Let’s enjoy the rediscovered literary gems that were lost, destroyed or simply forgotten.
In recent times, many of the classic works by legendary writers that were thought to have been lost have been rediscovered. This “lost literature” is found in archives, libraries, private collections and even in attics. These classics are discovered much to the delight of readers and critics who could havefresh insight into the style and development of the writer. Here are some of those rediscovered gems of literature.
Temperature by F.Scott Fitzgerald
Andrew Gulli, managing editor of “The Strand”, made an astonishing discovery in the year 2015. He was going through archives of rare books at Princeton University when he chanced upon an unpublished work of famous alumni. This work was a short story written by F. Scott Fitzgerald named “Temperature”. This short story was written in the year 1939 and is a poignant story of a drunkard writer who suffered from a heart ailment. Ironically, just a year after he wrote this story, Fitzgerald, too, died of a heart attack.
Sherlock Holmes: Discovering the Border burghs and, by deduction by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
2015 was indeed a year for literary rediscoveries. In 2015, a manuscript written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was rediscovered in the attic of historian Walter Elliot. This Sherlock Holmes short story was actually a part of a collection of short stories named “The Book o’the Brig”. This book was written to raise funds to rebuild a bridge in Scotland that was destroyed in flood in the year 1902. But critics are divided about the authenticity of the manuscript, as it does not seem like Doyle style of writing.
The Field of Honour by Edith Wharton
When a researcher named Alice Kelly from Oxford University, was studying some papers of the iconic writer at Yale University when she came across an unfinished short story. Incidentally, this story was stuck at the back of another manuscript. The title of the story was “The Field of Honour”. The story revolves around the first world war and talks critically about the women who helped extremely superficially during the war. That explains, why this story was never published or even completed. Such work could have sparked many controversies.
So, what do you think? Would you snag a copy of these rare hidden gems?
