survivor who helped me realize the world was much bigger than my existing perceptions. As I studied history and geopolitics, the varied facets of fact and fiction began to appear everywhere—from the myths in historical narratives to the philosophical and religious musings in Dostoyevsky’s work.
The blog is nearly as old now, and I am a different person, too. But in every life I have lived in the intervening time, old books—and the classic literature community—have remained a steadfast solace. I can really be myself in this space and talk about the things that bring me the most joy.
I read more broadly now and cherish classic literature from around the world. Unsurprisingly, the yearnings for beauty, liberty, deep companionship, and restitution are universal, revealed by authors across geographical space and time. On this blog, I strive to “consider” all these kinds of works, with the understanding that what makes a book a classic is, in part, how it conveys the struggles and ideas we share in common.
Classics Considered 