By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
Albert Camus (1913-60) was one of the most important and influential writers of the twentieth century. Born in Algeria, which at the time was still part of the French empire, Camus studied philosophy at the University of Algiers, and his fiction and essays are both ‘philosophical’ in their outlook and their approach to understanding the modern world.
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
The novels of the Brontë sisters are some of the most important and influential books of the Victorian era. In just a few years, the siblings Anne, Charlotte, and Emily Brontë published seven remarkable full-length novels which continue to be read, enjoyed, and studied by countless people around the world.
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
The American author Michael Crichton (1942-2008) was a pioneer of what became known as the ‘techno-thriller’. He wrote novels informed by the latest up-to-date science on a range of issues, but what sets him apart is his willingness to adopt a contrarian position on scientific and technological developments, as well as social questions.
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
George Orwell’s 1945 novella Animal Farm is at once children’s fable and political allegory. This double-edged quality to Orwell’s short novel means that Animal Farm requires some words of analysis to be fully appreciated.
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
The American writer Jack London (1876-1916) packed much into his forty years on this planet: he famously became the first author to become a millionaire from his writing, writing some fifty books in just sixteen years.