The 10 world-famous books ever

Stephen King's novel Carrie (who was dubbed the "horror king") was once considered unpopular by the publisher. JK Rowling's Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone) were rejected 12 times before being released. And many other famous works have also fallen into similar circumstances. The following 10 classic books are typical representatives.

1. Gone With the Wind by Margarette Mitchell

Gone With the Wind , first published in 1936, is an emotional novel by Margaret Mitchell - who won the Pulitzer Prize for this work in 1937. The story is set in Georgia. and Atlanta - South America during the Civil War and reconstruction period. The work revolves around Scarlett O'Hara - a strong southern girl who has to find ways to survive the war and overcome difficult life in the post-war era.

By 1938, more than 1.7 million copies were published in the United States. It was exactly one year later when the film based on this novel was first released to American audiences, more than 2 million copies of Gone with the Wind were printed and translated into 16 different languages ​​around the world. By 1962, the number had reached more than 10 million copies, translated into more than 30 languages ​​and was adapted into a book for blind readers.

However, no one knows that to bring the book's 1,000-page manuscript to readers, Margaret Mitchell has faced 38 times of rejection.

2. Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita

Vladimir Nabokov (1899 - 1977) was a novelist, literary critic, translator, researcher of the literary genre of the United States born in Russia. He is a well-educated man, a multi-faceted and talented composer covering many genres such as poetry, drama, novels, stories, translations, Chinese chess and essays on entomology. In addition, he is the author of a series of famous novels like Lolita, Puning, Pale Fire, Ada . The 70s of the 20th century, his reputation reached the peak and was honored as "king contemporary novels ".

Lolita is one of the most unusual phenomena of 20th century literature, first published in 1955 in Paris and written in American. Like Gone With the Wind , Lolita's beginning was not smooth. The novel revolves around the story of Humbert - a literary professor in Paris - 35, fell in love with the 12-year-old landlady daughter Dolores Haze (whom he called Lolita ) and accepted her mother. of her to be close to Lolita - whom he considers "the goddess".

"Lolita, the light of my life, the fire of my abyss. My sins, my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue glides down three small steps along the palate, softly hitting the teeth three hours. Lo. Li. Ta. In the morning, I am Lo, short of Lo, stand up straight a meter and forty-six, stand alone with a sock. Wearing pants in the house, I am Lola. I'm Dolly. On the line with dots, I'm Dolores, but in my arms, you're always Lolita.

Vladimir Nabokov took two years to find an organization willing to publish his novel - often attributed to many American publishers that its content was "vulgar, dirty, incest " . Yang Xiang , the translator of the novel Lolita, also admitted that he was not sure that the book would be published in Vietnam at that time even if Lolita was published by Olympia Press .

However, so far, Lolita has been considered one of the greatest novels of the 20th century and listed on Time Magazine's list of the 100 best works of the last century.

3. The Help of Kathryn Stockett

The Help is a look at the relationship between white women and colored maids in Mississippi in the early 1960s, centered around three main characters: the 20-year-old Skeeter who just returned home after being good. Ole Miss's career but her mother just kept urging her to find a husband; Aibileen - a helper of African Americans who is suffering after losing her child and Minny - Aibileen's close friend is struggling to find work.

In Mississippi - the "navel" of racism that day, the distinction for black people takes place behind the door of every white house under countless rules that every maid of color must follow, simple but fierce: maids have to eat with their own bowls, have to sit at their own desks, have to use their own toilets. They are like an invisible stone wall that separates the people who act as mother and wife.

The Help draft was rejected 60 times. At the 61st time, after five years of writing and three and a half years were rejected, The Help was published and has more than 800 days of consistently being in the top 100 bestsellers of amazon.com.

4. Lord Golding's Lord of the Flies

Lord of the Flies - a novel published in 1954, tells the tragic progression of the lives of dozens of children between the ages of 6 and 12 years who were fortunate to survive on a desert island in the South Pacific. after the plane carrying them evacuated was hit in a war.

At first, about 21 publishers in the UK rejected Golding's manuscript. Finally, the book was released by publisher Faber and Faber in London, but it did not resonate. However, a few years later, the novel was warmly received in the United States. Since then, the Lord became famous, was included in the literature curriculum in England, the United States and many European countries, in addition, was made into a film twice in 1963 and 1990.

