Thomas Merton’s “The Other Side of the Mountain” is a collection of journals that document the final 14 months of his life. Merton was a Trappist monk and Catholic author who is widely regarded as one of the most influential American Catholic writers of the 20th century. The journals offer a glimpse into Merton’s thoughts …
Types of Allegories
The King in Yellow by Robert W. Chambers is a collection of ten short stories that was first published in 1895. The stories are set in both America and France, and they showcase the decadence and degeneracy of society during the fin de siècle period. The first four stories in the collection are linked by …
The Wall, written by John Hersey, is a fictional novel that portrays the tragic events of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising during World War II. The novel’s main focus is on the Jews who lived in the Warsaw Ghetto and their resistance against the Nazis. Hersey’s intent in writing The Wall is to relate in fictional …
“The Eyre Affair” by Jasper Fforde is a unique and captivating novel that has captured the hearts of readers around the world. Set in an alternate version of 1985, the book follows the story of literary detective Thursday Next as she embarks on a mission to rescue Jane Eyre, who has been kidnapped from the …
The City of Dreaming Books is a novel by German author Walter Moers. The book is the fourth in the Zamonia series and was first published in 2004. The English translation by John Brownjohn was released in 2007. The novel is set in the subterranean world of Bookholm, a city where reading can be dangerous …
“The Mouse That Roared” is a satirical novel by Irish writer Leonard Wibberley that was published in 1955. The book is a political allegory that tells the story of the Duchy of Grand Fenwick, a tiny European country that is facing economic hardship. The country’s leaders decide that the only way to survive is to …
Ecotopia by Ernest Callenbach is a novel that explores the concept of an environmentally sustainable and socially progressive society. It was published in 1975 and is presented as a fictional journal written by a journalist named William Weston. The book is set in an alternative historical timeline, one in which Washington, Oregon, and Northern California …
The Conference of the Birds is a timeless allegorical masterpiece of Sufi literature written by the Persian poet Farid ud-Din Attar. The poem’s unique structure, with various birds representing different human qualities and aspirations, allows Attar to explore the complexities of the soul’s journey. The title is taken directly from the Qur’an, 27:16, where Sulayman …
The Star Rover, also known as The Jacket, is a novel by Jack London that was published in 1915. This science fiction novel explores themes of mysticism and reincarnation, and follows the story of a man named Darrell Standing who is serving a life sentence in San Quentin for murder. Throughout the novel, Standing is …
Natalia Ginzburg’s “The Little Virtues” is a collection of essays that explores the complexities of human relationships and the practicalities of everyday life. Through her writing, Ginzburg reflects on big virtues, little virtues, and how we often confuse one for the other when educating our children. She argues that the true education we must strive …