Books
Classic books, the ones you read for school or because they are on some list. Are they any good? Find out for yourself. Here are some classics that have publication anniversary dates in June. Have you read these classics?
June 8, 1949 - 1984 by George Orwell is a dystopian novel about the state of the world in the year 1984. Winston Smith works at the Ministry of Truth where he falsifies documents for the Party. He and his colleague and love interest Julia try to subvert the government and think for themselves, but Big Brother is always watching. The book was made into a movie in 1984.
June 13, 1908 - Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery is about Anne Shirley, a red-haired child accidentally brought to siblings Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert for adoption. Though they wanted a boy to help with the farm, Anne works herself into the hearts of the Cuthbert’s and the community with her imagination and joy for life. The book is the first of eight in the series and has been adapted into several movies and television series, the most popular starring Megan Fellows.
June 1979 - Kindred by Octavia E. Butler is a book about time travel and slavery. Dana keeps traveling between Los Angles in 1976 and a 19th-century Maryland plantation. Dana spends longer amounts of time in the past and meets several of her ancestors. The book was adapted into a series on Hulu, but despite positive reviews, it was canceled after one season.
Authors
These authors are celebrating birthdays in June. Have you ever read their books? If not, give one a try. If you have, make sure you've read their most popular book or series. Have you read all their books? Make sure you've read their latest.
Kenneth Martin Follett was born in Cardiff, Wales on June 5, 1949. His father was a tax inspector and they moved from Wales to London when Follett was 10. His parents were part of a devout Christian group, that believed watching television and going to the movies were sinful behaviors. Because of this, Follett was very grateful for the public library and became a voracious reader. During his first year at University College, his high school girlfriend Mary became pregnant. The couple married the next year and welcomed a boy named Emanuele. Follett graduated with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy in 1970. He became a newspaper reporter working in Wales and then London. His daughter, Marie-Claire was born in 1973. Bored with his work, Follett began to write novels and had his first book published in 1974. In the beginning, Follett wrote crime novels under several different pseudonyms such as Simon Myles, Bernard L. Ross, Martin Martinsen, and Zachary Stone. Wanting to learn more about the book business and why some books sell, Follett quit reporting and became an editor with Everest Books. He met U.S. literary agent Al Zuckerman, who helped change the way Follett wrote to make his books bestsellers. In 1978, he published his 11th book, The Eye of the Needle and it was a hit. With the success of the book, Follett was able to become a full-time writer. He went on to write many standalone thrillers and historical novels including the Century trilogy and the Kingsbridge series. Follett is active in politics as a Labour Party supporter. He divorced his wife in 1985 and married fellow politico Barbara Broer, who was a Member of Parliament from 1997-2010. Follett enjoys playing guitar in a band and is involved in many charitable organizations. He’s won several international awards, an Edgar Award, and an Edgar Grand Master. Follett’s latest book is the fifth Kingsbridge book, The Armor of Light. (author photo by Marcus Wissman)
Joyce Carol Oates was born in Lockport, N.Y. on June 16, 1938. Her father was a tool and die maker and her mother was a homemaker. Oates attended the same one-room schoolhouse her mother had and was an excellent student. She was a gifted storyteller and loved reading. Oates’ paternal grandmother Blanche lived with the family and the two were close. Blanche gifted Oates a copy of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and a typewriter, both having a major influence on her writing. At age 15, Oates submitted a novel about a recovering drug addict, but it was rejected by publishers as being too bleak. Oates won a scholarship to Syracuse University and graduated in 1960 as the class valedictorian. While there she won a Mademoiselle fiction prize for one of her short stories. Oates received a fellowship and graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1961 with a master’s degree in English. While in Wisconsin, Oates, met and married a doctoral student in English named Raymond Smith. After a short stint in Texas, the couple moved to Michigan and began teaching at colleges in Detroit and then in Ontario, Canada. Her first book of short stories was published while in Texas. While teaching she continued to write short stories and novels and then tried playwriting and poetry. In the late 1960s, she earned two grants from the National Endowment of the Arts and a Guggenheim Fellowship. In 1977, she became a writer-in-residence at Princeton University and stayed there as a professor until 2014. In the 1980s, Oates turned to writing gothic novels and wrote some novels using the pseudonyms Rosamond Smith and Lauren Kelly. She won more awards such as a National Book Award for them, six O. Henry Awards, a Pushcart Prize, and a National Humanities Medal. Several of her books were Pulitzer Prize finalists: What I Lived For, Blonde, and Lovely, Dark, Deep. She is also the recipient of several lifetime achievement awards including the F. Scott Fitzgerald, Bram Stoker, and Norman Mailer. Oates’ husband died in 2008 and she married Charles Gross in 2009 but was widowed again in 2019. Oates is a private and introverted person, but she is active on X (Twitter). Her latest book is Butcher, an historical novel about Dr. Silas Weir. Weir was an 19th century physician who experimented on women in a New Jersey asylum. (author photo by Jemal Countess)
Salman Rushdie was born on June 19, 1947, in what is now Mumbai, India. Rushdie’s father was a prominent businessman and was able to send Rushdie to school in England when he was 13. After graduating from Cambridge University in 1968, he started working as a copywriter. He had his first novel published in 1974 and it was unsuccessful. His next book was a huge improvement. Midnight’s Children came out in 1981 and won the Booker Prize. It was his fourth novel, The Satanic Verses which brought him fame, but also threatened his life. In the book, there was a religion resembling Islam, and Muslims around the world were incensed by what they believed to be insults to their religion. The book was banned in a dozen countries and protests and riots took place in India, Pakistan, and South Africa. Rushdie being born Muslim was charged with blasphemy and a fatwa or death sentence was proclaimed by the Ayatollah. There was a reward of several million for anyone who would kill Rushdie or his publishers. Rushdie and his wife then went into hiding for five years. Rushdie proceeded to write many more novels, children’s books, short stories, nonfiction, plays, and articles for publications like The Atlantic Monthly, The London Times, and The New York Times. He was a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Emory University in Atlanta, where his archives are housed. He has won numerous international awards and was decorated as a Knight of the British Empire in 2008. Rushdie is currently married to his fifth wife. All his wives have been connected to the literary world. He has two sons, Zafar and Milan, one each from his first and third marriages. In August 2022, Rushdie was about to give a lecture in New York, when he was attacked on stage. He was stabbed multiple times and rushed to the hospital with serious injuries. Rushdie lost sight in his right eye and the use of one hand. Rushdie writes about this experience in his newest book, Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder. (author photo by Rune Hellestad)
Factual information and author photos from Gale: Biography in Context.