5. The Diary of Anne Frank (Anne Frank's Diary) of Anne Frank

Anne Frank's diary is a book that includes excerpts from a diary written by Anne Fran k while she is hiding with her family during the Nazi occupation of Holland. Her family was arrested in 1944 and Frank eventually died of typhus in Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. After the war the diary was retrieved by Frank's father, Otto Frank. In 2009, Anne Frank's Diary was put into the World Memory Program by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). According to UNESCO, Diary Anne Frank is one of "10 The world's most widely read book ".

Anne Frank's diary has been rejected 15 times and a publisher also notes that "For me, this girl doesn't have any special views or feelings enough to take this book above. curiosity ".

6. Stephen King's Carrie

Carrie is a horror novel written by Stephen King , released on April 5, 1974, with approximately 30,000 copies for the first print, revolving around the story of Carrie - a middle-aged girl. Shy school using supernatural powers to take revenge on those who tease her. This is one of the most frequently banned books in American schools.

7. Jonathan Livingston Seagull (Seagull Jonathan Livingston) by Richard Bach

American writer Richard Bach was 18 times denied when looking for a publisher for his fable novel. Publishers say they do not want to release a book comparing humans with birds.

The novel published in 1970 revolves around the life of a seagull named Jonathan who has reached adulthood with the dream of flying higher than anything in the world. To achieve this, Jonathan has constantly practiced from flying at high speed to flying with all the poses . However, the others in the herd did not like Jonathan to do so, so the seagull This is gradually isolated. Beyond all objections, Jonathan won all.

8. The Notebook of Nicholas Sparks

Nicholas Charles Sparks (1965) is an American novelist with more than 17 titles that became "best sellers" after being published. Many of them were made into films like Message in a Bottle (1999), A walk to remember (2002), Notebook (2004), Dear John (2006), Nights in Rodanthe (2008) and The Last Song (2009). . The work of Nicholas Sparks often has the theme of love, tragedy and fate.

The novel begins at the nursing home when an old man frequently tells an old woman about the love story that happened at the time of World War II. The carpenter Noah (Ryan Gosling) loved Ally (Rachel McAdams) at first sight when the 17-year-old girl - the daughter of a wealthy family returned to Seabrook town for a summer vacation. The love between two young people flourished with the innocence, innocence of adolescence and abruptly cut off by the prohibition of the Ally family. When Ally's family returned to the city, Noah wrote Ally all 365 letters but did not reach the girl. Waiting in desperation, Ally decided to get engaged to the new fiancé and social class. Luckily or fatefully, Ally met Noah in the house they once met. The passionate love in the beginning suddenly rushed to make them decide to stick together forever .

Although receiving great success and becoming famous with The Notebook , few know that this romantic novel was rejected 24 times before being published by Teresa Park.

9. The Chronicles of Narnia (CS Chronicles of Narnia) by CS Lewis

The Narnia Chronicle is a work of 7 volumes about interesting stories happening in the land of Narnia - a fantasy world that exists in parallel with the human world. Has been rejected 37 times but with a balanced, complete structure and consistent thought from beginning to end is the spirit of fighting for righteousness, expressing the natural love of man, this novel is now Published in 47 languages ​​in the world and ranked 21st in the list of 100 famous novels most popular readers by British readers by Big Reader Magazine .

10. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by JK Rowling

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - English edition ( Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - American edition, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - Vietnamese translation) is the name of the seven-part series by writer JK Rowling. about young boy Harry Potter. The story is mostly played at the Witch School and Wizard Hogwarts - a magic school and focuses on Harry Potter's fight against Lord Voldemort - who killed his parents with the ambition of mastering the wizarding world. .

In 1995, five years after starting, Rowling ended the first Harry Potter novel. The agent Rowling found sent the manuscript to 12 publishers and was rejected. In the 13th attempt, Rowling was lucky when editor of Bloombury Barry Cunningham agreed to publish this novel. This person predicted that the book would bring Rowling a few thousand dollars at that time.

Seven books in the Harry Potter series have sold over 400 million copies, making it the best-selling series of all time. Currently, JK Rowling has become one of the wealthiest women in the UK. She also established an organization to support children and fight poverty.

"The difference between successful people and those who fail is not in strength, knowledge or knowledge but in will."